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选修
6 Unit 1
Art
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Reading
A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN
PAINTING
Art is
influenced by the customs and faith of a people.
Styles in Western art
have
changed
many
times.
As
there
are
so
many
different
styles
of
Western
art,
it
would be impossible to
describe all of them in such a short text.
Consequently, this
text will describe
only the most important ones, starting from the
sixth century AD.
The Middle Ages (5th to the
15th century AD)
During the Middle Ages, the main aim of
painters was to represent religious
themes. A conventional artist of this
period was not interested in showing nature and
people as they really were. A typical
picture at this time was full of religious
symbols,
which created
feeling of respect and love for God.
But it was evident that ideas were
changing
in
the
13th
century
when
painters
like
Giotto
di
Bondone
began
to
paint
religious scenes in a more realistic
way.
The Renaissance (15th to 16th
century)
During the
Renaissance, new ideas and values graduallv
replaced those held
in the Middle
began to concentrate less on religious themes and
adopt a
more humanistic attitude to
life. At the same time painters returned to
classical Roman
and Greek ideas about
art. They tried to paint people and nature as they
really were.
Rich
people
wanted
to
possess
their
own
paintings,
so
they
could
decorate
their
superb
palaces
and
great
houses.
They
paid
famous
artists
to
paint
pictures
of
themselves, their houses and
possessions as well as their activities and
achievements.
One
of
the
most
important
discoveries
during
this
period
was
how
to
draw
things
in
perspective.
This
technique
was
first
used
by
Masaccio
in
1428.
When
people first saw his
paintings, they were convinced that they were
looking through a
hole in a wall at a
real scene. If the roles of perspective had not
been discovered, no
one would have been
able to paint such realistic pictures. By
coincidence, oil paints
were also
developed at this time, which made the colours
used in paintings look richer
and
deeper. Without the new paints and the new
technique, we would not be able to
see
the many great masterpieces for which this period
is famous.
Impressionism (late 19th to early 20th
century)
In
the
late
19th
century,
Europe
changed
a
great
deal.
from
a
mostly
agricultural
society
to
a
mostly
industrial
one.
Many
people
moved
from
the
countryside to the new cities. There
were many new inventions and social changes.
Naturally,
these
changes
also
led
to
new
painting
styles.
Among
the
painters
who
broke away from the traditional style
of painting were the Impressionists, who lived
and worked in Paris.
The
Impressionists were the first painters to work
outdoors. They were eager
to
show
how
light
and
shadow
fell
on
objects
at
different
times
of
day.
However,
because
natural
light
changes
so
quickly,
the
Impressionists
had
to
paint
quickly.
Their paintings were not as detailed as
those of earlier painters. At first, many people
disliked
this
style
of
painting
and
became
very
angr
about
it.
They
said
that
the
painters were careless
and their paintings were ridiculous.
Modern Art
(20th century to today)
At
the time they were created, the Impressionist
paintings were controversial,
but
today
they
are
accepted
as
the
beginning
of
what
we
call
art
This
is
because
the
Impressionists
encouraged
artists
to
look
at
their
environment
in
new
ways. There are scores
of modern art styles, but without the
Impressionists, many of
these painting
styles might not exist. On the one hand, some
modem art is abstract;
that is, the
painter does not attempt to paint objects as we
see them with our eyes, but
instead
concentrates on certain qualities of the object,
using colour, line and shape to
represent them. On the other hand, some
paintings of modern art are so realistic that
they
look
like
photographs.
These
styles
are
so
different.
Who
can
predict
what
painting styles there will be in the
future?
THE BEST OF MANHATTAN’S ART
GALLERIES
The
Frick Collection (5th Avenue and E.70th
Street)
Many
art lovers
would rather
visit
this small
art gallery
than
any
other in
New
York.
Henry
Clay
Frick,
a
rich
New
Yorker,
died
in
1919,
leaving
his
house,
furniture
and
art
collection
to
the
American
people.
Frick
had
a
preference
for
pre
-
twentieth
century
Western
paintings,
and
these
are
well
-
represented
in
this
excellent
collection. You can also
explore Frick's beautiful home and
garden which
are well worth
a Visit.
Guggenheim Museum(5th Avenue and 88th
Street)
This
museum
owns
5,000
superb
modern
paintings,
sculptures
and
drawings. These
art works
are not
all displayed
at
the same time. The
exhibition is
always
changing.
It
will
appeal
to
those
who
love
Impressionist
and
Post
-
Impressionist
paintings.
The
Guggenheim
Museum
building
is
also
world
-
famous.
When you walk into gallery, you feel as if
you
were inside a fragile,
white seashell. The best way to see the paintings
is to start from
the top floor and walk
down to the bottom. There are no stairs just a
circular path. The
museum also has an
excellent restaurant.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
(5th Avenue and 82nd Street)
The reputation of this museum lies in
the variety of its art collection. This
covers more than 5,000 years of
civilization from many parts of the world,
including
America,
Europe,
China,
Egypt,
other
African
countries
and
South
America.
The
museum displays more
than just the visual delights of art. It
introduces you to ancient
ways of
living. You can visit an Egyptian temple, a
fragrant Ming garden, a typical
room in
an 18th century French house and many other
special exhibitions.
Museum of Modern Art (53rd
Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)
It is amazing that so many great works
of art from the late 19th century to
the
21st
century
are
housed
in
the
same
museum.
The
collection
of
Western
art
includes paintings by such famous
artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. A
few words of warning: the admission
price is not cheap and the museum is often very
crowded.
Whitney Museum of American
Art (945 Madison Avenue, near 75th
Street)
The
Whitney
holds
an
excellent
collection
of
contemporary
American
painting
and
sculpture.
There
are
no
permanent
displays
in
this
museum
and
exhibitions
change
all
the
time.
Every
two
years,
the
Whitney
holds
a
special
exhibition of new
art by living artists. The museum also shows
videos and films
by
contemporary video artists.
选修
6 Unit 2
Poems
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Reading
A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH
POEMS
There are
various reasons why people write poetry. Some
poems tell a story
or describe
something in a way that will give the reader a
strong impression. Others
try to convey
certain emotions. Poets use many different forms
of poetry to express
themselves. In
this text, however, we will look at a few of the
simpler forms.
Some of the
first poetry a young child learns in English is
nursery rhymes.
These rhymes like the
one on the right (A) are still a common type of
children's poetry.
The
language
is
concrete
but
imaginative,
and
they
delight
small
children
because
they
rhyme,
have
strong
rhythm
and
a
lot
of
repetition.
The
poems
may
not
make
sense and even seem
contradictory, but they are easy to learn and
recite. By playing
with the words in
nursery rhymes, children learn about
language.
A
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird. If
that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's
going to buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond
ring turns to brass, Papa's going to
buy you a looking
-
glass. If
that looking
-
glass gets
broke, Papa's going to buy you a
billy
-
goat. If that
billy
-
goat runs away, Papa's
going
to buy you another
today.
One of the
simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C
that list things.
List poems have a
flexible line length and repeated phrases which
give both a pattern
and a rhythm to the
poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not
(like C).
B
I
saw a fish
-
portal all on
fire
I saw a
fish
-
pond all on
fire,
I saw a house bow to a
squire,
I saw a person
twelve
-
feet high,
I saw a cottage in the sky,
I saw a balloon made of
lead,
I saw a coffin
drop down dead,
I saw two
sparrows run a race,
I
saw two horses making lace,
I
saw g girl just like a cat,
I
saw a kitten wear a hat,
I
saw a man who saw these too,
And
said though strange they all were true.
C
Our first football match
We
would have won ...
if
Jack had scored that goal,
if
we'd had just a few more minutes,
if we had trained harder,
if Ben had passed the ball to
Joe,
if we'd had
thousands of fans screaming,
if I hadn't taken my eye off the
ball,
if we hadn't
stayed up so late the night before,
if we hadn't taken it easy,
if we hadn't run out of
energy.
We would have won
...
if we'd been
better!
Another simple form of poem
that students can easily write is the cinquain, a
poem made up of five lines. With these,
students can convey a strong picture in just a
few words. Look at the examples (D and
E) on the top of the next page.
D
Brother
Beautiful,
athletic Teasing,
shouting,
laughing
Friend
and
enemy
too
Mine
E
Summer Sleepy, salty Drying, drooping,
dreading Week in, week out Endless
F
A fallen blossom Is coming
back to the branch. Look, a butterfly!
( by Moritake)
G
Snow having melted, The whole village
is brimful Of happy children.
(by Issa)
Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that
is made up of 17 syllables. It is not a
traditional form of English poetry, but
is very popular with English writers. It is easy
to write and, like the cinquain , can
give a clear picture and create a special feeling
using the minimum of words. The two
haiku poems (F and G) above are translations
from the Japanese.
H
Where
she
awaits
her
husband
On
and
on
the
river
flows.
Never
looking
back,Transformed
into
by
day
upon
the
mountain
top,wind
and
rain
the traveller return,this stone would
utter speech.,
(by Wang
Jian)
Did you know
that English speakers also enjoy other forms of
Asian poetry
-
Tang poems
from China in particular? A lot of Tang poetry has
been translated into
English. This Tang
poem (H) is a translation from the Chinese.
With
so
many
different
forms
of
poetry
to
choose
from,
students
may
eventually
want
to
write
poems
of
their
own.
It
is
easier
than
you
might
think
and
certainly worth a try!
I'VE SA
VED THE
SUMMER
I've
saved the summer
And I give
it all to you
To hold on
winter mornings
When the
snow is new.
I've saved some sunlight
If you should ever need
A place away from darkness
Where your mind can feed.
And
for myself I've kept your smile
When you were but nineteen,
Till you're older you'll not
know
What brave young smiles
can mean.
I know no answers
To help you on your way
The answers lie somewhere
At the bottom of the day.
But if you've a
need for love
I'll give you
all l own
It might help you
down the road
Till you've
found your own.
(by Rod
McKuen)
选修
6
Unit 3 A healthy
life
-
Reading
ADVICE FROM
GRANDAD
Dear
James,
It is a beautiful day
here and I am sitting under the big tree at the
end of the garden. I
have
just returned from a long bike ride to
an old castle. It seems amazing that at my
age I am still
fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an
afternoon. It's my birthday in
two
weeks time and I'll be
82
years old! I think my long and active life must be
due
to the healthy life I live.
This brings me to the real reason for
my letter, my dear grandson. Your mother tells
me that
you
started smoking some time ago and now you are
finding it difficult to
give it up.
Believe me, I know how easy it is to begin smoking
and how tough it is to
stop. You see,
during adolescence I also smoked and became
addicted to cigarettes.
By
the way, did you know that this is because you
become addicted in three different
ways?
First,
you
can
become
physically
addicted
to
nicotine,
which
is
one
of
the
hundreds
of chemicals in cigarettes. This means that after
a while your body becomes
accustomed
to
having
nicotine
in
it.
So
when
the
drug
leaves
your
body,
you
get
withdrawal symptoms. I remember feeling
bad
-
tempered and sometimes
even in pain.
Secondly, you become
addicted through habit. As you know, if you do the
same thing
over
and
over
again,
you
begin
to
do
it
automatically.
Lastly,
you
can
become
mentally addicted. I
believed I was happier and more relaxed after
having a cigarette,
so I began to think
that I could only feel good when I smoked. I was
addicted in all
three ways, so it was
very difficult to quit. But I did finally
manage.
When I was young, I
didn't know much about the harmful effects of
smoking. I didn't
know, for example,
that it could do terrible damage to your heart and
lungs or that it
was more difficult for
smoking couples to become pregnant. I certainly
didn't know
their
babies
may
have
a
smaller
birth
weight
or
even
be
abnormal
in
some
way.
Neither
did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect
the health of non
-
smokers.
However, what I did know was that my
girlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She said my
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