閱讀理解:
A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.
In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective (主觀的): it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its abuse(濫用) of power over people.
In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art had been almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that described people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand the Bible stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues(雕像) are not holy.
問題:
1.More can be learned about a culture from a study of art history than general history because _______.
A.art history shows us nothing but the political values
B.general history only focuses on politics
C.art history gives us an insight(洞察力) into the essential qualities of a time and a place
D.general history concerns only religious beliefs, emotions and psychology
【參考答案】C
? ? ? ? [考點]事實細節(jié)題
? ? ? ? 【精析】C 本題可參見文章第一段的第五句話“In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books”,即從藝術中能夠更全面深刻地理解歷史文化。選項C中insight與文中的understanding同義,所以選C。
2.Art is subjective in that _______.
A.a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it
B.it only reflects people’s anger or sadness about social problems
C.it can easily arouse people’s anger about their government
D.artists were or are religious, who reflect only the religious aspect of the society
【參考答案】A
[考點]事實細節(jié)題
【精析】A 問題是“藝術是主觀的,原因在于_______?!蔽恼碌诙蔚诙湓捥岬剑?“Art,on the other hand,is subjective:it reflects emotions and opinions.”從這句話中可以看出藝術是情感和觀點的反映。所以選A。
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.In history books political views of people are entirely presented.
B.Francisco Goya expressed his religious belief in his painting The Third of May, 1808.
C.In the Middle East, you can hardly find animal or human figures on palaces or other building.
D.For centuries in Europe, painters had only painted on walls of churches or other religious buildings.
【參考答案】C
[考點]事實細節(jié)題
【精析】C 從文章第三段倒數(shù)第二句話:“By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images.”能夠看出,中東的藝術中沒有人和動物的形象。此題的關鍵是找關鍵詞:the Middle East,找到后就能很快地確定答案。所以選C。
4. The passage mainly discusses _______.
A.the development of art history B.the difference between general history and art history C.what we can learn from artD.the influence of artists on art history
【參考答案】B
[考點]主旨大意題
【精析】B 文章共分三段。第一段是概括段落,第二段和第三段采用對比的寫作方法,介紹了通過歷史課程和通過藝術了解歷史文化的不同之處。因此,文章主要講了一般歷史和藝術歷史的區(qū)別。所以選B。
5.It can be concluded from the passage that _______.
A.Islamic artists only paint images of plants, flowers or objects in their paintings
B.it is more difficult to study art history than general history
C.a history teacher must be quite objective
D.artists painted people or stories from the Bible to hide their political beliefs
【參考答案】C
[考點]推理判斷題
【精析】C 通過對藝術和歷史的對比分析,可以得出結論:既然歷史本身是客觀的,那么,歷史老師也應該是保持客觀的。所以選C。