1、Unit 1A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTINGArt 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 desc
2、ribe 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 artistof this period was not interested in showing nature and people as they really were
3、. A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols, which created a 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 16
4、th century)During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages. People 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 p
5、aint people and nature as they really were. Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they coule 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
6、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 rules of perspective had not been d
7、iscovered, 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
8、for which this period is famous.Impressionism(late 19h 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 change
9、s also led to new painting styles. Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worke 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 tim
10、es 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 angry about it. They said that the painters were careless an
11、d their paintings were ridiculous.Modern Art(29th century to today)At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but today they are accepeted as the beginning of what we call modern art. This is because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environme
12、nt in new ways. There are scores of modern art styles,but without the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exsist. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract; that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates n certain
13、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 Manhattans GalleriesT
14、he 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 c
15、entury Western paintings, and these are well-represented in this excellent collection. You can also explore Fricks beautiful home and garden which are well worth a visit.Guggenheim Museum(5th Avenue and 88th Street)This museum owns 5,000 modern paintings, sculptures and drawings. These art works are
16、 not all displayed at the same time.The exhibition is always changing. It will apeal to those who love Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.The Guggenheim Museum building is also world-famous. When you walk into the gallery, you fell as if you were inside a fragile ,white seashell. The bes
17、t 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 reaturant.Metropolitan Museum of Art(5th Avenue and 82nd Street) The reputation of this museum lies in the variety if its art collection.
18、 This covers more than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts if the world, including America, Europe, China, Egypt, other African countries and South America.The museun diaplays more than just the visual delights of art.It introduces you to ancient ways of living. You can visit an Egyptian tem
19、ple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical room in an 18th century French house and other special exhibitions.Museum of Modern Art(53rd Street, btween 5th and 6th Avenues)It is amazing that so many great works of from the late 19th century to the 21st century are housed in the same museum. The collectio
20、n of Western art includes paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. Afew words of warning:the admission price is not cheap an the meseum is often very crowded.Whitney Museum of American Art(945 Madison Avenue, near 75th Street)The Whitney holds an excellent colection
21、of comtemporary painting and sclpture. 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 comtemporary video artists.Unit2A FEW SIMPLE FORM
22、S OF ENGLISH POEMSThere 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
23、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 childrens poetry. The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, ha
24、ve 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, dont say a word, Papas going to buy you a mockingbird. If that mo
25、ckingbird wont sing, Papas going to buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass, Papas going to buy you a looking-glass. If that looking-glass gets broke, Papas going to buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat runs away, Papas going to buy you another today.One of the simplest kinds
26、 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).I saw a fish-portal all on fireI saw a fish-pond all on fire,I saw a house bow to a squi
27、re,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 w
28、ere true.Our first football matchWe would have won .if Jack had scored that goal,if wed had just a few more minutes,if we had trained harder,if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,if wed had thousands of fans screaming,if I hadnt taken my eye off the ball,if we hadnt stayed up so late the night before,if
29、 we hadnt taken it easy,if we hadnt run out of energy.We would have won .if wed 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) o
30、n the top of the next page.BrotherBeautiful, athletic Teasing, shouting, laughing Friend and enemy too MineSummer Sleepy, salty Drying, drooping, dreading Week in, week out EndlessA fallen blossom Is coming back to the branch. Look, a butterfly!( by Moritake)Snow having melted, The whole village is
31、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 th
32、e minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations from the Japanese. Where she awaits her husband On and on the river flows. Never looking back,Transformed into stone.Day by day upon the mountain top,wind and rain revolve.Should the traveller return,this stone would utter spee
33、ch.,(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, stude
34、nts may eventually want to write poems of their own. It is easier than you might think and certainly worth a tryUnit 3 A Health LifeIt 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 t
35、hat at my age I am still fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an afternoon.Its my birthday in two weeks time and I ll be82years 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
36、 started smoking some time ago and how 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 add
37、icated in three different ways. First, you can become physically addicated 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 our body, you get withdrawal symptoms. I remem
38、ber 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,
39、so I began to 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 didnt know much about the harmful effects of smoking. I didnt know, for example, that it could do terrible damage to your heart an
40、d lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to become pregnant. I certainly didnt 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 g
41、irlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She said my breath and clothes smelt, and that the ends of my fingers were turning yellow. She told me that she wouldnt go out with me again unless I stopped! I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasnt enjoying sport as much. When I was take
42、n off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time t quit smoking.I am sending you some advice I found on the Internet It might help you to stop and strengthenyour resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have.Love fromGrandadHow can you st
43、op smoking?It is not easy to stop smoking, but millions have managed to quit and so can you. Here are a few suggestions.Prapare youself. Decide on a day to quit. Dont choose a day that you know is going to be stressful, such as the day of an exam. Make a list of all the benefits you will get from st
44、opping smoking. Then throw away your last packet of cigarettes.Be determined. Every time you fell like smoking a cigarette, remind yourself that you are a non-smoker. Reread the list of benefits you wrote earlier.Break the habit. Instead of smoking a cigarette, do something else. Go for a walk, clea
45、n your teeth, frink some water, clean the house; in fact, do anything to keep ypur mind and especially your hands busy.Relax. If you start to feel nervous or stressed, do not raech for a cigarette. Try some deep breathing instead. Do some relaxationg exercises every time you feel stressed.Get help i
46、f you need it. Arrange to stop smoking with a friend so you can talk about your problems,or join a stop-smoking group. If you feel desperate , you might like to talk to a doctor or chemist about something to help you, like nicotine chewing gum.Keep trying. Dont be disappointed if you have to try sev
47、eral times before you finally stop smoking. If you weaken and have a cigarette,do not feel ashamed. Just try again. You will succeed finally.HIV/AIDS:ARE YOU AT RISK?HIV is a virus. A virus is a very small living thing that causes disease. There are many different viruses, for example, the flu virus
48、 or the SARS virus. HIV weakens a persons immune system; that is, the part of the body that fights disease. You can have HIV in your blood for a long time, but eventually HIV will damage your immune system so much that you body can no longer fight disease. This stage of the illness is called AIDS. I
49、f you develop AIDS, your chances of survival are very small. HIV is spread through blood or the fluid that the body makes during sex. For a person to become infected, blood or sexual fluid that carries the virus, has to get inside the body through broken skin or by injection. One day scientists will find a cure for HIV/AIDS.Until
