题目内容
The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism(相对主义), are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions. Such a view, however, fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries.
History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries. Unique works of this kind are different from today’s popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.
In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because “the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的) in human nature,” the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.
Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.
1.According to the passage, what do we know about cultural relativism? ________
A. It introduces different cultural values.
B. It relates artistic values to local conditions.
C. It explains the history of artistic works.
D. It excites the human mind throughout the world.
2.In Paragraph 2, the artists are mentioned in order to show that__________.
A. popular arts are hardly distinguishable from great arts
B. history gives art works special appeal to set them apart
C. great works of art can go beyond national boundaries
D. great artists are skilled at combining various cultures
3.According to Hume, some works of art can exist for centuries because__________.
A. they are results of scientific study
B. they appeal to unchanging features of human nature
C. they are created by the world’s greatest artists
D. they establish some general principles of art
4.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? ________
A. Are Popular Arts Permanent?
B. Are Artistic Values Universal?
C. Is Human Nature Uniform?
D. Is Cultural Relativism Scientific?
名校课堂系列答案
Novel is typically written in a narrative (叙事) style and presented as a book. Novels tell stories, in which the characters and events are usually imaginary. The novel has been a part of human culture for over a thousand years, although its origins are somewhat debated. Regardless of how it began, the novel has remained one of the most popular and treasured examples of human culture and writing. It remains an essential part of the literary cultures of nearly all societies around the world.
Novella is classified as “Too short to be a novel，too long to be a short story”. There is no precise definition in terms of word or page count. Literary prizes and publishing houses often have their own arbitrary limits, which vary according to their particular intentions.
A short story is different from novels or novellas in that the plot is usually tied to one single chain of events. Because the reader must identify with a character quickly to become engaged, the tale is often told from the chief character’s point of view.
A drama refers to a play for the theatre，television or radio. It generally consists of chiefly dialogue between characters. It also uses dance to convey their message. Dramas usually aim at dramatic performance rather than at reading. In theater, a drama is presented by actors to an audience.
Good literary works depend on literary techniques. A literary technique can be used by authors in order to improve the written framework of a piece of literature, and produce specific effects.
Literary techniques include a wide range of approaches to crafting a work. The ability to let readers know what might happen in the future in an indirect way is possible through the technique foreshadowing. The practice of representing objects and qualities as human beings in literature is personification. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas.
Literature | |
Definitions of literature | Definitions of literature have kept 1.all the time. |
They are connected with 2. | |
Among them are “books and writing”, “ ‘imaginative’ literature” and “written or spoken material”. | |
3.▲of literature | Poetry, with rhyme, uses unusual word order in lines, which may be a barrier to see what it 4. |
A novel takes the form of a book, talking about what is 5._up by the writer. | |
The novella, as for length, exists 6.the novel and short story. | |
A short story tells a comparatively 7.story compared with novels and novellas. | |
Dramas are performed rather than read, with the ideas expressed either orally or 8.. | |
Literary techniques | Give a warning or sign of a 9.event by using the technique called foreshadowing. |
When personification is used, something without 10.is treated as if it were a human being. | |
Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols. | |