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 (客观的) 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: 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 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 (对比), 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 are not holy.

Which of the following statements has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?

A. General history only focuses on politics.

B. Art history shows us nothing but the political values.

C. General history concerns only religious beliefs, emotions and psychology.

D. Art history gives us an insight (洞察力) into the essential qualities of a time and a place.

Art is subjective in that __________. 

A. it can easily arouse people’s anger about their government

B. it only reflects people’s anger or sadness about social problems.

C. a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.

D. artists were or are religious, who reflect only the religious aspect of the society.

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? 

A. Francisco Goya expressed his religious belief in his painting.

B. In history books political views of people are entirely presented.

C. For centuries in Europe, painters had only painted on walls of churches.

D. In the Middle East, you can hardly find animal or human figures on church walls.

What’s the main topic of the passage?   

A. The development of art history.   

B. What we can learn from art.

C. The influence of artists on art history.

D. The difference between general history and art history.

B
As a teenager of the digital era, it is really hard to say no to fantastic electronic gadgets(电子产品). Many of us can’t get through a day without using our mobile phones or checking our e-mails. No matter if we’re “@home”, “@school” or“@play”, living without technological toys seems more and more unthinkable.
However, although gadgets bring convenience, many of us can start to feel stressed out by them. And, a lot of electronics are fairly expensive. Fashionable gadgets come and go in the digital age in the blink of any eye. So, think twice before you pulling out your wallet.
Here are some of the most popular gadgets and their pros and cons:
Pros: Laptops have made our lives much easier. You can take your books, movies, music and homework everywhere.
Cons: They cost at least 4,000 yuan! If you only want to share photos or games with your friend, then a flash memory stick is a great cheap alternative.
Pros: As well as carrying your favourite music, a video MP3 player can play up to 150 hours of movies and TV programmes.
Cons: The price—sometimes more than 2,000 yuan—is the first concern. Secondly, though music is really important to young people, ask yourself if video is really necessary. A regular MP3 player is a lot cheaper. And remember, don’t let the loud volume damage your hearing.
Pros: New mobile phones combine traditional functions with a digital camera, MP3 player and even a radio. Some can also send and receive e-mails.
Cons: Always trying to keep up with the latest model can be a waste of money. There are always new, improved phones coming out. Don’t be a fool. Do you really need all these functions? Think twice before you buy.  
60. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?
A. Teenagers can’t live through a day without fantastic electronic gadgets.
B. Teenagers can hardly live happily without electronic gadgets.
C. Teenagers’ life is full of expensive electronic gadgets.
D. It’s all but impossible for many teenagers to live without fantastic electronic gadgets.  
61. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. Never buy the most updated gadgets.  
B. You should buy the gadgets with as many functions as possible.
C. We needn’t always pay the most part to buy the most up-to-date gadgets with many functions.
D. Never buy the latest model, it’s much too expensive.
62. Choose the statement most similar in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph2.
A. Fashionable gadgets are updated in the digital times in a flash.
B. Fashionable gadgets are transported everywhere in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
C. People keep buying and throwing away expensive fashionable gadgets in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
D. People use all kinds of fashionable gadgets all the time in the digital age.
63. What do the words “pros and cons” mean in the selection?
A. Agreements and disagreements.
B. The views that are favoured and not favoured by people.
C. Benefits and bads.  
D. Advantages and disadvantages.

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( 主观的 ): it reflects(反映) 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 of power over people
In the same way, art can reflect a culture's religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was 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(圣经). Although most people couldn't read, they could still understand the Bible stories in the pictures on church walls.
60. 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
61. 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 the government
D. artists were or are religious, who reflect only the religious aspect of the society
62. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. In history books subjective opinions of people are entirely presented.
B. Francisco Goya expressed his religious belief in his painting The Third of May, 1808.
C. Religious art was once almost the only type of art that existed in Europe.
D. For centuries in Europe, painters could paint only on walls of churches.
63. 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 art
D. the influence of artists on art history

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 (客观的) 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: 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 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 (对比), 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 are not holy.
63. Which of the following statements has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?
A. General history only focuses on politics.
B. Art history shows us nothing but the political values.
C. General history concerns only religious beliefs, emotions and psychology.
D. Art history gives us an insight (洞察力) into the essential qualities of a time and a place.
64. Art is subjective in that __________. 
A. it can easily arouse people’s anger about their government
B. it only reflects people’s anger or sadness about social problems.
C. a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.
D. artists were or are religious, who reflect only the religious aspect of the society.
65. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? 
A. Francisco Goya expressed his religious belief in his painting.
B. In history books political views of people are entirely presented.
C. For centuries in Europe, painters had only painted on walls of churches.
D. In the Middle East, you can hardly find animal or human figures on church walls.
66. What’s the main topic of the passage?   
A. The development of art history.   
B. What we can learn from art.
C. The influence of artists on art history.
D. The difference between general history and art history.

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 — or of people very different from our own — 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(客观的) 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(主观的): 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 misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros — as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martinez — depicted these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.

In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible.  Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical 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 are unholy(不圣洁的).

1. More can be learned about a culture from a study of art history than general history because art history ____________.

A. shows us the religious beliefs and emotions of a people in addition to political values

B. provides us with information about the daily activities of people in the past

C. gives us an insight into the essential qualities of a time and a place

D. all of the above

2. Art is subjective(主观的) in that _________.

         A. a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it

         B. it can easily rouse our anger or sadness about social problems

         C. it will find a ready echo in our hearts 

         D. both B and C

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

         A. Unlike Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso and several Mexican artists expressed their political opinions in their paintings.

         B. History books often reveal the compilers’ political views.

         C. Religious art remained in Europe for centuries the only type of art because most people regarded the Bible as the Holy Book.

         D. In the Middle East even today you can hardly find any human and animal figures on palaces or other buildings.

4. The passage mainly discusses __________.

         A. the difference between general history and art history     

         B. the making of art history    

         C. what we can learn from art        

         D. the influence of artists on art history

5. It may be concluded from this passage that __________.

         A. Islamic artists have had to create architectural decoration with images of flowers or geometric forms

         B. history teachers are more objective than artists

         C. it is more difficult to study art history than general history

         D. people and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize the Bible