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identity.
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887) initially appears to comply with Risser‘s evaluation. In this work, the painter depicted himself wearing a jumper of intense blue before a background done almost entirely in gray but with noticeable blurs of blue—most notably in the top right corner. Overall the painting appears to be unfinished, a hastily done portrait that the painter abandoned to create more lasting works.
In its incomplete state we can precisely read ―an unfinished life,‖ and in the wild strokes of casual blue in the background and splashed across the artist‘s garments we are instantly confronted with the sense of growing ―more and more out of control.‖
But is this an accurate evaluation? On the one hand, Risser seems to have legitimate cause for envisioning van Gogh‘s self-portrait as psychological self-analysis, a painting that ―reveals an emotional intensity hiding beneath the surface‖. But is the chaotic surface effect of the blue in this painting actually a form of self-criticism, the artist‘s own intense and emotional despair over his loss of control—or is it representative of an underlying aesthetic whose focus is not the painter himself? An intriguing alternative exists: van Gogh may not have painted the self-portraits as psychoanalytical evaluations of himself, but instead merely as experiments in technique. The artist often stated that he painted himself only because he lacked other models, a view found in the critical work of both Richard Kendall and T.J. Shackelford. Perhaps, then, van Gogh was not trying to learn about himself but about art as a whole while painting these portraits and hence we ought to read the self-portraits as a series of statements about art itself. The key to this analysis may be a careful exploration of the special color symbolism van Gogh attached to the color blue. Unlike our everyday association of blue with melancholy or boredom, the artist imagined blue as a symbol for the infinite or the limitless. Such a view calls into question the idea that self-portraits such as van Gogh‘s Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887) were a psychological profile of the artist‘s melancholy or despair. Instead, when we consider blue‘s special symbolic role as the infinite in van Gogh‘s Paris self-portraits, we discover a new narrative describing the painter‘s own aesthetic: his insistence that the future of art lay in expressive rather than realistic methods.
1. What does James Risser think of van Gogh‘s self-portraits?
A. Different self-portraits represent van Gogh‘s different attitude towards life. B. Many of his self-portraits have been neglected by critics. C. Van Gogh sought for identity through all his self-portraits.
D. Van Gogh expressed his weariness of the world in most of his self-portraits.
2. Which description is mentioned in the second paragraph about van Gogh‘s Self-portrait with a Straw Hat?
A. The painting is not well done. B. The painting mainly used gray.
C. The painter used blue but erased it later. D. The portrait showed a depressed emotion.
3. Who felt that the self-portrait showed ―an unfinished life‖?
A. Van Gogh himself. B. Risser‘s opponents. C. The author. D. James Risser.
4. According to Richard Kendall and T.J. Shackelford, the Self-portrait with a Straw Hat may not have anything to do with __________.
A. van Gogh‘s painting technique B. the symbolism of color
C. the psychological analysis of the painter D. the painter‘s aesthetic
5. According to van Gogh himself, his self-portraits were intended to be __________.
A. narrative B. expressive C. analytic D. artistic
Passage 10 (Unit 10, Book I: London. Informational. British customs and culture.)
Scottish customs and traditions cover a very wide range of topics. Everything from kilts to golf, bagpipes to whisky, Celtic crosses to Protestant missionary work, the \sight\to Nessie.
The history of the bagpipes takes us a long way back from today and far away from Scotland. Everyone thinks about Scotland when they hear the word ―bagpipe‖, but this instrument is so old that true age and origin are unknown. In some historical documents it is written that the pipes were first played somewhere around Asia Minor in 1000 BC. Also, it is said, by some, that \Nero played the \many European countries but in Scotland they have become an integral part of the country's culture. Scotland is the ancestral home of the \Highland Bagpipes\known to all as the \
A Pipe band is one thing that every visitor of Scotland wants to see. These are groups of men (in modern times it can be both men and women); each group has matching skirts, fancy jackets and strange little hats. They march around squeezing the air out of big tartan bags (known as bagpipes) and blowing it in again through a pipe attached to the bag. This results in a racket known as \indistinguishable from the noise made by the haggis during the mating season. These pipe bands often turn out to be Australians, not Scots at all!
The tartan kilt has long been the most recognizable cultural tradition of the Highland Scots, but just like the other symbols, kilts have also an unknown origin. One sure fact is that the wearing of the kilt has been developed in the 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. It had been created for some rational reasons: men who wore it could make very quick moves, wade through rivers and shelter in huts, woods and rocks, etc.
There is a question which will always linger next to the word ?kilt‘ and that is: Do people who wear kilts have underwear or not? Even though there are lots of people who consider this immoral, the tradition says that underwear should not be present if one is dressed in a kilt, the only exception being the participation to some sportive games and the presence of women. In the 50‘s, soldiers were verified if they wore underwear by their sergeants who used a long stick that had in the top a mirror.
Other two reasons for which Scotland is famous are its traditional food and of course, whisky. No one could argue that traditional Scottish cooking has produced one of the great cuisines of the
world. The quality of the ingredients has always been excellent: the world's finest seafood including shellfish, lobster and crabs, and varieties of fish too numerous to mention; succulent lamb and beef; soft fruit including raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and a host of locally produced types of cheese, including cheddar from Ayrshire and Galloway. The national dish is the haggis, a type of food that combines mutton with other ingredients and which is served with turnip and potatoes.
Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years. It is well known that the Irish created this alcoholic drink, but the Scots were the ones who brought it to the form that we drink today. Whisky refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from grains and aged in oak casks. The name means water of life.
1. Emperor Nero was mentioned to illustrate __________.
A. the legendary origin of bagpipes
B. the relation between bagpipes and Minor Asia C. the higher importance of bagpipes over fiddles D. the cultural significance of bagpipes
2. Which of the following descriptions is suitable for the bagpipe performance?
A. Bagpipe bands used to consist of male Australians only. B. Bagpipes are played to imitate the noise of mating haggis. C. Bagpipe bands must dress in specific performance costumes. D. Bagpipes are too heavy to carry around during the performance. 3. A lot of people consider it ―immoral‖ to __________.
A. ask whether people who wear kilts have underwear B. wear a kilt without having underwear C. have underwear when wearing a kilt
D. set up such a privacy-violating rule of kilt-wearing
4. Ayrshire and Galloway are most probably famous for __________.
A. their excellent fruit B. their cheese production C. the national dish, the haggis D. the traditional Scottish cooking
5. The author chose to only introduce bagpipes, kilts, food and whisky because __________.
A. the author had greatest delight in them B. the author was best-informed about them
C. they are more interesting than other customs and traditions D. they are more famous than other customs and traditions
Passage 11 (Unit 11, Book I: The All-American Slurp. Informational. American customs and culture.)
―Please pass the turkey and dressing.‖ What does this simple request make you think about? If you are an American, you think about Thanksgiving. A turkey dinner symbolizes Thanksgiving for Americans. What does Thanksgiving remind Americans of? Their families. Thanksgiving is a family time. On this holiday, families gather to gobble up the gobbler and stuff themselves with stuffing. Family members enjoy watching parades and football games on TV and just being
together. What does ―family‖ mean to Americans?
The traditional American family is a ―nuclear family‖. A nuclear family refers to a husband and wife and their children. The average American family today has two or three children (and maybe a few pets).In some cultures, people live close to their extended family. Several generations may even live together. In America, only in a few cases does more than one household live under one roof.
American values receive a warm welcome in the home. Many homes are run like a democracy. Each family member can have a say. A sense of equality often exists in American homes. Instead of fearing Mom and Dad, children may think of them as good friends. Husbands and wives often share household chores. In many cases, a child can enjoy privacy in his or her own bedroom. From an early age, children gain responsibility in handling money. They may receive a weekly allowance or even work part-time jobs. Often parents give children freedom to make their own decisions. Preschoolers choose what clothes to wear or which toys to buy. Young adults generally make their own choices about what career to pursue and whom to marry.
Families in America, like those in every culture, face many problems. Social pressures are breaking apart more and more American homes. Over half of U. S. marriages now end in divorce. More than one in four American children is growing up in single-parent homes. As a result, many people believe the American family is in trouble.
Even so, there is still reason for hope. Many organizations are working hard to strengthen families. Americans almost unanimously believe that the family is one of the most important parts of life. The vast majority also feel that the traditional two-parent family is best for children. They realize that problems in family life in recent years have brought about serious consequences. As a result, more and more people are making their family a priority. Many women are quitting their jobs to stay home with their children. Families are going on vacations and outings together. Husbands and wives are making a concentrated effort to keep their marriages solid.
The United Nations has declared 1994 the ―International Year of the Family‖. Not just in America, but all over the world, people recognize the importance of strong families. How do you strengthen the family bond? Do special things for each other. Talk to each other. Play together. Spend time together. Oh, and one more thing: be thankful for each other. If you have a family, every day should be Thanksgiving.
1. The author writes the first paragraph to __________. A. introduce the traditions of a holiday B. lead in the topic of the passage C. exemplify the American holidays D. highlight the importance of family
2. Compared with nuclear families, extended families may __________. A. have more generations under one roof B. have to face more problems
C. keep more traditions and customs D. keep closer family bond
3. The American values reflected in the American families does not include respect for __________. A. equality