人教版英语选修六课文原文
Unit 1A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING
Art 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 describe 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、 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 16th 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 paint 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 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 discovered, 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 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 changes 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 times 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 and 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 \art\、 This is because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment 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
人教版英语选修六课文原文
objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates n certain 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 Manhattan’s Galleries
The 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 century Western paintings, and these are well-represented in this excellent collection、 You can also explore Frick’s 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 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 best 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、 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 temple, 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 collection 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 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 FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS
There 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 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 children's poetry、 The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition、 The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory,
人教版英语选修六课文原文
but they are easy to learn and recite、 By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language、
A Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird、
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring、 If that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass、
If that looking-glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat、
If that billy-goat runs away,
Papa's going to buy you another today、
One of the simplest kinds 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 fire I saw a fish-pond all on fire, I saw a house bow to a squire, 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 were true、
Our first football match We would have won 、、、 if Jack had scored that goal, if we'd had just a few more minutes,
if we had trained harder, if Ben had passed the ball to Joe, if we'd had thousands of fans screaming, if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,
if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,
if we hadn't taken it easy, if we hadn't run out of energy、 We would have won 、、、 if we'd 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) on the top of the next page、