“Painters, do not fear perfection. You will never achieve it! Just try as you will if you are ordinary. Even if you paint terribly, badly, people will still see that you are ordinary. ”

-Salvador Dali

“Every morning when I awake,” wrote the artist of the soft watches and burning giraffes, “the greatest of joys is mine: that of being Salvador Dalí. . .” The Spanish artist, so famous and so rich, was creative not only in his art. He talked nonstop too; his favorite topic was how to be a genius. “Oh Salvador,” he concluded, “now you know the truth: that if you act the genius, you will be one!”

Had he lived during the Renaissance (文艺复兴), Dalí would have been recognized sooner as a genius. In our age, though, which he felt was growing increasingly stupid, Dalí represented an air of challenging and annoying everyone else. Today he is ranked alongside Picasso as one of the modernist greats, and the general public quite clearly loves his art as well; therefore, it is difficult to understand why he should still be seen as so challenging and annoying, and why many people should still consider him as mad. Dalí himself declared: “The only difference between myself and a madman is the fact that I am not mad!” Writer Michel Déon once said, “His personality -whether it is loved or hated-is based on something deep and appealing, and that is his roots and his feelings. Roots that reach deep into the earth, absorbing everything that has been produced in four thousand years of painting, architecture and sculpture. Feelings that are picking up things to come, from the future, expecting it and flying to it at lightning speed. It cannot be emphasized enough that Dalí is a man of tireless scientific curiosity.” One might say that Dalí was typical of his age: he had grasped how to make himself a star.

【小题1】What does Dali actually want to say to other painters?

A．“Be brave to show yourself.”

B．“Be honest to yourself.”

C．“Be pleased to stay ordinary.”

D．“Be respectful to the public.”

【小题2】How does the author look at Dalí?

A．He was too proud of himself.

B．He was undoubtedly a genius.

C．He was too challenging and annoying.

D．He was unfairly understood.

【小题3】What can we learn from the last paragraph about Dalí?

A．He was not only learned but advanced.

B．He was not only honest but emotional.

C．He was a scientist rather than an artist.

D．He was a star rather than a genius.

【小题4】What aspect of Dalí is the text mainly about?

A．His amazing achievements in art.

B．His special ability in learning.

C．His extraordinary belief in himself.

D．His annoying behavior in public.