On a September afternoon in 1940, four teenage boys made their way through the woods on a hill overlooking Montignac in south-western France. They had come to explore a dark, deep hole said to be an underground passage to the nearby Lascaux manor (庄园). Squeezing through the entrance one by one, they soon saw wonderfully lifelike paintings of running horses, swimming deer, wounded wild oxen, and other beings—works of art that may be up to 20,000 years old.
The collection of paintings in Lascaux is among some 150 prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic period (旧石器时代)that have been documented in France’s Vezere Valley. This corner of south-western Europe seems to have been a hot spot for figurative art. The biggest discovery since Lascaux occurred in December 1994, when three cave explorers laid eyes on artworks that had not been seen since a rockslide 22,000 years ago closed off a large deep cave in southern France. Here, by unsteadily shining firelight, prehistoric artists drew outlines of cave lions, herds of rhinos (犀牛) and magnificent wild oxen, horses, cave bears. In all, the artists drew 442 animals over perhaps thousands of years, using nearly 400,000 square feet of cave surface as their canvas. The site, now known as the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave, is sometimes considered the Sistine Chapel of prehistory.
For decades scholars had theorized that art had advanced in slow stages from ancient scratches to lively, naturalistic interpretation. Surely the delicate shading and elegant lines of Chauvet’s masterworks placed them at the top of that progression. Then carbon dates came in, and prehistorians felt shocked. At some 36,000 years old—nearly twice as old as those in Lascaux—Chauvet’s images represented not the peak of prehistoric art but its earliest known beginnings.
The search for the world’s oldest cave paintings continues. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, for example, scientists found a large room of paintings of part-human, part-animal beings that are estimated to be 44,000 years old, older than any figurative art seen in Europe.
Scholars don’t know if art was invented many times over or if it was a skill developed early in our evolution. What we do know is that artistic expression runs deep in our ancestry.
【小题1】According to the passage, where did the boys find the paintings?A.In the woods on a hill. | B.In a deep cave in France. |
C.In the Lascaux manor. | D.On an Indonesian island. |
A.conveys concepts by using accurate numbers and forms |
B.makes stories in contrast to scientific subjects |
C.represents people or things in a realistic way |
D.expresses ideas or feelings by using shapes and patterns |
A.the Chauvet’s paintings had been sealed by a rockslide until 1994 |
B.the style of Chauvet’s paintings is similar to that of the Sistine Chapel’s |
C.Chauvet’s images are the earliest figurative paintings that have been found |
D.the main objects of Chauvet’s images are part—human, part—animal beings |
A.Value of Palaeolithic Artworks | B.Preservation of Figurative Art |
C.Artistic Expressions of Nature | D.Searches for Cave Paintings |
As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. "It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy (副) culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.
It is thought that the festival is held in memory of the great poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), who lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Qu was known to be a patriot (爱国者) and admired by ordinary people.
He is said to have jumped into Miluo River, because he had lost hope in his country's future. When people heard about Qu's death, they sailed up and down the river searching for his body. They also beat the drums to frighten away the fish and threw Zongzi into the water to stop the fish touching Qu. Dragon boat racing is said to come from this search for the poet's body.
Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of the local culture.
【小题1】The Dragon Boat Festival _______.A.is also kept by South Korea |
B.comes from South Korea |
C.was created by South Korea |
D.is South Korea’s cultural heritage |
A.Fighting against South Korea. |
B.Telling South Korea it’s not right to do so. |
C.Considering to do the similar thing. |
D.Asking South Korea not to do so. |
A.In memory of Qu Yuan. |
B.In memory of all the patriots of China. |
C.To frighten away the fish. |
D.In honor of QuYuan’s birthday. |
A.feed him |
B.protect his body from going bad |
C.prevent the fish biting his body |
D.attract his soul |
A.a nationwide | B.a worldwide |
C.an Asian | D.a foreign |
China has seen great achievements in culture over the last 10 years.
Number of Cultural Places and Activities | ||||||
Year Places and Activities | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
Museums | 4,109 | 4,721 | 4,918 | 5,132 | 5,452 | |
Places for cultural records | 272 | 274 | 309 | 320 | 322 | |
Books (unit: billion) | 9.04 | 9.24 | 10.01 | 10. 60 | 10. 37 | |
Movies produced at home | 772 | 798 | 902 | 850 | 531 | |
Arts groups | 12,301 | 15,742 | 17,123 | 17,795 | 17,581 | |
TV series (unit: million) | 6. 89 | 6. 99 | 7. 08 | 7. 23 | 7. 39 | |
Year | Achievements | |||||
2012 | The Nobel Prize in literature (文学)2012 is given to the writer Mo Yan. | |||||
2013 | The bronze(铜)heads of a mouse and a rabbit, once part of 12 animal artworks at the Summer Palace in Beijing, are returned to China. | |||||
2015 | Liu Cixin becomes the first Chinese writer to win the Best Novel prize for science fiction in the USA with his book, The Three-Body Problem, | |||||
2017 | Chinese oracle bone inscriptions(甲骨文) are included on the UNESCO Memory of the World List. | |||||
2020 | Celebrations are held for the completion of the Palace Museum 600 years ago. | |||||
2021 | New discoveries are made at the Sanxingdui Ruins site(遗 址) in Guanghan, Sichuan. |
A.4,109. | B.4,721. | C.4,918. | D.5,132. |
A.In 2016. | B.In 2017. | C.In 2018. | D.In 2019. |
A.The 12 animal artworks. |
B.The novel prizes for science fiction. |
C.The bronze heads of a rabbit and a mouse. |
D.Pieces of Chinese oracle bone inscriptions. |
A.In Chengdu, Sichuan. | B.At the Summer Palace. |
C.In the Palace Museum. | D.At the Sanxingdui Ruins site. |
A.Great achievements in literature at home and abroad. |
B.The development of cultural activities since 2012 in China. |
C.Great achievements in culture over the past 10 years in China. |
D.The development of cultural places in Beijing over the last century. |
Have you heard of Hispanic Heritage Month (拉美裔文化月)? We break down this monthlong celebration from September 15 to October 15 that recognizes the different Hispanic community in the United States and the varied and meaningful contributions they bring to our country and culture.
According to the Hispanic Heritage Month (拉美裔文化月) official website, it is observed “by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America”. For generations, Hispanics have contributed to the food, music, business, science, and culture that we know as American, and the 30 days that make up Hispanic Heritage Month each fall is just one opportunity to show these achievements.
Hispanics are the country’s second-largest racial group, behind white non-Hispanics according to the latest 2020 census (普查). Hispanics now account for 18.7 percent of the U.S. population, up 2.4 percent in the previous decade with 62.1 million Hispanics living across America with big concentrations in New York, California, Texas and Florida.
Hispanic Heritage Month first started as a week when it was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. According to Congressional history, the week was created to bring attention and awareness to “Hispanic-American contributions to the United States”, along with networking opportunities for “grassroots and civil rights activists inside and outside the Hispanic-American community”.
Almost 20 years later, Representative Esteban Torres of California, a proud Mexican-American, gave a bill to expand it into Hispanic Heritage Month saying supporters of the bill “want the American people to learn of our heritage. We want the public to know that we share a legacy (遗产) with the rest of the country, a legacy that includes artists, writers, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, government, cinema, and science”. That bill didn’t pass, but Senator Paul Simon of Illinois gave a similar bill that President Ronald Reagan signed into law after that in 1988 creating now what Hispanic Heritage Month is.
【小题1】What is the aim of Hispanic Heritage Month?A.To pass the values of Hispanics. |
B.To celebrate the harvest of each fall. |
C.To display the achievements made by Hispanics. |
D.To honor the first generation of Hispanics in America. |
A.People from Spain. | B.White non-Hispanics. |
C.Non-white people. | D.People from the Caribbean. |
A.In 2020. | B.In 1968. | C.In 1987. | D.In 1988. |
A.What is Hispanic Heritage Month in America? |
B.Where do Hispanics Come from? |
C.Why do People Create Hispanic Heritage Month? |
D.How do People Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? |
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