Though the spread of good reproduction (复制品) of works of art can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work and highlight the authenticity (真实) of its exhibits. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
One limitation is related to the way the museum presents its exhibits. Art museums are often called “treasure houses”. We are reminded of this even before we view a collection by the presence of security guards who keep us away from the exhibits. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous rooms, where a single piece of work is likely to be worth more than all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material worth, it is therefore difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative “worthlessness” in such an environment.
Furthermore, consideration of the “value” of the original work in its treasure house setting impresses upon the viewer that since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a huge value in terms of money by some person or institution more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is discouraged from trying to extend that spontaneous, immediate, self-reliant kind of interpretation which would originally have met the work.
The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such a variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This “displacement effect” is further heightened by the huge volume of exhibits. In the case of a major collection, there are probably more works on display than we could realistically view in weeks or even months.
This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all art forms. A fundamental difference between paintings and other art forms is that there is no prescribed time over which a painting is viewed. Operas, novels and poems are read in a prescribed time sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at which to finish. Thus art works themselves encourage us to view them superficially, without appreciating the richness of detail and labor that is involved.
Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialized academic approach devoted to “discovering the meaning” of art within the cultural context of its time. This is in harmony with the museum’s function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out and conserving “authentic”, “original” readings of the exhibits.
1.The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______.
A.the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art
B.the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values
C.the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinion of themselves
D.the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes
2.The writer says that today viewers may be unwilling to criticize a work because they ______.
A.lack the knowledge needed
B.fear it may have financial implications
C.have no real concept of the work’s value
D.feel their personal reaction is of no significance
3.The writer says that unlike other forms of art, the appreciation of a painting does not ______.
A.involve direct contact with an audience
B.require a specific location for performance
C.need the involvement of other professionals
D.call for a specific beginning or ending
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Original work: killer of artistic appreciation
B.Original work: reduction to value of art works
C.Original work: substitute for reproduction
D.Original work: art historians’ bread and butter
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Though the spread of good reproduction (复制品) of works of art can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work and highlight the authenticity (真实) of its exhibits. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
One limitation is related to the way the museum presents its exhibits. Art museums are often called “treasure houses”. We are reminded of this even before we view a collection by the presence of security guards who keep us away from the exhibits. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous rooms, where a single piece of work is likely to be worth more than all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material worth, it is therefore difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative “worthlessness” in such an environment.
Furthermore, consideration of the “value” of the original work in its treasure house setting impresses upon the viewer that since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a huge value in terms of money by some person or institution more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is discouraged from trying to extend that spontaneous, immediate, self-reliant kind of interpretation which would originally have met the work.
The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such a variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This “displacement effect” is further heightened by the huge volume of exhibits. In the case of a major collection, there are probably more works on display than we could realistically view in weeks or even months.
This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all art forms. A fundamental difference between paintings and other art forms is that there is no prescribed time over which a painting is viewed. Operas, novels and poems are read in a prescribed time sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at which to finish. Thus art works themselves encourage us to view them superficially, without appreciating the richness of detail and labor that is involved.
Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialized academic approach devoted to “discovering the meaning” of art within the cultural context of its time. This is in harmony with the museum’s function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out and conserving “authentic”, “original” readings of the exhibits.
1.The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______.
A.the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art
B.the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values
C.the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinion of themselves
D.the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes
2.The writer says that today viewers may be unwilling to criticize a work because they ______.
A.lack the knowledge needed
B.fear it may have financial implications
C.have no real concept of the work’s value
D.feel their personal reaction is of no significance
3.The writer says that unlike other forms of art, the appreciation of a painting does not ______.
A.involve direct contact with an audience
B.require a specific location for performance
C.need the involvement of other professionals
D.call for a specific beginning or ending
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Original work: killer of artistic appreciation
B.Original work: reduction to value of art works
C.Original work: substitute for reproduction
D.Original work: art historians’ bread and butter
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
She has expressed her hope ______ the foreign students will spread the good will and sincerity of the Chinese people to other parts of the world.
A. that B. which
C. whether D. what
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
She has expressed her hope ______ the foreign students will spread the good will and sincerity of the Chinese people to other parts of the world.
A. that B. which C. whether D. what
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
16. As a work of ____ , we can't judge its value by appearances.
| A．art | B．arts | C．the art | D．the arts |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Visiting 300,000 Works of Art in Paris Right Now
Stuck at home? You can still visit thousands of the greatest artworks in the City of Light for free. The cultural board of Paris' free city museums sorted through the city's top public museums to share must-see artworks.
The museums
Two are great writer's homes — Balzac and Victor Hugo — filled with period details as well as art designs. The Catacombs and the Crypts have collections of sculptures made out of bones. The best known is likely the Petit Palais with well-known works, including Claude Monet's Sunset on the Seine.
The artists
You can try searching for the most successful or the ones you're most interested in, or just start wandering, which is a great way to find fascinating paintings by lesser-known, but no less talented, artist like George Desvallieres.
The works of art
Don't know where to start? Search for Paul Cézanne's romantic paintings of women, depicting two young women lounging on the banks of the Seine which can be downloaded for free on the Paris Musées site.
The 360-degree moments
Want to enjoy works at Musee de l’Orangerie? Try the website of Google Art Project. Click through to the colorful wonders of Monet's Waterlilies exhibited at Paris museum. The virtual version lets you spin in 360-degree circles to take it all in, with no crowds blocking your view.
1.Which of the following are showed at the Catacombs and the Crypts?
A.Period details. B.Well-known works.
C.Art designs. D.Bone sculptures.
2.What can we infer about George Desvallieres?
A.He is good at painting women.
B.He has a great gift in painting.
C.He is popular throughout the world.
D.He has created many famous paintings.
3.Where can we enjoy Monet's Waterlilies at varied angles?
A.At Paris museum. B.On Google Art Project.
C.On the Paris Musées site. D.At Musee de l’ Orangerie.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—What happened to the priceless works of art?
—________.
A．They were destroyed in the earthquake
B．The earthquake was destroying them
C．They destroyed in the earthquake
D．The earthquake were to destroy them
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Palace Museum has a _________ of 96 million pieces of ancient Chinese art works．
A．collection B．mixture
C．combination D．series
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Great works of art are measured by the emotions they call forth, not just ______ they look next to the plant shelf.
A.what B.where C.who D.how
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
________ had been done, the working efficiency of the employees still remained low.
| A．Though | B．Despite the fact that |
| C．Despite | D．Despite what |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
_____ he met with the difficulty did he realize the importance of group work.
A. Even though B. Never until C. Only before D. Ever since
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析