托福阅读历年真题精选25

会计考友 发表于 2012-8-14 22:34:35

In eighteenth-century colonial America, flowers and fruit were typically the
province of the botanical artist interested in scientific illustration rather than being
the subjects of fine art. Early in the nineteenth century, however, the Peale family of
Philadelphia established the still life, a picture consisting mainly of inanimate
(5)objects, as a valuable part of the artist's repertoire. The fruit paintings by James and
Sarah Miriam Peale are simple arrangements of a few objects, handsomely colored,
small in size, and representing little more than what they are. In contrast were the
highly symbolic, complex compositions by Charles Bird King, with their biting
satire and critical social commentary. Each of these strains comminuted into and
(10) well past mid-century.
John F. Francis (1808-86) was a part of the Pennsylvania still-life tradition that
arose, at least in part, from the work of the Peales. Most of his still lifes date from
around 1850 to 1875. Luncheon Still Life looks like one of the Peales' pieces on a
larger scale, kits greater complexity resulting from the number of objects. It is also
(15) indebted to the luncheon type of still life found in seventeenth-century Dutch
painting. The opened bottles of wine and the glasses of wine partially consumed
suggest a number of unseen guests. The appeal of the fruit and nuts to our sense of
taste is heightened by the juicy orange, which has already been sliced.The
arrangement is additive, that is, made up of many different parts, not always
(20) compositionally integrated, with all objects of essentially equal importance.
About 1848, Severin Roesen came to the United States from Germany and
settled in New York City, where he began to paint large, lush still lifes of flowers,
fruit, or both, often measuring over four feet across. Still Life with Fruit and
Champagne is typical in its brilliance of color, meticulous rendering of detail,
(25) compact composition, and unabashed abundance. Rich in symbolic overtones, the
beautifully painted objects carry additional meanings------butterflies or fallen buds
suggest the impermanence of life, a bird's nest with eggs means fertility, and so on.
Above all, Roesen's art expresses the abundance that America symbolized to many of its citizens.

会计考友 发表于 2012-8-14 22:34:36

托福阅读历年真题精选25

31.What does the passage mainly discuss? </p>(A)The artwork of James and Sarah Miriam Peale
(B)How Philadelphia became a center for art in the nineteenth century
(C)Nineteenth-century still-life paintings in the United States
(D)How botanical art inspired the first still-life paintings

32.Which of the following is mentioned as a characteristic of the still lifes of James and Sarah Miriam Peale?
(A)Simplicity
(B)Symbolism
(C)Smooth texture
(D)Social commentary

33.The word "biting" in line 8 is closest in meaning to
(A)simple
(B)sorrowful
(B)frequent
(D)sharp

34.The word "It" in line 14 refers to
(A)Luncheon Still Life
(B)one of the Peales' pieces
(C)a larger scale
(D)the number of objects

35.The word "heightened" in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(A)complicated
(B)directed
(C)observed
(D)increased

36.The word "meticulous" in line 24 is closest in meaning to
(A)careful
(B)significant
(C)appropriate
(D)believable

会计考友 发表于 2012-8-14 22:34:37