内容正文:
课时冲关8 Unit 4 Exploring literature
Ⅰ.阅读A
主题语境:人与社会
体裁:应用文
话题:2024年最佳艺术比赛
Best Art Competitions in 2024
JACKSON'S PAINTING PRIZE
Prize:£2,000 first prize
Entry Fee:£5 per entry
Requirements:Open to international artists of all ages.
Closing Date:February 14,2024
Jackson's Painting Prize was created to reward excellence in twodimensional works of fine art. Winners will not only win a cash prize every year, but their works will also be granted more invaluable global exposure, such as a marketing package in the Directory of Painting, a feature in a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to the Awards Evening in March.
ANIMAGO AWARD
Prize:3,000 cash prize for Best Young Production
Entry Fee:Free
Requirements:Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date:February 16,2024
For over 20 years the famous Animago Award competition has spotlighted talent in the fields of 3D animation and stills, visualization, and design. Organized by the German magazine Digital Production, all winners are announced during a gala at the annual animago conference in Munich, Germany.
WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE
Prize:$2,500 first prize, $1,250 second prize
Entry Fee:$35 ($30 before February 6,2024)
Requirements:Open to international artists 18 years of age and older.
Closing Date:April 11,2024
The 12th annual Watermedia Showcase in the USA awards original art created primarily with waterbased media. Judged by the editors of Watercolor Artist, all winners and honorable mentions will have their work featured in the magazine.
ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART COMPETITION
Prize:$29,000 in cash prizes
Entry Fee:$40 ($35 if submitted before April 3, 2024)
Requirements:Open to artists over 18 worldwide
Closing Date:May 30,2024
The 40th Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition celebrates traditional 2D artistic mediums such as painting, drawing, digital art, and much more. Winners will be chosen annually from a variety of categories. All winners' works will be featured in Artists Magazine.
1.Which competition will have its winning entries exhibited in London?
A.ANIMAGO AWARD.
B.WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE.
C.JACKSON'S PAINTING PRIZE.
D.ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART
COMPETITION.
2.How much is the entry fee for Watermedia Showcase on April 4?
A.$30. B.$35.
C.$40. D.$45.
3.What do the above art competitions have in common?
A.They are all hosted every year.
B.They are all free for young people.
C.They are all organized by magazines.
D.They are all open to artists of all ages.
[语篇解读] 这是一篇应用文。主要介绍了2024年最佳艺术比赛的奖项、费用以及截止日期。
1.C [细节理解题。文章JACKSON'S PAINTING PRIZE段讲到“Winners will not only win a cash prize every year, but their works will also be granted more invaluable global exposure, such as a marketing package in the Directory of Painting, a feature in a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to the Awards Evening in March. (获奖者不仅每年会获得现金奖励,而且他们的作品还会获得更宝贵的全球曝光率,例如《绘画目录》中的营销包,伦敦市中心一个大型展览的特写,以及邀请参加三月的颁奖晚会。)”可知,杰克逊绘画奖比赛的获奖作品将在伦敦展出。]
2.B [推理判断题。文章WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE段讲到“Entry Fee:$35 ($30 before February 6,2024)(入场费:35美元)(2024年2月6日前为30美元)”可知,4月4日Watermedia Showcase门票是35美元。]
3.C [推理判断题。文章JACKSON'S PAINTING PRIZE段讲到“Winners will not only win a cash prize every year, but their works will also be granted more invaluable global exposure, such as a marketing package in the Directory of Painting, a feature in a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to the Awards Evening in March. (获奖者不仅每年会获得现金奖励,而且他们的作品还会获得更宝贵的全球曝光率,例如《绘画目录》中的营销包,伦敦市中心一个大型展览的特写,以及邀请参加三月的颁奖晚会。)”、ANIMAGO AWARD讲到“Organized by the German magazine Digital Production, all winners are announced during a gala at the annual animago conference in Munich, Germany. (由德国杂志《数字制作》组织,在德国慕尼黑举行的年度动漫大会上宣布所有获奖者。)”、WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE段讲到“Judged by the editors of Watercolor Artist, all winners and honorable mentions will have their work featured in the magazine. (根据《水彩艺术家》杂志编辑的判断,所有获奖者和荣誉获得者都将在杂志上刊登他们的作品。)”以及ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART COMPETITION段讲到“All winners' works will be featured in Artists Magazine.(所有获奖者的作品将刊登在《艺术家杂志》上)”可知,以上艺术比赛的共同点是都是杂志组织的。]
阅读B
主题语境:人与社会
体裁:说明文
话题:利用人工智能创造戏剧表演
Researchers at Charles University, Svanda Theater and the Academy of Performing Arts are currently working on an interesting research project that combines artificial intelligence and robotics with theater. Their project's main objective is to use artificial intelligence to create an theatrical performance, which is expected to premiere(首次公演) this year.
The idea came from Tomas Studenik, who noticed the 100th anniversary of the theater play R.U.R. is approaching. This was a key moment for robotics, as the idea of a robot, including the word “robot” itself, was invented by the Czech playwright Karel Capek. Tomas thought this should be properly celebrated and came up with the idea of turning the story around:100 years ago,a man wrote a theater play about robots; what if today,robots wrote a theater play about men?
Before working on their project, the researchers reviewed previous literature exploring the potential of artificial intelligence techniques for the creation of poetry, paintings, or other forms of art. While there are now many papers focusing on machineproduced art, including some where computational techniques were used to produce dialogues or story ideas for theater plays, the automatic generation of an entire theatrical performance is a highly complex task that has rarely been tried before.
The researchers decided to split the production of their play into several subparts.Their plan is to use an approach called“hierarchical generation”,which involves splitting the generation of a large body of text into smaller manageable parts.While other research teams used this approach to generate dialogues or other texts in the past, very few have tried to use it to produce an entire play.
At this stage of their research, robots taking part in their play need much human supervision (监督). In the future, however, they would like to produce a play that can be entirely acted out by robots, without any human performers or guidance.
4.What did Tomas Studenik suggest to celebrate the 100th anniversary of R.U.R.?
A.Inventing more robots for human beings.
B.Writing another theater play about robots.
C.Performing the theater play R.U.R.out using robots.
D.Making robots create a theater play about human beings.
5.What does the underlined word “generation” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Production. B.Correction.
C.Switch. D.Control.
6.How may the plays created by robot develop in the future according to the passage?
A.It will need more human supervision.
B.The future of robotcreated play is uncertain.
C.There will be no need for human beings to get involved.
D.There will be more plays for human beings to act out.
7.Which can be the best title for the passage?
A.The Definition of Robotics
B.Robots Applied to Write a Play
C.How to Produce a Robotic Play?
D.Theater Play Written Totally by Machines
[语篇解读] 这是一篇说明文。查尔斯大学、斯旺达剧院和表演艺术学院的研究人员目前正在进行一个有趣的研究项目,该项目将人工智能和机器人技术与剧院相结合,主要目标是利用人工智能创造一场戏剧表演,预计将于今年首演。
4.D [细节理解题。根据第二段“The idea came from Tomas Studenik, who noticed the 100th anniversary of the theater play R.U.R. is approaching.(这个想法来自托马斯·斯图德尼克,他注意到戏剧《R.U.R.》100周年即将到来。)”以及“Tomas thought this should be properly celebrated and came up with the idea of turning the story around:100 years ago,a man wrote a theater play about robots; what if today,robots wrote a theater play about men?(托马斯认为这应该得到适当的庆祝,并提出了扭转故事的想法:100年前,一个人写了一部关于机器人的戏剧;如果今天机器人写了一部关于人类的戏剧呢?)”可知,托马斯·斯图德尼克的建议是让机器人创造一出关于人类的戏剧。]
5.A [词义猜测题。根据第三段划线词下文“While there are now many papers focusing on machineproduced art, including some where computational techniques were used to produce dialogues or story ideas for theater plays, the automatic generation of an entire theatrical performance is a highly complex task that has rarely been tried before.(虽然现在有许多论文关注机器生成的艺术,包括一些使用计算技术为戏剧生成对话或故事创意的论文,但自动生成整个戏剧表演是一项高度复杂的任务,以前很少有人尝试过。)”可推理出划线词的含义为“生产,生成”。]
6.C [推理判断题。根据最后一段“In the future, however, they would like to produce a play that can be entirely acted out by robots, without any human performers or guidance.(然而,在未来,他们希望制作一部完全可以由机器人表演的戏剧,而无需任何人类表演者或指导。)”可推理出,未来的喜剧制作中,人类将没有必要介入。]
7.D [主旨大意题。根据第一段“Their project's main objective is to use artificial intelligence to create an theatrical performance, which is expected to premiere(首次公演) this year.(他们项目的主要目标是利用人工智能创造一场戏剧表演,预计将于今年首演。)”、第二段“The idea came from Tomas Studenik, who noticed the 100th anniversary of the theater play R.U.R. is approaching.(这个想法来自托马斯·斯图德尼克,他注意到戏剧《R.U.R.》100周年即将到来。)”以及最后一段“In the future, however, they would like to produce a play that can be entirely acted out by robots, without any human performers or guidance.(然而,在未来,他们希望制作一部完全可以由机器人表演的戏剧,而无需任何人类表演者或指导。)”可知,第一段提出了话题“利用人工智能创造一场戏剧表演”,后面段落对此进行了解释,分析四个选项,D项“Theater Play Written Totally by Machines(完全由机器编写的戏剧)”符合语境。]
Ⅱ.七选五
主题语境:人与自我
体裁:说明文
话题:阅读经典文学方法
Classic literature (文学作品) includes older works that have experienced the test of time and that are still widely read today. Whether you're a student or just an eager reader hoping to explore classic literature, you may be wondering where to begin.
Read summaries of what the work is about. You can find descriptions or summaries of classic works of literature online. ____1____ Knowing a bit about the plot (情节), characters, and setting may make it easier for you to follow and understand the writing when you begin reading.
2____ Even if you struggle with the text, it is important to stick with it. After sticking with it for a while, the language, setting, and characters may start to become more familiar to you.
If you're trying to gain a better understanding of a difficult text, underlining passages may not be enough. Instead,try making comments or notes in the margins (页边空白). ____3____
After you finish a chapter, write a brief summary of everything important that happened. Make sure you address the major plot points, how those points influence each character, and how that chapter fits into the context of the larger book. ____4____ This will help test your understanding of what you've read.
After you finish reading a book, it may be useful to learn about what others have learned from the text. ____5____You can read commentary and critical (批判性的) analyses of the book online. These often have information on themes, symbols, characters, and more, which may help you think about the book on a deeper level.
A.Start reading and keep reading.
B.Try reading and learning with a group.
C.Write your chapter summaries without consulting the text.
D.Go online and see if there is any valuable information on your book.
E.You can also read the back cover of the book to gain a basic idea of the story.
F.Your comments or notes can help improve your understanding of the material.
G.Skimming will help you gain a basic understanding of the plot, characters, setting, and concepts.
[语篇解读] 本文是一篇说明文。讲述了阅读经典文学作品的一些方法。
1.E [本段首句“Read summaries of what the work is about.(阅读关于该作品所讲内容的摘要。)”是主旨句,建议要阅读作品的摘要,以便了解内容概要。上文“You can find descriptions or summaries of classic works of literature online.(你可以在网上找到对经典文学作品的描述或总结。)”讲述了从网上寻找这种方式,所以这里应是提出另一种方式。E项中的also承接上文,“read the back cover of the book to gain a basic idea of the story(读这本书后面的封皮,对故事有一个基本的了解)”是另一种寻找内容梗概的方式。]
2.A [空处是本段主旨句。下文“Even if you struggle with the text, it is important to stick with it. After sticking with it for a while, the language, setting, and characters may start to become more familiar to you.(即使你很难理解文章,但坚持下去也是很重要的。坚持一段时间后,语言、背景和人物可能会开始变得更熟悉。)”讲述了开始阅读后,要能够坚持下去。由此可知,本段主要讲述的是要坚持。A项“开始阅读并继续阅读下去。”符合题意。]
3.F [前文“Instead,try making comments or notes in the margins(页边空白).(相反,试着在页边空白处写下评论或笔记。)”讲述了在阅读的时候要随时在书的空白处写评论或笔记,下文应评价这种做法。F项“你的评论或笔记可以帮助你提高对素材的理解。”符合题意,且F项中的“Your comments or notes”承接上句中的“try making comments or notes in the margins(页边空白)”。]
4.C [上文“After you finish a chapter, write a brief summary of everything important that happened.(完成一章后,对所发生的一切重要事情写一个简短的总结。)”讲述了要对每一章写总结。C项“在不参考课文的情况下写章节摘要。”符合题意,选项中的“your chapter summaries”照应上文。]
5.D [上文“After you finish reading a book, it may be useful to learn about what others have learned from the text.(读完一本书后,了解别人从书中学到了什么可能会很有用。)”讲述了有必要知道别人对这本书的看法。下文“You can read commentary and critical (批判性的) analyses of the book online.(你可以在网上阅读关于这本书的评论和批判性的分析。)”提出上网可以了解关于此书的意见。D项“上网看看是否有任何关于你所读的书的有用信息。”承上启下。]
Ⅲ.读后续写
主题语境:人与自我
体裁:记叙文
话题:相信自己
阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段,使之构成一篇完整的短文。
I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn't be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries.A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers.I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening.I did not want to be late for this date.
We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers.The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me.She smiled.It was a nice smile—warm and reassuring(安慰的)and I returned her gift by smiling back.
“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.
“Yes, she's special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out.“It's only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she's the one.”Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can't figure out why she'd want to date a guy like me.”
“Well, I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said.“My husband used to bring me flowers every week-even when times were tough and we didn't have much money.Those were incredible (难以置信的)days; he was very romantic and-of course-I miss him since he's passed away.”
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.续写故事的开头已给出。
There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her.__________________________
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It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased.
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[参考范文]
There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her.I was sure that was the right thing to do though both money and time were tight at the moment.I touched her on the shoulder and said.“You were right, you know.These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased.“May you have a wonderful evening, ”I said.I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story.A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her and that was the night that I won her heart.
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