参考答案 - 选修第三册第一单元
UNIT 1 ART
Reading and Writing
① Read the passage and write questions for the answers below. The first has been done for you.
THE STARRY NIGHT
Perhaps my favourite painting is The Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh (1853—1890). Born in the Netherlands, Van Gogh had always been interested in art, and tried to live as a professional painter starting from 1883. His early work was dark and sad, so in 1886 Van Gogh's brother Theo invited him to come to live in Paris. Theo hoped that the bright colours of the Impressionist movement there would influence his work. Van Gogh moved to the south of France in 1888. Later that year, he suffered a mental collapse and went to live in a hospital. He made more than twenty paintings of the view from his hospital window, during all times of the day and all kinds of weather. However, he only made one painting of the scene at night. As Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in June, 1889, "This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star which looked very big." The "morning star" Van Gogh referred to was actually the planet Venus. Van Gogh had longed to paint a night scene, and the sight of Venus inspired him.
On the left side of The Starry Night, there is a large tree which shoots up from the ground like a dark fire. It reaches all the way to the top of the painting. In the background are rolling hills, with a small village in a valley. In the centre of the village is a white church. Its tower points up into the sky like a sharp knife. Here and there, you can see houses with windows shining with yellow light. Above all this is dark blue sky. A quarter moon fills the top-right corner of the painting with yellow. Venus sits low near the tree. It burns with white light. Here and there in the sky above Venus are yellow, orange, and red stars. Around these are lines of pure paint in different shades of blue, yellow, and white. They flow out of control, like river rapids.
The Stary Nght is not a realistic painting of the scene Van Gogh saw out of his window. For example, in real life there is no village in that valley. However, perhaps the painting shows the deeper reality of what Van Gogh could see with his mind's eye. Though the scene is dark and quiet, the painting is full of light and life. It gives us a look, perhaps, into the complex mind and genius of Van Gogh.
1 When did Vincent Van Gogh decide to try to live as a professional painter?
In 1883.
2 _________________?
Van Gogh's early work was dark and sad.
3 _________________?
The sight of Venus inspired him to paint The Starry Night.
4 _________________?
In real life there is no village in that valley.
In groups, think of more questions and try to answer them.
② In literary descriptions, the simile is one of the most commonly used figures of speech. It directly compares something to something else, using the words like or as. Read the passage again. Find the similes that the writer uses to describe the painting and explain their meanings.
EXAMPLE It shoots up from the ground like a dark fire. (simile)
_________________
_________________
③ In groups, discuss your opinions of the painting. Finish the sentences below.
1 The painting makes me feel_________________because_________________.
2 I think Van Gogh must have felt/been_________________when he made the painting because
_________________.
3 I like/dislike the painting because_________________.
④ Look at the painting on the right and discuss the questions in groups.
1 How does the painting make you feel?
2 How would you describe the trees at the front of the painting, the mountains in the background, the clouds and sky above, and any other interesting features? Think of colours, shapes, and also what they remind you of.
3 What do you think Van Gogh was thinking or feeling when he made the painting?
4 Do you like or dislike the painting? Why?
Olive Trees
⑤ Use your notes from your discussion to write a short essay about Olive Trees or another painting you like. In your first paragraph, describe the painting. In your second paragraph, give your opinion of the painting.
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第一单元 艺术
Suggested Answers
Activity 1
2 What was Van Gogh's early work like?
3 What inspired Van Gogh to paint The Starry Night?
4 How is The Starry Night different from real life?
Activity 2
"which shoots up from the ground like a dark fire." (simile)
The tree is dark and not lit up like the rest of the painting, but its shape looks like a flame reaching up into the sky.
"Its tower points up into the sky like a sharp knife." (simile)
The church in the village has a high and sharp tower that points into the sky and looks like a knife.
"They flow out of control, like river rapids." (simile)
The paint strokes in the sky are strong and wild and swirl around like the white water on a fast-flowing river as it passes around rocks on the riverbed.
Activity 3
1 The painting makes me feel happy and alive because it has lovely bright colours even though it is a night scene.
2 I think Van Gogh must have felt very emotional when he made the painting because there is a lot of energy in the brushstrokes and colour.
3 I like the painting because it has a magical quality that makes me want to look at it again and again.
Activity 4 and Activity 5
Sample Writing
Olive Trees by Vincent Van Gogh
At the front of the painting are olive trees growing from the green earth, which looks like rolling waves. The gnarled trunks, branches, and leaves also swirl like waves. Behind, the rolling hills are dark and blue, but they have the same shape and seem to be connected to the ground and trees below. The mountains have strange shapes. In the sky is a large cloud, which also has the same shape as the other elements.
I think Van Gogh was feeling very close to nature and connected to the place when he painted this. It seems he was sitting there and trying to capture the movement and connectedness of nature.
I like this painting because it looks like all the parts are connected and part of one big whole. It feels like it is moving with life. It makes me want to go for a walk among the trees. It also accompanies well his other famous painting, The Starry Night, which I also
like very much.
