英语阅读理解100篇(高级篇)-10
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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Passage Ten (Photography and Art)
The earliest controversies1 about the relationship between photography and art centered on whether photograph’s fidelity2 to appearances and dependence3 on a machine allowed it to be a fine art as distinct from merely a practical art. Throughout the nineteenth century, the defence of photography was identical with the struggle to establish it as a fine art. Against the charge that photography was a soulless, mechanical copying of reality, photographers asserted that it was instead a privileged way of seeing, a revolt against commonplace vision, and no less worthy4 an art than painting.
Ironically, now that photography is securely established as a fine art, many photographers find it pretentious5 or irrelevant6 to label it as such. Serious photographers variously claim to be finding, recording7, impartially8 observing, witnessing events, exploring themselves—anything but making works of art. They are no longer willing to debate whether photography is or is not a fine art, except to proclaim that their own work is not involved with art. It shows the extent to which they simply take for granted the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism: the better the art, the more subversive9 it is of the traditional aims of art.
Photographers’ disclaimers of any interest in making art tell us more about the harried10 status of the contemporary notion of art than about whether photography is or is not art. For example, those photographers who suppose that, by taking pictures, they are getting away from the pretensions11 of art as exemplified by painting remind us of those Abstract Expressionist painters who imagined they were getting away from the intellectual austerity of classical Modernist painting by concentrating on the physical act of painting. Much of photography’s prestige today derives12 from the convergence of its aims with those of recent art, particularly with the dismissal of abstract art implicit13 in the phenomenon of Pop painting during the 1960’s. Appreciating photographs is a relief to sensibilities tired of the mental exertions14 demanded by abstract art. Classical Modernist painting—that is, abstract art as developed in different ways by Picasso, Kandinsky, and Matisse—presupposes highly developed skills of looking and a familiarity with other paintings and the history of art. Photography, like Pop painting, reassures15 viewers that art is not hard; photography seems to be more about its subjects than about art.
Photography, however, has developed all the anxieties and self-consciousness of a classic Modernist art. Many professionals privately16 have begun to worry that the promotion17 of photography as an activity subversive of the traditional pretensions of art has gone so far that the public will forget that photography is a distinctive18 and exalted19 activity—in short, an art.

1. What is the author mainly concerned with? The author is concerned with
[A]. defining the Modernist attitude toward art.
[B]. explaining how photography emerged as a fine art.
[C]. explaining the attitude of serious contemporary photographers toward photography as art and placing those attitudes in their historical context.
[D]. defining the various approaches that serious contemporary photographers take toward their art and assessing the value of each of those approaches.
2. Which of the following adjectives best describes “the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism” as the author represents it in lines 12—13?
[A]. Objective [B]. Mechanical. [C]. Superficial. [D]. Paradoxical.
3. Why does the author introduce Abstract Expressionist painter?
[A]. He wants to provide an example of artists who, like serious contemporary photographers, disavowed traditionally accepted aims of modern art.
[B]. He wants to set forth20 an analogy between the Abstract Expressionist painters and classical Modernist painters.
[C]. He wants to provide a contrast to Pop artist and others.
[D]. He wants to provide an explanation of why serious photography, like other contemporary visual forms, is not and should not pretend to be an art.
4. How did the nineteenth-century defenders21 of photography stress the photography?
[A]. They stressed photography was a means of making people happy.
[B]. It was art for recording the world.
[C]. It was a device for observing the world impartially.
[D]. It was an art comparable to painting.

Vocabulary
1. fine arts
美术(指绘画,雕刻,建筑,诗歌,音乐等)
2. assert
主张,声明,维护(权利)
3. privileged
特殊的,享受特权的,特许的
4. pretentious
狂妄的,做作的
5. irrelevant
不相干的,无关的
6. subversive
破坏性的,颠覆性的
7. disclaimer
弃权者
8. harry22
掠夺,折磨
9. austerity
严格,简朴
10. convergence
聚合,集合点
11. implicit
含蓄的
12. distinctive
区别的,独特的
13. exalted
高贵的,高尚的

难句译注
1. The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography and art centered on whether photograph’s fidelity to appearances and dependence on a machine allowed it to be a fine art as distinct from merely a practical art.
[
结构简析] 此句为主谓语+宾语从句。As distinct from … 句修饰fine art.
[
参考译文] 最早有关摄影和艺术关系的争论点集中在摄影对表象的忠实和对机器的依赖能否使它成为艺术,有别于仅仅是实用的美术。
2. Against the charge that photography was a soulless, mechanical copying of reality, photographers asserted that it was instead a privileged way of seeing, a revolt against commonplace vision, and no less worthy an art than painting.
[
结构简析] 结构是主谓宾从。句子长是因为介词短语against the charge 后接同位说明语the photography was …宾语从句中有三组表语:a way of seeing, a revolt, an art.
[
参考译文] 正队这种指责:摄影是一种没有灵魂的,对现实机械性复制,摄影工作者声名摄影不是复制品,而是一种特殊的观察方式,是对平庸视觉的叛逆,和绘画一样有艺术价值。
3. It shows the extent to which they simply take for granted the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism: the better the art, the more subversive it is of the traditional aims of art.
[
结构简析] 句子结构为主从句,which引导宾从作介词to 的宾语,宾从中imposed by …分词短语修饰concept of art, the better …the more 是说明concept of art.
[
参考译文] 这说明他们就是把现代主义胜利所强加的艺术概念视为合理的,其合理程度是:艺术越强,对艺术的传统目的破坏得越大。
4. Photographers’ disclaimers of any interest in making art tell us more about the harried status of the contemporary notion of art than about whether photography is or is not art.
[
结构简析] 名词disclaimer放弃,否认。上下文翻译中可译成动词含义,否认抛弃创作艺术的兴趣。
[
参考译文] 摄影师否认对创作艺术感性趣,他们告诉我们更多的是有关现代艺术概念的令人苦恼的情况,而不是摄影是不是艺术问题。
5. Many professionals privately have begun to worry that the promotion of photography as an activity subversive of the traditional pretensions of art has gone so far that the public will forget that photography is a distinctive and exalted activity—in short, an art.
[
结构简析] 复合句。句内三个that clause. 第一个是worry的宾从;第二个是so far that 的句型。第三个是forget 之宾从。
[
参考译文] 许多专业摄影人员私下开始担忧,强调摄影是对传统艺术意图的颠覆活动的做法有些过分了,(活动的宣传走得太远)以致使公众忘记摄影是一种独特的高尚活动——总之,是一种艺术。

写作方法与文章大意
文章论及摄影是否是艺术问题,这样采用对比手法。一开始就讲述了19世纪摄影家为确立摄影是艺术而提出的种种依据,并把美术和摄影作比较,来反驳否定摄影的论点:忠于表象,以来机器,没有灵魂……
确立的艺术后,他们为摆脱油画那种矫饰的艺术意图而努力推崇艺术越佳,对艺术传统意图破坏越大的论点。作者把这些摄影家和抽象表现主义画家相提并论,把摄影和流行画等同;和古典现代主义画家和画相对抗。
最后结论是这种破坏传统艺术意图的活动不能走得太远,因为摄影毕竟是艺术,否则……

答案祥解
1. C.
说明当代严肃的摄影家对摄影作为艺术的态度,并把他们这些态度放在历史的进程来观察。见文章大意。他们先为摄影是否是艺术而争辩,后为否定其艺术而努力。重点放在主题上。
A.
界定显得主义者对艺术的态度。 B. 解释摄影是如何作为美术出现的。第一段涉及,见难句译注2 D. 界定当代严肃摄影家对待他们艺术所具有的各种观点,并评定每种观点的价值。这三项只是文内提到的某些方面,不是主要的。
2. D.
矛盾的。见难句译注3
A.
客观的。 B. 机械的。 C. 表面的。
3. A.
他要列举这样艺术家的例子,他们象当代严肃的摄影家一样抛弃了传统上被接受的现代艺术目的。见第三段第二句:举例说,这些认为通过拍照可以摆脱绘画所表现的艺术的矫饰的摄影家,使我们想起了那些抽象表现主义绘画的严肃的思想。
B.
他想在抽象表现主义画家和古典现代主义画家之间找出相似点。 C. 他要在流行艺术家和其它艺术家之间作一个对比。 D. 他想解释为什么严肃摄影,象其它当代视觉形式一样不是艺术,而且也不应当充作艺术。
4. D.
摄影是一种艺术,可以和油画相比美。见难句译注2
A.
他们强调摄影是使人们快乐的手段。 B. 是记录世界的艺术。 C. 摄影是公正观察世界的工具。



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 controversies 31fd3392f2183396a23567b5207d930c     
争论
参考例句:
  • We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议,我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
  • The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句
2 fidelity vk3xB     
n.忠诚,忠实;精确
参考例句:
  • There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
  • His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。
3 dependence 3wsx9     
n.依靠,依赖;信任,信赖;隶属
参考例句:
  • Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
  • He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。
4 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
5 pretentious lSrz3     
adj.自命不凡的,自负的,炫耀的
参考例句:
  • He is a talented but pretentious writer.他是一个有才华但自命不凡的作家。
  • Speaking well of yourself would only make you appear conceited and pretentious.自夸只会使你显得自负和虚伪。
6 irrelevant ZkGy6     
adj.不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的
参考例句:
  • That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
  • A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上,一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。
7 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
8 impartially lqbzdy     
adv.公平地,无私地
参考例句:
  • Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
  • We hope that they're going to administer justice impartially. 我们希望他们能主持正义,不偏不倚。
9 subversive IHbzr     
adj.颠覆性的,破坏性的;n.破坏份子,危险份子
参考例句:
  • She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
  • The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。
10 harried 452fc64bfb6cafc37a839622dacd1b8e     
v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 );不断烦扰;一再袭击;侵扰
参考例句:
  • She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
  • The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 pretensions 9f7f7ffa120fac56a99a9be28790514a     
自称( pretension的名词复数 ); 自命不凡; 要求; 权力
参考例句:
  • The play mocks the pretensions of the new middle class. 这出戏讽刺了新中产阶级的装模作样。
  • The city has unrealistic pretensions to world-class status. 这个城市不切实际地标榜自己为国际都市。
12 derives c6c3177a6f731a3d743ccd3c53f3f460     
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取
参考例句:
  • English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 implicit lkhyn     
a.暗示的,含蓄的,不明晰的,绝对的
参考例句:
  • A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
  • Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。
14 exertions 2d5ee45020125fc19527a78af5191726     
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使
参考例句:
  • As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着,是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
  • She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气,仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句
15 reassures 44beb01b7ab946da699bd98dc2bfd007     
v.消除恐惧或疑虑,恢复信心( reassure的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • A significant benefit of Undo is purely psychological: It reassures users. 撤销的一个很大好处纯粹是心理上的,它让用户宽心。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Direct eye contact reassures the person that you are confident and honest. 直接的目光接触让人相信你的自信和诚实。 来自口语例句
16 privately IkpzwT     
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
参考例句:
  • Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
  • The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
17 promotion eRLxn     
n.提升,晋级;促销,宣传
参考例句:
  • The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
  • The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级,加了薪。
18 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的
参考例句:
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
19 exalted ztiz6f     
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的
参考例句:
  • Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
  • He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。
20 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
21 defenders fe417584d64537baa7cd5e48222ccdf8     
n.防御者( defender的名词复数 );守卫者;保护者;辩护者
参考例句:
  • The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众,只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
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