Unit 2
1. Pre-reading
• Do
you consider yourself a lover of art? Why or why not?
•
What famous artists do you know? What are they famous for?
• It
is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What are your thoughts on
this?
•
Which is more important: following one's dreams or living a safe, practical
life? Why?
Reading
Vocabulary: cubism; fauvism; surrealism; palette; ceramic mural; mural;
crescent moon; maroon
II. Reading
Miró: The Man behind the Art
When
you look at Joan Miró's artwork, the
playfulness of a child might spring
to mind. His paintings, in particular, are full of abstract shapes, thickly outlined figures, and bright colors. So it may surprise
you to learn that this man who painted such carefree
and vivid
figures was actually very hardworking and
serious, and often wore dark business suits
to exhibitions of his work.
In fact,
Miró almost did not become an artist at all. Born in Barcelona,
Spain, in 1893, Miró studied at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts. However, since his parents wanted
him to become a businessman, the young Miró took business classes as well.
1.
in art, images that do not look like real people or things
2.
having no worries or problems
3.
a public display of the works of artists
He
then worked as an accountant for almost two years,
until he had a nervous breakdown. Consequently, Miró's parents
finally realized
that he would be better off pursuing a career in art.
Finally
free to follow his passion, Miró
began painting in the styles that
were popular at the time, which were fauvism
and cubism. Though he enjoyed some success, it was not until he moved to Paris in the 1920s that Miró really began to grow creatively.
In Paris, Miró met Pablo Picasso, and in 1924, he was introduced to André Breton,
the founding father of surrealism. As a result of these meetings, Miró soon began experimenting with the surrealist style.
Although he loved
surrealism, Miró did not want to be viewed as
a surrealist or to join any specific artistic
movement. Thus, by the 1930s, he had begun to develop
his own style. He began using simpler forms
and a limited palette of strong, bright colors to create his paintings. In addition, Miró brought in elements of folk art from his native Spain that further made his work unique.
4.
a person whose job is to keep or inspect financial accounts
5.
a mental illness in which you are so upset or tired that you cannot take care
of yourself
6.
as a result
7.
to try to achieve something over a long period of time
8.
a job or occupation that takes up a certain period of a person's life
9.
a strong feeling or belief about something
10.
a way of producing or designing something, which is typical of a particular
place, time, or people
11.
relating to art
12.
related to tradition and the lives of ordinary people living in a specific area
13.
unusually special
It was
during this period that Miró became known around the world.
After moving back to Spain in the 1940s, he began experimenting with different forms of
art, including sculpture,
ceramics, and murals. He also traveled to the United States around this time and held
several one-man shows. The biggest of these was at the Museum of Modern Art in
New York City in 1951. In the late 1950s, Miró began one of the most ambitious projects of
his career---two large ceramic murals for the UNESCO building
in Paris. These two works---Wall of the
Moon and Wall of the Sun---are made up of 585 individual hand-painted tiles
and show a blue crescent moon and maroon sun.
Because of his success, Miró was able to realize the dream he had since
he was a child---to build a large studio
where he could focus on
his art projects. In 1956, he moved into just such a place on the island of
Mallorca, Spain, and worked there for the rest of his life. In 1983, Miró died in bed at his studio. Nine years later, Miró's studio was
opened to the
public as the Miró
Museum, giving people the chance to enjoy the work of this truly
great artist.
14.
having or showing a strong desire to succeed
15.
a thin, flat piece of fired clay or other material that is used to cover walls,
floors, or roofs
  | abstract | 第四級 | [形容詞] 抽象的 |
| | accountant | 第四級 | [名詞] 會計師 |
| | actually | 第二級 | [形容詞] actual(實際的;事實上的) 的衍生的副詞 |
| | addition | 第二級 | [名詞] 加;附加 |
| | ambitious | 第四級 | [形容詞] 有野心的 |
| | artist | 第二級 | [名詞] 藝術家 |
| | artistic | 第四級 | [形容詞] 藝術的 |
| | better | 第二級 | [形容詞] 較佳的;更好的;更適當的; [動詞] 改善;提高;超過;變得較好; [副詞] 更好地;更適當地; [名詞] (人或事物)較優者,較好者 |
| | breakdown | 第六級 | [名詞] 故障;損壞;崩潰;分析 |
| | building | 第二級 | [名詞] 建築物 |
| | businessman | 第二級 | [名詞] 商人 |
| | career | 第三級 | [名詞] 職業;生涯;歷程 |
| | carefree | 第六級 | [形容詞] 無憂無慮的;輕鬆愉快的 |
| | ceramic | 第六級 | [形容詞] 陶器的;製陶藝術的; [名詞] 陶瓷;陶瓷製品 |
| | consequently | 第四級 | [形容詞] consequent(隨之發生的) 的衍生的副詞 |
| | create | 第二級 | [動詞] 創造 |
| | creatively | 第三級 | [形容詞] creative(有創造力(或想像力)的) 的衍生的副詞 |
| | develop | 第二級 | [動詞] 發展 |
| | elements | 第三級 | [名詞] element(要素,成分) 的複數 |
| | exhibitions | 第三級 | [名詞] exhibition(展覽;展覽會) 的複數 |
| | experimenting | 第三級 | [動詞] experiment(進行實驗,試驗) 的現在分詞 |
| | figures | 第二級 | [動詞] figure(估計;描繪) 的第三人稱單數現在式; [名詞] figure(外形;數字;圖表;(溜冰等)花式) 的複數 |
| | finally | 第二級 | [形容詞] final(最終的) 的衍生的副詞 |
| | focus | 第二級 | [動詞] 集中; [名詞] 焦點 |
| | folk | 第二級 | [名詞] 人們; [名詞] folk(人們) 的複數 |
| | forms | 第二級 | [動詞] form(形成) 的第三人稱單數現在式; [名詞] form(形態;表格) 的複數 |
| | founding | 第二級 | [動詞] found(建立;建造;鑄造;熔化) 的現在分詞 |
| | further | 第二級 | [形容詞] 較遠的;另外的; [動詞] 更遠地;進一步地;促進;助長; [副詞] 而且;再者 |
| | including | 第二級 | [動詞] include(包含) 的現在分詞 |
| | including | 第四級 | [介系詞] 包括 |
| | individual | 第二級 | [形容詞] 個別的; [名詞] 個人;個體 |
| | introduced | 第二級 | [動詞] introduce(介紹) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | limited | 第二級 | [動詞] limit(限定) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | native | 第三級 | [形容詞] 本土的,本國的; [名詞] 土著,原住民 |
| | nervous | 第二級 | [形容詞] 緊張的 |
| | outlined | 第三級 | [動詞] outline(概述,略述) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | painting | 第二級 | [名詞] 油畫,水彩畫 |
| | paintings | 第二級 | [名詞] painting(油畫,水彩畫) 的複數 |
| | particular | 第二級 | [形容詞] 特殊的 |
| | passion | 第三級 | [名詞] 熱情,激情;酷愛 |
| | period | 第二級 | [名詞] 一段時間;一堂課 |
| | projects | 第二級 | [名詞] project(計畫) 的複數 |
| | pursuing | 第四級 | [動詞] pursue(追求;從事) 的現在分詞 |
| | realize | 第二級 | [動詞] 認知;實現 |
| | realized | 第二級 | [動詞] realize(認知;實現) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | result | 第二級 | [動詞] 發生,產生;結果;導致; [名詞] 結果 |
| | sculpture | 第四級 | [動詞] 雕刻; [名詞] 雕刻品,雕塑品;雕 |
| | specific | 第三級 | [形容詞] 特殊的,特定的 |
| | states | 第二級 | [動詞] state(陳述) 的第三人稱單數現在式 |
| | studio | 第三級 | [名詞] 工作室,畫室;雕塑室;照相館 |
| | style | 第二級 | [動詞] 稱呼;命名;設計;使成為時髦; [名詞] 時尚;風格;文體 |
| | styles | 第二級 | [動詞] style(稱呼;命名;設計;使成為時髦) 的第三人稱單數現在式; [名詞] style(時尚;風格;文體) 的複數 |
| | success | 第二級 | [名詞] 成功 |
| | such | 第二級 | [形容詞] 如此的; [代名詞] 這樣的人(或事物);上述的人(或事物) |
| | suits | 第二級 | [動詞] suit(適合;相稱;彼此協調) 的第三人稱單數現在式; [名詞] suit(一套衣服;訴訟) 的複數 |
| | thus | 第二級 | [副詞] 如此,這樣 |
| | tiles | 第五級 | [動詞] tile(鋪砌瓦(或瓷磚等)) 的第三人稱單數現在式; [名詞] tile(瓦;瓷磚;地磚;(麻將等的)牌) 的複數 |
| | traveled | 第二級 | [動詞] travel(旅行) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | truly | 第二級 | [形容詞] true(真實的;正確的) 的衍生的副詞 |
| | unique | 第三級 | [形容詞] 獨特的; [名詞] 獨一無二的人(或事物) |
| | united | 第三級 | [動詞] unite(統一;使團結) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | viewed | 第二級 | [動詞] view(察看;將...看成是) 的過去式及過去分詞 |
| | vivid | 第三級 | [形容詞] 鮮豔的;生動的 |
III. Post-reading
1. Reading Skill: Cause and Effect
In
the simplest sense, a cause is a reason for an action or state of being. A
cause is something that brings about an effect or a result. To know what is the
cause of something, ask yourself: "Why did this happen?"
An
effect is the unavoidable result of a cause. To determine how a specific cause
created a certain effect, we ask the question: "How did it happen?"
or simply, "What happened?"
For
example:
Cause Effect
It
started to rain. The
baseball game was canceled.
The
woman was late for work. She
lost her job.
Water
was spilled on the computer. The
computer stopped working.
Michael
wanted his daughter to have a pet. He
bought a puppy.
In
some cases, linking words are used to create relationships between cause and
effect. Examples of connecting words and phrases are:
because, so, consequently, therefore,
due to the fact, since, as a result, for this reason, for, thus, hence
Test Your Skills
1. Combine the
above sentences using one of the words or phrases listed. You may change the
order of the wording in some cases.
Example:
The baseball game was canceled because it started to rain.
2. Read through
the article about Joan Miró. Identify 4 effects as well as the events that
caused them.
a) Effect: ________________________________________________________________
Cause:
________________________________________________________________
b) Effect:
________________________________________________________________
Cause:
________________________________________________________________
c) Effect:
________________________________________________________________
Cause:
________________________________________________________________
d) Effect:
________________________________________________________________
Cause: ________________________________________________________________
II. Reading Comprehension:
( ) 1. How is Miró's character described?
a. As playful b. As dishonest c. As serious d. As angry
( ) 2. When did Miró move back to Spain?
a. Sometime in
the 1980s b.
In the early 1950s
c. In the late
1920s d.
In the 1940s
( ) 3. According to the essay, what made Miró
decide to develop his own unique style of art?
a. He didn't
want to be considered a surrealist artist.
b. He didn't
like surrealism.
c. He had an
argument with André Breton.
d. He wanted to
mix folk art into his own works.
( ) 4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned
as something Miró worked on?
a. Painting b. Patchwork c. Sculpture d. Murals
( ) 5. Which statement would Miró probably NOT
agree with?
a. Miró was one
of the greatest surrealists of the 20th century.
b. Miró did not
enjoy working as an accountant.
c. Early on,
Miró painted in the style of fauvism and cubism.
d. Having a
studio was a dream Miró had throughout his life.
III. Vocabulary: Fill
in the correct missing word in the correct grammatical form.
pursue artistic passion consequently unique
accountant exhibition career tile nervous breakdown
1.
The company hired an experienced _______________to handle matters of finance.
2.
When he graduates, Tim hopes to find a(n) _______________ in chemical engineering.
3.
Jane wants to _______________a career in acting, and her parents think it's a
great idea.
4.
The summer camp provides many_______________ and musical activities for
children.
5. With all her
stress from work and problems at home, Cindy felt like she was going to have
a(n) _______________.
6. The
politician spoke with _______________ to the people about the importance of not
going to war.
7.
The dirty bathroom _______________ need to be scrubbed with soap and water.
8. My
scooter ran out of gas; _______________, I arrived late to work.
9.
Marty's new shirt is quite _______________. I've never seen anything like it before.
10.
On our trip to Paris, we went to several art _______________.
