In April 1870, an art exhibit opened in Paris featuring famous and priceless works of art. However, at the time, no one knew that these paintings would one day be considered masterpieces. The paintings and the painters were virtually unknown at the time and would remain that way for several years.
In the nineteenth century, French art was dominated by the Academy of Fine Arts. Every year the academy held an art show called Le Salon. In 1863, the Academy rejected one of the paintings of Edouard Manet. Manet and a group of other independent artists organized their own show, which they called Salon des Refuses (Salon of the Rejected), which opened on April 15,1874. A newspa per critic named Louis Leroy visited the gallery and was not pleased with what he saw. One painting of boats in a harbor at dawn by Claude Monet particularly enraged him. It was called Impression: Sunset. Leroy wrote that this piece, and in fact most of the pieces in the show, looked like impressions--a term for a preliminary, unfinished sketch made before a painting is done. Leroy's newspaper review was jokingly called "The Exhibition of the Impressionists". Within a few years of Leroy's review, the term "Impressionists" had clearly stuck, not as a term of derision but as a badge of honor, and a new movement was born.
The Impressionist movement included the French painters Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, and the American painter Mary Cassatt. The techniques and standards employed within the Impressionist movement varied widely, and though the artists shared a core of values, the real glue which bound the movement together was its spirit of rebellion and independence.
This spirit is clear when you compare Impressionist paintings with traditional French paintings of the time. Traditional painters tended to paint rather serious scenes from history and mythology. "Many Impressionist paintings feature pleasant scenes of urban life, celebrating the leisure time that the Industrial Revolution had won for the middle class, as shown in Renoir's luminous painting luncheon of the Boating Party. In that famous painting, the sun filters through the orange-striped awning bathing everything and everyone at the party in its warm light. Renoir once said that paintings should be... likable, joyous, and pretty. " He said, "There are enough unpleasant things in this world. We don't have to paint them as well. " It is this joy of life that makes Renoir's paintings so distinctive.
The Impressionists delighted in painting landscapes (except for Edgar Degas, who preferred painting indoor scenes, and Mary Cassatt, who mainly painted portraits of mothers and children). Traditional painters, too, painted landscapes, but their landscapes tended to be somber and dark. The Impressionists' landscapes sparkle with light. Impressionists insisted that their works be "true to nature".

单选题 What point does the author make about the art show that opened on April 15,1874, at the Salon des Refuses in Paris?
A. It was more popular with visitors and critics than the official show called Le Salon.
B. It made the painters and paintings shown there instantly successful.
C. Its organizers refused to allow F douard Manet to display his paintings there.
D. It featured famous paintings and painters before they became well known.

单选题 The word "virtually" in the passage is closest in meaning to the word ______.
A. almost B. infinitely C. seemingly D. forever

单选题 According to the author, Louis Leroy used the term "Impressionists" because ______.
A. he understood that these artists did not carefully study their subjects, but only got a quick impression of what they painted
B. he thought that Monet's painting, and all of the paintings at the show, looked like unfinished drawings
C. he believed that giving these artists a group name would help them become famous
D. he thought that the painting Impression: Sunset was the best painting at the show

单选题 The word "derision" in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.
A. ridicule B. sincerity C. respect D. sorrow

单选题 Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information in the sentence below? Incorrect answer choices omit important information or change the meaning of the original sentence in an important way.
The techniques and standards employed within the Impressionist movement varied widely, and though the artists shared a core of values, the real glue which bound the movement together was its spirit of rebellion and independence.
A. The core of values shared by the Impressionists was the most important connection between them.
B. Although there were artistic differences among the Impressionists, they were united by an independent spirit and shared values..
C. At first the Impressionist movement was held together by a shared set of techniques and standards, but in time they rebelled against these core values.
D. Although the Impressionists' values differed, their techniques and standards helped create a strong, independent spirit.

单选题 Renoir's painting Luncheon of the Boating Party is given in paragraph 4 as an example of ______.
A. an industrial scene
B. a study of some urban buildings
C. a picture of people enjoying their leisure time
D. a traditional French painting

单选题 According to the information in paragraph 5, what did the painters Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt have in common? ______
A. They both painted portraits of children and mothers.
B. Neither of them was originally from France.
C. Neither of them was primarily interested in landscapes.
D. They both preferred painting unpleasant scenes.

单选题 According to paragraph 5, when traditional painters worked on landscape paintings, they ______.
A. studied the ever-changing light
B. did not make any preliminary sketches
C. never left their studios
D. sketched outdoors but painted indoors

单选题 It can be inferred from the information in paragraph 6 that in the author's view, the first "rule" of Impressionism ______.
A. was not really a rule at all
B. was the most important rule of all
C. led Impressionists to mix their colors
D. lasted longer than other rules

单选题 The word "spot" in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. paint B. identify C. admire D. ignore

单选题 The phrase "the last one" in the passage refers to ______.
A. an artist B. a painting
C. a brush stroke D. a layer of paint

单选题 Look at the four squares, , , and

填空题 Directions: Select phrases from the answer choices and match them to the category to which they relate. TWO answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 4 points.
Impressionist Painters
·______
·______
·______
·______
Traditional Painters
·______
·______
·______

A. Their classic pieces are very distinctive because of the methods they used to create them.
B. They often painted serious scenes from history and mythology.
C. Their works were considered unusual at the time but are prized today.
D. They used darker colors when painting landscapes.
E. They celebrated middle-class people enjoying their leisure time.

F. They seldom completely finished their paintings.

G. They concentrated on details.

[H] They painted abstract scenes with no recognizable figures in them.

[I] Their landscape paintings were filled with light.