There are several American Indian groups in the Southwest that still make beautiful pottery. Some of this, pottery may be sold at fairly high prices. But the makers consider their work as more than a commercial enterprise. By using methods handed down for generations, the potters express their pride in their cultural
inheritance
Some of the most interesting pottery is made by the Pueblo Indians. There are 21 individual pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico. Several are famous for their craftsmanship. To make a pot, these potters use a clay base and add long thin coils of clay to it in a spiral pattern. When they have reached the size they want, the use an implement such as a rock or shell to smooth the surfaces of the pot.
How a pot is decorated and fired depends on the traditions of the group making it. Traditional pottery produced by the Acoma, who have lived for centuries on a high mesa in New Mexico, is first painted with clay slip. The resulting pots, which are prized for their delicacy and strength, may be left white. They may also be painted with black and white patterns or with a combination of black, orange, and brown.
Very distinctive black pottery comes from the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pueblos. The black color is the result of carbon being released from the animal manure in which the pot is fired. Some artisans hand-rub this ware to a shiny gloss. Others cut patterns into it, resulting in a part shiny, part flat surface. Potters at San Ildefonso make many types of wares. Potters at Santa Clara are especially known for wedding jars—jars with two necks connected by a handle.
Other groups such as the Hopi and the Cochiti also make pottery. Each group uses distinctive methods and produces distinctive forms and designs.
单选题
In the first paragraph the word "inheritance" means ______.
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中第二段最后一句“...a rock or shell to smooth the surfaces of the pot.”及第四段第三句“Some artisans hand-rub this ware to a shiny gloss.”可知,制作陶器需要手工打磨,因而会很费时。选项A、C、D在文中均未提及,故选B。
单选题
Another good title for this passage would be ______.