单选题 {{B}}Passage 2{{/B}}
A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors can be provided by art. (78) {{U}}In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.{{/U}}
In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective (主观的): it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly "political" artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its abuse (滥用) of power over people.
In the same way, art can reflect a culture's religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art had been almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that described people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn't read, they could still understand the Bible stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues (雕像) are not holy.
单选题 More can be learned about a culture from a study of art history than general history because ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题考查对上下文意思的把握。参见文章第一段的第五句话“In short，art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place，and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books"，其实，该问题就是这句话的翻版，即艺术能够更全面深刻地反映历史。所以，答案选C。
单选题 Art is subjective in that ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】本题也属于考查对上下文的意思把握。问题问“艺术为什么是主观的?”文章中有一句话：“Art，on the other hand，is subjective：it reflects emotions and opinions"。从这句话中可以看出艺术是感情和观点的反映。所以，答案选A。
单选题 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这道题属于正误判断题。考查问题内容是否与文章内容相符。文章中有句话：“By contrast one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was(and still is)its absence of human and animal images"，从这句话我们能够看出，中东的艺术形象中没有人和动物。此题的关键是找关键词：the Middle East。找到后就能很快地确定答案。所以，答案选C。
单选题 The passage mainly discusses ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这道题属于主旨大意题，考查对文章主题思想的理解和把握。文章共分三段。第一段是概括段落，第二段和第三段采用对比的写作方法，分别介绍艺术和历史，突出历史与艺术的不同之处。因此，概括为：文章主要讲一般历史和艺术历史的区别。所以，答案选B。
单选题 It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这道题属于推论题。通过对艺术和历史的对比分析，可以得出结论：既然历史本身是客观的，那么，老师应该客观地对待历史。所以，答案选C。