Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art 现代艺术的电流

Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called 'modern' pieces have been on display for nearly eighty years.
    In spite of this, some people -- including myself -- were surprise by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said: 'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!' The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended form the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!

New words and expression_rs 生词和短语

     current n.   电流

     sculpture n.   雕塑

     mistaken adj. 错误的

     gallery n.   美术馆

     exhibit n.   展品，陈列品

     oddly adv. 古怪的

     attach v.   连，系

     sphere n.   球体

     magnetize v.   使磁化

     repel v.   排斥

     flicker v.   闪烁

     emit v.   放射

     flash v.   闪光

     prehistoric adj. 史前的，老掉牙的

     electronic adj. 电子的

     peculiar adj. 奇异的

     shock v.   令人震惊，刺激人

     emotionally adv. 事情上

参考译文

    现代雕塑不再使我们感到惊讶了。那种认为现代艺术只能在博物馆里才能看到的观点是错误的。即使是对艺术不感兴趣的人也不会注意到在公共场所展示的现代艺术品。公园里、大楼和商店外竖立着的奇形怪状的雕塑，对这些，我们已经司空见惯了。有些所谓的“现代”艺术品在那里已经陈列了近80年了。
    尽管如此，最近举办的一次现代雕塑展览还是使一些人（包括我在内）大吃了一惊。走进展厅首先看到的是一张告示，上面写着“切勿触摸展品，某些展品有危险！”展品都是些活动的雕像。人们所熟悉的是悬挂在天花板上、造型奇特、随风飘荡的雕塑品。这些展品却使人大开眼界。靠墙排列着许多细长的电线，而电线又连着金属球。金属球经过磁化，互相之间不停地相互吸引或相互排斥。展厅中央是装有彩色灯泡的许多高高的构件，灯泡一刻不停地闪烁着，就像失去了控制的红绿灯。小黑盒子里迸出火花，红色灯泡发怒似地忽明忽暗。这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。好像设计这些奇形怪状的展品不仅是为了给人感情上的强烈刺激，而且还想给人以电击似的！

Notes on the text课文注释
1 The idea that… is mistaken.
此处that引导的从句作idea的同位语。
2 take no interest in…，作“对……不感兴趣”解。
3 cannot have failed to notice, 不至于没注意到。
“cannot+have+过去分词”表示对于过去的事所作的不肯定的推测。
4 move in response to a gust of wind，随风飘荡。
in response(to)作“回答’、“响应”、“作出反应”讲。此处是“（展品）随风而动”的意思。
5 be familiar to…是“为……所熟悉”的意思。
6 Lined up against the wall, 靠墙排列着。
7 like traffic lights which have gone mad, 就像失去控制的红绿灯一样。
go mad作“发疯”、“发狂”讲。
8 on and off（亦作 off and on）作“断断续续地”、“有时”讲。
9 These peculiar forms not only seemed designed…，其中seemed是系动词，seemed designed 作用与were designed是一样的。

Summary writing 摘要写作
In not more than 80 words describe what the writer saw from the moment he entered the art gallery. Do not include anything that is not in the last paragraph.
Answer these questions in note form to get your points:
1 What did the writer see when he entered the art gallery?
2 Why did it forbid people to touch the exhibits?
3 What did the exhibition consist of?
4 What did the writer see against the wall?
5 What did the spheres do?
6 What did the tall structures in the centre of the hall contain?
7 What did the coloured lights do?
8 What was emitted from black boxes?
9 Did red lamps go on and off or not? 
Summary
On entering the art gallery, the writer saw a notice which forbade people to touch the exhibits because they were dangerous. The exhibition consisted of pieces of moving sculpture.Against a wall, the writer saw long thin wires attached to metal spheres which attracted and repelled each other. In the centre of the hall were tall structures containing coloured lights which went on and off. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off.

Composition作文
In not more than 200 words describe an exhibition of modern paintings(real or imaginary). Use the ideas given below. Do not write more than three paragraphs.
Title: An interesting exhibition.
Introduction: Work of many artists exhibited----great public interest----you went to the art gallery.
Development: Description of some of the pictures on display----the picture you liked best ----the strangest picture of them all.
Conclusion: People's comments overheard---- your opinion of the paintings at the exhibition. 
Key to Composition
A possible answer
An interesting exhibition
Recently I went to the Royal Academy in London to see the summer exhibition. The work of many artists was on display and the exhibition aroused a lot of public interest. Crowds of people filled the galleries.
The pictures were, with a few exceptions, mainly by relatively unknown artists. Many of them were traditional pictures of landscapes and portraits.I particularly liked a picture of an old farmhouse by a stream with a few sheep in a field. The strangest picture I saw was an untitled abstract painting by a well-known modern artist. It consisted of swirls of different colours which had been rubbed into the canvas with the artist's fingers. The picture looked a mess, but was also very effective, attracting a lot of comment.
I couldn't help overhearing what people said, things like‘I could paint a picture like that with my eyes shut’or‘Look how perfect the sunset is in that painting. I'd love to own a picture like that’, and so on. There is no doubt it was an excellent exhibition because there were so many different styles on display. There was something to suit everyone, but only if you could afford the high prices!

Letter writing 书信写作
Write a letter of about 80 words to a friend accepting an invitation to go with him to an exhibition. Supply a suitable Introduction and Conclusion. Use the following information to write the Purpose:
thank him for invitation----looking forward to meeting him again soon----particularly interested in exhibition----why----where you will meet your friend: time and place. 
Key to Letter writing
A possible answer(purpose of letter only))
Thank you so much for your kind invitation to the exhibition,‘Ancient Xi'an and the Terracotta Army’,now on at the British Museum in London.I'd love to join you and look forward to seeing you again.I'm particularly interested in this exhibition because it has been so well received and I've heard so much about it.It's a unique opportunity to see it.I'll meet you at the entrance to the exhibition at 2.15 on Thursday, 24th.

Key structures关键句型
介词(IKS 94) （参见第2册第 94课关键句型）

Special difficulties难点
Spelling 拼写
Note the spelling of the words in italics:

I'll pay the bill. He never pays his bills.
He owns a donkey. I own two donkeys.
You'll wake up the baby. Babies often cry.
Will he try again? He never tries very hard.

Key to SD Exercises
ladies, supplies, valleys, qualifies, stories, days, says, replies, marries, ways, chimneys,hurries,stays, enjoys, buys, bodies, buries, fries

T:Did everyone stare? Did they want to see the queen?
S:Did everyone stare at the queen?

T:Did she apologize?Did she admit her mistake?
S:Did she apologize for her mistake?

T:Is he ahead?Is he passing the others?
S:Is he ahead of the others?

T:Is she curious?Does she know the results?
S:Is she curious about the results?

T:Is he popular?Do the students like him?
S:Is he popular with the students?

T: Is it similar?Is it like the other one?
S:Is it similar to the other one?

Key to Multiple choice questions
1 a 2 c 3 d 4 c 5 c 6 b
7 a 8 d 9 d 10 a 11 b 12 c