Lesson 18
Electric currents in modern art
现代艺术的电流
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
How might some of the exhibits have been dangerous? 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 expressions 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!
【New words and expressions】 生词和短语 ★current
n. 电流
current n. the flow of electricity 电流
a continuous movement of water 水流
adj. 目前的,现在的 current affairs 时事
currency n. 流通(货币)
currently adv.普遍地,通常地,现在,当前 ★sculpture
n. 雕塑
sculptural adj. 雕塑的,雕刻般的
sculptor n.雕刻家 ★mistaken
adj. 错误的
mistaken adj. incorrect;wrong;misunderstood
Eg.: The teacher has mistaken opinion of his pupil,Her doesn's use simple plain language and he is often mistaken.
make a mistake/by mistake 弄错了
He took my umbrella by mistake.
and no mistake 确实如此
Eg.: He is honest and no mistake.
mistake vt.
mistake sb.for 把某人误认为
Eg.: Yesterday I mistook him for my classmate. ★gallery
n. 美术馆 ★exhibit
n. 展品,陈列品
exhibit: show in public
exhibition n. 展览会
Eg.: We went to an exhibition to visit exhibits. ★oddly
adv. 古怪的
oddly: strangely
odd adj. 古怪的
strange adj. 因为陌生而奇怪的
queer adj. 奇特的
Eg.: Look,he is wearing a queer hat.
fantastic adj.奇妙的
eccentric adj. 怪癖的;He is an eccentric person. ★attach
v. 连,系
attach vt. 系、拴、粘上,贴上
attach to
Eg.: He attached the lamb to a tree.
attach to sb.for sth. 因为某事而把……加再某人身上
Eg.: We didn't attach blame to him for his failure.
attach importance to sth. 对某事非常重视
Eg.: We attach importance to education
be attached to sth: 喜欢,喜爱
Eg.: I'm very attached to her.
attachment n.固定,爱慕,友情,附着 ★sphere
n. 球体 ★magnetize
v. 使磁化
magnetize vt.
Eg.: The iron was magnetied.
His speech magnetized the listeners. ★repel
v. 排斥
repel vt.: to drive back;cause feelings of dislike
Eg.: The different sexes attract each other and the same sexes repel on the contrary.
Eg.: Let me go at once,you repel me. ★flicker
v. 闪烁
flicker v. shine unsteadily
flash v. shine for a moment ★emit
v. 放射
emit v. give off
emit sound/emit smell/emit light/emit heat/emit smoke ★flash
v. 闪光 ★prehistoric
adj. 史前的,老掉牙的 ★electronic
adj. 电子的 ★peculiar
adj. 奇异的
peculiar adj. strange and unusual
Eg.: The food has peculiar taste.
Eg.: I'm feelin rather peculiar. ★shock
v. 令人震惊,刺激人
get shocked 受震动
At the news, the got shocked
shock n.震惊:get a big shock ★emotionally
adv. 事情上
emotional adj. 易激动的,情绪的,感情脆弱的
emotive adj.引起情绪反应的
The word home is more emotive than house.
emotionally;emotional,unemotional;emotive;emotion;feeling Eg.: I think you agree with me,women are often said to be more emotional than men.
反义词 unemotional
emotion n. 感情; Eg.: Love,hated,and grief are emotions.
feeling n. 某时的内心感受
Eg.: I can't descibe my feeling now.
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