TEXT 4
Many things make people think artists are weird. But the weirdest may be this: artists only job is to explore emotions, and yet they choose to focus on the ones that feel bad.
This wasn’t always so. The earliest forms of art, like painting and music, are those best suited for expressing joy. But somewhere in the 19th century onward, more artists began seeing happiness as meaningless, phony or, worst of all, boring, as we went from Wordsworth’s daffodils to Baudelaire’s flowers of evil.
You could argue that art became more skeptical of happiness because modern times have seen so much misery. But it’s not as if earlier times didn’t know perpetual war, disaster and the massacre of innocents. The reason, in fact, may be just the opposite: there is too much damn happiness in the world today.
After all, what is the one modern form of expression almost completely dedicated to depicting happiness? Advertising. The rise of anti happy art almost exactly tracks the emergence of mass media, and with it, a commercial culture in which happiness is not just an ideal but an ideology.
People in earlier eras were surrounded by reminders of misery. They worked until exhausted, lived with few protections and died young. In the West, before mass communication and literacy, the most powerful mass medium was the church, which reminded worshippers that their souls were in danger and that they would someday be meat for worms. Given all this, they did not exactly need their art to be a bummer too.
Today the messages the average Westerner is surrounded with are not religious but commercial, and forever happy. Fast food eaters, news anchors, text messengers, all smiling, smiling,smiling. Our magazines feature beaming celebrities and happy families in perfect homes. And since these messages have an agenda-to lure us to open our wallets-they make the very idea of happiness seem unreliable. "Celebrate!" commanded the ads for the arthritis drug Celebrex, before we found out it could increase the risk of heart attacks.
What we forget-what our economy depends on us forgetting-is that happiness is more than pleasure without pain. The things that bring the greatest joy carry the greatest potential for loss and disappointment. Today, surrounded by promises of easy happiness, we need art to tell us, as religion once did, Memento mori: remember that you will die, that everything ends, and that happiness comes not in denying this but in living with it. It’s a message even more bitter than a clove cigarette, yet, somehow, a breath of fresh air.
36. By citing the example of poets Wordsworth and Baudelaire, the author intends to show that .
［A］ poetry is not as expressive of joy as painting or music
［B］ art grows out of both positive and negative feelings
［C］ poets today are less skeptical of happiness
［D］ artists have changed their focus of interest
37. The word "bummer" (Line 5, Paragraph 5) most probably means something .
［A］ religious
［B］ unpleasant
［C］ entertaining
［D］ commercial
38. In the author’s opinion, advertising .
［A］ emerges in the wake of the anti happy art
［B］ is a cause of disappointment for the general public
［C］ replaces the church as a major source of information
［D］ creates an illusion of happiness rather than happiness itself
39. We can learn from the last paragraph that the author believes .
［A］ happiness more often than not ends in sadness
［B］ the anti happy art is distasteful but refreshing
［C］ misery should be enjoyed rather than denied
［D］ the anti happy art flourishes when economy booms
40. Which of the following is true of the text?
［A］ Religion once functioned as a reminder of misery.
［B］ Art provides a balance between expectation and reality.
［C］ People feel disappointed at the realities of modern society.
［D］ Mass media are inclined to cover disasters and deaths.
agenda2 n.议事日程
anchor2 n.①锚；②新闻节目主持人；v.抛锚，停泊
argue19 v.①争论，辩论；②认为，主张，论证；③说服
author69 n.①作者；②创始人
average17 n.平均（数）；a.①平均的；②普通的，一般的；v.平均，均分
balance5 v.称，（使）平衡；n.①天平，秤；②平衡，均衡；③差额，结余，余款
beam1 n.①（横）梁，桁条；②（光线的）束，柱；v.①微笑；②发光
boom7 v.①繁荣，兴旺；②发出隆隆声；n.①繁荣，兴隆；②隆隆声；③激增
cause28 n.①原因，理由；②事业，事件，奋斗目标；v.使产生，引起
celebrity1 n.名声，名人
cite3 v.引用，引证，举（例）
command2 n.①命令，指令；②统帅，指挥（权）；③掌握，运用能力；v.①命令，要求；②指挥，统帅；③掌握，控制
commercial5 a.商业的，商务的，贸易的
communication11 n.①通讯，传达；②［pl.］通讯系统；③［pl.］交通（工具）；④交流
create20 v.①创造，创作；②引起，造成，建立
culture21 n.①修养，教养；②文化，文明
damn1 v.谴责
dedicate5 v.奉献，把...用在
deny5 v.①否认，否定；②拒绝
depend16 v.（on）取决于，依靠，信赖，相信
depict1 v.描绘，描写
disappoint3 v.使失望，使扫兴
disaster2 n.灾难，天灾
economy29 n.①节约；②经济
emerge9 v.浮现，出现
emotion4 n.情绪，情感
era2 n.时代，年代，阶段，纪元
evil1 a.邪恶的，罪恶的；n.邪恶，罪恶
exhaust1 v.①使筋疲力尽，耗尽；②抽完，汲干；n.①排气装置；②废气
expectation2 n.预期，期望，指望
explore4 v.①勘探，探测；②探究，探索
express4 v.表达，表示；a.特快的，快速的；n.快车，快运
expression9 n.①表达，表示；②短语，词句，措词；③式，符号
feature9 n.①特征，特色；②（报纸或杂志）特写；③容貌，面貌；v.给显著地位
flourish2 v.繁荣，茂盛，兴旺
focus12 n.焦点，（活动，兴趣等的）中心；v.（on/upon）使聚集，集中
function10 n.①功能，作用；②［pl.］职务，职责；③函数；v.起作用
ideal5 a.①理想的，完美的；②空想的；③理想主义的；④唯心的；n.理想
ideology2 n.意识形态，思维方式
illusion1 n.幻想
incline2 v.①（使）倾斜，（使）偏向；②（使）倾向于；n.斜坡，斜面
information44 n.①通知，报告；②情报，信息
innocent1 a.①（of）清白的，无罪的；②无害的；③天真的，单纯的，无知的
intend15 v.想要，打算，企图
literacy1 n.有文化，有教养，有读写能力
lure3 v.引诱
major11 a.（较）大的，（较）重要的；n.①专业，主修科目；②专业学生；③少校；v.（in）主修，专攻
massacre1 n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀
medium2 n.①中间，适中；②媒介物，介质，传导体；a.中等的，适中的
messenger1 n.送信者，使者，传令兵
misery3 n.痛苦，悲惨，不幸
negative4 a.①否定的，消极的，反面的；②负的，阴性的；n.①负数；②（摄影）底片
perfect5 a.①完善的，无瑕的；②完全的，十足的；v.使完美，改进
perpetual1 a.永久的，永恒的，长期的
poetry6 n.诗歌，诗集
positive4 a.①确实的，明确的；②积极的，肯定的；③正的，阳性的；④十足的，完全的；n.（摄影）正片
potential13 a.①潜在的，可能的；②势的，位的；n.潜能，潜力
powerful10 a.强大的，有力的，有权的
reality10 n.①现实，实际；②真实
reason26 n.①理由，原因；②理性，理智；v.①推论，推理；②说服，评理；③讨论，辩论
refresh1 v.（使）精神振作，（使）精力恢复
religion8 n.①宗教，信仰；②信念，信条
religious4 a.宗教的，信教的，虔诚的
replace7 v.①放回，替换，取代；②归还
risk14 v.冒...的危险；n.风险，危险
skeptical2 a.怀疑性的，好怀疑的，无神论的
source11 n.①源，源泉；②来源，出处
suit4 v.①合适，适合；②相配，适应；n.①一套西服；②诉讼
surround3 v.包围，环绕
wallet1 n.皮夹，钱包
weird1 a.怪异的，奇怪的；n.命运，宿命
worm4 n.虫，蠕虫
advertise12 v.做广告
arthritis1 n.关节炎
boring3 a.令人厌烦的，乏味的，无聊的
bummer1 n.失败，坏事
clove1 n.丁香，丁香树
daffodil1 n.水仙花；a.水仙花色的
disappointment2 n.失望
distasteful1 a.味道不佳的，（令人）不愉快的
eater1 n.吃...的人（动物）
emergence5 n.浮现，出现
entertaining2 a.①使人愉快的；②有趣的
expressive2 a.有表现力的，富于表情的
media9 n.媒体
memento1 n.纪念品
onward1 a.向前的；ad.向前， 在前面
phony1 a.假冒的，虚假的；n.假冒者
reminder3 n.提醒的人，暗示
sadness1 n.悲哀，悲伤
unreliable1 a.不可靠的
worshipper1 n.礼拜者，崇拜者
