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Dutch Art and the Middle Class

Paragraph 1
Throughout history, the wealthy have been the most avid art collectors. Indeed, the money necessary to commission leading artists to create major artworks can be considerable. During the seventeenth century in the Dutch Republic, however, the prosperity that a large proportion of the population enjoyed significantly expanded the group of art patrons, people whose wealth allowed them to support artists by purchasing art. As a result, one distinguishing feature of Dutch art production during this period was how it catered to the tastes of a middle-class audience, broadly defined. An aristocracy and an upper class of ship owners, rich businesspeople, high-ranking officers, and directors of large companies still existed, and these groups continued to be major patrons of the arts. But as the Dutch economy expanded, new patrons -- traders, craftspeople, bureaucrats, and soldiers -- also commissioned and collected art.

        expanded  adj. 膨胀的; 扩大[张]的; 延伸的; 展[张]开的;

1. The word "avid" in the passage is closest in meaning to

        avid  adj. 渴望的; 贪婪的; 热心的;

A. enthusiastic

B. influential 

C. successful 

D. typical

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2. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that increased middle-class prosperity in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic resulted in

A. the aristocracy and upper class losing interest in supporting artists

B. middle-class people becoming art patrons

C. a larger proportion of the population having time to produce art 

D. the cost and quality of artwork increasing with increased demand

        S： 推理题 - inferred

        D： increased prosperity

        S： expanded the group of art patrons support artists by purchasing art

        G：art patrons

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Paragraph 2
Although the financial success that the middle class increasingly enjoyed resulted in sharply higher investment in home furnishings and art , (but) religious beliefs that disdained ostentation led these new Dutch collectors to favor small, low-key works—portraits of ordinary men and women, still lifes and scenes of everyday life, and landscapes. This focus contrasted with the seventeenth-century Italian Baroque fondness for gigantic ceiling frescoes and oil paintings with religious subjects. Stylistically, the art of northern Europe of this period, although also called "Baroque" by art historians, differs markedly from Italian Baroque art.

        led  v. 带路

3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. The financial success of the middle class increasingly allowed the Dutch to enjoy their investments in home furnishings and art.

B. Excessive ostentation led to higher investments in home furnishings and art in the form of portraits, still lifes and scenes of everyday life, and landscapes.

        ostentation  n. 摆阔; 讲排场; 炫耀; 卖弄;

C. Religious beliefs led Dutch collectors to favor small, low-key works of art, despite greater middle class wealth and higher investments in home furnishings.

D. Although the middle class was financially successful, home furnishings and art required sharply higher investments, making it difficult for Dutch collectors to buy the art they favored.

        1. 找主干

                religious beliefs led collectors favor small, low-key works

        2. 找逻辑词

                Although ：一般这个词出现了，是省略but的，优先看后面的一部分

        3. 找绝比概否词

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Paragraph 3
It is risky to generalize about the spending and collecting habits of the Dutch middle class, but some interesting facts are revealed by records of wills and estates, contracts, and archived inventories. These records suggest that an individual earning between 1,500 and 3,000 guilders a year could live quite comfortably. A house could be purchased for 1,000 guilders. Another 1,000 guilders could buy all the necessary furnishings for a middle-class home, including a significant amount of art, particularly paintings. Although there was, of course, considerable variation in prices, many artworks were very affordable. Prints, for example, were extremely cheap because of the high number of copies artists produced of each picture. Paintings of interior and everyday scenes were relatively inexpensive in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic, perhaps costing one or two guilders each. Small landscapes could be purchased for between three and four guilders. Commissioned portraits were the most costly. The size of the work and quality of the frame, as well as the reputation of the artist, were other factors in determining the price of a painting, regardless of the subject.

4. In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the information that house furnishings and art for a middle-class home could be purchased for 1,000 guilders?

需要找作者的观点句，不是事实sugges

A. To argue that furnishing a house was quite expensive relative to buying a house in the seventeenth century

B. To emphasize the extent to which the seventeenth-century Dutch middle class valued having works of art in their homes 

        extent   n. 程度; 大小; 范围; 

C. To indicate how much information was available about the middle class from the records of the seventeenth century 

D. To support the point that artwork in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic was affordable for the middle class

5. According to paragraph 3, in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic all of the 
following paintings would have been expensive EXCEPT

A. a detailed painting of the interior of a home 

B. a portrait commissioned by the buyer

C. a painting by an artist considered to be very good

        considered to  被认为是 

D. a large, well-framed landscape painting

        well-framed  有框的 

        S： EXCEPT 排除题 expensive

        D： A. 

               B. 

               C. 

               D. 

        SG：A

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Paragraph 4
With the exception of portraits, Dutch artists produced most of their paintings for an anonymous market, hoping to appeal to a wide audience. To ensure success, artists in the Dutch Republic adapted to the changed conditions of art production and sales. They marketed their paintings in many ways, selling their works directly to buyers who visited their studios. They also sold their works through art dealers, exhibitions, fairs, auctions, and even lotteries. Because of the uncertainty of these sales mechanisms(as opposed to the certainty of a binding contract for a commission from a church, king, or duke), artists became more responsive to market demands. Specialization became common among Dutch artists. For example, painters might limit their practice to portraits, still lifes, or landscapes — the most popular genres (types of art) among middle-class patrons.

6. According to paragraph 4, Dutch artists sold their works in all of the following 
ways EXCEPT

        sold  v. 卖，售，销

A. directly from their studios 

B. by visiting the homes of buyers

C. at public events such as exhibitions and fairs 

        fairs  n. 游乐场; 集市; 展销会;

D. through lotteries

        lottery  n. 彩票; 碰运气的事;

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7. According to paragraph 4, why did Dutch artists begin to specialize in certain types of paintings?

        specialize in  专门研究…

        certain  adj. 肯定的; 无疑的; 轻微的; 某个，某些，某位;

A. The art dealers who sold their work would promote only certain styles of art.

        dealers  n. 商人

        promote  v. 促进; 促销; 晋升

B. They believed that some types of paintings had more artistic value than others.

C. They could decrease the size of their studios and thus save money.

D. They wanted to concentrate on the types of paintings that were most likely to sell.

        S：细节题 why 问原因

        D：specialize in certain types

        S: 

        G：

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Paragraph 5
Artists did not always sell their paintings. Frequently, they used their work to pay off loans or debts. Debts incurred in taverns (places where alcoholic drinks and food were served and rooms were rented to travelers), in particular, could be settled with paintings, which may explain why many art dealers, including Jan Vermeer (who himself became an acclaimed painter) and his father before him, were also innkeepers. This connection between art dealing and other businesses eventually solidified, and innkeepers, for example, often would have art exhibitions in their taverns hoping to make a sale. The institutions of today's open art market -- dealers, galleries, auctions, and estate sales -- owe their establishment to the emergence in the seventeenth century of a prosperous middle class in the Dutch Republic.

8. According to paragraph 5, why were many art dealers also innkeepers?

        innkeepers  n. 旅店老板

A. Inn keeping was a highly profitable business that could supplement an art dealer's small income.

B. Working as innkeepers gave art dealers the opportunity to pay off debts they had incurred when investing in works of art. 

        incurred  v. 遭受，招致

C. Artists were more likely to sell their art to innkeepers who were well-liked members of the community than to art dealers who were often strangers.

D. Drinks and food were sometimes paid for with paintings that could then be displayed and sold in inns.

        S：细节题 why 问原因

        D：innkeepers

        S: 

        G：

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9. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

The examination of such documents offers insights into the costs and lifestyles of the time.

        examination  n. 考试; 审查，考察; 检查;

Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [] to add the sentence to the passage.

It is risky to generalize about the spending and collecting habits of the Dutch middle class, but some interesting facts are revealed by records of wills and estates, contracts, and archived inventories.[] These records suggest that an individual earning between 1,500 and 3,000 guilders a year could live quite comfortably. [] A house could be purchased for 1,000 guilders. [] Another 1,000 guilders could buy all the necessary furnishings for a middle-class home, including a significant amount of art, particularly paintings. []

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10. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express: ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Drag your choices to the spaces where they belong. To review the passage, click on View Text.
Changes in Dutch society in the seventeenth century led to major changes in the Dutch art world.

        society  n. 社会; 社团; 交往;

A. Traditional art patrons in the Dutch Republic -- aristocrats, wealthy businesspeople, and military leaders—played only a minor role in the arts as their attention shifted to the growing economy.

        aristocrats  n. 贵族

        shifted  v. 改变( shift的过去式和过去分词 ); 去掉; 摆脱掉; 换挡;        

        role  n. 角色; 地位; 作用;

B. The affordability of Dutch art increased, and collectors focused on images of the everyday life of ordinary people rather than on religious scenes or grander works of art.

C. Although records and documents from the Dutch Republic have long been the subject of research, art historians now question the accuracy of conclusions based on these sources.

D. Prosperity among the Dutch middle class promoted an interest in and support of art that led to a change in the kinds of works artists produced to satisfy buyers' tastes.

E. The marketing of Dutch works of art changed, becoming more dependent on sales to a broader public than aristocrats, and this has had a lasting influence on the marketing of art.

F. In the Dutch Republic, artists with commissions from a church, king, or duke were financially far more successful than artists who sold their works on the open market.

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