TPO34-1 Islamic Art and the Book
【1】The arts of the Islamic book, such as calligraphy and decorative drawing, developed during A.D. 900 to 1500, and luxury books are some of the most characteristic examples of Islamic art produced in this period. This came about from two major developments: paper became common, replacing parchment as the major medium for writing, and rounded scripts were regularized and perfected so that they replaced the angular scripts of the previous period, which because of their angularity were uneven in height. Books became major vehicles for artistic expression, and the artists who produced them, notably calligraphers and painters, enjoyed high status, and their workshops were often sponsored by princes and their courts. Before A.D. 900, manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) seem to have been the most common type of book produced and decorated, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons. These continued to include, of course, manuscripts of the Koran, which every Muslim wanted to read, but scientific works, histories, romances, and epic and lyric poetry were also copied in fine handwriting and decorated with beautiful illustrations. Most were made for sale on the open market, and cities boasted special souks (markets) where books were bought and sold. The mosque of Marrakech in Morocco is known as the Kutubiyya, or Booksellers’ Mosque, after the adjacent market. Some of the most luxurious books were specific commissions made at the order of a particular prince and signed by the calligrapher and decorator.
4. According to paragraph 1, before A.D. 900, books in the Islamic world
A) included a wide range of subjects
B) did not contain any calligraphy or decoration
C) used rounded scripts
D) were usually written on parchment
答案D
解析：原文信息为This came about from two major developments: paper became common, replacing parchment as the major medium for writing 迷惑选项 A 与原文相矛盾，原文信息为 but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons即在A.D. 900才有更广范的话题 B 与原文相矛盾，原文信息为Before A.D. 900, manuscripts of the Koran seem to have been the most common type of book produced and decorated即在A.D 900之前有book produced and decorated C 与原文相矛盾，原文信息为rounded scripts were regularized and perfected so that they replaced the angular scripts of the previous period即A.D 900之前是使用angular scripts
【3】The introduction of paper spurred a conceptual revolution whose consequences have barely been explored. Although paper was never as cheap as it has become today, it was far less expensive than parchment, and therefore more people could afford to buy books, Paper is thinner than parchment, so more pages could be enclosed within a single volume. At first, paper was made in relatively small sheets that were pasted together, but by the beginning of the fourteenth century, very large sheets - as much as a meter across - were available. These large sheets meant that calligraphers and artists had more space on which to work. Paintings became more complicated, giving the artist greater opportunities to depict space or emotion. The increased availability of paper, particularly after 1250, encouraged people to develop systems of representation, such as architectural plans and drawings. This in turn allowed the easy transfer of artistic ideas and motifs over great distances from one medium to another, and in a different scale in ways that had been difficult, if not impossible, in the previous period.
10. According to paragraph 3, the increased availability of paper and the development of systems of representation
A) encourage more people to make their own drawings
B) made the transfer of artistic ideas to distant people and places much easier
C) made architectural plans more complex and therefore harder to read
D) allowed artists to create paintings that were smaller in scale
答案B
解析：与原文信息This in turn allowed the easy transfer of artistic ideas and motifs over great distances from one medium to another, and in a different scale in ways that had been difficult, if not impossible, in the previous period相符迷惑选项A,C,D原文均无提及该信息
paragraph 4
Rounded styles of Arabic handwriting had long been used for correspondence and documents alongside the formal angular scripts used for inscriptions and manuscripts of the Koran. Around the year 900, Ibn Muqla, who was a secretary and vizier at the Abbasid court in Baghdad, developed a system of proportioned writing. He standardized the length of alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and then determined what the size and shape of all other letters should be, based on the alif. Eventually, six round forms of handwriting, composed of three pairs of big and little scripts known collectively as the Six Pens, became the standard repertory of every calligrapher.
11. According to paragraph 4, what did Ibn Muqla achieve around the year 900?
A) He modified a set of formal scripts known as the Six Pens into rounded scripts appropriate for correspondence.
B) He created a standardized set of rounded scripts proportional to the size of the first letter of the alphabet.
C) He promoted calligraphy as an art form and encouraged the use of rounded letters in religious texts.
D) He persuaded the court in Baghdad to use rounded styles instead of more angular scripts in their documents.
答案B
解析：与原文信息Around the year 900, Ibn Muqla, who was a secretary and vizier at the Abbasid court in Baghdad, developed a system of proportioned writing. He standardized the length of alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and then determined what the size and shape of all other letters should be, based on the alif.相符，迷惑选项A 偷换概念，原文信息为developed a system of proportioned writing而不是选项描述的He modified a set of formal scripts，C,D 原文无提及该信息。
相关推荐: