Unit 17


His bio reads like a rock star’s．A precocious talent，he never married because，he said，it would have hurt his career．But he moved his girlfriend in with him while he worked his last gig—then died at the age of 37 from a fever brought on，some said，by carnal excess．The great painter Raphael （1483-1520）was one of the big three of Italy's high Renaissance，along with Leonardo da Vinci （whose work he admired and studied closely）and Michelangelo （with whom he carried on a vigorous，if all too brief，competition to be the Vatican's favorite artist）．He didn’t seem，however，to have a superstar's attitude．The pope was his patron，and acquaintances described him as“sensible,”“well mannered,”“genial ” and“sweet.” On his deathbed，he bequeathed his mistress enough money to live“honorably” for the rest of her life．And he painted her portrait—one of the great paintings of all time，right up there with the“Mona Lisa”—as a final，loving tribute.

At least that's how the legend goes．That portrait—which is touring the United States for the first time—constitutes a one-picture exhibition at the Frick Collection in New York through Jan．30 （it will travel to Houston and Indianapolis）．Certainly，“La Fornarina”（“Baker's Daughter”）comes from the hand of the incomparable Raphael．① The gently tilting composition is perfect，the color finely balanced and the lady's skin alabaster and flawless. （Raphael got so good with the then new medium of oil paint that his technique became known as sprezzatura，meaning，roughly，to hide with technical facility exactly how anything is done.）② In the classic Venus gesture of simultaneously trying to cover up and to showcase her erotic attributes（including a belly button under gauze），she glances coyly to the side at，one presumes，a lover.“La Fornarina,” the renowned art historian and MacArthur fellow Leo Steinberg explains，“is the closest thing to soft porn in the high Renaissance.” But whether the seminude lady depicted is actually the baker's daughter who was Raphael's love remains a mystery.

Is Raphael himself the object of her gaze? Most people—including several British critics reviewing the big Raphael exhibition currently at the National Gallery in London—like to think so．Since live women models weren’t generally available five centuries ago，the reasoning goes，the lady's posing undressed for Raphael must have been an intimate act．Besides，what else can the artist's proprietary name on her armband mean? But the experts remain divided．With a fine disregard for attendance-boosting hype，Rome museums commissioner Claudio Strinati （“La Fornarina” usually resides at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome）lays out a less titillating hypothesis in a booklet accompanying the Frick display.

A recent cleaning of the painting reveals a wedding ring on the lady's left hand; Raphael's final and most prominent patron，the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi，had just been married to one Francesca Ardeasca．Raphael's name on the armband，Strinati says，is a tribute to Chigi．He concludes that“La Fornarina” is Ardeasca．Unfortunately，no other portraits of Chigi's bride exist to confirm the ID．As Steinberg says，“It's all an attractive myth，and like all myths it depends for interpretation on levels of reliable gossip.” Whatever one believes，“La Fornarina” is still a sweetheart of a painting.


注（1）：本文选自Newsweek；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2002年真题Text 3。



1．The mystery of the woman lies in her ______.

A) beauty

B) unknown identity

C) seminude body

D) intimate relationship with Raphael

2．It can be inferred from the text that ______.

A) Raphael behaved like a superstar

B) Raphael died young because of overwork

C) Raphael enjoyed greater popularity than Michelangelo

D) one of Raphael's paintings achieves as great fame as“Mona Lisa”

3．The vivid descriptions of the painting“La Fornarina” show that ______.

A) Raphael is good at soft porn

B) Raphael develops a special feeling towards the baker's daughter

C) oil paint was not popular then

D) Raphael's painting technique has reached maturity

4．We can draw a conclusion from the third paragraph that ______.

A) there is sound evidence to believe there exists an intimacy between Raphael and the woman in the painting

B) live women models were nowhere to find in Raphael's time

C) nude models were easily available in Italy in Renaissance

D) it is generally agreed among experts that the woman is Raphael's mistress

5．From the text，we can see that the writer ______.

A) shows curiosity towards the identity of the woman in the painting

B) is a Renaissance art historian

C) strongly supports the idea that“La Fornarina” is one of Raphael's mistress

D) thinks low of Raphael's technique in the painting





篇章剖析


本文以对画坛巨匠拉斐尔的简介开始，重点讨论了他的画作《福尔娜瑞娜》中神秘女郎的身份问题。第一段简单介绍了拉斐尔及其在画坛上的地位，并引出油画《福尔娜瑞娜》。第二段对这幅画进行了细腻描写。第三段列出人们对画中女郎身份的不同看法。第四段指出无论画中女郎是谁，这幅画都是一幅精品。





词汇注释


precocious /prɪˈkəʊʃəs/ adj. 早熟的

gig /ɡɪɡ/ n. 为生计而做的工作

carnal /ˈkɑːnl/ adj. 肉体的；性的

genial /daɪˈnaɪəl/ adj. 和蔼可亲的

bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð/ vt. 遗赠

alabaster /ˈæləbɑːstə/ adj.（皮肤）光滑细腻的

erotic /ɪˈrɒtɪk/ adj. 挑逗的；性感的

gauze /ɡɔːz/ n. 薄纱

proprietary /prəˈpraɪətəri/ adj. 专有的；所属的

titillate /ˈtɪtɪleɪt/ v. （使）觉得痒；挑逗，使人兴奋





难句突破


① The gently tilting composition is perfect，the color finely balanced and the lady's skin alabaster and flawless.

主体句式：The composition is perfect，the color balanced and skin alabaster and flawless.

结构分析：这句后半句是独立主格结构，分别在color和skin后省略了is。

句子译文：那微微倾斜的布局堪称完美，用色协调，女士的肌肤洁白无瑕。

② In the classic Venus gesture of simultaneously trying to cover up and to showcase her erotic attributes（including a belly button under gauze），she glances coyly to the side at，one presumes，a lover.

主体句式：She glances to the side at a lover.

结构分析：这句话中，cover up和showcase并列，它们的宾语是erotic attributes；one presumes是插入语。

句子译文：画中女郎面带羞意，侧头凝望，有人猜测是在注视她的情人，她的体态呈经典的维纳斯式姿势，性感之意欲遮弥彰（薄纱下面有若隐若现的肚脐）。





题目分析


1．B 细节题。从最后两段可以清楚知道对画中女郎的身份有各种不同的猜测。

2．D 推理题。从第一段对Raphael的细节介绍中可得出答案。

3．D 细节题。对这幅油画精品的细致描写只有一个目的，就是展示的天才般的绘画技巧。从第二段“Raphael got so good with the then new medium of oil paint that his technique became known as...”一句中可以判断出。

4．A 推理题。从第三段可知，500年前，女模特还不普遍，画中半裸的女郎很容易被认为和画家有亲密关系。

5．A 推理题。全文一直在探讨画中女郎的身份，列出两种不同的观点，但并没有结论。文章最后一句中whatever one believes更能帮助理解。





参考译文



他的传记读起来像摇滚歌星的传记。一个早熟的天才，终生未娶。因为据他说，那可能会影响他的事业。但他在创作最后一幅油画时，还是请来了女友和他同住。然后在37岁时因为发烧不幸辞世。有人说，他发烧是由纵欲过度引起的。伟大的画家拉斐尔（1483-1520）是意大利文艺复兴全盛时期三大画家之一，和达·芬奇、米开朗琪罗齐名。他欣赏达·芬奇的作品并对之仔细研究过。在谁是梵蒂冈最受欢迎的画家这个问题上，他和米开朗琪罗争得不相上下，只可惜他去世太早。不过，看上去他没有明星的高傲派头。教皇是他的赞助人。认识他的人都说他“明智”、“有教养”、“和蔼”、“令人愉快”。在弥留之际，他给情妇留下足够钱财，让她“体面地”度过余生。他还为她画了肖像，作为最后的爱的信物。这张肖像一直被认为是一幅伟大的杰作，和《蒙娜·丽莎》齐名。

至少故事是这么说的。那张肖像现在第一次来到美国巡展。为此纽约弗瑞克收藏店专为这一张油画举办了展览，展览持续到1月30日（之后再去休斯敦和印第安纳波里）。《福尔娜瑞娜》（又名《面包师的女儿》）确实出自无与伦比的拉斐尔之手。那微微倾斜的布局堪称完美，用色协调，女士的肌肤洁白无瑕。（当时油画还属新兴事物，但拉斐尔对绘画掌握已十分纯熟，以至于他的技巧被称为sprezzatura，大意是作画技巧精湛，下笔过程不露痕迹。）画中女郎面带羞意，侧头凝望，有人猜测是在注视她的情人，她的体态呈经典的维纳斯式姿势，性感之意欲遮弥彰（薄纱下面有若隐若现的肚脐）。“《福尔娜瑞娜》是文艺复兴全盛时期最接近软性色情的作品。”著名的艺术史学家，麦克阿瑟研究会会员里奥·斯坦伯格说道。但画中这位半裸的女子是不是拉斐尔所爱的面包师的女儿，仍然是个谜。

拉斐尔是不是她凝视的对象？大部分人都乐于这样想，包括几名正在伦敦国家美术馆评论拉斐尔作品展的批评家们。理由是，500年前，女模特还不常见，画中女子为拉斐尔摆出半裸的姿态肯定与其关系亲密。而且，画家的名字出现在她的袖带上还能有别的意思吗？但有些专家对此持有不同意见。罗马博物馆主管克劳第奥·斯提纳地（《福尔娜瑞娜》平时就收藏在罗马的Palazzo Barberini美术馆）就完全不认同这种旨在大大提高参观人数的不实之称，他在弗瑞克展览会上发放的一本小册子中提出了一个不那么令人浮想联翩的假设。

最近一次清理这幅油画时有人发现画中女郎的左手戴着婚戒；拉斐尔最后一位也是最重要的一位赞助人塞尼思银行家阿果思提诺·齐格，那时刚与一个叫弗朗西斯卡·阿迪斯卡的女士结婚。斯提纳地说，袖带上拉斐尔的名字是向齐格表示敬意。他的结论是，油画《福尔娜瑞娜》中的女郎就是阿迪斯卡。不幸的是，没有其他肖像来证明画中女郎就是齐格的新娘。正如斯坦伯格所说，“画中女郎是谁是人人都想破解的谜，就像其他谜一样，它的解释取决于传言的可信度。”不管人们相信哪种说法，《福尔娜瑞娜》仍是油画中的上品。





Unit 18


Fanny Kemble（1809-93）was the niece of two Shakespearean tragedians，Sarah Siddons and Siddons's brother，John Philip Kemble．Her father and her French mother were also actors．In fact her whole extended family constituted the foremost theatrical dynasty of the late 18th and early 19th centuries．Handsome and gifted，they crop up in letters and diaries throughout the period，and were generally regarded as a kind of royalty: a race apart.

The real competition for any biographer of Kemble is Kemble herself．As her friend Henry James noted:“in two hemispheres，she had seen everyone，had known everyone”．What's more，she recorded it all in many volumes of vividly written memoirs，all swarming with people，criticism，social commentary，anecdote，scenery，political opinion and superb set-pieces: the digging of Brunel's Thames tunnel，for instance.

Kemble's memoirs，especially her“Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation”，are as important historically as they are engrossing．But what fascinates us now is the way that Fanny，clever and reckless as she was，broke the rules—or the way she appropriated and revised the role prescribed to her by gender politics．She never cared about such prescriptions．She spoke her mind and thought nothing of walking into a stream fully clothed if it was hot．It wasn’t until her marriage that her gender collided with the realities of power and money．Though she was never intended for the stage，the looming bankruptcy of her father obliged her to try her chances．Overnight，she became the toast of London．Money flowed，and yet more on a tour of America，where she met a seductive young man，Pierce Butler，heir to huge rice and cotton slave-plantations in Georgia．Hoping to escape the shallow emotionalism of the theatre，assuming a companionship of equals and somehow managing to forget the slaves，she married him.

At a stroke she lost everything．Butler，deeply illiberal，exerted his rights．He appropriated her earnings，censored her writing and when she woke to the horrors of slavery，forbade her public opposition to it．She wept，she ran away，she returned．The birth of children，in whom she had no legal rights，further enchained her.

The rest of Kemble's life was sheer indomitability．The Butlers did divorce．She did lose the children．But on their majority，she recovered them．She made her own money again．Criss-crossing the Atlantic，she gave Shakespeare readings to packed audiences．Every summer，she climbed the Alps，startling the guides by singing loudly as she went．She met James in 1872 and he fell under her spell，fascinated by her proud idealism，her eccentric honesty and above all by her talk of“old London”．“She reanimated the old drawing rooms,” he wrote，“relighted the old lamps，retuned the old pianos.” When at last she died，he felt it，he said，“like the end of some reign or the fall of some empire”.


注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2003年真题Text 4。



1．What is implied in the first paragraph?

A) The Kemble family kept a huge amount of diaries and letters.

B) Fanny Kemble was a renowned actress of Shakespearean plays.

C) This passage mainly focuses on the life of Fanny Kemble.

D) The Kemble family was once a royal family separated from common people.

2．The author mentions Fanny's memoirs in the second paragraph to show that _______.

A) Fanny was a prolific autobiographer of herself who can compete with all her biographers

B) Fanny wrote biographers for her family members and historical events

C) Fanny's writings are both entertaining and of historical importance

D) Fanny was a better biographer than an actress

3．The author's attitude towards Fanny Kemble is probably one of _______.

A) strong hatred

B) enthusiastic support

C) mild satire

D) objective

4．Fanny decided to marry Pierce Butler for the following reasons EXCEPT _______.

A) she did not enjoy her career as an actress

B) she longed for an ordinary life with an equal company

C) she was attracted by the handsome Pierce Butler

D) she forgot the existence of slavery in American plantations

5．The text intends to express the idea that _______.

A) Fanny Kemble had a life that is full of adversities and misfortunes

B) Fanny Kemble seldom enjoyed her life because of continuous financial restraints

C) Fanny Kemble held an optimistic attitude towards the ups and downs of her life

D) Fanny Kemble went through a dramatic life in which she remained in the dominant position





篇章剖析


本文通过主人公自己的传记介绍了女演员范妮·肯布尔的一生。第一段介绍了范妮的家庭背景；第二段简介范妮丰富的人生经历是其自传的主要素材，暗示本文基于范妮的自传对其进行介绍和回顾；第三段先对范妮的一生进行了总体评价，然后描述了她的早期生活、成名过程直至其结婚；第四段描述了范妮第一次婚姻的失败和她经历的痛苦；第五段描述了范妮乐观地度过了自己的下半生。





词汇注释


hemisphere /ˈhemɪsfɪə/ n. 半球

memoir /ˈmemwɑː/ n. 回忆录

swarm /swɔːm/ v. 涌往，挤满，密集

anecdote /ˈænɪkdəʊt/ n．轶事，奇闻

engross /ɪnˈɡrəʊs/ vt. 吸引，使全神贯注

fascinate /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ vt. 使着迷，使神魂颠倒

appropriate /əˈprəʊprɪeɪt/ vt. 占用，挪用

prescribe /prɪsˈkraɪb/ v. 指示，规定

collide /kəˈlaɪd/ vi. 碰撞，抵触

loom /luːm/ v. 隐现，迫近

stroke /strəʊk/ n. 一次努力，打击

illiberal /ɪˈlɪbərəl/ adj. 狭隘的，偏执的

indomitability /ˌɪndɒmɪtəˈbɪlɪti/ n. 不屈不挠

startle /ˈstɑːtl/ v. 震惊

eccentric /ɪkˈsentrɪk/ adj．古怪的





难句突破


Hoping to escape the shallow emotionalism of the theatre，assuming a companionship of equals and somehow managing to forget the slaves，she married him.

主体句式：She married him.

结构分析：这个长句的主干被放到了最后，前面两个分词短语在一般情况下都放在主干句的后面，这里放在前面不是“头重脚轻”的问题，而是强调“她嫁给他”的前提。

句子译文：肯布尔想逃离肤浅的戏剧情感主义，想有个平等的知心人陪伴自己，于是她在一定程度上忘记了奴隶制，嫁给了他。





题目分析


1．C 推理题。文章第一段开门见山地介绍范妮·肯布尔的身份及其家族，可以推出这篇文章将主要介绍范妮·肯布尔。A、B、D选项都与原文有出入，可以排除。A选项错在肯布尔家族没有保留大量的日记和信件，而是那个时代的许多日记和信件提到了该家族。B选项错在范妮·肯布尔本人并不是莎剧的演员。D选项错在肯布尔家族并不是皇族。

2．A 细节题。根据文章第二段，范妮·肯布尔自己就是自己的传记作家，她出版了好几卷关于自己经历的各种材料，这些显然都是她的其他传记作家无法比拟和超越的。C选项虽然表述上也符合文章的意思，但是这一点并不是在第二段中表现出来的，而是在第三段。

3．B 情感态度题。文章第三段第二句称范妮“clever and reckless”，之后又说她勇于冲破世俗制度和性别政治；最后一段中也是对范妮后半生不屈不挠精神的评价，可见全文中作者是在盛赞范妮。

4．D 细节题。文章第三段最后一句话说明了范妮出嫁的原因，其中提到了她“somewhat managing to forget the slaves”，这里的意思不是范妮真的忘了奴隶制的存在，而是她为了幸福回避了这个问题。从第四段中可以看出范妮是反对奴隶制的，她对这个制度感到震惊。

5．C 细节题。文章最后一段提到了范妮的后半生中她一直不屈不挠地生活，她积极地参加各类活动，到处旅游，而且最终得到了爱情，可见她对于生活起伏的态度还是非常乐观的。A选项的表述是正确的，但是文章的主旨不仅仅是描述范妮生活的坎坷，而是她在坎坷中保持的那种积极精神。B选项的错误原因在于范妮并不总是缺钱，D选项的错误原因在于她在第一次婚姻中处于被主导的地位。





参考译文



范妮·肯布尔（1809-1893）是两位莎士比亚悲剧演员莎拉·席登斯和她哥哥约翰·菲利浦·肯布尔的侄女。她的父亲和法国籍母亲也是演员。事实上，庞大的肯布尔家族是18世纪末19世纪初戏剧时代的重要组成部分。那时，他们外表英俊，具有表演天赋，不断出现在当时的信件和日记里。他们被视为皇亲贵胄——高高在上的一族。