📖 原文
(1) What we today call American folk art was, indeed, art of, by, and for ordinary, (2) everyday "folks" who, with increasing prosperity and leisure, created a market for art (3) of all kinds, and especially for portraits. Citizens of prosperous, essentially middle- (4) class republics - whether ancient Romans, seventeenth- century Dutch burghers, or (5) nineteenth- century Americans - have always shown a marked taste for portraiture. (6) Starting in the late eighteenth century, the United States contained increasing numbers (7) of such people, and of the artists who could meet their demands. (8) The earliest American folk art portraits come, not surprisingly, from New England - (9) especially Connecticut and Massachusetts - for this was a wealthy and populous region (10) and the center of a strong craft tradition. Within a few decades after the signing of the (11) Declaration of Independence in 1776, the population was pushing westward, and (12) portrait painters could be found at work in western New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, (13) and Missouri. Midway through its first century as a nation, the United States's (14) population had increased roughly five times, and eleven new states had been added to (15) the original thirteen. During these years the demand for portraits grew and grew, (16) eventually to be satisfied by the camera. In 1839 the daguerreotype was introduced to (17) America, ushering in the age of photography, and within a generation the new (18) invention put an end to the popularity of painted portraits. Once again an original (19) portrait became a luxury, commissioned by the wealthy and executed by the (20) professional. (21) But in the heyday of portrait painting — from the late eighteenth century until the (22) 1850's — anyone with a modicum of artistic ability could become a limner, as such a (23) portraitist was called. Local craftspeople — sign, coach, and house painters — began to (24) paint portraits as a profitable sideline; sometimes a talented man or woman who began by (25) sketching family members gained a local reputation and was besieged with requests (26) for portraits; artists found it worth their while to pack their paints, canvases, and (27) brushes and to travel the countryside, often combining house decorating with portrait (28) painting.
❓ 试题解析
问题 38： In line 4 the author mentions seventeenth-century Dutch burghers as an example of a group that
A. consisted mainly of self-taught artists
B. appreciated portraits
C. influenced American folk art
D. had little time for the arts
✅ 正确答案： B）appreciated portraits
📝 解析： “have always shown a marked taste for portraiture” — 喜欢肖像画。
💡 解题技巧： 例证题看例子要说明的观点（marked taste for portraiture）。
问题 39： The word “marked” in line 5 is closest in meaning to
A. pronounced
B. fortunate
C. understandable
D. mysterious
✅ 正确答案： A）pronounced
📝 解析： “a marked taste for portraiture” — marked = 显著的/明显的。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：marked = pronounced = distinct。
问题 40： According to the passage, where were many of the first American folk art portraits painted?
A. In western New York
B. In Illinois and Missouri
C. In Connecticut and Massachusetts
D. In Ohio
✅ 正确答案： C）In Connecticut and Massachusetts
📝 解析： “The earliest American folk art portraits come ... from New England - especially Connecticut and Massachusetts”。
💡 解题技巧： 细节题定位“earliest ... from New England”。
问题 41： The word “this” in line 9 refers to
A. a strong craft tradition
B. American folk art
C. New England
D. western New York
✅ 正确答案： C）New England
📝 解析： “from New England - especially Connecticut and Massachusetts - for this was a wealthy and populous region” — this 指 New England。
💡 解题技巧： 代词题找前一个名词（New England）。
问题 42： How much did the population of the United States increase in the first fifty years following independence?
A. It became three times larger.
B. It became five times larger.
C. It became eleven times larger.
D. It became thirteen times larger.
✅ 正确答案： B）It became five times larger.
📝 解析： “Midway through its first century as a nation, the United States's population had increased roughly five times” — 从1776到1826年左右，五倍。
💡 解题技巧： 细节题定位“increased roughly five times”。
问题 43： The phrase “ushering in” in line 16 is closest in meaning to
A. beginning
B. demanding
C. publishing
D. increasing
✅ 正确答案： A）beginning
📝 解析： “ushering in the age of photography” — ushering in = 开创/开启。
💡 解题技巧： 短语题：usher in = begin = introduce。
问题 44： The relationship between the daguerreotype (line 16) and the painted portrait is similar to the relationship between the automobile and the
A. highway
B. driver
C. horse-drawn carriage
D. engine
✅ 正确答案： C）horse-drawn carriage
📝 解析： 银版照相术取代了 painted portrait，就像汽车取代了马车。
💡 解题技巧： 类比题找替代关系。
问题 45： According to the passage, which of the following contributed to a decline in the demand for painted portraits?
A. The lack of a strong craft tradition
B. The westward migration of many painters
C. The growing preference for landscape paintings
D. The invention of the camera
✅ 正确答案： D）The invention of the camera
📝 解析： “In 1839 the daguerreotype was introduced ... put an end to the popularity of painted portraits”。
💡 解题技巧： 因果细节题定位“put an end to”。
问题 46： The word “executed” in line 19 is closest in meaning to
A. sold
B. requested
C. admired
D. created
✅ 正确答案： D）created
📝 解析： “commissioned by the wealthy and executed by the professional” — executed = 制作/创作。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：execute = create = produce。
问题 47： The author implies that most limners (line 21)
A. received instruction from traveling teachers
B. were women
C. were from wealthy families
D. had no formal art training
✅ 正确答案： D）had no formal art training
📝 解析： “anyone with a modicum of artistic ability could become a limner” — 不需要正式训练；“local craftspeople — sign, coach, and house painters” — 这些人不是专业艺术家。
💡 解题技巧： 推理题结合“anyone”和当地工匠背景。
问题 48： The word “sketching” in line 24 is closest in meaning to
A. drawing
B. hiring
C. helping
D. discussing
✅ 正确答案： A）drawing
📝 解析： “sketching family members” — sketching = 画素描。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：sketch = draw = outline。
问题 49： Where in the passage does the author provide a definition?
A. Lines 3-5
B. Lines 8-10
C. Lines 13-15
D. Lines 20-22
✅ 正确答案： D）Lines 20-22
📝 解析： “anyone with a modicum of artistic ability could become a limner, as such a portraitist was called” — 对 limner 的定义。
💡 解题技巧： 定位题找“as such a ... was called”。
问题 50： The phrase “worth their while” in line 25 is closest in meaning to
A. essential
B. educational
C. profitable
D. pleasurable
✅ 正确答案： C）profitable
📝 解析： “artists found it worth their while to pack their paints ... and travel” — 值得做（因为有利可图）。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：worth one's while = profitable = rewarding。
🌐 中文翻译
我们今天所称的美国民间艺术，确实是普通“老百姓”创作、为他们自己而创作的艺术。随着 prosperity 和闲暇的增加，他们为各种艺术，特别是肖像画，创造了一个市场。 prosperous、基本为中产阶级的共和国公民——无论是古罗马人、17世纪的荷兰 burghers，还是19世纪的美国人——一直对肖像画表现出 marked 的品味。从18世纪后期开始，美国这类人以及能够满足他们需求的艺术家数量不断增加。 最早的美国民间艺术肖像画来自新英格兰——特别是康涅狄格州和马萨诸塞州——这并不奇怪，因为这是一个富裕且人口稠密的地区，也是强大 craft tradition 的中心。1776年《独立宣言》签署后的几十年内，人口向西推进，在纽约西部、俄亥俄州、肯塔基州、伊利诺伊州和密苏里州都能找到肖像画家的作品。在美国作为一个国家在其第一个世纪的中期，人口大约增加了五倍，最初的13个州又增加了11个新州。在此期间，对肖像画的需求不断增长，最终由相机来满足。1839年，银版照相术被引入美国，开创了摄影时代，在不到一代人的时间里，这项新发明就终结了 painted portraits 的流行。original 肖像画再次成为一种奢侈品，由富人委托，由专业人士制作。 但在肖像画的 heyday（从18世纪后期到19世纪50年代），任何人只要有一点 artistic ability 就可以成为 limner（当时对肖像画家的称呼）。当地的 craftspeople——招牌、马车和房屋油漆工——开始将画肖像作为利润丰厚的副业；有时，一个有才华的男人或女人从画家庭成员素描开始，赢得了 local 声誉，并被大量的肖像请求包围；艺术家们发现，收拾起他们的颜料、画布和画笔，到乡村旅行，常常将房屋装饰与肖像画结合起来，是 worth their while 的。
🏷️ 标签：#托福阅读 #真题解析 #备考资料
