Topic No.1
Venus of Willendorf
《维伦多尔夫的维纳斯》
Carving is a subtractive technique in which a sculptor uses a sharp instrument such as a knife， gouge， or chisel to remove material from a hard substance such as bone， wood， or stone.
After an image is shaped， it can be sanded， .led， or polished.
Perhaps the most famous Paleolithic sculpture is the so-called Venus of Willendorf， a striking .gure carved out of limestone and dated from 25，000 BC to 21，000 BC.
Although this .gure can be held in the palm of one’s hand， it is a monumental object with a sense of organic form.
The rhythmic arrangement of oval shapes emphasizes the head， breasts， torso， and thighs.
The scale of these elements in relation to the whole is quite large， while the facial features， neck， and lower legs are virtually eliminated.
The arms， resting on the breasts， are so undeveloped as to be hardly noticeable.
What was her function in her cultural context? In the absence of written records， we can only speculate. Clearly， the artist emphasized those parts of the body related to reproduction and nursing.
Furthermore， comparison of the front with the side and back shows that， although the Venus is a sculpture in the round， more attention has been lavished on the front.
The exaggeration of the breasts and pelvis has led some scholars to conclude that the Venus of Willendorf represented a fertility goddess.
Topic No.2
Cave Paintings of Lascaux
拉斯科洞穴壁画
Since 1875 archeologists have found painted and engraved images on cave walls in Europe， Africa， Australia， and North America. The most famous of these discoveries was made in 1945 at Lascaux in southern France.
Dubbed “the Sistine Chapel of prehistory”， Cave of Lascaux is a complex of caves in southwestern France decorated with some of the most impressive cave paintings in the world.
Lascaux prehistoric paintings are estimated to be about 17，000 years old. They are among the most well-known artistic creations of Paleolithic humans. Most of the cave paintings are located quite far from the entrance.
The most famous cave painting is The Great Hall of the Bulls， where cows， horses， and deer are depicted. One cow in the painting has a length of 5.2 meters， which is the largest animal painting ever discovered in the cave.
As one key milestone in our evolutionary past， art is seen as an expression of symbolic thought and of humans starting to look beyond their material lives.
Most of the paintings depict animals found in the surrounding landscape， such as horses， bison， mammoths， deer， lions， bears， and wolves.
Scholars have long debated the meaning of so-called “cave art.” Some hold that it served as part of a hunting ritual. Others contend that it was associated with rituals of fertility.
Still others read certain abstract markings on cave walls as lunar calendars， notational devices used to predict seasonal change or the seasonal migration of animals. The cave itself may have served as a ceremonial chamber， shrine， or council room.
……
【目录】
前言
使用本书
Topic 1：Venus of Willendorf《维伦多尔夫的维纳斯》
Topic 2：Cave Paintings of Lascaux拉斯科洞穴壁画
Topic 3：Stonehenge巨石阵
Topic 4：Egyptian Pyramid埃及金字塔
Topic 5：Code of Hammurabi《汉谟拉比法典》
Topic 6：Greek Casting古希腊金属雕塑
Topic 7：Greek Drama古希腊戏剧
Topic 8：Ancient Greek Architecture古希腊建筑
Topic 9：Roman Architecture罗马建筑
Topic 10： The Arnolfini Portrait《阿尔诺菲尼夫妇》
Topic 11：The Birth of Venus《维纳斯的诞生》
Topic 12：the Last Supper《后的晚餐》
Topic 13： Sistine Chapel Ceiling西斯廷教堂天花板
Topic 14：The School of Athens《雅典学院》
Topic 15： Self—Portrait《伦勃朗自画像》
Topic 16：An Experiment ona Bird in the Air Pump《气泵里的鸟实验》
Topic 17：the Death of Marat《马拉之死》
Topic 18The Shootings of May third 1808《1808年5月3日的枪杀》
Topic 19：Wanderer above the Sea of Fog《云海漫游者》
Topic 20：the Raft of the Medusa《梅杜萨之筏》
Topic 21：the Water Lily Pond《睡莲池》
Topic 22.A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte《大碗岛的星期日下午》
Topic 23：Vincent van Gogh文森特·凡·高
Topic 24：The Scream《呐喊》
Topic 25：The Kiss《亲吻》
Topic 26： Guernica《格尔尼卡》
Topic 27：The Persistence of Memory《记忆的永恒》
Keyword List生词表
Bank of Expressions表达库
References参考文献
【内容简介】
本册核心内容定位在留学交际英语口语提升： 【社会】社会时事，新科技发明，社会事件，社会热点 【娱乐】名人，娱乐，电影，电视，音乐，节日与庆典，体育赛事，红毯 【辩论】经典辩论话题 【历史】发明家，挑战者，历史缔造者，历史事件关键词 【文化】哲学，文学，心灵鸡汤，诗词，圣经典故，古希腊古罗马典故 【中国】地理，美食，人文，节日，历史人物
