新托福真题阅读：Applied Arts and Fine Arts

以下是新托福阅读的真题，大家一定要注意在备考的过程中多多培养自己做题的感觉，多读一些托福真题文章。

Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them—clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal—it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into　simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and　supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials　used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are　universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has　large openings in its sides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics,　not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so　much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual　because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a　Shang Dynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details　that do not obstruct the object's primary function.　Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for　granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between　the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects　are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them.　Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution,　and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her　conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg　usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of　the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor's aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there.　That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).

Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied arts remains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials.

总之，对于托福考试阅读的准备并非一朝一夕之事，需要同学们付诸行动，提高托福阅读成绩指日可待。