B
Ieoh Ming Pei (贝聿铭), one of the world’s best known architects, designed many iconic (标志性的) buildings in cities around the world. The JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, US (1979), the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France (1989), the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, China (1990) and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar (2008) are just a few of his many creations.
Pei once noted that a typical style of design “is of no help to an architect”. Instead, he was known for his eclectic (兼收并蓄的) style, bringing together seemingly opposite ideas into each design—East and West, ancient and modern, natural and man-made.
This may come from his education. Born and raised in China, he went to the US to study architecture at 18. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then earned a master’s degree in architecture at Harvard. Pei tried to include local and historical ideas in his designs. When designing the Suzhou Museum in the 2000s, he took new ideas from the city’s beautiful classical gardens. Instead of building a giant main hall, Pei built a series of small halls with traditional white walls and dark roofs, in the style of the classical gardens of Suzhou.
In the end, the quality Pei valued most in architecture, according to him, was that the buildings could “stand the test of time”. He didn’t just want to solve problems but also to produce an architecture of ideas.
(
D
) 26. According to the passage, which are Ieoh Ming Pei’s designs?
① The Suzhou Museum ② The Bank of China Tower
③ The Louvre Museum ④ The JFK Presidential Library
A. ①②③ B. ②③④ C. ①③④ D. ①②④
(
C
) 27. What does the underlined word “This” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Pei’s historical ideas. B. Pei’s Western ideas.
C. Pei’s eclectic style. D. Pei’s modern style.
(
B
) 28. What inspired Pei when he designed the Suzhou Museum?
A. The towers of Suzhou. B. The classical gardens of Suzhou.
C. The museums of Suzhou. D. The libraries of Suzhou.
(
A
) 29. What quality did Pei value most in his architecture?
A. Lasting for a long time. B. Being the tallest in the city.
C. Using the latest technology. D. Costing the least money.
(
B
) 30. What is a suitable title for the text?
A. Pei’s early life and education.
B. Pei’s great works and design ideas.
C. The most famous buildings in the world.
D. The ways to become a successful architect.
