导语：选修是新课程标准改革中的一个名词，是课程结构调整中的一种课程类型。接下来我们一起来看看选修6英语课文及翻译的内容吧！
选修6英语课文及翻译
Unit 1 A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING 西方绘画艺术的历史
Art is influenced by the customs and of a people. Styles in Western art have changed many times. As there are so many different styles of Western art, it would be impossible to describe all of them in such a short text. Consequently, this text will describe only the most important ones. Starting from the sixth century AD. The Middle Ages(5th to the 15th century AD)
During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious themes. A conventional artistof this period was not interested in showing nature and people as they really were. A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols, which created a feeling of respect and love for God. But it was evident that ideas were changing in the 13th century when painters like Giotto di Bondone began to paint religious scenes in a more realistic way.
The Renaissance(15th to 16th century)
During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages. People began to concentrate less on
religious themes and adopt a more humanistic attitude to life.At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas about art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were. Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they coule decorate their superb palaces and great houses. They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their activities and achievements.
One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective. This technique was first used by Masaccio in 1428. When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene. If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures. By coincidence,oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see the many great masterpieces for which this period is famous. Impressionism(late 19h to early 20th century)
In the late 19th century, Europe changed a great deal,from a mostly agricultural society to a mostly industrial one. Many people moved from the countryside to the new cities. There were many new inventions and social changes also led to new painting styles.
Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worke in Paris. The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors. They were eager to show how light and shadow fell on objects at different times of day. However, because natural light changes so quickly, the Impressionists had to paint quickly. Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters. At first, many people disliked this style of painting and became very angry about it. They said that the painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.
Modern Art(29th century to today)
At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but today they are accepeted as the beginning of what we call “modern art”. This is because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment in new ways. There are scores of modern art styles,but without the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exsist. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract; that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates n certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to represent them. On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that they look like photographs. These styles are so different. Who can predict what painting styles there will be in the future?
西方的艺术风格经历了多次变革，而中国艺术所经历的变革则比较少。艺术受到人民生活方式和信仰的影响，而中国，和欧洲不同，它的生活方式在很长时期里都是相近的。西方艺术风格多种多样，在短短的一篇课文里不可能进行全面的描述。因此，本文只谈从公元5世纪以来少数几种主要的艺术风格。
中世纪（公元5世纪到15世纪）
在中世纪，画家的主要任务是把宗教的主题表现出来。艺术家们无意于如实地展现自然和人物，却着意体现对上帝的爱戴与敬重，因此，这段时期的绘画充满着宗教的信条。到13世纪时，情况已经开始发生变化，像乔托这样的画家们开始以一种比较现实的风格来画宗教场景。
文艺复兴时期（15世纪到16世纪）
在文艺复兴时期，新的思想和价值观取代了中世纪的思想和价值观。人们开始更多地关注人而非宗教。画家们回到了罗马、希腊的古典艺术理念上。他们力争如实地画出人物和自然。富人们想为自己的宫殿和豪宅收集艺术品，他们高价聘请著名艺术家来为自己画相，画自己的房屋和其它财物，以及他们的活动和成就。
在此期间，最重要的发现之一就是如何用透视法来画出事物。第一个在绘画中使用透视法的人是马萨乔，那是在1428年。当人们第一次看到他的画时，还以为是透过墙上的小洞来观看真实的场景，并对此深信不疑。如果没有发现透视法，人们就不可能画出如此逼真的画。在文艺复兴对期，油画也得到了发展，它使得色彩看上去更丰富、更深沉。
印象派时期（19世纪后期到20世纪初期）
19世纪后期，欧洲发生了巨大的变化，从以农业为主的社会变成了以工业为主的社会。许多人从农村迁入到新城市。有着许多新发明，还有许多社会变革。这些变革也自然而然地导致了绘画风格上的变化。在那些突破传统画法的`画家中有生活和工作在法国巴黎的印象派画家。
印象派画家是第一批室外写景的艺术家。他们想把一天中不同时间投射到物体上的光线和阴影呈现出来。由于自然光的变化很快，所以印象派画家们必须很快地作画，因此，他们的画就不像以前那些画家的画那样细致了。起初，多数人都讨厌这种新式画法，甚至还怒不可遏。他们说这些画家作画时漫不经心、粗枝大叶，而他们的作品更是荒谬可笑。
现代艺术（加世纪至今）
在印象派作品的创建初期，它们是存在着争议的，但是如今已被人们接受而成为现在所说的"现代艺术"的始祖了。如今，现代艺术风格已经有好几十种，然而如果没有印象派，那么这许多不同的风格就不可能存在。印象派画家帮助艺术家甩新的方渙来观察环境与艺术。有些现代艺术養砷象的，《祖就是说,；画家并不打算把我们眼睛看到的东西如实地画出来，而是集中展现物体的某些品质特性，用色彩、线条和形状把它们呈现出来。而另一方面，有些现代派的艺术作品却是太现实了，它看上去就像是一张照片。预言将来绘画艺术的风格倒是饶有兴趣的一件事。