There are several American Indian groups in the Southwest that still make beautiful pottery. Some of this pottery may be sold at fairly high prices. But the makers consider their work as more than a commercial enterprise. By using methods handed down for generations, the potters express their pride in their cultural inheritance.

Some of the most interesting pottery is made by the Pueblo Indians. There are 21 individual pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico. Several are famous for their craftsmanship. To make a pot, these potters use a clay base and add long thin coils of clay to it in a spiral pattern. When they have reached the size they want, they use an implement such as a rock or shell to smooth the surfaces of the pot.

How a pot is decorated and fired depends on the traditions of the group making it. Traditional pottery produced by the Acoma, who have lived for centuries on a high mesa in New Mexico, is first painted with a clay slip. The resulting pots: which are prized for their delicacy and strength, may be left white. They may also be painted with black and white patterns or with a combination of black, orange, and brown.

Very distinctive black pottery comes from the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pueblos. The black color is the result of carbon being released from the animal manure in which the pot is fired. Some artisans hand -rub this ware to a shiny gloss. Others cut patterns into it: resulting in a part shiny: part fiat surface. Potters at San Ildefonso make many types of wares. Potters at Santa Clara are especially known for wedding jars-jars with two necks connected by a handle.

Other groups such as the Hopi and the Cochiti also make pottery. Each group uses distinctive methods and produces distinctive forms and designs.

【練習(xí)】

1. In the first paragraph the word "commercial" means______________.

A. having to do with advertising products on TV

B. having to do with advertising products on TV

C. large- scale

D. artistic

2. The second paragraph in the passage is developed mainly through______________.

A. steps in a process

B. description of objects

C. the telling of a story

D. examples

3. The Sail Ildefonso pueblo is known for______________.

A. black pottery

B. wedding jars

C. thin and delicate shapes

D. black, brown, and orange pots

4. Traditional methods of making pottery______________.

A. are rarely used anymore

B. take a lot of time

C. are not of interest to pottery collectors

D. will soon be complete replaced

5. Another good title for this passage would be______________.

A. How to Make a Pot

B. Living on a High Mesa

C. The Indians of Arizona and New Mexico

D. An Old Art Still Practiced

【答案與題解】

1. B 前文提到一些陶器會(huì)以高價(jià)賣(mài)出，可以推測(cè)commercial在這里的意思是買(mǎi)賣(mài)交易。所以，答案是選項(xiàng)B。

2. A 第二段主要講制作一個(gè)罐子的步驟，不是在對(duì)罐子的形態(tài)進(jìn)行描述，也沒(méi)有講具體的例子或者故事。所以，答案是選項(xiàng)A。

3. A 第四段第一句話(huà)提到具有特色的黑色陶器是有圣伊爾德豐索部落的普韋布洛人制作的，最后一句提到圣克拉拉部落的陶器尤其以他的婚禮罐子聞名，選項(xiàng)C、D與題干無(wú)關(guān)，所以答案是選項(xiàng)A。

4. B 根據(jù)文中制作的陶器的過(guò)程可以推測(cè)出制作陶器的過(guò)程很復(fù)雜因而費(fèi)時(shí)，選項(xiàng)A、C、D文中均有提及，故可排除。

5. D 本文主要介紹了美國(guó)本土一些印第安部落的陶器特點(diǎn)及制作過(guò)程。選項(xiàng)A過(guò)于片面，選項(xiàng)B、C 與文章主旨無(wú)關(guān)，因此答案是選項(xiàng)D。

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