Electric currents in modern art

原文

Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called 'modern' pieces have been on display for nearly eighty years.

In spite of this, some people -- including myself -- were surprise by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said: 'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!' The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended form the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!

译文

现代雕塑不再使我们感到惊讶了。认为现代艺术只能在博物馆里看到的想法是错误的。即使对艺术不感兴趣的人，也不会没有注意到公共场所陈列的现代雕塑实例。奇形怪状的雕塑矗立在花园里，以及建筑物和商店的外面。我们已经相当习惯它们了。有些所谓的“现代”作品已经展出近八十年了。

尽管如此，有些人——包括我自己——还是被最近的一次现代雕塑展览惊到了。当我进入艺术馆时，首先看到的一张告示，上面写着：“请勿触摸展品。其中有些是危险的！”展出的物品是些活动的雕塑。那些悬挂在天花板上、随风而动的奇形怪状的物体，大家都很熟悉。然而，这些物体却不同。靠墙排列着一些细长的铁丝，连接着金属球体。这些球体已被磁化，一直在相互吸引或排斥。在大厅中央，有几座高大的结构，里面装有彩色灯。这些灯不停地闪烁，就像发疯的交通灯一样。火花从小黑盒子里喷射出来，红灯愤怒地闪烁着。这颇像是一次史前电子设备的展览。这些奇特的形态不仅似乎旨在从情感上震撼人们，而且还要给他们电击！

词汇表

surprise

名词, 动词

英:/səˈpraɪz/

美:/sərˈpraɪz/

定义

1. 惊奇 - An unexpected event or feeling of astonishment.

例子: The exhibition was a surprise to many visitors.

例子: Modern sculpture rarely surprises us anymore.

2. 使人惊讶 - To cause someone to feel astonishment.

例子: The moving sculptures surprised the audience.

例子: I was surprised by the dangerous exhibits.

近义词

astonish: 强调强烈的震惊，'surprise' 更常见于温和的意外，而 'astonish' 常用于更戏剧性的情境。

amaze: 表示极度惊奇，通常比 'surprise' 更强烈，强调难以置信的程度。

startle: 侧重于突然的惊吓，'surprise' 可能更中性，而 'startle' 常涉及生理反应。

反义词:

bore, disappoint, expect

用法

常用于描述意外事件或情感，常搭配如 'be surprised by' 或 'surprise someone with'，在非正式和正式语境中均适用，文化上常与积极或负面事件相关。

形式:

复数: surprises, 过去式: surprised, 过去分词: surprised, 现在分词: surprising, 形容词形式: surprising

深入解析：关键句型 "Not only [clause], but [clause]."

定义

这个句型是一种强调并列对比的结构，用于突出两种情况或结果，其中一种是主要强调点。基本结构为：Not only + [第一个从句或短语] + , but + [第二个从句或短语]。例如，在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中，它被定义为一种修辞手法，强调并列关系，常用于表达“不仅……而且……”。核心含义是加强对比，突出第二个部分的重要性。

用法

此句型常用于描述两种相关联的事物或事件，强调其中之一的突出性，适用于正式写作、叙述或口头表达中。规则包括：Not only 引导第一个部分，通常放在句首或中间；but 连接第二个部分；整个结构需保持平行结构，例如主语和动词一致。语法体系中，它链接到并列连词和强调句型，与其他并列结构（如 "and" 或 "or"）相关，帮助学生建立从简单并列到复杂强调的过渡。跨语法点联系：它常与从句结合，如相对从句或时间从句，形成更丰富的句子，例如文章中的 "These peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!"，这展示了如何在描述中增强表达力。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：不保持平行结构，例如说 "Not only they seemed designed, but also give shocks"，导致语法不一致；或遗漏逗号，导致句子阅读困难。另一个常见偏误是将 Not only 用在非强调语境中，显得冗余。纠正建议：练习确保两个部分语法对等，并多读示例句子以熟悉节奏。同时，避免在口语中过度使用，以免显得正式过头；在写作中，注意是否需要倒装形式（如在某些复杂句中）。

练习

一个额外的例子："Not only is modern sculpture visually striking, but it also interacts with the environment." 学生可以通过替换 [clause]，如用 "evokes emotions" 代替 "interacts with the environment"，并在上下文中应用这个句型，例如描述一幅画作，从而加深理解和实际使用。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语的修辞传统，类似于拉丁文中的排比结构，用于增强说服力。对比分析：与中文的 "不仅……而且……" 类似，但英语版更强调结构平衡。在学习中，它有助于丰富表达，避免单调；补充信息：掌握后，学生可扩展到其他强调句型，如 "What is more"，以提升写作水平。