雅思词汇课文（9）· The Value of Art 艺术的价值
艺术主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思艺术类核心词。
📖 课文 Text
The Value of Art
"Why should taxpayers fund art galleries and orchestras when hospitals need money?" This question is asked in every government budget debate, and the answer is rarely as simple as the questioner assumes. Art is not a luxury that civilised societies can take or leave; it is part of what makes a society civilised in the first place.
The most obvious case for the arts is economic. Museums and galleries attract tourists, who spend money on hotels, restaurants and transport. Cities that invest in their cultural infrastructure — opera houses, concert halls, public murals — consistently rank among the most desirable places to live and work. A modern gallery can transform a run-down neighbourhood, drawing new businesses and residents in its wake.
Yet the deeper value of art is harder to measure. A great novel does not have a price tag; a painting does not directly cure anyone. But art shapes how we think, feel and remember. It allows us to see the world through someone else's eyes — to experience grief, joy and fear across centuries and continents. In this sense, art is a kind of empathy machine: it trains us to understand lives very different from our own.
There is also a social argument. Publicly funded art belongs to everyone, not just to those who can afford a private collection. When a city puts a sculpture in a square or a mural on a housing estate, it says that beauty is not only for the rich. This democratic function is easy to undervalue, but it matters.
None of this means that every art project deserves support, or that taxpayers should fund whatever artists propose. The best cultural policy balances freedom and accountability, supporting a range of work while asking institutions to prove they are reaching the public. Art deserves funding not because it is harmless, but because it is one of the few things that makes being human worth the trouble.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| taxpayer | /ˈtækspeɪə/ | n. | 纳税人 | taxpayers fund art galleries |
| budget | /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ | n. | 预算 | every government budget debate |
| infrastructure | /ˈɪnfrəstrʌktʃə/ | n. | 基础设施 | cultural infrastructure |
| desirable | /dɪˈzaɪərəbl/ | adj. | 理想的、值得向往的 | the most desirable places |
| gallery | /ˈɡæləri/ | n. | 美术馆、画廊 | a modern gallery |
| transform | /trænsˈfɔːm/ | v. | 改变、改造 | transform a run-down neighbourhood |
| neighbourhood | /ˈneɪbəhʊd/ | n. | 街区 | run-down neighbourhood |
| economic | /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ | adj. | 经济的 | the most obvious case is economic |
| empathy | /ˈempəθi/ | n. | 同理心、共情 | a kind of empathy machine |
| democratic | /ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/ | adj. | 民主的 | this democratic function |
| policy | /ˈpɒləsi/ | n. | 政策 | the best cultural policy |
| accountability | /əˌkaʊntəˈbɪləti/ | n. | 问责制 | freedom and accountability |
| value | /ˈvæljuː/ | n. | 价值 | the deeper value of art |
| expense | /ɪkˈspens/ | n. | 花费、代价 | at public expense |
| aesthetic | /iːsˈθetɪk/ | adj. | 美学的 | aesthetic pleasure |
| exhibition | /ˌeksɪˈbɪʃn/ | n. | 展览 | a major exhibition |
| sculpture | /ˈskʌlptʃə/ | n. | 雕塑 | a public sculpture |
| mural | /ˈmjʊərəl/ | n. | 壁画 | a mural on a housing estate |
| opera | /ˈɒpərə/ | n. | 歌剧 | opera houses |
| concert | /ˈkɒnsət/ | n. | 音乐会 | concert halls |
| tourist | /ˈtʊərɪst/ | n. | 游客 | attract tourists |
| resident | /ˈrezɪdənt/ | n. | 居民 | new businesses and residents |
| novel | /ˈnɒvl/ | n. | 小说 | a great novel |
| grief | /ɡriːf/ | n. | 悲伤 | experience grief, joy and fear |
| joy | /dʒɔɪ/ | n. | 喜悦 | grief, joy and fear |
| continent | /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ | n. | 大陆 | across centuries and continents |
| private | /ˈpraɪvət/ | adj. | 私人的 | a private collection |
| beauty | /ˈbjuːti/ | n. | 美 | beauty is not only for the rich |
| harmless | /ˈhɑːmləs/ | adj. | 无害的 | not because it is harmless |
| civilised | /ˈsɪvəlaɪzd/ | adj. | 文明的 | makes a society civilised |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. The writer's response to "why should taxpayers fund art?" is that...
- A. art should never be funded
- B. art is essential to what makes a society civilised
- C. hospitals do not need money
- D. only rich people should pay for art
2. Which of the following is given as an economic benefit of art?
- A. it cures diseases
- B. it attracts tourists and transforms run-down areas
- C. it reduces taxes
- D. it replaces the need for museums
3. The writer describes art as an "empathy machine" because it...
- A. creates artificial intelligence
- B. helps us understand lives different from our own
- C. sells tickets
- D. produces music automatically
4. The "democratic function" of public art means that...
- A. everyone must visit museums
- B. art in public spaces belongs to all citizens, not only the wealthy
- C. artists should be elected
- D. governments own all paintings
5. The writer concludes that cultural policy should...
- A. fund every art project proposed
- B. withdraw all funding
- C. balance artistic freedom with accountability to the public
- D. leave art to the market
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| accountability / aesthetic / civilised / exhibition / neighbourhood / policy / transform / valuable |
- The art gallery is holding a major ______ of 19th-century paintings.
- A well-designed public space can ______ a run-down area.
- The museum's ______ collection includes works by Picasso and Van Gogh.
- Good schools are important for any family looking to move into a new ______.
- The government's cultural ______ has been criticised for favouring elite institutions.
- Public institutions are increasingly subject to demands for transparency and ______.
- A visit to the opera is not merely entertainment; it is an ______ experience.
- Clean water and safe streets are signs of a ______ society.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B（"part of what makes a society civilised"）
- B（"attract tourists... transform a run-down neighbourhood"）
- B（"trains us to understand lives very different from our own"）
- B（"belongs to everyone, not just to those who can afford a private collection"）
- C（"balances freedom and accountability"）
Vocabulary
- exhibition 2. transform 3. valuable 4. neighbourhood 5. policy 6. accountability 7. aesthetic 8. civilised
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