Question

【题目】 As recently as 15 years ago, if you wanted to catch up on the news, you could look at a handful of publications or a few nightly programs. And if you wanted to listen to music, you could turn on MTV or fiddle with your radio. People in major cities had more options, because a large population can support specialty shops. 【1】.

Today, as we all know, access to information has exploded. One consequence, according to Toure, a cultural critic writing in Salon, is that the ability of pop culture to unify us-- he refers to the massive interest in Michael Jackson’s Thriller, or Nirvana’s Nevermind--has been eroded, probably forever. Steven Hyden, also writing in Salon, counters that whatever the advantages and disadvantages of a centralized pop-culture authority, the monoculture never actually existed.

【2】 Even when it supposedly existed, its content largely depended on other characteristics of your little corner of the world. In the 1992-1993 school year, I was a student at a multiracial and relatively urban junior high school in California’s central valley. We listened to Salt-n-Pepa, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Kris Kross, with the latter having inspired a trend in which kids wore their clothes backwards. The next year I was enrolled in a mostly white junior high school in leafy Chiago suburb. One of the houses was famous for having appeared in the 1990 film “Home Alone”; the popular bands were Nirvana, Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins; and the biggest pop-cultural event of the school year was Kurt Cobain’s suicide.

But Toure’s point is about the virtues of common cultural experience. It seems he is recalling centralized media only in so far as it’s a distribution system that fostered ( 促进) that outcome.

【3】 It doesn’t matter whether a record is released by an important label or an indie ( 独立制片人); if it’s online, people can usually find, forward, share and promote it. But what’s interesting and perhaps surprising, given that both Toure and Mr Hyden seem to agree that the old distribution favored big media, is that we still have widely shared cultural experiences. Just think of Barack Obama doing the little hand gesture from Beyonce’s “Single Ladies ” video.

【4】. It’s safe to say that the monoculture never really existed, and that some artists still reach a wide audience, whether we like it or not.

A.That suggests that we like pop culture partly because it’s a shared experience, regardless of quality.

B.However, in vast areas of the world you had to work to get outside the mainstream.

C.Whether you like it or not, “monoculture” is here with us.

D.I think Mr Hyden is correct that the concept of a “monoculture” is a bit of a myth.

E.They see globalization as being the spread of a monoculture, based on western values, which is killing the cultural diversity of the world.

F.And it’s true that the ways we now consume pop culture to some extent level the playing field.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】F

【4】A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。今天，我们都知道，获取信息的途径呈爆炸式增长。有人则认为，不管集中的流行文化权威有什么优点和缺点，单一文化实际上从未存在过。作者赞同这一观点，并举例进行了证明。

【1】根据上文People in major cities had more options, because a large population can support specialty shops.可知大城市的人们有更多的选择，因为大量的人口可以支持专卖店。由此可知，上文提到了大城市人们的选择，本句应当对应地提到大城市以外的其他地方，人们不得不努力工作才能脱离主流。故B选项“然而，在世界上很多地方，你必须努力工作才能脱离主流”符合上下文语境，故选B。

【2】根据后文Even when it supposedly existed, its content largely depended on other characteristics of your little corner of the world.可知即使在它应该存在的时候，它的内容也很大程度上依赖于你这个小角落的其他特征。由此可知，作者对于Hyden先生的观点是赞成的，也认为“单一文化”的概念有点像神话。后文中it可对应到D选项中the concept of a “monoculture”。故D选项“我认为Hyden先生是对的，‘单一文化’的概念有点像神话”符合上下文语境，故选D。

【3】根据后文It doesn’t matter whether a record is released by an important label or an indie; if it’s online, people can usually find, forward, share and promote it.可知一张唱片是由重要的厂牌发行还是由独立厂牌发行并不重要；如果是在网上，人们通常可以找到、转发、分享和推广它。由此可知，如今的网络的发达使得竞争环境更加公平了。故F选项“的确，我们现在消费流行文化的方式在一定程度上为我们提供了公平的竞争环境”符合上下文语境，故选F。

【4】根据上一段中But what’s interesting and perhaps surprising, given that both Toure and Mr Hyden seem to agree that the old distribution favored big media, is that we still have widely shared cultural experiences.可知但有趣的是，也许令人惊讶的是，Toure和Hyden先生似乎都认为旧的发行模式有利于大型媒体，但我们仍然广泛共享文化体验。由此可知，流行文化是一种共享文化体验，这也是人们喜欢流行文化的原因。故A选项“这表明，我们之所以喜欢流行文化，部分原因是它是一种共享的体验，而与质量无关”符合上下文语境，故选A。