They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing thick-rimmed glasses while listening to indie(独立的) music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at second-hand stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways. They call themselves hipsters. Being “hip” used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has evolved into a synonym for “cool”.
Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive politics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony is central to their culture and offers an interesting paradox.
“I do take things in the mainstream with a grain of salt,” says Ben Polson, a college student at Brown University in the US. Polson describes himself as a hipster and says he often questions what determines popularity, especially regarding music.When lesser-known bands become popular they often lose their former fan base in exchange for a new one. There is a famous hipster saying that goes: I used to like that band before it got popular.
According to Polson, bands’ music changes when they go mainstream. They become “less experimental, doing things just to save popularity and fans. The original elements that we were drawn to slowly dwindle for the sake of popularity.”
Many young adults have started to view hipsters’ outlook as cool and are adopting their counterculture mindset (心态)themselves. This has led to specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster position. Ironically, some such stores, including clothing labels Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, have gained mainstream popularity. This has seemingly diluted(冲淡) the anti-mainstream culture.
“A lot of people that are self-defined hipsters aren’t really hipsters, they’re just trying to conform to the non-conformist(不墨守成规者) to seem cooler,” says Amanda Leopold, a college student from Oberlin College, US. Although Leopold has many unconventional tastes and seems quite individualist, she refuses to classify herself as a hipster.
There is a conflict among hipsters about the very definition of the label. To some, to be a hipster is to be free from cultural constraints. To others, it means wearing a certain style and listening to a specific style of music. The former constantly strives for uniqueness, while the latter strives not to be mainstream.
And yet, the movement is gaining mainstream popularity. “It’s kind of the trend these days; everyone wants to be hip so no one’s hip,” says Leopold. “There have been hipsters since the seventies. It’s only become popular recently.”
Hipsters reject materialism and laugh at mainstream culture. But are they really beyond material comforts? Do they have any ideas of their own if they despise mainstream so much?
Christy Wampole, an associate professor of literature at Princeton University, US, is not so sure. She says the hipster is a contradiction in himself and an easy target of mockery(嘲弄). Writing in The New York Times, Wampole paints a less appreciative picture of a typical hipster.
“The hipster is a scholar of social forms, a student of cool. He studies continuously, searching for what has yet to be found by the mainstream. He is a walking citation(例证); his clothes refer to much more than themselves. He tries to negotiate the age-old problem of individuality, not with concepts, but with material things.”
1.From the passage we can know that hipsters are ____________________________.
A．a group of people who are self-denied
B．a group of students who are good at musical instruments
C．people who follow the latest trends and fashions
D．people who pay no attention to material things
2.The underlined word dwindle in the fourth paragraph may probably mean______________.
A．enlarge B．delete C．disappear D．decrease
3.Leopold refuses to classify herself as a hipster because_______________________.
A．she doesn’t like her own unconventional tastes
B．there are too many specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster position
C．she thinks that a lot of people that are self-defined hipsters aren’t really hipsters
D．the hipsters’ culture has become quite trendy
4.When Leopold said “It’s kind of the trend these days; everyone wants to be hip so no one’s hip”, we can see that she felt a bit ______________.
A．happy B．disappointed C．excited D．content
5.The passage mainly tells us ________________________.
A．the difficult situation of hipsters B．the trend of fashion
C．the changes of the society D．the culture of hipsters
Our tolerating ability is indeed way beyond our imagination. But not until the very critical moment will we 21 our potential tolerating ability.
There was a woman in the countryside who got married at the age of 18 and had to escape with her two daughters and a son wherever she could at the age of 26 due to the Japanese army’s invasion. Many people in the village at that time could not 22 the suffering of being a fugitive（亡命者） and wanted to commit suicide. After she knew about it, she would come to those 23 ,saying, “Don’t do that 24 thing. There are no such setbacks(挫折) that we could not overcome!”
Finally she insisted until the day when all the Japanese armies were kicked out of China. 25 , her son died of disease without sufficient 26 and nutrition in those days of hardships. Her husband, after knowing the death of his son, lay in bed for two days without eating and drinking anything. She teared to her husband and said, “We have a tough destiny, but however tough our lives will be, we should also 27 . Though our son has passed away, we can have another. ”
After giving birth to the second 28 , her husband died of edema（水肿病）, which almost 29 her away. But eventually, she 30 and held the three young children in her arms, saying, “My sweet hearts, don’t feel scared. You still have me, your dear mum!”
It took her pain efforts to 31 her children up and the life of her family was getting better and better. Two daughters were married and so was his son finally. She said to everyone she met, “Look! What I said is 32 right. There are no such setbacks that we could not overcome! My life is so happy now!” She was 33 gradually and could not do the farm work anymore. So she stayed at home and did some sewing work.
Nevertheless, the Heaven seemed to show no affection to her who had undergone a 34 life. She got her leg broken 35 when she was nursing her grandson. Due to her old age that posed a great risk to her operation, she did not receive operation and had to lie in bed all day long. Her children all cried heavily, while she merely said, “Why do you cry? I am still living.”
36 she could not rise from bed, she did not complain about anything and anybody. Instead, she sat on the bed and did some sewing work. She had learnt scarves-weaving, crafts-making, etc. All her neighbors spoke 37 of her skills and came to learn from her.
She lived until 86. Before she went to Heaven, she said to her children, “You all should live to your best. There are no such setbacks that we could not overcome!”
We will only get to realize our own iron will and strong tolerating ability after getting 38 heavily. Therefore, no matter what you are suffering from now, do not merely complain about the 39 of our destiny and maintain low-spirited all the time. There are no such setbacks that we could not overcome. Only those who have no confidence and courage to overcome setbacks will be 40 at last!
1. A．recognize B．realize C．reduce D．reach
2. A．bear B．see C．find D．feel
3. A．houses B．villages C．women D．people
4. A．hard B．silly C．easy D．smelly
5. A．Therefore B．However C．Furthermore D．Besides
6. A．food B．water C．medicine D．clothes
7. A．persist B．help C．work D．accept
8. A．child B．son C．daughter D．baby
9. A．get B．give C．blew D．put
10. A．stopped B．cried C．sighed D．recovered
11. A．raise B．teach C．build D．love
12. A．nearly B．absolutely C．almost D．naturally
13. A．dying B．growing C．aging D．complaining
14. A．happy B．long C．normal D．rough
15. A．purposely B．accidently C．suddenly D．quietly
16. A．As though B．Even though C．As long as D．Ever since
17.A. happily B. loudly C highly D. formally
18. A．hurt B．ill C．excited D．stricken
19. A．unfairness B．unhappiness C．unfitness D．uncomfortableness
20. A．hit B．improved C．defeated D．hurt
--- So you gave her the money you brought from your brother?
--- ___________ , she said she’d return it to me when she got the salary.
A．Not exactly B．My pleasure C．No wonder D．It’s a pity
________________ invited, I won’t go traveling with them because I’m busy these days..
A．Apart from B．In spite of C．Even if D．Only if
In the country guests tend to feel they are not highly __________ if the invitation to a dinner party is given only three or four days before the party date.
A．admired B．expected C．wished D．regarded
Many animals _____________the same fate as the large extinct elephant because of the environment.
A．suffered B．turned C．caught D．made
