Question

Kendrick Lamar hasn’t had much luck when it comes to winning a Grammy. But that’s OK：The US rapper(说唱歌手) has just won a Pulitzer Prize for his music.

In 2014, in 2016, and again this year. Lamar was nominated (提名)for an album of the year Grammy. Each time, he was beaten out, first by Taylor Swift, next by Daft Punk,and most recently by Bruno Mars.

But the Pulitzer Prize committee was inspired enough by Lamar's 2017 album, Damn, to award the 30-year-old its Pulitzer Prize in music on April 16. It's an amazing album that documents the real life of modem African-Americans in South Los Angeles with wildly accomplished beats and rhythms.

Lamar's win is considered to be historical. 'The Pulitzers have long displayed their preference toward high art rather than the pop culture of the masses. So it's not just that no rapper has ever won a Pulitzer: no pop music maker has ever won one in the award's 75-year history.

But Lamar is not just a singer一he's clever at using language. Like the best writers, his music describes small moments that illustrate (阐明) larger points. His songs are About his experience as a black man who grew up in California, struggled, got into trouble, and found his way out by working hard and making sense of the history and reality of racial problems in the US.

“He’s an artist who challenges idea,”said Ryan Coogler, director of the blockbuster(大片) hit Black Panther, for which Lamar created music. "One big theme in our film of,' What does it mean to be African?’ Kendrick in his music is very exactly and directly challenging that question."

Good artists entertain us, great artists make us think, and exceptional artists help us empathize (感同身受) .

There are a lot of good, great, even exceptional artists in rock, pop, country, and hip-hop. But only Lamar has a Pulitzer Prize.

1.What is Lamar’s album Damn about?

A. African-Americans’ history and culture.

B. Hardships of the African-American artists.

C. The ways the US government deal with racial problems.

D. The lives of modern black people in South Los Angeles.

2.Why is Lamar's Pulitzer Prize win significant?

A. He is the first film-maker to win the prize.

B. It is considered a milestone for pop music.

C. He is the first black person to win the prize.

D. He has missed Grammy several times before.

3.What can we learn from Ryan Coogler's words?

A. Lamar drew inspiration from his own experience.

B. Lamar has the courage to take on big challenges in life.

C. Black Panther is well known because of Lamar 's music.

D. Lamar's music matches the theme of Black Panther well.

Answer

1. D

2. B

3. D

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道。报道了美国说唱歌手兼词曲创作者肯德里克·拉马尔获得的成就以及其他人对他的评价。

1.细节理解题。由第三段“It's an amazing album that documents the real life of modem African-Americans in South Los Angeles ...”可知，这是一个惊人的专辑，记录了现代非裔美国人在洛杉矶南部的真实生活。所以拉马尔的专辑记录了洛杉矶南部现代黑人的生活。故D选项正确。

2.推理判断题。由第四段“Lamar's win is considered to be historical. So it's not just that no rapper has ever won a Pulitzer: no pop music maker has ever won one in the award's 75-year history.”可知，阿马尔的胜利被认为是历史性的。因此，不仅仅是说唱歌手从未获得过普利策奖，在该奖项75年的历史中，没有流行音乐创作者曾获得过普利策奖。所以判断出拉马尔获得普利策奖意义重大的原因是因为它被认为是流行音乐的里程碑。故B选项正确。

3.推理判断题。由第六段“He’s an artist who challenges idea,”said Ryan Coogler, director of the blockbuster(大片) hit Black Panther, for which Lamar created music. "One big theme in our film is this idea of,' What does it mean to be African?’ Kendrick in his music is very exactly and directly challenging that question."”可知，“他是一个善于挑战其它观点的艺术家，”拉马尔为其创作音乐的大片《黑豹》的导演瑞安·库格勒说。“电影中的一个大主题是“对非洲人意味着什么？”拉马尔在他的音乐中非常准确和直接地质疑了这个问题。"所以从导演瑞安·库格勒的话中，我们可以判断出拉马尔质疑这个问题是为了使自己创作的音乐与《黑豹》的主题更好地吻合。故D选项正确。