Question

    “Are personal sad stories a must to win talent shows?” “Shouldn’t talent be judged on the basis of itself without needing a sad story of struggle to win?” These are questions Sanya Malhotra posed on a recent Facebook post.

This morning I came across this interesting post by Sanya Malhotra. She revealed that she loved dancing and dreamt of becoming an actress, but got defeated in “Dance India Dance” because her background story wasn’t sad and inspiring enough. That’s when she started doubting her artistic gift.

This really set me thinking. Why are people attracted to sob stories? Why do we always appreciate only those people who have achieved something after going through a lot of hardships?  Why does the headline of a newspaper “Taxi-driver’s Son Stands First In UPSC Exam” find more readers? I think it is because most people, who are in a similar situation, find it comforting that someone has succeeded with so many hardships. I know it is really very difficult for people with financial, health, or family problems to overcome obstacles and succeed. I really feel proud of them and I am often touched and inspired by their stories.

Now come back to what Sanya has said. I think this is a talent show rather than a story-telling competition. When it comes to a competition of singing or dancing or any fine arts, all the competitors should be judged without any bias (偏见). No one should lose because they don’t have a sad story of struggle to tell. It’s very unfair. They can be given opportunities otherwise, but should not be judged because of their stories.

Maybe, the TV channels do it to attract more viewers, because the most important element of any reality show is these touching stories. But as Sanya has said, it’s unfair to those who haven't such a story and are equally talented.

1.What do we know about Sanya Malhotra?

A.She entered a talent show. B.She won “Dance India Dance”.

C.She had a sad story to tell. D.She was rejected in a film.

2.From the second paragraph, we can infer that Sanya Malhotra________.

A.experienced many hardships B.is a famous actress in Indian

C.has a great gift for gymnastics D.used to be confident in her artistic talent

3.Which of the following headlines appeals to the readers most according to the passage?

A.A Millionaire Donated Money To Harvard University.

B.A Gifted Indian Teenager Won “Dance India Dance”.

C.An Armless Girl Was Admitted To Harvard University.

D.A Freshman Paid Off Loans By Getting A Part-time Job.

4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A.Winners Should Be Determined By Public Judges

B.Sanya Malhotra Displayed A Great Artistic Gift

C.Competitors Should Not Be Judged By Sob Stories

D.Talent Shows Competitors Can Tell Their Stories

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章以Sanya Malhotra参加一个舞蹈比赛，但是因为背景故事不够悲伤和鼓舞人心而失败为引入，指出了如今社会中存在人们会被煽情的故事所吸引的现象，作者分析了这一情况产生的原因。但是作者认为当涉及到唱歌、跳舞或任何艺术比赛时，所有的参赛者都应该得到公正的评判，但不应该因为他们的故事而被评判。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中She revealed that she loved dancing and dreamt of becoming an actress, but got defeated in “Dance India Dance” because her background story wasn’t sad and inspiring enough.可知，她说她喜欢跳舞，梦想成为一名演员，但在Dance India Dance节目中失败了，因为她的背景故事不够悲伤和鼓舞人心。由此可知，Sanya Malhotra参加了一个名为Dance India Dance的才艺表演。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段中That’s when she started doubting her artistic gift.可知，从那时起，她开始怀疑自己的艺术天赋。由此可推知，Sanya Malhotra曾经对自己的艺术天赋很有信心。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中Why are people attracted to sob stories? Why do we always appreciate only those people who have achieved something after going through a lot of hardships? Why does the headline of a newspaper “Taxi-driver’s Son Stands First In UPSC Exam” find more readers? I think it is because most people, who are in a similar situation, find it comforting that someone has succeeded with so many hardships.可知，为什么人们会被煽情的故事所吸引？为什么我们总是只欣赏那些历经千辛万苦才有所成就的人呢？为什么报纸上“出租车司机的儿子在大学毕业考试中名列第一”的标题会吸引更多的读者？我认为这是因为大多数人，处于类似的情况，发现有人在如此多的困难下成功是令人欣慰的。由此可推知，C选项“一个没有胳膊的女孩被哈佛大学录取了”最能吸引读者。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据倒数第二段中When it comes to a competition of singing or dancing or any fine arts, all the competitors should be judged without any bias. No one should lose because they don’t have a sad story of struggle to tell. It’s very unfair. They can be given opportunities otherwise, but should not be judged because of their stories.可知，当涉及到唱歌、跳舞或任何一门艺术的比赛时，所有的参赛者都应该得到不偏不倚的评判。任何人都不应该因为自己没有一个可悲的奋斗故事而输掉比赛。这是很不公平的。否则可以给他们机会，但不应该因为他们的故事而被评判。由此可知，C选项“参赛选手不应该被悲伤的故事所评判”最符合文章标题。故选C。