单选题
单选题 How long has the Nobel Prize in Literature existed?
  • A. 28 years.
  • B. 80 years.
  • C. 82 years.
  • D. 102 years.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[听力原文] For the last 82 years, Sweden's Nobel Academy has decided who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, thereby determining who will be elevated from the great and the near great to the immortal. But today the Academy is coming under heavy criticism both from the without and from within. Critics contend that the selection of the winners often has less to do with true writing ability than with the peculiar internal politics of the Academy and of Sweden itself. According to Ingmar Bjorksten, the cultural editor for one of the country's two major newspapers, the prize continues to represent "what people call a very Swedish exercise: reflecting Swedish tastes." The Academy has defended itself against such charges of provincialism in its selection by asserting that its physical distance from the great literary capitals of the world actually serves to protect the Academy from outside influences. This may well be true, but critics respond that this very distance may also be responsible for the Academy's inability to perceive accurately authentic trends in the literary world. Regardless of concerns over the selection process, however, it seems that the prize will continue to survive both as an indicator of the literature that we most highly praise, and as an elusive goal that writers seek. If for no other reason, the prize will continue to be desirable for the financial rewards that accompany it; not only is the cash prize itself considerable, but it also dramatically increases sales of an author's books.
单选题 For which of the following reasons is Sweden's Nobel Academy coming under heavy criticism now?
  • A. The Academy's selection of the winners has less to do with true writing ability than with other things.
  • B. The Academy only selects certain types of writers as the winners.
  • C. The Academy hasn't modified any of the standards of selection as time progresses.
  • D. The Academy has selected too many English language writers as the winners.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】
单选题 What has the Academy asserted to defend itself against such criticism?
  • A. It has taken into consideration the opinions and suggestions from various parts of the world.
  • B. Its physical distance from the world's literary capitals serves to protect itself from outside influence.
  • C. No politics, whether international or regional, has ever interfered with its process of selection.
  • D. Its only standard of selection is true writing ability.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】
单选题 What led critics to think that the Academy could not know real trends in the literary world?
  • A. The Academy's peculiar internal politics.
  • B. The academy's provincialism in its selection.
  • C. The academy's Swedish tastes.
  • D. The academy's physical distance from the great literary capitals of the world.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】
单选题 Which of the following statements is NOT true about the prize?
  • A. It will still exist as an indicator of the literature that we highly praise.
  • B. It will remain an elusive goal that writers seek.
  • C. It will gradually lose its prestigious status as the world's highest literary prize.
  • D. It will continue to be desirable for the financial rewards that accompany it.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】