单选题
Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter- century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage. It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies. We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far- off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. " So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism, "Newman wrote, "that I am tempted to define 'journalism' as 'a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are. '" Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975 ,is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England's foremost classical-music critics, a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967 ,the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists. Is there any chance that Cardus's criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed tong before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover,the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.
单选题
It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that______. A. arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapers B. English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews C. high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers D. young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 段落大意题。选项A比较容易排除，其与第一段矛盾，原文只是说decline，即下降，没有说消失(disappear)。选项C也可以排除，“高质量的报纸未丧失大量的读者”，此句为无中生有。选项D为干扰项，“年轻的读者怀疑报纸上的评论不合适”。原文表明其实读者是持赞同态度的：这些评论可以在报纸上刊登。这里的doubt表示怀疑，意思相反。第一段的decline in scope和第二段的a considerable number都在强调以前的报纸关于艺术评论数量很多，因此，正确答案为B项。
单选题
Newspaper reviews in England before World War II were characterized by______. A. free themes B. casual style C. elaborate layout D. radical viewpoints
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。选项B“不经意的、随便的”和文章中in detail and at length“详细的”、serious“严肃的”、calling“对做某项工作的强烈欲望或责任感”、proud“骄傲”是相矛盾的，所以是错误选项。选项C为干扰项。elaborate可以替换原文中的in detail，但是layout(布局)为无中生有，所以本项与原文不相符合。选项radical“激进的”为无中生有。而选项unfocused的英文解释和flee的英文解释是相同的，属于同义替换。因此，正确选项为A。
单选题
Which of the following would Shaw and Newman most probably agree on? A. It is writers'duty to fulfill journalistic goals. B. It is contemptible for writers to be journalists. C. Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. D. Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。选项A中的journalistic goals“新闻业的目标”为无中生有。选项B“作家成为记者是值得鄙视的”与文章中的proud“自豪的”语义相反。选项C“作者容易被新闻业吸引”，原文说的是被define “journalism” as...所吸引，而不是被journalism所吸引。选项D是同义替换，few相当于not all，have brains enough or literary gift enough相当于capable of。D选项 中not all属于部分否定，语气委婉，在选项中出现往往正确。因此，正确选项为D。
单选题
What can be learned about Cardus according to the last two paragraphs? A. His music criticism may not appeal to readers today. B. His reputation as a music critic has long been in dispute. C. His style caters largely to modern specialists. D. His writings fail to follow the amateur tradition.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。原文没有提到他的名声有争议，所以选项B为无中生有。选项C“他的风格符合现在的专家”与本段最后一句相矛盾。选项D移花接木，是利用最后一句话编造的选项。文章中说新闻业的品位已经改变，读者不需要他所擅长的风格，所以Cardus's criticism不可能重新流行；而A项中have little use for相当于not appeal to。同时本选项还有may这个语气委婉的词，符合正确答案语气委婉的规律。因此，正确选项为A。
单选题
What would be the best title for the text? A. Newspapers of the Good Old Days. B. The Lost Horizon in Newspapers. C. Mournful Decline of Journalism. D. Prominent Critics in Memory.