单选题 The basic story is very old indeed and familiar to most of us. The heroine, Cinderella, is treated cruelly by her stepmother and mocked by her two ugly stepsisters. And even though her father loves her, she can't tell him how unhappy she is because her stepmother has bewitched him. One day Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are invited to a ball at the royal palace. Cinderella is told she cannot go and is understandably very unhappy. However, her fairy godmother comes to the rescue and, waving her magic wand, produces some beautiful clothes for Cinderella as well as a carriage to convey her to the ball. There, she dances with the handsome prince, who falls in love with her…
Just a sweet, pretty tale? Not in the view of Ellen Macintosh, who has written extensively about fairy tales. "This story features the stock, two-dimensional characters of most fairy tales, and little character development is attempted," she says. Indeed, although her comment does make one wonder why simplicity of this sort should be out of place in a story for children. Be that as it may, Ellen's main problem is with what the story implies. "Instead of standing up to her cruel stepmother and absurd stepsisters, Cinderella just waits for a fairy godmother to appear and solve her problem. But wouldn't you want a daughter of yours to show more spirit?"
The story is enduring, whatever its shortcomings, and it doesn't take much in the way of analytical skills to see its influence on a number of recent Hollywood productions, all aimed at girls aged five to fifteen. In these versions for the silver screen, the Cinderella character no longer has to clean the house and has no siblings to make her life a misery, though she persists in not showing much backbone. The character of the rich and handsome stranger, however, is retained, and in some cases really is a prince. The role of the fairy godmother is often played by coincidence or sheer luck; we live in an enlightened age when even very young children might reject the notion of fairies. The wicked stepmother may be transformed into a villain of some sort. In the majority of film versions, the heroine has a profession and is even permitted to continue working after marrying her prince — this is the twenty — first century, after all.
Doesn't the success of these films indicate that the story has relevance to children even today? "Yes," admits Ellen, who sees its message as being rooted in a fundamental childhood desire for love and attention. "Most children experience a sense of inner loneliness as they are growing up and empathies with the protagonist who faces some sort of test or challenge. This can be seen in the original story of Cinderella, where the fairy godmother tells the heroine that she must learn to be gracious and confident if she is to go to the ball. She has to grow spiritually, and by maturing, she becomes attractive to the prince, thus ensuring that the ending of the story will be happy." "In the later versions, this element is missing," says Ellen, "and the theme of the story is simply that a girl's role in life is to be more beautiful than other little girls so that she can carry off the prize: the handsome prince. Is this really what we want girls to grow up believing?"
单选题 What is Ellen's main objection to the Cinderella story?
  • A. The heroine is treated cruelly.
  • B. The heroine is not assertive enough.
  • C. The ugly stepsisters are figures of ridicule.
  • D. The stepmother is a stereotypical character.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 这是道细节题。解题句是最后一段的“where the fairy godmother tells the heroine that she must learn to be gracious and confident if she is to go to the ball．She has to grow spiritually， and by maturing，she becomes attractive to the prince，”(在原来的版本中，神仙告诉她要学会宽容和自信如果他要去舞会的话，她必须精神上成长，只有通过成熟她才能吸引王子。)她主要反对的是灰姑娘缺乏一种自信，主动性，没有对人物性格进行发展。故选B。
单选题 In film versions of the Cinderella story ______.
  • A. two characters from the original story are omitted
  • B. the prince is invariably replaced by a rich stranger
  • C. luck plays a lesser role than in the original story
  • D. the Cinderella character no longer has to work
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 这是道细节题。在第三段中，“In these versions for the silver screen，the Cinderella character no longer has to clean the house and has no siblings to make her life a misery，”(在这些银屏上的版本，灰姑娘已不再需要打扫卫生，也没有令她痛苦的兄弟姐妹。)这里的siblings是指兄弟姐妹。在现在的故事里面，她不需要两个妹妹，所以去掉了两个角色。故选A。
单选题 According to the passage, modern variants on the story generally ______.
  • A. portray Cinderella as a successful professional
  • B. imply that Cinderella will become a real princess
  • C. reflect children's beliefs and aspirations
  • D. make concessions to modern women's lives
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 这是道细节题。文章第二段分析了现在版本和原始版本的区别以及相同的地方。第二段最后一句话说“毕竟是21世纪”指出了现代版本出现的一些变化是随着时代的变化而变化的。这和选项中的D相同，D的意思是根据妇女的工作作了一定的妥协。故选D。
单选题 In Ellen's view, what makes the Cinderella story so appealing?
  • A. Children can identify with the heroine.
  • B. Little girls enjoy being challenged.
  • C. It has an element of magic.
  • D. Cinderella is more beautiful than other girls.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 这是道细节题。从最后一段可以看出，孩子在看这些电影时能找到一定的共鸣。“Most children experience a sense of inner loneliness as they are growing up and empathies with the protagonist who faces some sort of test or challenge．”(大部分孩子在成长过程中都会经历一种内心孤独的感受。)A的意思是孩子能够在主人公身上找到共鸣，所以选A。
单选题 Unlike the original tale, modern versions of the Cinderella story ______.
  • A. suggest that girls need the strength of character
  • B. do not require the heroine to develop spiritually
  • C. underestimate the desire for love and attention
  • D. are aimed solely at young children
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 这是道细节题。要解题的话就要看最后一段。She has to grow spiritually，and by maturing， she becomes attractive to the prince，thus ensuring that the ending of the story will be happy．“In the later versions，this element is missing，”says Ellen，“and the theme Of the story is simply that a girl's role in life is to be more beautiful than other little girls so that she can carry off the prize：the handsome prince．IS this really what we want girls to grow up believing?” (她必须要精神上成长，要成熟，这样才能吸引到王子。而在以后的版本中，这个没有了。他们只表达了一个观点，女的只要漂亮就可以了，就可以拿走奖品，也就是那个英俊的王子。这难道有助于孩子的成长吗?)从最后一段可以看出，现在的电影和原版的相比，把对女主人公的性格成长，精神的发展给省略了。故选B。