阅读理解 Often, when a fashion designer dies and his life's work is assessed, some insistent hyperbole is necessary before the death matters to anyone beyond his loyal band of ladies who spend their time dashing between luncheons and charity balls. Most modern women are not going to weep at the passing of a fashion designer whose heyday was some 30 years ago.
But this time, it's Yves Saint Laurent who has died. And no exaggeration is required to explain the impact he has had on modern fashion. In the 1960s and 70s, when he was at the height of his influence, he brought popular culture, a mannish swagger, sexual power and ethnic awareness to fashion. He gave women a wardrobe that spoke of confidence and authority. He didn't give them armor for the boardroom as much as he gave them the sartorial equivalent of chutzpah, tough talk and bawdiness. He gave dames and broads their costumes. And most importantly, he began fashion's steady march toward democracy.
But Saint Laurent was not merely a part of fashion history, he was instrumental in writing the vast majority of it. He popularized the bohemian-chic sensibility that later went on to define the hippie aesthetic and its many artsy, grungy, hipster derivations. He welcomed so-called exotic and unorthodox influences into his work, such as the traditional prints of Africa and the folkloric costumes of Russia. He forged a relationship between fashion and the art world, most dynamically with his Mondrian dress of 1965. 'Most people are lucky if they can do one thing, if they can make one major contribution,' fashion historian Valerie Steele said. Saint Laurent's contributions could fill volumes.
There was something profoundly democratic in the work of one of the fashion industry's most rarefied designers. He found inspiration in cultures that were not part of care society. And he celebrated the beauty of women who continue to struggle to find acceptance within fashion's narrowly defined aesthetics.
Those who worry about the lack of diversity in the fashion industry in 2014 can look back fondly to the 1970s, when Saint Laurent regularly used black models on his runway—not as gimmicks in a collection that had been inspired by Africa but as representations of a kind of beauty he considered as valid and as enticing as any other.
Saint Laurent retired from ready-to-wear in 1998 and a few years later closed his couture house. A long line of designers have tried to reinvent his style and revive the Saint Laurent label for the 21st century. But none of them has been able to make it profitable.
Sell enough handbags and the money will come. But it's a rare feat when a designer can leave a legacy that not only changed fashion but transformed the way in which we see ourselves. It may not be enough to make a woman weep, but it certainly is enough to make her smile.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】推理判断题。A项中蒙德里安连衣裙出现在第三段，这个例子是用来说明Saint Laurent把时尚和艺术联系了起来，并不是用来说明和民族风的联系。C项出自第三段第一句话，instrumental的含义是“有帮助的”，这句话表明Saint Laurent的贡献之多以至于他几乎成了时尚历史的主角，时尚史的大部分内容都是关于他的，而并非是Saint Laurent书写了时尚历史。D选项文中并没有明确给出，需要考生思考，非常清楚的是，Saint Laurent在设计服装时注重民主，他不仅给上流社会设计服装，也给平民百姓设计服装，因此，他的服装不可能具有明显的等级观念，这与原文意思背道而驰。因此，正确答案为B选项。