A
(2020届重庆市高三调研)
Why have so many awards ceremonies appeared recently? Shakespeare never won a prize, nor did Leonardo da Vinci or Adam Smith or Charles Dickens.
It would be possible to say, however, that in the past, scientists and artists could win “patronage” from rich people—a king or a lord would give the artist or scientist money to have them paint their palaces or help them develop new ways of making money. With the change in social systems across the world, this no longer happens. A lot of scientific research is now either funded by the state or by private companies. Perhaps awards ceremonies are just the most recent face of this process.
However, there is more to it than that. When a film wins an Oscar, many more people will go and see it or buy the DVD. When a writer wins the Nobel Prize, many more people buy his or her books. When a group wins the MTV awards, the ceremony is seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The result? The group sells lots more records.
Most awards ceremonies are now sponsored by big organizations or companies. This means that it is not only the person who wins the award who benefits but also the sponsors. The MTV awards, for example, are great for publicizing not only music but also MTV itself!
On the surface, it seems to be a “winwin” situation, with everyone being happy, but let me ask you a question—how far do you think that publicity and marketing are winning here, and how much genuine recognition of achievement is taking place?
【语篇解读】 时下社会上充斥着各种各样的颁奖典礼，但你认为它们真的只是在评选优秀的个人或作品吗？文章分析了这些所谓的“颁奖典礼”及其本质，最后得出结论：有时在颁奖典礼上获奖并不意味着得到了大众真正的认可。
1．Why are some successful people like Shakespeare mentioned at the very beginning of the passage?
A．To show great admiration.
B．To provide the background.
C．To prepare for the topic.
D．To answer the question.
解析：选C 写作意图题。由文章开头两句可知，作者认为，虽然莎士比亚、达·芬奇等人并没有得过什么奖，但是他们所取得的成就也得到了认可。所以作者提及这些名人的目的是引出文章的话题。故选C。
2．Artists and scientists used to receive money from ________．
A．rich people's support B．sales of their works
C．different awards D．the government
解析：选A 细节理解题。由第二段第一句可知，过去艺术家和科学家获得的资助是由富人赞助的。故选A。
3．The writer thinks awards actually do a better job in ________．
A．getting the winners' great achievements recognized
B．financially supporting a scientist's or an artist's work
C．improving the status of the greatest scientists or artists
D．earning more money for the awards ceremony sponsors
解析：选D 推理判断题。由倒数第二段可知，现今社会的大多数颁奖典礼是由大型组织或公司赞助的。这意味着，不仅仅是获奖者会受益，赞助商也会获得很大的利益，所以赞助商才会举办更多的颁奖典礼。故选D。
4．What is the writer's attitude towards awards ceremonies?
A．Subjective. B．Approving.
C．Doubtful. D．Indifferent.
解析：选C 观点态度题。由最后一段可知，作者认为这种双赢的局面只是表面现象，实际上的赢家仍旧是赞助商。且最后一个问句更加表明了作者对颁奖典礼的怀疑态度。故选C。
