Question

  Barack Obama,Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs―what do they have in com?mon? They are,of course,all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo. com,they all best illustrate (说明) the word "cool".

  But just what does it mean to say someone is "cool"? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independentminded and not following the crowd.

  Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term "cool" goes back to the fifteenthcentury West African philosophy (哲学) . "Cool" relates to ideas of grace (优雅) under pressure.

  "In Africa," he writes, "coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness,silence,and life. ^w

  The modern idea of "cool" developed largely in the US in the period after World War H . "Postwar cool" was in part an expression of warweariness (厌战情绪) .

  "It went against the strict social rules of the time," write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules -.Anatomy of an Attitude.

  But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for "cool" in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause. Dean played a tough guy who disobeyed his parents and the authorities. He always got the girl,smoked cigarettes,wore a leather jacket and beat up bullies (欺凌弱小者) .In the movie,Dean showed what " cool" would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.

  Today the focus of "cool" has changed to athletic (体育运动的) stars. Of?ten in movies about schools,students gain popularity on the athletic field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.

But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other think?ing games have been becoming more popular in schools.

  "Call it the Harry Potterization of America~ a time when being smart is the new ' cool' ”， writes journalist Joe Sunnen.

5. Barack Obama,Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first para?graph to       ,

   A. introduce the topic

   B. draw our attention

   C. tell us what they have in common

   D. tell us what is "cool"

6. If you were considered "cool" in Africa in the 15th century,you       .

   A. thought and acted differently from the majority

   B. had a calm and quiet attitude towards life

   C. didn't observe rules and authorities

   D. had all kinds of "bad" manners

7. The heroes in Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die are likely to be those who       .

   A. do very well in their studies

   B. are very skilled at sports

   C. are good at chess and other thinking games

   D. have supernatural powers like Harry Potter

8. What does the article mainly talk about?

   A. The origin of the word "cool".

   B. The kinds of people who are "cool".

   C. The changing meaning of the word "cool".

   D. How to be a "cool" person.

Answer 1

5. A推理判断题。根据第二段内容可知，作者提到Barack Obama,Lady Gaga和Steve Jobs是为了引出话题。故选A项。

6. B细节理解题。根据第四段"…'coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness,silence,and life."'可知，在15世纪的非洲cool代表对待生活冷静、平静的态度。故选B项。

7. B推理判断题。根据倒数第三段的"Often in movies about schools,students gain popularity on the athletic field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die." 可知，这些电影里的主角很可能是热爱运动的人。故选B项。

C主旨大意题。通读全文可知文章主要讲述了"酷"的含义和变化。故选C项。