Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That’s when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.

? People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico’s town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.

? The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.

? Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.

1.Piobbico is rather special in that????? .

A. it is a very small town?????? B. it is home to ugly people

C. it receives no visitors?????? D. it is the capital of Italy

2.Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?

A. Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world.

B. Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable.

C. Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere.

D. Because he has won the members’ trust and admiration.

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Ugly people are most respected in Italy.

B. The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years.

C. Ugly people are unfairly treated in society.

D. The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Ugly Capital of the World????? B. The Ugliest Person of the World

C. Festival of the Ugly????? D. Beauty Contests Should be Banned

 

【答案】

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：在意大利，人們最看重的品質(zhì)是“美”。然而，有一個小鎮(zhèn)，卻聚集著很多長得“丑”的人。那里的人們以丑為美，每年還舉辦選丑大賽，選出的最丑的人將得到一份獎品。

1.根據(jù)第一段“Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People ...they are entering the ugly zone ...People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico”可知，Piobbico是一個丑人聚集的小鎮(zhèn)，故選B。

2.根據(jù)第二段“A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.”可知，丑人俱樂部里最丑的人可以獲得一個獎品，而Lacobelli當(dāng)選的是俱樂部主席，排除A；根據(jù)第一段“Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose”可知，B項錯誤；Lacobelli創(chuàng)建了丑人俱樂部，并為成員謀福利，成員們都信任他并敬佩他，故選D。

3.根據(jù)第一段“Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue.”可知，意大利人最看重的是美麗，排除A；根據(jù)第二段“During the annual Festival of the Ugly”可知，每年都會舉辦這個節(jié)日，排除B；根據(jù)第四段“He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be.”可知，越丑的人可以過上更好的生活，根據(jù)can可知，是理論上的可能性，還沒有得到實現(xiàn)，排除D；故選C。

4.根據(jù)“Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People ...During the annual Festival of the Ugly ...The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue.”可知，文章講的是意大利一個以丑為美的小鎮(zhèn)的事情，故選A。

考點：社會類短文閱讀

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