Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”

Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”

Đề bài: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions from 1 to 5.

Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”, the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment; when the Lumiere films were shown at the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the music played bore no special relationship to the films; an accompaniment of any kind was sufficient. Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.

As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist, would be added to the pianist in certain cases, and in the larger movie theaters small orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film program rested entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and very often the principal qualification for holding such a position was not skill or taste so much as the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before the y were to be shown (if, indeed, the conductor was lucky enough to see them then), the musical arrangement was normally improvised in the greatest hurry.

To help meet this difficulty, film distributing companies started the practice of publishing suggestions for musical accompaniments. In 1909, for example, the Edison Company began issuing with their films such indications

of mood as “pleasant’, “sad”, “lively”. The suggestions became more explicit, and so emerged the musical cue sheet containing indications of mood, the titles of suitable pieces of music, and precise directions to show where one piece led into the next.

Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these early special scores was that composed and arranged for D. w. Griffith’s film Birth of a Nation, which was released in 1915.

1: It may be inferred from the passage that the first musical cue sheets appeared around _______ .

A. 1896

B. 1909

C. 1915

D. 1927

 2: The word “them” refers to _______ .

A. films

B. years

C. pieces

D. hands

3: Which of the following notations is most likely to have been included on a musical cue sheet of the early 1900's?

A. “Key of c major”

B. “Directed by D. w. Griffith”

C. “Calm, peaceful”

D. “Piano, violin”

4: According to the passage, what kind of business was the Edison Company?

A. It published musical arrangements

B. It made musical instruments

C. It distributed films

D. It produced electricity

5: The passage mainly discusses music that was _______ .

A. performed before the showing of a film

B. played during silent films

C. specifically composed for certain movie theaters

D. recorded during film exhibitions

Lời giải:

Đáp án:

1B

2A

3C

4C

5B

Giải thích:

1. Thông tin: “In 1909, for example, the Edison Company began issuing with their films such indications of mood as “pleasant’, “sad”, “lively”. The suggestions became more explicit, and so emerged the musical cue sheet containing indications of mood...” (Ví dụ vào năm 1909, Công ty Edison đã bắt đầu phát hành những bộ phim của họ với những biểu thị tâm trạng ẩn trong đó như “vui”, “buồn”, “sống động”. Những gợi ý này dần trở nên rõ ràng hơn và vì thế đã xuất hiện những bản sắp xếp trình tự xuất hiện của bản nhạc bao gồm cả tâm trạng được biểu thị...)

2. Thông tin: Since the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown (if, indeed, the conductor was lucky enough to see them then) (Bởi người chỉ huy dàn nhạc hiếm khi được xem những bộ phim và phải tới đêm trước khi những bộ phim được trình chiếu (đó là trong trường hợp người chỉ đạo dàn nhạc may mắn mới được xem bộ phim vào thời điểm đó))

3. Thông tin: “... so emerged the musical cue sheet containing indications of mood, the titles of suitable pieces of music, and precise directions to show where one piece led into the next” ( … vì thế đã xuất hiện những bản sắp xếp trình tự xuất hiện của bản nhạc bao gồm cả tâm trạng được biểu thị, tiêu đề của loại nhạc phù hợp, và các chỉ dẫn chính xác để thể hiện một bản nhạc tiếp theo sẽ dẫn tới đâu.)

4. Thông tin: “In 1909, for example, the Edison Company began issuing with their films...” ( Vào năm 1909, ví dụ, công ty Edision bắt đầu phát hành những bộ phim của họ…)

5. Thông tin: “Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”, the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment…” ( Mặc dù chúng ta đã quen thuộc nhắc tới những bộ phim được sản xuất trước năm 1927 là “phim câm’ thì phim chưa bao giờ thực sự im lặng. Ngay từ khi mới bắt đầu, âm nhạc đã được xem là thứ đồng hành không thể thiếu…)