Movie Music
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 they 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 on piece led into the next.
Certain films had music especially composed for them. The 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.When the Lumiere films were shown in the United States ___.
| A．a band was playing there |
| B．a cellist was playing there |
| C．a pianist was playing there |
| D．a violinist was playing there |
From the context of the passage we can know that with the development of films ___ and became more important.
| A．the cinemas increased in number |
| B．the number of musicians grew |
| C．the time of concerts reduced |
| D．the conductor of a band was needed |
The musical cue sheet was used for ___.
| A．directing music accompaniments of silent movies |
| B．composing special music of a special movie |
| C．composing music for all kinds of concerts |
| D．showing directions how to get to a place |
What can be inferred from the passage about the majority of films made after 1927?
| A．They were truly “silent”. |
| B．They were accompanied by symphonic orchestras. |
| C．They incorporated the sound of the actors’ voices. |
| D．They corresponded to specific musical compositions. |
YOU don’t need millions to be happy. In fact, at The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may be enough.
The institute opened its doors last year, and, since then, men and women of all ages have been paying A$200 an hour (US$140) for l essons on how to feel great.
“You can actually increase your happiness levels. That’s what we teach,” said Timothy Sharp, founder of the institute.
Experts say that only about 15 per cent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 85 per cent comes from things such as attitude, life control and relationships.
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels haven’t changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.
Many decades ago, the “sage of Baltimore, Maryland”, editor HL Mencken, defined wealth as earning US$100 more than your “wife’s sister’s husband.”
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is because we compare ourselves to people better off materially.
“The argument is that if you want to be happy there’s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself to people who are less well off than you — poorer, smaller house, car,” said Sharp.
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on “more than just your bank account.”
“If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I’m always going to be down,” said Sharp.
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia’s richest person who has had a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. You can increase your happiness levels by attending the classes at the Happiness Institute.
B. Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more.
C. Earning US$ 100 more than your wife’s sister’s husband if you want to be happy.
D. Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but obviously unhappy.
2. The underlined phrase has the same meaning as the word _______.
A. healthy B. unhealthy C. free D. wealthy
3. The author wrote the passage to tell us _______.
A. happiness is everything
B. wealth is the foundation of happiness
C. have fun at the Happiness Institute
D. money doesn’t always mean happiness
Long ago, in days of the Roman Empire, people used to believe a god of farmings called “Saturn”. They believed that Saturn could make the weather good or bad, and that he had the power to control how much rain would fall.
Before a Roman farmer would plant his fields, he would try to get Saturn to give him good weather. He believed that if he killed an animal for Saturn, that would make Saturn happy. Then Saturn would make sure that the weather was good.
Not only did the people name a planet after Saturn but they also name a day of the week after him. They called this day “Saturni dies”, Latin words which mean “day of Saturn”. In English those words became Saturday.
6. What was Saturn believed to be in charge of?
A. Rainfall. B. The power of nature. C. Farming. D. Days in a week.
7. Why did a Roman farmer kill an animal before planting his fields?
Because .
A. killing an animal would bring him good luck
B. Saturn enjoyed eating animals
C. Saturn was happy to see animals being killed
D. he wanted to please Saturn so that Saturn would make the weather good for his planting
8. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A. Saturn is also the name of planet.
B. The Roman people used to believe Saturn to be their god.
C. Saturn was named for the last day of the week.
D. Saturn had three meanings.
9. What’s the aim of the author in writing this passage?
A. How the Romans worshipped (崇拜) Saturn.
B. Why the Romans believed in Saturn.
C. The different meanings of the word Saturn.
D. How Saturday got its name.
The lower East Side is neither rich nor beautiful, but it can be a good place to shop.
On Sundays, its streets are crowded with visitors and shoppers like these. They are trying to find a coat or a pair of shoes at a good price.
Most people prefer to shop in the big department stores like Macy’s, Gimbel’s, or Bloomingdale’s because there they can find clothing, furniture, toys, and food in one store.
Some people like the smaller stores of Greenwich Village or other areas when they are looking for an unusual present.
Some streets have only one kind of stores. Bracelets (手镯) and rings shine in the windows of Canal Street, and wedding dresses fill the stores of Grant Street. There are streets for furs(皮大衣), and, in one.comarea, there are 600 shops for antiques (古玩)! Fifth Avenue is the most famous place to shop, and it is usually the most expensive. There you can find the latest styles from Paris, Italy, or New York. You can spend thousands of dollars on Fifth Avenue, or you can just window shop and admire the sights for free.
1. How many kinds of shops or stores on the lower East Side are mentioned in the passage?
A. Four. B. Five. C. Six. D. Seven.
2. If you want to buy something fashionable to wear, you’d better go to .
A. Grant Street B. the big department stores
C. Fifth Avenue D. the smaller stores of Greenwich Village
3. Why does the writer say that the lower East Side can be a good place to shop?
A. Because its streets are crowded with visitors.
B. Because there are latest style from Paris, Italy, or New York.
C. Because there are different goods in different stores they can meet the needs of the visitors and shoppers.
D. Because women want very much to go there and buy bracelets and rings.
4. The underlined words window shop in the sentence means “ ”.
A. put all one’s goods in the shop-window
B. look at goods displayed in shop-windows
C. not only look at goods displayed in shop-window but also want to buy something
D. take much interest in the goods and have the idea of buying something
5. The last five words “admire the sights for free” of the passage means “ ”.
A. get pleasure from the sight at no cost
B. buy and sell goods freely
C. look at the sights as much as you like
D. look at the sight with pleasure and buy something as you like
While drunken driving may be on the decline, traffic safety experts remain puzzled over how to deal with another alcoholrelated danger: drunken pedestrains.
Pedestrians struck and killed by cars often are extremely drunk. In fact, they are intoxicated more frequently-and with higher bloodalcohol levels-than drunken drivers who are killed in accidents, various studies have shown. Forty percent of adult pedestrians involved in fatal crashes have a bloodalcohol level of at least 0.10-which by law in most states signifies intoxication-compared to only 25 percent of drivers in deadly accidents, according to recent federal data.
Some types of pedestrain accidents have been declining nationally, especially those involving children, but the number of adult pedestrians who are drunk when killed in traffic has remained relatively steady at 2500 a year. The total number of pedestrians killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents is at least 7000, or one of every seven highway accidents resulting in death.
“We’re dealing here, we think, with a very severe drinking problem that leads to a severe highway safety problem,” said Richard Blomberg, president of Dunlap and Associates Inc, in Norwalk, Coon.
Blomberg, whose consulting company found a very high rate of alcohol involvement in a controlled study of pedestrian accidents in New Orleans, was among several researchers who spoke on the topic at the annual meeting of the Research council’s Transportation Research Board(TRB) in Washington in January.
Pedestrian accidents have not received enough attention in the past, according to Kay Colpitts, who chairs the board’s committee on pedestrians. Few methods exist to monitor walking habits, she said, and researchers have been mystified about how to prevent disasters.
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Traffic Safety. B.Drunken Drivers.
C.Drunken Pedestrian Accidents. D.A Severe Highway Safety problem.
6.Among the causes of walkers’ accidents, the most serious problem is .
A.long delays in traffic signals that may make people cross streets without paying attention to traffic rules
B.alcohol
C.a lack of adult keeping eyes on many children involved in accidents
D.former drunken drivers whose licenses are not allowed to use for a time
7.According to recent federal data, drunken drivers with an over 0.10 bloodalcohol level in deadly accidents .
A.are 15 percent less than drunken adult walkers with the same level
B.are 2500 a year
C.are at least 7000 in US traffic accidents
D.make up oneseventh of highway accidents
8.According to the passage, what is Blomberg?
A.A researcher. B.A specialist in traffic safety.
C.A clerk of a consulting company. D.A government official
Every day 25 million U.S. children ride school buses. The safety record for these buses is much better than for passenger cars; but nevertheless, about 10 children are killed each year riding on large school buses, and nearly four times that number are killed outside buses in the loading zones. By and large, however, the nation’s school children are transported to and from school safety.
Even though the number of school bus accidents is not large, the safety of children is always of intense public concern. While everyone wants to see children transported safely, people are divided about what needs to be done-particularly whether seat belts should be compulsory.
People in favour of seat belts on school buses-many of them parents and medical organizations-argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce fatality and injury, but also to teach children lessons about the importance of using them routinely in any moving vehicle. A side benefit, they point out, is that seat belts help keep children in their seats, away from the bus driver.
People who object to seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) safety requirements set in 1977. They also believe that many children won’t wear seat belts anyway, and that may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children.
A new Research council report on school bus safety suggest that there are alternate safety devices and procedures that may be more effective and less expensive. For example, the study committee suggested that raising seat backs four inches may have the same safety effectiveness as seat belts.
The report sponsored by the Department of transportation at the request of Congress, re
views seat belts extensively while taking a broader look at safety in and around school buses.
1.According to the passage, the “school bus” is .
A.the bus offered by the school and different from the public bus
B.the bus that has no difference from the public bus
C.the bus that is driven by the students
D.the bus that is not safe
2.According to the passage, who has the greatest degree of control of the school buses “safety”?
A.A new Research Council. B.The Department of Transportation.
C.The Medical Organization. D.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
3.It may be inferred from this passage that . .
A.many of the opponents(反对者) of seat belt installation are parents and officials of the Department of Transportation
B.proposals of seat belts on school buses would be seriously considered
C.an alternate safety device (raising seat backs four inches) may be taken into consideration
D.The Department of Transportation may either take the idea of seat belts or other measures when it reviews the whole situation
4.The title below which best expresses the idea of the passage is“”.
A.Making School Buses Even Safer for Children B.Seat Belts Needed on School Buses
C.Alternate Safety Devices and Procedures D.Safety in and around School Buses