TPO托福阅读真题：电影声音的演变

　　Transition to Sound in Film

　　The shift from silent to sound film at the end of the 1920s marks, so far, the most important transformation in motion picture history. Despite all the highly visible technological developments in theatrical and home delivery of the moving image that have occurred over the decades since then, no single innovation has come close to being regarded as a similar kind of watershed. In nearly every language, however the words are phrased, the most basic division in cinema history lies between films that are mute and films that speak.

　　Yet this most fundamental standard of historical periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. Nearly every movie theater, however modest, had a piano or organ to provide musical accompaniment to silent pictures. In many instances, spectators in the era before recorded sound experienced elaborate aural presentations alongside movies‘ visual images, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced dialogue narratives to original musical compositions performed by symphony-size orchestras in Europe and the United States. In Berlin, for the premiere performance outside the Soviet Union of The Battleship Potemkin, film director Sergei Eisenstein worked with Austrian composer Edmund Meisel (1874-1930) on a musical score matching sound to image; the Berlin screenings with live music helped to bring the film its wide international fame.

　　Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound has overshadowed the rich diversity of technological and aesthetic experiments with the visual image that were going forward simultaneously in the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shaped screen sizes, multiple-screen projections, even television, were among the developments invented or tried out during the period, sometimes with startling success. The high costs of converting to sound and the early limitations of sound technology were among the factors that suppressed innovations or retarded advancement in these other areas. The introduction of new screen formats was put off for a quarter century, and color, though utilized over the next two decades for special productions, also did not become a norm until the 1950s.

　　Though it may be difficult to imagine from a later perspective, a strain of critical opinion in the 1920 s predicted that sound film would be a technical novelty that would soon fade from sight, just as had many previous attempts, dating well back before the First World War, to link images with recorded sound. These critics were making a common assumption—that the technological inadequacies of earlier efforts (poor synchronization, weak sound amplification, fragile sound recordings) would invariably occur again. To be sure, their evaluation of the technical flaws in 1920 s sound experiments was not so far off the mark, yet they neglected to take into account important new forces in the motion picture field that, in a sense, would not take no for an answer.

　　These forces were the rapidly expanding electronics and telecommunications companies that were developing and linking telephone and wireless technologies in the 1920s. In the United States, they included such firms as American Telephone and Telegraph. General Electric, and Westinghouse They were interested in all forms of sound technology and all potential avenues for commercial exploitation.

　　Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. ■With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures. ■In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. ■At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. ■In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreign sound films). The triumph of sound cinema was swift, complete, and enormously popular.

　　Paragraph 1：The shift from silent to sound film at the end of the 1920s marks, so far, the most important transformation in motion picture history. Despite all the highly visible technological developments in theatrical and home delivery of the moving image that have occurred over the decades since then, no single innovation has come close to being regarded as a similar kind of watershed. In nearly every language, however the words are phrased, the most basic division in cinema history lies between films that are mute and films that speak.

　　1. The word regarded in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○ analyzed

　　○ considered

　　○ altered

　　○ criticized

　　2. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is the most significant development in the history of film?

　　○ The technological innovation of sound film during the 1920s

　　○ The development of a technology for translating films into other languages

　　○ To argue that dams should not be built on the Euphrates River

　　○ The technological improvements allowing clearer images in films

　　Paragraph 2：Yet this most fundamental standard of historical periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. Nearly every movie theater, however modest, had a piano or organ to provide musical accompaniment to silent pictures. In many instances, spectators in the era before recorded sound experienced elaborate aural presentations alongside movies’ visual images, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced dialogue narratives to original musical compositions performed by symphony-size orchestras in Europe and the United States. In Berlin, for the premiere performance outside the Soviet Union of The Battleship Potemkin, film director Sergei Eisenstein worked with Austrian composer Edmund Meisel (1874-1930) on a musical score matching sound to image; the Berlin screenings with live music helped to bring the film its wide international fame.

　　3. The word paradoxes in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○ difficulties

　　○ accomplishments

　　○ parallels

　　○ contradictions

　　4. Why does the author mention Japanese benshi and original musical compositions?

　　○ To suggest that audiences preferred other forms of entertainment to film before the transition to sound inthe1920‘s

　　○ To provide examples of some of the first sounds that were recorded for film.

　　○ To indicate some ways in which sound accompanied film before the innovation of sound films in the late 1920s

　　○ To show how the use of sound in films changed during different historical periods

　　5. Paragraph 2 suggests which of the following about Eisenstein’s film The Battleship Potemkirf?

　　○ The film was not accompanied by sound before its Berlin screening.

　　○ The film was unpopular in the Soviet Union before it was screened in Berlin.

　　○ Eisenstein’s film was the first instance of collaboration between a director and a composer.

　　○ Eisenstein believed that the musical score in a film was as important as dialogue.

　　Paragraph 3：Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound has overshadowed the rich diversity of technological and aesthetic experiments with the visual image that were going forward simultaneously in the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shaped screen sizes, multiple-screen projections, even television, were among the developments invented or tried out during the period, sometimes with startling success. The high costs of converting to sound and the early limitations of sound technology were among the factors that suppressed innovations or retarded advancement in these other areas. The introduction of new screen formats was put off for a quarter century, and color, though utilized over the next two decades for special productions, also did not become a norm until the 1950s.

　　6. The word overshadowed in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○ distracted from

　　○ explained

　　○ conducted

　　○ coordinated with

　　7. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is NOT true of the technological and aesthetic experiments of the 1920‘s?

　　○ Because the costs of introducing recorded sound were low, it was the only innovation that was put to use inthe1920’s.

　　○ The introduction of recorded sound prevented the development of other technological innovations in the 1920‘s

　　○ The new technological and aesthetic developments of the 1920s included the use of color, new screen formats, and television.

　　○ Many of the innovations developed in the 1920s were not widely introduced until as late as the 1950’s.

　　Paragraph 4：Though it may be difficult to imagine from a later perspective, a strain of critical opinion in the 1920 s predicted that sound film would be a technical novelty that would soon fade from sight, just as had many previous attempts, dating well back before the First World War, to link images with recorded sound. These critics were making a common assumption—that the technological inadequacies of earlier efforts (poor synchronization, weak sound amplification, fragile sound recordings) would invariably occur again. To be sure, their evaluation of the technical flaws in 1920 s sound experiments was not so far off the mark, yet they neglected to take into account important new forces in the motion picture field that, in a sense, would not take no for an answer.

　　8. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　○ It was difficult for some critics in the 1920s to imagine why the idea of sound film had faded from sight well before the First World War.

　　○ As surprising as it seems today, some critics in the 1920s believed that the new attempts at sound films would fade just as quickly as the attempts made before the First World War.

　　○ Though some early critics thought that sound film would fade, its popularity during the First World War proved that it was not simply a technical novelty.

　　○ Although some critics predicted well before the First World War that sound film would be an important technical innovation, it was not attempted until the 1920s.

　　9. The word neglected in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○ failed

　　○ needed

　　○ started

　　○ expected

　　10. According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true about the technical problems of early sound films?

　　○ Linking images with recorded sound was a larger obstacle than weak sound amplification or fragile sound recordings

　　○ Sound films in the 1920s were unable to solve the technical flaws found in sound films before the First World War.

　　○ Technical inadequacies occurred less frequently in early sound films than critics suggested

　　○ Critics assumed that it would be impossible to overcome the technical difficulties experienced with earlier sound films.

　　Paragraph 5：These forces were the rapidly expanding electronics and telecommunications companies that were developing and linking telephone and wireless technologies in the 1920s. In the United States, they included such firms as American Telephone and Telegraph. General Electric, and Westinghouse They were interested in all forms of sound technology and all potential avenues for commercial exploitation.

　　11. In paragraph 5, commercial radio programming is best described as the result of

　　○ a financially successful development that enabled large telecommunications firms to weaken their competition.

　　○ the desire of electronics and telecommunications companies to make sound technology profitable.

　　○ a major development in the broadcasting industry that occurred before the 1920s.

　　○ the cooperation between telecommunications companies and the motion picture industry

　　Paragraph 6：Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures. In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreign sound films). The triumph of sound cinema was swift, complete, and enormously popular.

　　12. According to paragraph 6, which of the following accounts for the delay in the conversion to sound films in Europe?

　　○ European producers often lacked knowledge about the necessary equipment for the transition to sound films.

　　○ Smaller European producers were often unable to afford to add sound to their films.

　　○ It was often difficult to wire older cinemas in the major cities to play sound films.

　　○ Smaller European producers believed that silent films with music accompaniment were aesthetically superior to sound films.

　　Paragraph 6：Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. ■With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures. ■In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. ■At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. ■In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreign sound films). The triumph of sound cinema was swift, complete, and enormously popular.

　　13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

　　When this research resulted in the development of vastly improved sound techniques, film studios became convinced of the importance of converting to sound.

　　Where would the sentence best fit?

　　14．Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

　　The transition from silent to sound films was the most important development in film history.

　　●

　　●

　　●

　　Answer Choices

　　○ Although music and speech had frequently accompanied film presentations before the 1920s, there was a strong desire to add sound to the films themselves.

　　○ Because of intense interest in developing and introducing sound in film, the general use of other technological innovations being developed in the 1920s was delayed.

　　○ The rapid progress in sound technology made possible by the involvement of telecommunications companies transformed the motion picture industry.

　　○ Japanese filmmakers had developed the technology for creating sound films before directors in Europe and the United States began experimenting with sound

　　○ Before the First World War. Film directors showed little interest in linking images with recorded sound

　　○ The arrival of sound film technology in the United States forced smaller producers in the motion picture industry out of business.

　　?

　　参考答案：

　　1. ○2

　　2. ○1

　　3. ○4

　　4. ○3

　　5. ○1

　　6. ○1

　　7. ○1

　　8.○2

　　9. ○1

　　10. ○4

　　11. ○2

　　12. ○2

　　13. ○2

　　14. ○1 2 3

　　电影声音的演变

　　电影史上最为重大的一次过渡——电影从无声到有声的跨越发生在1920年的年底。尽管在戏剧和家庭成像的多元化方面更高级的视觉技术在之前已经发展了十年，依然没有一项类似的发明出现可以被归入这次转折。但是在所有语言中几乎都是这样描述的：电影史上最基本的分水岭就是从默片到电影中语音的加入。

　　这项历史周期中最基础的的标志性事件却隐藏在一系列的矛盾中。尽管在几乎每家庄重的剧院中，都有一架钢琴或是其他乐器来给无声的画面提供配乐。在一些实例中，录音时代之前的观众都亲历过那种在电影放映画面的同时旁边是复杂的音效呈现，从日本的benshi(口技)的多点音效的对话演绎到欧洲和美国由管弦交响乐乐队演奏的专门为电影谱写的曲谱。在柏林，为了能在露天公演的关于苏联的波利金战役，该片导演Sergei Eisenstein与奥地利的作曲家Edmund Meisel合作创作与电影相匹配的音效；柏林的放映电影的同时现场演奏音乐让这种电影形式有了国际影响力。

　　除此之外，录音的辉煌仍旧被遮挡在视觉呈现的丰富的技术和美学体验类型下直到1920年。在这期间充斥着新技术的发明或者提出，有一些甚至取得了成功，新的色彩处理，更大的和不同尺寸的屏幕，多屏放映的设计，甚至是电视。声音转化的高成本和早期声音技术的局限成为了抑制或妨碍了这些发明的在其所在领域的优势。新型屏幕设计的引进被推迟了25年，彩色，在接下来的20年除了用于特殊生产外，一直到1950年都还不是标准。

　　虽然这件在事后很难想象，但是在1920年一个倾向性的批判性观点预测有声电影仅仅作为一项新奇的技术将会迅速从视线中退去，就像之前的许多试图将图像与录音连接在一起的尝试一样，而这可以追溯到一战之前。这些批评家都持有一个共同的假设，那就是早期成果的技术缺陷仍将不可避免的发声（较差的同步性，微小的音量和断断续续的录音）。为了证实这个观点，他们在1920年的声音试验中所估测的技术缺陷仍然很大，之后他们就不再对这一电影范畴内的重要力量进行考虑了，从某种意义上说，是不再特意的关注结果。

　　而在1920年，这个了力量急速的扩张发展出了连接电话与无线电工艺的电子公司和电子通讯公司。在美国，他们包括了像美国电话与电报这样的公司。通用电器公司，威斯汀豪斯都对声音技术的各种形式和一切商业开发潜力表示感兴趣

　　在1920年的早期，这些竞争与合作开创了美国的广播产业，开始引入了商业广播节目。由于财富贡献明显的比那些电影工业的多，而且他们在娱乐与交互媒体之间的关系上有一个更广的看法，他们重启了电影配音的研究，一个粗略的统计表明，1929年美国的电影产业放出了超过300部有声电影，同时还有一定数量的默片音轨，或者为电影准备两个版本以照顾一些还没有声音部件的电影院。美国在生产环节的转换最终完成与1930年。欧洲要稍微晚一点更多是因为他们有很多小型的无法负担音效成本的生产商，另一部分原因是对于专利权和许可领域问题而使设备的配备拖延了声音产业的转变很多年（尽管很多大城市的电影院为了播放外国电影可能已经添加了设备）。有声电影取得了胜利，并迅速，完全，广泛的流行起来

　　1与文中“regarded”意思最接近的是

　　分析

　　考虑

　　警觉

　　评判

　　2根绝文中第1段，下列哪一项是电影史最有影响力的进步

　　1920年有声电影技术的发明

　　将电影翻译为其他语言的技术

　　讨论幼发拉底河不应该建大坝

　　技术设备使电影图像更清晰

　　3与文中“paradoxes”意思最接近的是

　　困难

　　完成

　　相似

　　矛盾

　　4为什么作者会提到Japanese bensh和 original musical？

　　提出在1920年音效演变前的观众喜好电影的其他娱乐部分

　　举了一个关于早期使用录音音效的例子

　　指出几种在1920年末有声电影发明前声音配合电影的例子

　　展示在不同的历史时期声音是如何在电影中应用的

　　5下列哪项观点是符合文中第二段所提Eisenstein的电影《波切利的战斗》

　　在这部电影在柏林公映之前没有电影使用配乐

　　在这部电影在柏林公映之前电影在苏联不怎么流行

　　Eisenstein的电影是导演与作曲家开展合作的首个实例

　　Eisenstein相信音乐在电影中和对白一样重要

　　6与文中“overshadowed”意思最接近的是

　　分心

　　解释

　　带领

　　同步

　　7根据文章第3段，下列关于1920年的技术与美学试验不正确的是

　　由于引入录音的成本很低，所以只作为一个1920年投入使用的发明

　　1920年录音的引入妨碍了其他科技发明的发展

　　1920年新技术与美学的进步包括使用彩色，新的屏幕设计和电视

　　许多在1920年发展出来的技术在1950年以前并没有得到推广

　　8下列那句话是对文中划线部分主旨的最好诠释？错误的选项偷换了概念或者偏离了原意

　　1920时很多批评家很难想象为什么有声电影的设想会在一战前消退

　　今天看来很惊奇的是，在1920年时的批评家认为有声电影的新尝试会像一战前的其他尝试那样迅速的消退

　　尽管当时的一些批评家认为有声电影会消退，它在一战期间流行还是证明了他不仅仅是一个新奇技术那么简单

　　机关一些批评家都很好的预言了在一战前有声电影是一个重要的技术发明，在1920年之前仍旧无人尝试

　　9 与文中词语“neglected”意思最接近的是

　　否定

　　需要

　　开始

　　拒绝

　　10根据文中第4段，下列哪一项关于早期有声电影技术问题的描述是正确的

　　联结图像与录音的阻碍要比音量小或者录音残缺更大

　　1920年的有声电影没有能力解决一战以前有声电影所存在的技术缺陷

　　在早期的有声电影中技术缺陷的发生频率要比批评家说的少

　　批评家假设早期有声电影的技术难题几乎不可能被克服

　　11在文中第五段中，商业性的广播频道是下列哪项原因的最好体现

　　一个商业性的成功发展可以是大型电子通讯企业打败他们的竞争者

　　关于电子和电子通讯公司的需求是声音技术盈利化

　　广播产业的巨大进步发生在1920年前

　　电子通讯公司和电影产业的合作

　　12根据文中第6段，下列那一项是解释了欧洲有声电影转变的推迟

　　欧洲的生产商普遍缺乏关于装换成有声电影所需要的必须装备的知识

　　小型的欧洲生产商普遍无力负担在它们的电影中增加音效的费用

　　主要城市的老旧的电影院普遍很难安装设备播放有声电影

　　小型欧洲生产商认为默片配音乐在美学角度比有声电影高级

　　13看见文中抠出的四个[■]，指出下面这句话最应该搁在哪？

　　当这项研究导致了声音技术的极大发展，电影工作室开始证明加入音效的重要性

　　哪个坑最合适？

　　14提示：下面是一个对文章的简短概括的句子，通过它选出最能表达文章最重要观点的三个句子，其中一些句子不是总结性的因为他的观点没有出现在文章中或者只是文章的一个细节，这个题2分

　　从膜片到有声电影的转变是电影史上最重要的进步。

　　备选答案

　　尽管在1920年以前，音乐和讲话已经频繁的配合电影的放映，在电影植入声音仍然是强烈的诉求。

　　由于在电影中发展和引入声音的兴趣高涨，其他一般性的技术发明的发展在1920年被延误了

　　声音技术的飞速发展使电子通讯公司转投电影产业成为可能

　　日本电影人早在欧洲和美国的导演开始试验声音前就发展出了制造电影音效的技术

　　在一战前，电影导演对联结录音和画面没什么兴趣

　　在美国有声电影技术的到来促使小规模的生产商被淘汰出电影产业

　　在一战前，电影导演对联结录音和画面没什么兴趣

　　在美国有声电影技术的到来促使小规模的生产商被淘汰出电影产业