Theshiftfrom silent tosoundfilmat the end of the 1920s marks, so far, the most importanttransformationinmotionpicturehistory. Despite all the highlyvisibletechnologicaldevelopments in theatrical and home delivery of the movingimagethat have occurred over the decades since then, no singleinnovationhas come close to beingregardedas asimilarkind of watershed. In nearly every language, however the words are phrased, the mostbasicdivisionin cinemahistorylies between films that are mute and films that speak.

Yet this mostfundamentalstandardof historical periodization conceals ahostof paradoxes. Nearly every movie theater, howevermodest, had a piano or organ to providemusicalaccompaniment to silent pictures. In many instances, spectators in theerabefore recordedsoundexperiencedelaborateauralpresentations alongside movies'visualimages, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced dialogue narratives tooriginalmusicalcompositions 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,filmdirectorSergei Eisenstein worked with AustriancomposerEdmund Meisel (1874-1930) on amusicalscorematchingsoundtoimage; the Berlin screenings with live music helped to bring thefilmits wide international fame.

Beyond that, thetriumphof recordedsoundhas overshadowed the richdiversityoftechnologicalandaestheticexperiments with thevisualimagethat were goingforwardsimultaneously in the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shapedscreensizes, multiple-screen projections,eventelevision, were among the developments invented or tried out during the period, sometimes withstartlingsuccess. The high costs of converting tosoundand the early limitations ofsoundtechnology were among the factors that suppressed innovations or retarded advancement in these other areas. Theintroductionof newscreenformats was put off for a quartercentury, and color, though utilized over the next two decades forspecialproductions, also did not become a norm until the 1950s.

Though it may be difficult to imagine from a laterperspective, astrainofcriticalopinion in the 1920s predicted thatsoundfilmwould be atechnicalnoveltythat would soonfadefrom sight, just as had manypreviousattempts, dating well back before the First World War, to link images with recordedsound. These critics were making acommonassumption—that thetechnologicalinadequacies of earlier efforts (poorsynchronization, weaksoundamplification,fragilesoundrecordings) wouldinvariablyoccuragain. To be sure, their evaluation of thetechnicalflaws in 1920ssoundexperiments was not so far off the mark, yet they neglected to take intoaccountimportant new forces in themotionpicturefieldthat, in asense, 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 andTelegraph, General Electric, and Westinghouse. They were interested in all forms ofsoundtechnology and allpotentialrevenues forcommercialexploitation. Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcastingindustryin the United States, beginning with theintroductionofcommercialradio programming in the early 1920s. Withfinancialassetsconsiderablygreater than those in themotionpictureindustry, and perhaps a widervisionof the relationships among entertainment and communicationsmedia, they revitalized research into recordingsoundformotionpictures.

In 1929 the United Statesmotionpictureindustryreleased more than 300soundfilms—aroughfigure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to takeaccountof the many cinemas not yet wired forsound. At the productionlevel, in the United States theconversionwasvirtuallycomplete by 1930. In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs ofsoundwere prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights oraccessto equipment delayed theshifttosoundproduction for a few more years (though cinemas inmajorcities may have been wired in order to play foreignsoundfilms). Thetriumphofsoundcinema wasswift, complete, and enormouslypopular.

Questions:
question_stem: The word “regarded” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: analyzed

tag: B
text: considered

tag: C
text: altered

tag: D
text: criticized
answer_key: B
explanation: B regard: 尊重，视为，关心。A 是分析；B 是视为，考虑；C 是改变；D 是批评。所以 B 的 consider 视为正确。 对应原文 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. 本句说尽管有了很多技术发展，但没有像 watershed 的。前面的 innovation 和后面的 watershed 是一类词，所以 alter 和 criticize 不对，A 的 analyze 分析完全不靠谱。

question_stem: According to paragraph 1, which of the following is the most significant development in the history of film?
choices: tag: A
text: The technological innovation of sound film during the 1920s

tag: B
text: The development of a technology for translating films into other languages

tag: C
text: The invention of a method for delivering movies to people's homes

tag: D
text: The technological improvements allowing clearer images in films
answer_key: A
explanation: A 以 most significant development 做关键词，虽然原文没有，但第一句有 the most important transformation 关键词意思相同。说从默片到有声电影是最重要的 development，所以 A 正确，其他答案都没说。

question_stem: The word “paradoxes” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: difficulties

tag: B
text: accomplishments

tag: C
text: parallels

tag: D
text: contradictions
answer_key: D
explanation: D, paradox: 矛盾，悖论，自相矛盾的话。A 是困难；B 是成就；C 是平行，匹敌者。所以 D 的 contradictions 矛盾正确。 对应原文 Yet this most fundamental standard of historical periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. 原句说这个基本的 standard 掩盖了一个 paradox，后句说默片时代也有钢琴或者其他乐器跟电影一起出演，也就不是完全静默，所以 paradox 应该是矛盾，A 困难和 B 成就都与后文的解释无关；默片和乐器伴奏一个有声一个无声，不是 parallel 平行。

question_stem: Why does the author mention “Japanese benshi” and “original musical compositions”?
choices: tag: A
text: To suggest that audiences preferred other forms of entertainment to film before the transition to sound inthe1920's

tag: B
text: To provide examples of some of the first sounds that were recorded for film

tag: C
text: To indicate some ways in which sound accompanied film before the innovation of sound films in the late 1920s

tag: D
text: To show how the use of sound in films changed during different historical periods
answer_key: C
explanation: 功能目的题，先看所在的句子，说那时候的 spectator 会听到很多 aural presentation，紧接着就说 from 这个 to 那个，也就是说这两个东西都是 aural presentation，所以答案是 C。A 的 other forms of entertainment，B 的 recorded 和 D 的 change 都没说。

question_stem: Paragraph 2 suggests which of the following about Eisenstein’s film The Battleship Potemkirf?
choices: tag: A
text: The film was not accompanied by sound before its Berlin screening.

tag: B
text: The film was unpopular in the Soviet Union before it was screened in Berlin.

tag: C
text: Eisenstein’s film was the first instance of collaboration between a director and a composer.

tag: D
text: Eisenstein believed that the musical score in a film was as important as dialogue.
answer_key: A
explanation: A 以 Einsenstein 做关键词定位至最后一句，说在柏林，电影导演才第一次与一个作曲家合作，所以答案是 A。B 没说，原文只说柏林的演出带来了 international fame，没说之前 unpopular；C 的 first collaboration 没说；D 的一样重要没说。

question_stem: The word “overshadowed” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: distracted from

tag: B
text: explained

tag: C
text: conducted

tag: D
text: coordinated with
answer_key: A
explanation: A overshadow: 遮阴，使失去色彩。所以 distract 困扰，使分心正确。over 在……之上，shadow 影子，荫凉。所以整个词就是遮阴之意。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, which of the following is NOT true of the technological and aesthetic experiments of the 1920's?
choices: tag: A
text: Because the costs of introducing recorded sound were low, it was the only innovation that was put to use in the 1920's.

tag: B
text: The introduction of recorded sound prevented the development of other technological innovations in the 1920's.

tag: C
text: The new technological and aesthetic developments of the 1920s included the use of color, new screen formats, and television.

tag: D
text: Many of the innovations developed in the 1920s were not widely introduced until as late as the 1950's.
answer_key: A
explanation: A EXCEPT 题，排除法。A 的 cost 定位至倒数第二句，但 high 和 low 是反的，所以 A 错，选；B 的 other technological innovation 定位至第一句，正确，不选；C 的 color 和 screen 定位至第二句，正确，不选；D 的1950s 定位至最后一句话，正确，不选。

question_stem: 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.
choices: tag: A
text: 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.

tag: B
text: 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.

tag: C
text: 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.

tag: D
text: 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.
answer_key: B
explanation: B 原句的主要逻辑是比较状语从句。原句的主干就是电影会 fade，就像之前的很多次尝试一样。A 完全改变了原文，把 difficult 和后面的 critic 硬拼到一起；B 正确；C 把 fade 放在了 though 之后，而 though 之后的东西是与原文意思相反的，所以反了；D 错，不是在一战之前预测的。

question_stem: The word “neglected” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: failed

tag: B
text: needed

tag: C
text: started

tag: D
text: expected
answer_key: A
explanation: A  neglect: 忽视。A 是失败，B 是需要，C 是开始，D 是期盼。所以 A 的 fail 正确。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true about the technical problems of early sound films?
choices: tag: A
text: Linking images with recorded sound was a larger obstacle than weak sound amplification or fragile sound recordings.

tag: B
text: Sound films in the 1920s were unable to solve the technical flaws found in sound films before the First World War.

tag: C
text: Technical inadequacies occurred less frequently in early sound films than critics suggested.

tag: D
text: Critics assumed that it would be impossible to overcome the technical difficulties experienced with earlier sound films.
answer_key: D
explanation: D 以 technical problem 做关键词，原文没有，但原文有 technological inadequacies，与 technical problem 同义，读所在句，说这些 problem 会 occur again，也就是 D 说的没法 overcome，其他都没说。

question_stem: In paragraph 5, commercial radio programming is best described as the result of
choices: tag: A
text: a financially successful development that enabled large telecommunications firms to weaken their competition.

tag: B
text: the desire of electronics and telecommunications companies to make sound technology profitable

tag: C
text: a major development in the broadcasting industry that occurred before the 1920s

tag: D
text: the cooperation between telecommunications companies and the motion picture industry
answer_key: B
explanation: B   以 commercial radio programming 做关键词定位至第三句，说这些公司的合作和竞争创造了 industry，D 是个有点儿迷惑的选项，注意是公司之间的联系，不是电影业和公司的联系；C 没说；B 正确，公司的竞争和合作都是为了赚钱，所以 B 的 profitable 正确；A 的削弱竞争原文没说。

question_stem: According to paragraph 6, which of the following accounts for the delay in the conversion to sound films in Europe?
choices: tag: A
text: European producers often lacked knowledge about the necessary equipment for the transition to sound films.

tag: B
text: Smaller European producers were often unable to afford to add sound to their films.

tag: C
text: It was often difficult to wire older cinemas in the major cities to play sound films.

tag: D
text: Smaller European producers believed that silent films with music accompaniment were aesthetically superior to sound films.
answer_key: B
explanation: B，以 Europe 做关键词定位至倒数第二句，问题问原因，那么句中 because 后的是答案，有声电影的成本对于小制片商太高，所以 B 正确。A 的 lack knowledge 原文没说；C 原文括号说可能已经 wired 了，所以 C 说反；D 原文没说。