📖 原文
(1) Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as "silent", the (2) film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, (3) music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment; when the Lumière films were (4) shown at the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they (5) were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the music played (6) bore no special relationship to the films; an accompaniment of any kind was sufficient. (7) Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn (8) film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their (9) pieces to the mood of the film. (10) As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist, (11) would be added to the pianist in certain cases, and in the larger movie theaters small (12) orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film (13) program rested entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and (14) very often the principal qualification for holding such a position was not skill or taste (15) so much as the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the (16) conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown (if, indeed, (17) the conductor was lucky enough to see them then), the musical arrangement was (18) normally improvised in the greatest hurry. (19) To help meet this difficulty, film distributing companies started the practice of pub- (20) lishing suggestions for musical accompaniments. In 1909, for example, the Edison Com- (21) pany began issuing with their films such indications of mood as "pleasant," "sad," (22) "lively." The suggestions became more explicit, and so emerged the musical cue sheet (23) containing indications of mood, the titles of suitable pieces of music, and precise (24) directions to show where one piece led into the next. (25) Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these (26) early special scores was that composed and arranged for D. W. Griffith's film Birth of a (27) Nation, which was released in 1915.
❓ 试题解析
问题 10： 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
✅ 正确答案： B）played during silent films
📝 解析： 全文讨论无声电影时期的音乐伴奏：即兴演奏、乐队、提示单、专门创作的配乐。
💡 主旨题技巧： 看首段主题句（music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment）。
问题 11： 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.
✅ 正确答案： C）They incorporated the sound of the actors' voices.
📝 解析： 1927年之后有声电影出现，电影不再“silent”，包含了演员的声音。
💡 推理题技巧： 结合“before 1927 as ‘silent’”的隐含对比。
问题 12： The word “solemn” in line 7 is closest in meaning to
A. simple
B. serious
C. short
D. silent
✅ 正确答案： B）serious
📝 解析： “playing lively music to a solemn film” — solemn = 严肃的/庄重的。
💡 词汇题技巧： solemn = serious = grave。
问题 13： It can be inferred that orchestra conductors who worked in movie theaters needed to
A. be able to play many instruments
B. have pleasant voices
C. be familiar with a wide variety of music
D. be able to compose original music
✅ 正确答案： C）be familiar with a wide variety of music
📝 解析： “the principal qualification ... was the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces” — 需要拥有大量乐谱，熟悉各种音乐。
💡 推理题技巧： 定位“large personal library of musical pieces”。
问题 14： The word “them” in line 17 refers to
A. years
B. hands
C. pieces
D. films
✅ 正确答案： D）films
📝 解析： “the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before ... if ... lucky enough to see them then” — them 指 films。
💡 代词题技巧： 找 see 的宾语（films）。
问题 15： According to the passage, what kind of business was the Edison Company?
A. It produced electricity.
B. It distributed films.
C. It published musical arrangements.
D. It made musical instruments.
✅ 正确答案： B）It distributed films.
📝 解析： “film distributing companies started the practice ... the Edison Company began issuing with their films” — 爱迪生公司是电影发行公司。
💡 细节题技巧： 定位“film distributing companies”。
问题 16： It may be inferred from the passage that the first musical cue sheets appeared around
A. 1896
B. 1909
C. 1915
D. 1927
✅ 正确答案： B）1909
📝 解析： “In 1909, for example, the Edison Company began issuing ... suggestions ... so emerged the musical cue sheet。”
💡 推理题技巧： 定位时间标记（1909）。
问题 17： Which of the following notations is most likely to have been included on a musical cue sheet of the early 1900's?
A. "Calm, peaceful"
B. "Piano, violin"
C. "Key of C major"
D. "Directed by D. W. Griffith"
✅ 正确答案： A）"Calm, peaceful"
📝 解析： 提示单包含 mood indications（如 pleasant, sad, lively）— calm, peaceful 符合。
💡 细节题技巧： 定位“indications of mood”。
问题 18： The word “composed” in line 26 is closest in meaning to
A. selected
B. combined
C. played
D. created
✅ 正确答案： D）created
📝 解析： “music especially composed for them” — composed = 创作。
💡 词汇题技巧： compose = create = write。
问题 19： The word “scores” in line 26 is closest in meaning to
A. totals
B. successes
C. musical compositions
D. groups of musicians
✅ 正确答案： C）musical compositions
📝 解析： “early special scores” — scores = 乐谱/配乐作品。
💡 词汇题技巧： score = musical composition = sheet music。
问题 20： The passage probably continues with a discussion of
A. famous composers of the early twentieth century
B. other films directed by D. W. Griffith
C. silent films by other directors
D. the music in Birth of a Nation
✅ 正确答案： D）the music in Birth of a Nation
📝 解析： 末句提到 Birth of a Nation 是最著名的早期专门配乐，下文很可能继续讨论这部电影的音乐。
💡 续写题技巧： 看末句引入的具体例子。
🌐 中文翻译
尽管我们习惯于将1927年之前制作的电影称为“无声电影”，但电影从来就不是完全意义上的无声。从一开始，音乐就被视为不可或缺的 accompaniment；1896年2月在美国第一次公共电影展上放映卢米埃尔电影时，就伴随着流行曲调的钢琴即兴演奏。起初，演奏的音乐与电影没有特殊关系；任何形式的伴奏都足够了。然而，在很短的时间内，为严肃的电影演奏 lively 音乐的不协调变得明显，电影钢琴师开始注意使他们的乐曲与电影的情绪相匹配。 随着电影院数量和重要性的增长，在某些情况下，小提琴手（也许还有大提琴手）会被增加到钢琴师的行列，在较大的电影院里则组成了小型管弦乐队。在若干年里，每个电影节目音乐的选择完全掌握在管弦乐队的 conductor 或 leader 手中，而担任这一职位的主要 qualification 往往不是技巧或品味，而是拥有大量个人乐谱库。由于 conductor 很少在放映前一晚看到电影（如果 conductor 足够幸运能看到的话），音乐编排通常是在极度的 hurry 中即兴完成的。 为了帮助解决这一困难，电影发行公司开始实践为音乐伴奏出版建议的做法。例如，1909年，爱迪生公司开始随其电影发行“愉快”、“悲伤”、“活泼”等情绪 indications。这些建议变得更加 explicit，于是出现了音乐提示单，包含情绪指示、合适乐曲的标题，以及显示一首乐曲如何过渡到另一首的 precise directions。 有些电影有专门为其创作的音乐。这些早期专门配乐中最著名的是为 D. W. 格里菲斯的电影《一个国家的诞生》创作和编排的配乐，该片于1915年发行。
🏷️ 标签：#托福阅读 #真题解析 #备考资料
