When we think of Hollywooda term I use loosely to describe American movie production in general, not simply films made in Los Angeleswe think of films aimed at amusing audiences and making money for producers.
During the early years of the new century, as workers won their demands for higher wages and a shorter working week, leisure assumed an increasingly important role in everyday life. Amusement parks, professional baseball games, nickelodeons 门票一律5分的无分戏院), and dance halls attracted a wide array of men and women anxious to spend their hard earned dollars in the pursuit of fun and relaxation. Yet of all these new cultural endeavors, films were the most important and widely attended source of amusement. For a mere five or ten cents, even the poorest worker could afford to take himself and his family to the local ickelodeon or storefront theatre. Taking root in urban working-class and immigrant neighborhoods, cinemas soon spread to middle-class districts of cities and into small communities throughout the nation. Every little town that has never been able to afford and maintain an opera house, observed one journalist in 1908, now boasts one or two Bijou Dreams. By 1910 the appeal of films was so great that nearly one-third of the nation flocked to the cinema each week; ten years later, weekly attendance equaled 50 percent of the nations population.
Early films were primarily aimed at entertaining audiences, but entertainment did not always come in the form of escapist fantasies. Many other issues were also portrayed on the screen. Between 1900 and 1917, observes Kevin Brownlow, literally thousands of films dealt with the most pressing problems of the daywhite slavery, political corruption, gangsterism, loansharking, slum landlords, capital vs. labor, racial prejudice, etc. While most of these films were produced by studios and independent companies, a significant number were made by what we might call today special interest groups. As films quickly emerged as the nations most popular form of mass entertainment, they attracted the attention of a wide range of organizations, which recognized the mediums enormous potential for disseminating propaganda to millions of viewers.
26. Hollywood may not be used to describe_______.
A. American movie production in general
B. films nfade in Los Angeles
C. an area in Los Angeles, famous because many popular films have been produced there
D. films aimed at amusing audiences and making money for them
27. It may be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. most of the film-goers were working people
B. films were more interesting than professional baseball games
C. people were eager to spend their money on amusement and relaxation
D. films were the most important and widely enjoyed amusement
28. Bijou Dreams in the 2nd paragraph probably refers to_______.
A. opera houses B. amusement parks
C. cinemas D. small and pretty places
29. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that_______.
A. many of the social and political problems were reflected on the screen of the films
B. films often dealt with the most important problems of the day
C. films quickly became a very popular form of entertainment
D. because of the large attendance, films had a great influence on a large number of people
30. The passage is about_______.
A. the termHollywood B. American movie production
C. the history and function of the film D. the early films
参考答案:
26. D 27. A 28. C 29. D 30. C
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The future of English 未来的英语语言变化
The problem with big brains 聪明大脑所带来的问题
White / blue-collar worker 白领,蓝领
Apple’s headphone headache? 令人头疼的新款苹果耳机
One good turn deserves another 以德报德,礼尚往来
A cashless society 无现金社会
In defence of shyness 为害羞的人辩护
Going forward 从今往后
It's on the cards 这件事十有八九会发生
Too much stuff 物质主义和简约主义
Bye bye Big Ben's bongs 与大本钟的钟声暂时告别
A recipe for disaster 后患无穷
Pain in the neck 令人讨厌的事情或人
Are you addicted to your phone? 你是不是玩手机上瘾了?
Until I'm blue in the face 任凭你磨破嘴皮
Is a game just a game? 游戏只是游戏吗?
Why do we laugh? 为什么我们会笑?
Online Shopping 网上购物-英语点津
Are you a team player? 你是一名具有团队精神的人吗?
Would you let your baby sleep in a box? 你愿意让自己的宝宝在盒子里睡觉吗?