The weather has been getting warmer in April but for most cinemas a cold wind is still blowing, partly due to the pandemic but also because of the growing popularity of online video platforms.
For many moviegoers in China, it’s not surprising to see cinemas closing as there have been signs for some time of difficulties in the industry.
In March, the movie box office in China was only 913 million yuan ( $143 million ), a decrease of 63.5 percent compared to the year before. At the same time, due to the lack of supply of new movies, the operating rate of cinemas continued to decline, and more than half of the theaters nationwide were closed for a short time.
As well as the epidemic, the rise of online video platforms in the past three years has also put pressure on cinemas. The quality of the product and the fact that new movies are directly available online has seen society gradually adapting to the streaming media model.
iQIYI has released a total of 33 movies since 2021.Other video platforms are also pushing for more movie rights for the audience. For 26-year-old Zixian, she hasn’t gone to the cinema for over three years since COVID-19 began at the end of 2019. For her, the expensive movie tickets and low expectations for new movies have kept her away from the cinema.
However, many industry insiders and moviegoers still believe that cinemas are a symbol within society and that their fortunes will revive as long as there are enough viewers and fans of cinema. Meanwhile, business insiders also believe there is still hope for the future of cinemas.
Xiao Fuqiu, a film critic based in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Monday that “ compared with media giants like Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video, I don’t think the Chinese online streaming platforms have caused a threat to the survival and development of cinemas. Instead, I think the two platforms are complementary (互补的) to each other. ”
1. Which of the following is NOT the reason for the decrease of the movie box office?A.The growing popularity of online video platforms. |
B.Shortage of new movies. |
C.Lack of attractive actors or actress. |
D.The pandemic COVID-19. |
A.Positive. | B.Negative. | C.Indifferent. | D.Neutral. |
A.Life style. | B.Fashion. | C.Film review. | D.Culture. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Black Panther
Type:Adventure
Running Time: 134 min.
Director:Ryan Coogler
Actors:Chadwick Boseman,Michael B. Jordan
With his father having died in the Civil War, Challa is the new ruler of the advanced kingdom of Wakanda. As the king,whenever a challenger for the crown announces his intentions, he must give up his powers and take them on in a physical challenge.
The Favourite
Type:Drama
Running Time: 120 min.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Actors:Emma Stone,Rachel Weisz
In the early 18th century, with Britain and France at war,a fragile Queen Anne occupies the throne as her close friend Lady Sarah Churchill governs the country in her stead,while tending to Anne' s ill health and changeable temper.
Green Book
Type:Drama
Running Time: 130 min.
Director: Peter Farrelly
Actors: Viggo Mortensen,Mahershala Ali
Tony Lip,an uneducated Italian American who's known for using his fists to get his way,is hired to drive world-class, famous pianist Don Shirley on a concert tour from Midwest to the Deep South. They must rely on"The Negro Motorist Green Book"to guide them to the few settlements that were then safe for blacks.
A Star Is Born
Type:Musical
Running Time: 135 min.
Director: Bradley Cooper
Actors:Bradley Cooper,Lady Gaga
When country music star Jackson Maine stops at a bar for a drink after a concert, he's both entertained and attracted by young nightclub singer Ally. He discovers that she writes songs as well as she is a talented singer, but hasn't had a chance to perform because of her look.
1. Which two films both looked into life of artists?A.Black Panther and The Favourite. |
B.A Star Is Born and Green Book. |
C.The Favourite and Green Book. |
D.A Star Is Born and The Favourite. |
A.adventure |
B.musical |
C.drama |
D.comedy |
A.Ryan Coogler. |
B.Yorgos Lanthimos. |
C.Peter Farrelly. |
D.Bradley Cooper. |
【推荐2】Musicals
The Tina Turner Musical
Address: Aldwych, Aldwych
Tube Station: Charing Cross, Map ref 2
Tina Turner didn’t just break the rules; she rewrote them. This new stage musical reveals the untold story of a woman who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender and race, featuring her much loved songs, and is directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Loyd.
Mon—Sat 7:30 pm, Thu & Sat 2:30 pm
£10—£85*|Length: 2h45, inc. interval
Tina the musical.com|0345 200 7981
The Phantom of the Opera
Address: Her Majesty’s, Haymarket
Tube Station: Piccadilly Circus, Map ref 21
By Andrew Lioyd Webber, directed by Hal Prince. The Phantom of the Opera continues to fascinate audiences, bringing the legendary love story to life on stage.
Mon—Sat 7:30 pm, Thu—Sat 2:30 pm
£25—£85*|Length: 2h30, inc. interval
The phantom of the opera.com|020 7087 7762
Thriller Live
Address: Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue
Tube Station: Piccadilly Circus, Map ref 26
Moonwalking through its 11th record-breaking year, this spectacular international hit show celebrates the carer of the world’s greatest entertainer.
Tue—Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 4:00 pm & 8:00 pm, Sun 3:30 pm & 7:30 pm
£30—£72.50*|Length: 2h20, inc. interval
Thriller live.com|0330 333 4812
School of Rock—The Musical
Address: Gillian Lynne, Drury Lane
Tube Station: Covent Garden/Holborn, Map ref 18
Based on the iconic, hit movie, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s irresistible new musical sees a failed rock star turn a class of straight-A pupils into a guitar-shredding band.
Mon, Wed—Sat 7:30 pm, Thu & Sat 2:30 pm, Sun 3:00 pm
£15—£75*|Length: 2h30, inc. interval
School of rock the musical. co.nk|020 7087 7750
1. If a couple are to watch The Tina Turner Musical from top seats, how much will they pay?
A.£30. | B.£20. | C.£170. | D.£140. |
A.The dramatic love story. | B.The exceptional rock band. |
C.The record-breaking sound effects. | D.The talent of ts creator Andrew Lloyd Webber. |
A.Thriller Live. | B.The Phantom of the Opera. |
C.School of Rock—The Musical. | D.The Tina Turner Musical. |
【推荐3】The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audience could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever. He sent camera team out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men, “Have you provided me with that sunset?”
“No, Sir,” the men answered.
The director was angry. “Why not?” he asked.
“Well,” one of the men answered, “we are on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset.”
“But I want a sunset!” the director shouted. “Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one.”
But then a young secretary had an idea. “Why don’t you photograph a sunrise,” she suggested, “and then play it backwards, Then it’ll look like a sunset.” “That’s a very good idea!” the director said. Then he turned to the camera team and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea.”
The camera team went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay. Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, Sir,” they said, and give it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio. “All right,” the director explained, “now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the sunset behind them.”
The “sunset” began, but after a quarter of a minute, the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera team to stop.
The birds in the film were flying backwards away from the beach.
1. One evening, the director sent his camera team out ______.A.to watch a beautiful sunset |
B.to find an actor and an actress |
C.to film a scene on the sea |
D.to meet the audience |
A.Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset |
B.Because he was angry about his team |
C.Because it was his secretary’s suggestion |
D.Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset |
A.The team followed the secretary’s advice. |
B.If you want to see a sunrise, the east coast is a place to go to. |
C.The camera team wasn’t able to film the scene the first day. |
D.The director ordered his team to stop filming the “sunset” |
A.it went well with the separation of the hero and heroine |
B.when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening |
C.it was more moving than a sunrise |
D.the ocean looked more than a sunrise |
A.because he was moved to tears |
B.as he saw everything in the film moving backwards |
C.as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined |
D.because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and the heroine |
【推荐1】Do you ever pull your phone out of your pocket, thinking it is vibrating (振动), only to find that it isn’t?
This phenomenon, which scientists call “phantom ( 幻 觉 的 ) phone vibration”, is very common. Around 80% of people surveyed say they have imagined their phones vibrating when they were actually still.
So, what leads to this universal behavior? According to the BBC, the explanation lies in your brain's ability to discover signals from the outside world.
When your phone is in your pocket, there are two possible states: It is either vibrating or not. Meanwhile, you also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is vibrating, or that it isn't. Ideally, you match the four states correctly. However, sometimes your braindecides that the consequences of missing a call are more serious than a "false alarm". Therefore, you become more sensitive to vibrations so that you don't miss anything.
This is just like the fire alarm in your home—it can be annoying when it goes off in response to just a tiny bit of smoke. But that's a small price to pay compared to a fire really breaking out because the alarm fails to alert( 警 醒 ) you. Now, you might still ask: why can't our brains just make every judgment correctly without being too sensitive to false signals? The answer is that your brain bears a heavy burden every day. "You get a large amount of sensory information that's coining from your eyes, ears and skin, and you can't deal with all that information all the time, " Michael Rothberg, a researcher at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, US, told Live Science.
For example, the rustling(沙沙声)of clothing or the growling (咕咕声) of your stomach may both lead your brain to believe that they come from the vibration of your phone——it is like trying to hear your name being called in a noisy room.
So, perhaps you should just check your phone whenever you think it's vibrating. It isn't too much trouble to do that, is it?
1. According to this passage, phantom phone vibration .A.is common among people with mental problems |
B.happens when we become more sensitive to vibrations so that we don't miss anything |
C.can measure people's ability to collect information |
D.helps our brains to make decisions quickly and accurately |
A.To help us understand the cause of phantom phone vibration better. |
B.To tell us the phone vibration usually happens when a fire breaks out. |
C.To show us the fire alarm is as sensitive as the phone vibration. |
D.To convince us it's important to check our phones like checking a fire alarm. |
A.A lack of much attention. | B.A noisy background. |
C.A large amount of sensory information. | D.A heavy burden every day. |
A.We should always fully believe our own sense of hearing. |
B.We should just check our phones when we think they're vibrating. |
C.We should ignore the vibration bothering when our phones are actually still. |
D.We should think of the vibration carefully before we make correct judgments. |
【推荐2】Do you ever feel guilty for relaxing, even after you’ve worked hard all day? Do you feel like you should be doing more despite working full hours and nearing burnout? You may be experiencing productivity dysmorphia (生产力畸形). It is a way to describe the feeling of failing to recognize your accomplishments and wanting to continue doing more, even when you’re running on fumes.
Author Anna Codrea-Rado who wrote an article about productivity dysmorphia claimed “it is the pursuit of productivity that drives us to do more while robbing us of the ability to enjoy any success we might encounter along the way”.
Highly competitive and job-led culture contribute to constantly pursuing productivity that eats away at other areas of life. In fact, you’re often praised for putting productivity above your well-being. Remember how schools rewarded perfect attendance? Similarly, companies prefer employees who get the maxi-mum work done while taking the fewest possible breaks. Rewards like these have strengthened that rest is bad and that being constantly at work is the right thing to do.
Plus, the problem isn’t that the boss tells them to do it, but rather that they internalize the need to always be productive even when they’re going some-where to enjoy leisure time. Habits like these may be born out of the social pressure to find self-worth in work achievements.
Some writers have even begun describing rest as productive, as if people should stop relaxing if it doesn’t improve performance in some way. Not only does this mindset make it difficult to view and celebrate your achievements, but it also pushes you to build your entire life around work. The only milestones that matter are achieving work goals. The worst part? There’s no sense of fulfillment when you reach these goals.
1. What do the underlined words “running on fumes” mean in Paragraph 1?A.Tired. | B.Excited. | C.Satisfied. | D.Disappointed. |
A.Minor competitiveness. | B.Pressure from jobs. |
C.Instructions from the boss. | D.Internalized needs. |
A.A man completes work in working hours. | B.A man enjoys leisure time with his family. |
C.A woman works everywhere at anytime. | D.A woman stops for a relaxation regularly. |
A.Favorable. | B.Negative. | C.Unconcerned. | D.Neutral. |
【推荐3】When did you last write a letter? Properly write one—by hand? In a digital world, sending a text or email is far more convenient than using traditional mail. Well, some people claim that writing still has many benefits, so maybe it’s not time to throw away your ballpoint or fountain pen yet.
These days, when people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted. Doing this on a computer means it could be saved, edited, copied and sent via email. But doing a handwritten document is unique: it requires planning and thought, and, as well as practicing your handwriting, it helps you to remember selling and punctuation.
Some experts believe your brain benefits from using old-fashioned pen and paper. This is particularly related to students, because typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the “tactile feedback” (触觉回馈) to the brain. They think taking note by hand involve cognitive engagement (认知参与) in summarizing, paraphrasing organizing, concept and vocabulary mapping. They also agree that handwriting may improve fine movement skills in your hands and fingers.
There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper too. Writing notes, shopping lists or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and convenient. But putting pen to paper in a letter to a friend or loved one can probably have the most influence. Pen pal writer Katherine Moller told the BBC: “In a word where it is so easy to get online email or to send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone choose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”
So, while digital skills remain important, don’t get rid of your pens and pencils yet-especially if your smartphone, tablet or laptop runs out of power!
1. Two questions are asked in paragraph 1 to ________.A.offer background information | B.ask for opinions |
C.show disagreement | D.lead to the topic |
A.Because it involves planning, thought and handwriting. |
B.Because it creates spelling and punctuation. |
C.Because it does harm to hands and fingers. |
D.Because it helps the brain recover from disease. |
A.There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper. |
B.Writing by hand to someone shows true emotion. |
C.It is not easy to email or to send a fast text today. |
D.Digital sills are always important and necessary. |
A.It’s Time to Throw Away Your Pens |
B.A World with Writing by Hand |
C.Do We Still Need to Write by Hand? |
D.The Birth of Writing by Hand |
【推荐1】The kakapo is the world’s heaviest and only flightless parrot. Now, some scientists are using advanced technology to rescue the endangered kakapos. If successful, the techniques used may help save other bird species as well.
The few remaining kakapos live on three small islands, where their progress can be monitored through a smart device. Once found in large numbers across New Zealand, the cute bird, which can weigh up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms), is now heading to extinction. While cruel predators (捕食者) such as foxes, cats, and snakes are largely to blame, the kakapo’s strange habits of laying eggs don’t help either. For starters, the parrots, which can live up to 100 years, do not start laying eggs until the age of five.
Scientists have set up individual feeding stations for all the birds to keep track of how much they eat. Given the difficulties to increasing the population, it is not surprising that only 114 adult parrots remain. Though the number is low, it is a great improvement over the 51 kakapos that remained on Earth in 1995. The increase of its population results from the government’s decision to remove the 51 birds to three small predator-free islands off the coast of New Zealand, and the efforts of a team led by Andrew Digby, a kakapo scientist for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
A four-day-old kakapo chick will receive a health check. Young chicks in nests are examined and weighed every night, to ensure they are healthy.
Once the birds lay eggs, the eggs are carefully moved from the nests and taken to a hatching (孵化) room to hatch. “We tend to be more successful at raising kakapo eggs than the kakapo,” says Digby. “We break less of them. ” Once the eggs hatch, each mother is given only one chick, while the rest of the newborns are hand-fed (人工喂养). This helps ensure they all receive enough food.
1. What makes the kakapo unique in the parrot family?A.Its food. | B.Its way of hatching. |
C.Its feather. | D.Its flightless heavy body. |
A.The way it feeds the young. | B.The environment it needs to live in. |
C.The nature of its natural enemies. | D.The cause of its being endangered. |
A.Giving the kakapos a new home without natural enemies. |
B.Setting up individual feeding stations for the kakapos. |
C.Building a fence to keep the predators away. |
D.Driving all the predators nearby away. |
A.To help the mother kakapo keep laying eggs. |
B.To make every chick get enough food to survive. |
C.To protect the mother kakapo from the predators. |
D.To protect the chick from being killed by accident. |
【推荐2】When should a child begin to take music lessons? To answer this question, it’s important to look at the reasons why a parent might want their child to take music lessons.
There is a growing body of research that shows a “window of opportunity” from birth to age nine for developing a musical sensibility within children. During this time, the mental structures and mechanisms(机制) associated with processing and understanding music are in the best stages of development. And that is why it is important to expose children in this age range to music.
The important question then is not when to start lessons, but the goal of music lessons for young children. For example, very young children are exposed to instruments not to master them, but to gain experience and learn to develop meaningful relationships with music. If this is your goal, then the “lessons“ can and should start soon after birth and certainly within the child’s first year. These “lessons” do not have to be-in fact, at first probably shouldn’t be very formal.
Once the child is around age three, it may be time for more formalized “lessons”. Again, the goal is not to learn to play an instrument but to further develop skills like identifying(识别) a beat in music, identifying melody, or identifying instruments.
By age five, most children have built a foundation that has prepared them for formalized music lessons. Even now, the goal of the lessons is not to become a great performer on the instrument but the same as when they play music at three. Piano and violin are the two most common instruments played at his age, but others have tried the recorder, guitar, or ukulele with success.
By age ten, the child will have a variety of skills associated with their instrument of choice. They’ll also have the physical strength to try a different, bigger instrument that requires a higher level of strength and determination. Around this time, the goal of lessons properly changes from gaining experience with music to improving performance ability.
1. Why does the author mention the research finding in Paragraph 2?A.To tell us how to develop a musical sensibility. |
B.To explain the phrase “window of opportunity”. |
C.To inform a new finding in the field of child development. |
D.To show the importance of experiencing music at a young age. |
A.To learn to play an instrument. |
B.To just have some fun with others. |
C.To recognize different musical instruments |
D.To become a great performer on an instrument. |
A.At the age of 1. | B.At the age of 3. |
C.At the age of 5. | D.At the age of 10. |
A.The reasons to take music lessons. |
B.The right age to begin music lessons. |
C.The importance of formal music education. |
D.The best way to learn a musical instrument. |
【推荐3】The appearance of text-to-video artificial intelligence (Al) technology has the potential to completely change advertising, movie trailers and short video industries, as Sora, a new AI model developed by US-based AI research company OpenAI — creator of chatbot ChatCPT — has recently become a global topic, experts said.
They added that the multimodal (多模态) large language model, which can produce high-resolution video clips based on given texts, is an undoubted future development direction for generative AI and will bring strong motivation (动力) into a new round of industrial development.
Sora can generate videos up to a minute long while keeping visual (视觉的) quality, OpenAI said. It can make complex scenes with multiple characters, specific types of motion, and accurate (准确的) details of the subject and background. The model understands what the user has asked for and how those things exist in the physical world.
Liu Xingliang, director of the Beijing-based Data Center of China Internet, a research institute specializing in the internet industry, said Sora is undoubtedly a major breakthrough for AI. “It shows AI’s advanced ability to understand and create complex visual content and brings about huge opportunities and challenges for content creation, entertainment and film and television production industries. The video-generation model will help video content creators turn their ideas into reality at a faster speed and at a lower cost.” Liu said, adding that AI is expected to play a more important role in all aspects of human lives in the future. He said that with advancements in AI technology, traditional film and TV production processes and related business models will likely be reshaped.
Still, it does not necessarily mean the disappearance of traditional film and industries, and more effort is needed to explore new artistic forms and expression methods by integrating AI technology.
Meanwhile, experts say using text-to-video AI models raises concerns about ethics (道德准则), copyright protection, personal privacy leakage and data security. Ensuring the authenticity and transparency (透明性) of the content has become an important issue, and more effort is needed to make rules and regulations to ensure the healthy development of such technology.
1. What can be known about text-to-video AI technology?A.It is popular with movie trailers. | B.It creates videos based on given pictures. |
C.It will pose a threat to film-related industries. | D.It can produce scenes lasting at least one minute. |
A.By bringing an end to them. | B.By attracting more people to them. |
C.By increasing the production costs. | D.By motivating them to explore new forms. |
A.Imperfect. | B.Profitable. | C.Time-consuming. | D.Cutting-edge. |
A.The Impact of Text-to-Video AI on Creative Industries |
B.Sora: The Next Breakthrough in AI-Powered Video Generation |
C.Exploring the Ethical Rules of Text-to-Video AI Technology |
D.Offering Opportunities and Challenges in AI-Driven Content Creation |