Bài đọc 1: The Digital Revolution in Music Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each …
Câu 1: shallow. Câu 2: diversified. Câu 3: While offering unprecedented global accessibility, the transition to digital ubiquity and algorithmic curation risks diminishing the cultural depth and human connection that define music.. Câu 4: The revenue models currently employed by dominant digital platforms provide a fair and equitable financial distribution for both superstars and independent creators.. Câu 5: the heavy reliance on algorithmic recommendations may lead to a standardized musical landscape where unique and independent artistic voices struggle to be heard. Câu 6: [III]. Câu 7: listening to an album. Câu 8: The financial inequality and the loss of genuine human connection in music discovery.. Câu 9: The ease of using algorithms might cause us to lose our ability to listen to music with focus and understand its deeper meanings.. Câu 10: Money paid by fans of niche artists is often pooled together to reward the most-played global superstars on the platform..
Chi tiết câu hỏi
Bài đọc 1: The Digital Revolution in Music
Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 17 to 26.
The digital revolution has brought about a widespread presence of music, changing the essential nature of music from a special artistic object to a common background service. While streaming platforms celebrate the “democratization” of sound, this large amount of music often hides a worrying trend: the change of music into a commercialized product. In the past, listening to an album was often a special ritual; today,it is frequently reduced to a stream of data designed to fill the silence of our daily travel or housework.
As algorithms choose tracks to suit specific moods or activities, the historical and cultural background of a song is often removed[I]. A protest song or a religious hymn may be placed in a “mellow” playlist simply because its speed is slow, ignoring the message and intent of the creator. This leaves behind a short-lived auditory experience that requires almost no thinking from the listener, as the machine decides what is important[II]. The depth of the music is ignored in favor of its basic utility, leading to a superficial connection with art.
[III]. Central to this shift is the rise of the “skip-rate” as the main way to measure musical value. In the digital era, a song must capture the listener’s interest within the first few seconds to survive, and artists often sacrifice creative complexity for it. This pressure to be instantly satisfying means that slow introductions or complex instrumental parts are often taken out. Consequently, the once-vibrant landscape of musical subcultures is being flattened into a single stream of optimized sounds. The “middle ground” of music—experimentally yet easy to listen to—is disappearing, leaving only the very popular or the completely invisible.
Furthermore, the money-making models of large platforms give high rewards to global superstars while leaving independent creators with very small earnings. Under the current system, the money paid by a fan of an independent artist often goes into a large pool that rewards the most-played stars. This financial inequality is made worse by the loss of human control in music discovery: when a machine decides what is relevant, the natural connection between vision and soul is lost.The true cost of this algorithmic convenience may be the loss of our ability to listen deeply[IV]. To protect music as a human expression, we must become active listeners again.
The word “superficial” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _____.
shallow
complex
deep
meaningful
Lời giải
"Superficial" nghĩa là hời hợt, nông cạn, gần nghĩa nhất với "shallow".
The word “flattened” in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _____.
compressed
simplified
diversified
leveled
Lời giải
"Flattened" trong bài chỉ sự đồng nhất hóa, mất đi sự đa dạng. Trái nghĩa là "diversified" (đa dạng hóa).
Which of the following best summarises the passage?
While offering unprecedented global accessibility, the transition to digital ubiquity and algorithmic curation risks diminishing the cultural depth and human connection that define music.
Algorithmic curation tends to categorize tracks primarily to suit specific moods or daily activities, inadvertently stripping songs of their original historical and cultural backgrounds.
The digital revolution has turned music into a ubiquitous background service, sparking major concerns about the financial inequality between global superstars and independent artists.
The increasing reliance on the “skip-rate” metric across digital platforms forces modern artists to sacrifice creative complexity in exchange for immediate listener engagement.
Lời giải
Đáp án A bao quát được cả lợi ích (khả năng tiếp cận) và rủi ro (mất chiều sâu văn hóa và kết nối con người) mà bài viết đề cập.
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
The current “skip-rate” metric encourages musicians to prioritize immediate engagement over the structural and intellectual complexity of their compositions.
The revenue models currently employed by dominant digital platforms provide a fair and equitable financial distribution for both superstars and independent creators.
Algorithmic curation often involves removing the historical and cultural background of a song to make it fit into specific functional categories.
Streaming platforms have transitioned the status of music from a significant artistic object to a pervasive service that functions as background noise.
Lời giải
Bài viết nêu rõ mô hình doanh thu hiện tại gây bất bình đẳng, không hề công bằng (fair and equitable).
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
the current financial inequalities suggest that independent creators could regain their artistic soul and financial stability by completely returning to physical record sales
the heavy reliance on algorithmic recommendations may lead to a standardized musical landscape where unique and independent artistic voices struggle to be heard
the pressure created by the “skip-rate” metric indicates that complex instrumental parts are no longer technically compatible with modern digital streaming softwares
the transformation of music into a background service implies that modern composers now intentionally design their works specifically for daily travel and housework
Lời giải
Sự phụ thuộc vào thuật toán làm âm nhạc bị chuẩn hóa (standardized) và khiến các nghệ sĩ độc lập khó có tiếng nói.
Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit? “As a result, songs requiring deep attention are systematically marginalized.”
[III]
[II]
[IV]
[I]
Lời giải
Câu này chỉ ra kết quả của việc âm nhạc trở nên hời hợt và chuẩn hóa, phù hợp đặt trước đoạn giải thích về "skip-rate".
The word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to _____.
the digital revolution
a stream of data
a background service
listening to an album
Lời giải
Từ “it” thay thế cho cụm “listening to an album” đã được nhắc ở vế trước.
What is the main focus of paragraph 4?
The positive connection between automated statistical algorithms and human soul.
The specific ways independent creators can easily compete with global superstars.
The financial inequality and the loss of genuine human connection in music discovery.
The technical operation of the “pro-rata” revenue system on digital platforms.
Lời giải
Đoạn 4 tập trung vào sự bất bình đẳng tài chính và việc mất đi kết nối thực sự giữa con người.
Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
Reclaiming the transformative power of music requires a complete rejection of all modern automated services in favor of traditional methods of discovery.
Algorithmic convenience is the only tool we have to ensure that deep listening remains a core component of the modern musical experience.
The ease of using algorithms might cause us to lose our ability to listen to music with focus and understand its deeper meanings.
The financial success of the digital music industry is directly linked to the listener’s capacity for intentional engagement with complex artistic expressions.
Lời giải
Câu gạch chân cảnh báo sự tiện lợi của thuật toán có thể làm mất khả năng lắng nghe sâu và hiểu ý nghĩa âm nhạc.
According to the passage, what happens under the current money-making models of large platforms?
It ensures that every artist receives a fair share of the subscription fees paid specifically by their own dedicated listeners.
It provides independent creators with the financial resources necessary to experiment with longer and more complex musical compositions.
It encourages listeners to spend more time exploring obscure genres by offering financial incentives for discovering new independent artists.
Money paid by fans of niche artists is often pooled together to reward the most-played global superstars on the platform.
Lời giải
Bài viết nêu rõ tiền từ fan của nghệ sĩ nhỏ thường chảy vào quỹ chung để trả cho các siêu sao.
