Question

    Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft.

Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every MP3 downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版行为) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.

There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it. One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to provide permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.

Although we don’t spread today’s music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music. However, internet piracy would prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profit to continue their music careers.

1.The underlined phrase “cracking down on” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A.bringing up carefully B.speaking highly of

C.dealing seriously with D.destroying completely

2.What can we infer from the text?

A.Artists are taking action to protect their right.

B.Sharing music files online affects a lot of people.

C.Online music sharing increases sales of music CD.

D.A person who bought a CD has the right to share it online.

3.How is the text organized?

A.Topic—Argument—Explanation.

B.Opinion—Discussion—Description.

C.Main idea—Comparison—Supporting statements.

D.Introduction—Supporting statements—Conclusion.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A.Music piracy is kind of theft. B.Sharing music is Acceptable.

C.Downloading music should be punished. D.Music piracy is good for music lovers.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章主要讲述了未经允许在网上分享音乐是偷窃行为，并从其造成的不利影响和侵权方面作了分析，同时提倡了人们需要购买自己的音乐，这样艺术家才能获得足够的利润来继续他们的音乐事业。

1.词义猜测题。根据划线短语所在句“This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice.”可知，前后分句由and连接，为顺承关系，且前一句提及“This can lead to many problems(这会导致很多问题)”，根据常识和顺承关系可以推知后一句在表达音乐公司在采取措施解决问题。因此可以推知划线词组“cracking down on”应与选项C“dealing seriously with(认真处理)”表达含义一致。故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第二段第4句至末尾内容“To truly understand the influence of music piracy on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.( 要真正了解音乐盗版对创作者的影响，必须了解有多少人参与了录制过程。对于每张专辑的销售，利润必须在音乐家、音响工程师、音乐制作人、经理、广告商和销售产品的公司之间分享。许多人认为共享音乐只会影响唱片艺术家，但事实是，共享会损害所有相关公司的业务。)”可知，在线分享音乐会影响一些相关的很多人。故选B项。

3.推理判断题。分析可知，第一段提出中心话题-- Sharing music online without permission is theft.；第二段讲述网络分享音乐对所有创作者的不利影响；第三段从侵权方面讲述了其不当之处；第四段总结全文（Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profit to continue their music careers.）因此，本文的段落结构为总分总结构。故选D项。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章结构为总分结构，第一段提出了本文的中心话题：Sharing music online without permission is theft.( 未经允许在网上分享音乐是偷窃行为。)。选项A “Music piracy is kind of theft.( 音乐盗版是一种盗窃行为。)”贴合主旨要义。故选A项。