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The film-awards season, which reaches its tearful climax with the Oscars next week, has long been only loosely related to the film business. But this year's Oscar awards are less relevant than ever. The true worth of a film is no longer decided by the crowd that assembles in the Kodak Theatre—or, indeed, by any American. It is decided by youngsters in countries such as Russia, China and Brazil. Hollywood has always been an international business, but it is becoming dramatically more so. In the past decade total box-office spending has risen by about one-third in North America while more than doubling elsewhere. Falling DVD sales in America, by far the world's biggest home-entertainment market, mean Hollywood is even more dependent on foreign punters. The rising foreign tide has lifted films that were virtually written off in America, such as "Prince of Persia" and "The Chronicles of Narnia". The growth of the international box office is partly a result of the dollar's weakness. It was also helped by "Avatar", an eco-fantasy that made a startling $2 billion outside North America. But three things are particularly important: a cinema boom in the emerging world, a concerted effort by the major studios to make films that might play well outside America and a global marketing push to make sure they do. Growth is quick in China, where box-office receipts reached $1.5 billion last year. China's regulator has claimed that cinema screens are going up at a rate of three per day; some are IMAX screens that command higher ticket prices. The government allows only 20 non-Chinese films into the market each year, virtually guaranteeing big audiences for those that make the cut. Punters and censors alike warm to family films and movies that seem to reflect China's central place in the world. Thus, expect long queues for "Kung Fu Panda 2" this summer. Unfortunately, Hollywood has learned that great sales in China do not always translate into great profits. In America distributors tend to receive 50-55% of box-office receipts, with the rest going to the cinemas. In China, where Hollywood must use a domestic distributor, the proportion is roughly 15%. American films may be yanked in favour of domestic ones. The WTO has ordered China to reform, but few moguls expect it to. The success of a film outside America is not purely a marketing matter. As foreign box-office sales have become more important, the people who manage international distribution have become more influential, weighing in on "green-light" decisions about which films are made. The studios are careful to seed films with actors, locations and, occasionally, languages that are well-known in target countries. The growing internationalisation of the film business suits the biggest outfits, and not just because they can afford explosions. The major studios' power lies not so much in their ability to make good films—plenty of smaller operations can do that—but in their ability to wring every possible drop of revenue from a film. With their superior global marketing system and their ability to anticipate foreign tastes, they are increasingly dominating the market. For everyone else, there is a chance to win a gold statue.
单选题16.We can learn from Paragraph 1 and 2 that______.
单选题19.By citing the example of Kung Fu Panda 2 the author intends to______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】属意图题。根据题干的关键词“Kung Fu Panda 2”可迅速定位到第四段最后两句,文中提到中国观众和审查机构都热衷于能够体现中国在世界核心地位的电影,即带有中国元素的电影,故选项B为最佳答案。选项A和选项D强加联系,作者在此处提到《功夫熊猫2》同美国电影在中国发展所遭遇到的种种限制以及中国严格的审查制度并没有直接联系。选项C过于浅显,并不是作者拿该电影举例的直接原因。
单选题20.According to the author, what is the essential element in the success of a movie?