IMAGE AND THE CITYIn the city, we a

IMAGE AND THE CITY
In the city, we are barraged with images of the people we might become. Identity is presented as plastic, a matter of possessions and appearances; and a very large proportion of the urban landscape is taken up by slogans, advertisements, flatly photographed images of folk heroes - the man who turned into a sophisticated dandy overnight by drinking a particular brand of drink, the girl who transformed herself into a femme fatale with a squirt of cheap scent. The tone of the wording of these advertisements is usually pert and facetious, comically drowning in its own hyperbole. But the pictures are brutally exact: they reproduce every detail of a style of life, down to the brand of cigarette-lighter, the stone in the ring, and the economic row of books on the shelf.
Yet, if one studies a line of ads across from where one is sitting on a tube train, these images radically conflict with each other. Swap the details about between the pictures, and they are instantly made illegible. If the characters they represent really are heroes, then they clearly have no individual claim to speak for society as a whole. The clean-cut and the shaggy, rakes, innocents, brutes, home-lovers, adventurers, clowns all compete for our attention and invite emulation. As a gallery, they do provide a glossy mirror of the aspirations of a representative city crowd; but it is exceedingly hard to discern a single dominant style, an image of how most people would like to see themselves.
Even in the business of the mass-production of images of identity, this shift from the general to the diverse and particular is quite recent. Consider another line of stills: the back-lit, soft-focus portraits of the first and second generations of great movie stars. There is a degree of romantic unparticularity in the face of each one, as if they were communal dream-projections of society at large. Only in the specialised genres of westerns, farces and gangster movies were stars allowed to have odd, knobbly cadaverous faces. The hero as loner belonged to history or the underworld: he spoke from the perimeter of society, reminding us of its dangerous edges.
The stars of the last decade have looked quite different. Soft-focus photography has gone, to be replaced by a style which searches out warts and bumps, emphasises the uniqueness not the generality of the face. Voices, too, are strenuously idiosyncratic; whines, stammers and low rumbles are exploited as features of 'star quality'. Instead of romantic heroes and heroines, we have a brutalist, hard-edged style in which isolation and egotism are assumed as natural social conditions.
In the movies, as in the city, the sense of stable hierarchy has become increasingly exhausted; we no longer live in a world where we can all share the same values, the same heroes. (It is doubtful whether this world, so beloved of nostalgia moralists, ever existed; but lip-service was paid to it, the pretence, at least, was kept up.) The isolate and the eccentric push towards the centre of the stage; their fashions and mannerisms are presented as having as good a claim to the limelight and the future as those of anyone else. In the crowd on the underground platform, one may observe a honeycomb of fully-worked-out worlds, each private, exclusive, bearing little comparison with its nearest neighbour. What is prized in one is despised in another. There are no clear rules about how one is supposed to manage one's body, dress, talk, or think. Though there are elaborate protocols and etiquettes among particular cults and groups within the city, they subscribe to no common standard.
For the new arrival, this disordered abundance is the city's most evident and alarming quality. He feels as if he has parachuted into a funfair of contradictory imperatives. There are so many people he might become, and a suit of clothes, a make of car, a brand of cigarettes, will go some way towards turning him into a personage even before he has discovered who that personage is. Personal identity has always been deeply rooted in property, but hitherto the relationship has been a simple one - a question of buying what you could afford, and leaving your wealth to announce your status. In the modern city, there are so many things to buy, such a quantity of different kinds of status, that the choice and its attendant anxieties have created a new pornography of taste.
The leisure pages of the Sunday newspapers, fashion magazines, TV plays, popular novels, cookbooks, window displays all nag at the nerve of our uncertainty and snobbery. Should we like American cars, hard-rock hamburger joints, Bauhaus chairs ...? Literature and art are promoted as personal accessories: the paintings of Mondrian or the novels of Samuel Beckett 'go' with certain styles like matching handbags. There is in the city a creeping imperialism of taste, in which more and more commodities are made over to being mere expressions of personal identity. The piece of furniture, the pair of shoes, the book, the film, are important not so much in themselves but for what they communicate about their owners; and ownership is stretched to include what one likes or believes in as well as what one can buy.

34 What does the writer say about advertisements in the first paragraph?
A Certain kinds are considered more effective in cities than others.
B The way in which some of them are worded is cleverer than it might appear.
C They often depict people that most other people would not care to be like.
D The pictures in them accurately reflect the way that some people really live.

35 The writer says that if you look at a line of advertisements on a tube train, it is clear that
A city dwellers have very diverse ideas about what image they would like to have.
B some images in advertisements have a general appeal that others lack.
C city dwellers are more influenced by images on advertisements than other people are.
D some images are intended to be representative of everyone's aspirations.

36 What does the writer imply about portraits of old movie stars?
A They tried to disguise the less attractive features of their subjects.
B Most people did not think they were accurate representations of the stars in them.
C They made people feel that their own faces were rather unattractive.
D They reflected an era in which people felt basically safe.

37 What does the writer suggest about the stars of the last decade?
A Some of them may be uncomfortable about the way they come across.
B They make an effort to speak in a way that may not be pleasant on the ear.
C They make people wonder whether they should become more selfish.
D Most people accept that they are not typical of society as a whole.

38 The writer uses the crowd on an underground platform to exemplify his belief that
A no single attitude to life is more common than another in a city.
B no one in a city has strict attitudes towards the behaviour of others.
C views of what society was like in the past are often inaccurate.
D people in cities would like to have more in common with each other.

39 The writer implies that new arrivals in a city may
A change the image they wish to have too frequently.
B underestimate the importance of wealth.
C acquire a certain image without understanding what that involves.
D decide that status is of little importance.

40 What point does the writer make about city dwellers in the final paragraph?
A They are unsure as to why certain things are popular with others.
B They are aware that judgements are made about them according to what they buy.
C They want to acquire more and more possessions.
D They are keen to be the first to appreciate new styles.

Answers:

Kết quả (Việt) 1:

HÌNH ẢNH VÀ THÀNH PHỐTrong thành phố, chúng tôi barraged với hình ảnh của người dân chúng tôi có thể trở thành. Danh tính được trình bày như nhựa, một vấn đề của tài sản và xuất hiện; và một tỷ lệ rất lớn của cảnh quan đô thị được đưa lên bởi khẩu hiệu, quảng cáo, các hình ảnh chụp ảnh thẳng thừng của anh hùng dân gian - người đã biến thành một dandy tinh vi qua đêm bằng cách uống một thương hiệu riêng của thức uống, các cô gái người chuyển mình thành một femme fatale với một mực rẻ hương thơm. Những giai điệu của từ ngữ của những quảng cáo này thường là pert và khôi hài, comically chết đuối trong khoa trương pháp riêng của mình. Nhưng những hình ảnh brutally chính xác: họ sao chép mọi chi tiết của một phong cách của cuộc sống, xuống đến các thương hiệu của thuốc lá bật lửa, đá trong vòng, và dòng kinh tế của các cuốn sách trên kệ.Tuy vậy, nếu một nghiên cứu một dòng quảng cáo nằm đối diện với nơi một ngồi trên một chuyến tàu ống, những hình ảnh hoàn toàn xung đột với nhau. Trao đổi các chi tiết về giữa các hình ảnh, và họ ngay lập tức được thực hiện không thể đọc. Nếu ký tự đại diện cho họ thực sự là những anh hùng, sau đó họ rõ ràng đã không yêu cầu bồi thường cá nhân để nói chuyện cho xã hội như một toàn thể. Việc cắt và xù xì, rakes, người vô tội, brutes, nhà-những người yêu thích, nhà thám hiểm, clowns tất cả cạnh tranh cho chúng tôi sự chú ý và mời thi đua. Như là một bộ sưu tập, chúng tôi cung cấp một tấm gương bóng của nguyện vọng của một đám đông đại diện thành phố; nhưng nó là vượt khó khăn để phân biệt một phong cách thống trị duy nhất, một hình ảnh như thế nào hầu hết mọi người muốn để xem mình.Ngay cả trong kinh doanh mass-production hình ảnh của bản sắc, sự thay đổi từ tướng quân đa dạng và đặc biệt là khá gần đây. Xem xét một dòng tĩnh: trở lại ánh sáng, tập trung mềm chân dung của các thế hệ đầu tiên và thứ hai của ngôi sao điện ảnh tuyệt vời. Đó là một mức độ lãng mạn unparticularity khi đối mặt với mỗi một, như thể họ là ước mơ-dự xã của xã hội. Chỉ trong các thể loại đặc biệt của Tây, farces và gangster phim là sao có thể có odd, knobbly cadaverous khuôn mặt. Anh hùng là đơn độc thuộc về lịch sử hoặc địa ngục: ông đã nói từ chu vi của xã hội, nhắc nhở chúng ta về các cạnh nguy hiểm.Các ngôi sao của thập kỷ qua đã nhìn khá khác nhau. Tập trung mềm nhiếp ảnh đã đi, để thay thế bằng một phong cách mà tìm kiếm ra mụn cóc và da gà, emphasises sự độc đáo không quát của khuôn mặt. Giọng nói, quá, là kỹ lưỡng mang phong cách riêng; whines, stammers và thấp rumbles được khai thác như các tính năng của 'chất lượng sao'. Thay vì lãng mạn anh hùng và nhân vật nữ chính, chúng tôi có một brutalist, hard-edged phong cách trong đó cô lập và egotism được giả định là điều kiện xã hội tự nhiên.Trong phim, như trong thành phố, ý thức ổn định hệ thống phân cấp đã trở thành ngày càng cạn kiệt; chúng ta không còn sống trong một thế giới mà chúng tôi có thể tất cả chia sẻ cùng các giá trị, cùng một anh hùng. (Đó là nghi ngờ cho dù thế giới này, vì vậy yêu quý của nỗi nhớ moralists, đã từng tồn tại; nhưng dịch vụ môi được trả tiền để nó, tánh kiêu căng, tối thiểu, Giữ.) Isolate và lập dị đẩy về phía Trung tâm của sân khấu; thời trang và phong cách của họ được trình bày như có tốt một yêu cầu bồi thường để ánh đèn sân khấu và tương lai như những người của bất cứ ai khác. Trong đám đông trên nền tảng ngầm, một trong những có thể quan sát một tổ ong của thế giới đầy đủ-làm việc ra, mỗi riêng, độc quyền, mang ít so sánh với hàng xóm gần nhất của nó. Những gì được đánh giá cao trong một khinh thường ở khác. Không có không có quy tắc rõ ràng về làm thế nào một là nghĩa vụ phải quản lý của một cơ thể, ăn, nói chuyện hay suy nghĩ. Mặc dù có những giao thức phức tạp và nghi thức xã giao trong số cụ thể cults và nhóm trong phạm vi thành phố, họ đăng ký để có tiêu chuẩn phổ biến.For the new arrival, this disordered abundance is the city's most evident and alarming quality. He feels as if he has parachuted into a funfair of contradictory imperatives. There are so many people he might become, and a suit of clothes, a make of car, a brand of cigarettes, will go some way towards turning him into a personage even before he has discovered who that personage is. Personal identity has always been deeply rooted in property, but hitherto the relationship has been a simple one - a question of buying what you could afford, and leaving your wealth to announce your status. In the modern city, there are so many things to buy, such a quantity of different kinds of status, that the choice and its attendant anxieties have created a new pornography of taste.The leisure pages of the Sunday newspapers, fashion magazines, TV plays, popular novels, cookbooks, window displays all nag at the nerve of our uncertainty and snobbery. Should we like American cars, hard-rock hamburger joints, Bauhaus chairs ...? Literature and art are promoted as personal accessories: the paintings of Mondrian or the novels of Samuel Beckett 'go' with certain styles like matching handbags. There is in the city a creeping imperialism of taste, in which more and more commodities are made over to being mere expressions of personal identity. The piece of furniture, the pair of shoes, the book, the film, are important not so much in themselves but for what they communicate about their owners; and ownership is stretched to include what one likes or believes in as well as what one can buy.34 What does the writer say about advertisements in the first paragraph?A Certain kinds are considered more effective in cities than others.B The way in which some of them are worded is cleverer than it might appear. C They often depict people that most other people would not care to be like. D The pictures in them accurately reflect the way that some people really live.35 The writer says that if you look at a line of advertisements on a tube train, it is clear thatA city dwellers have very diverse ideas about what image they would like to have.B some images in advertisements have a general appeal that others lack.C city dwellers are more influenced by images on advertisements than other people are.D some images are intended to be representative of everyone's aspirations.36 What does the writer imply about portraits of old movie stars?A They tried to disguise the less attractive features of their subjects.B Most people did not think they were accurate representations of the stars in them.C They made people feel that their own faces were rather unattractive.D They reflected an era in which people felt basically safe.37 What does the writer suggest about the stars of the last decade?A Some of them may be uncomfortable about the way they come across.B They make an effort to speak in a way that may not be pleasant on the ear.C They make people wonder whether they should become more selfish.D Most people accept that they are not typical of society as a whole.38 The writer uses the crowd on an underground platform to exemplify his belief thatA no single attitude to life is more common than another in a city.B no one in a city has strict attitudes towards the behaviour of others.C views of what society was like in the past are often inaccurate.D people in cities would like to have more in common with each other.39 The writer implies that new arrivals in a city mayA change the image they wish to have too frequently.B underestimate the importance of wealth.C acquire a certain image without understanding what that involves.D decide that status is of little importance.40 What point does the writer make about city dwellers in the final paragraph?A They are unsure as to why certain things are popular with others.B They are aware that judgements are made about them according to what they buy.C They want to acquire more and more possessions. D They are keen to be the first to appreciate new styles.Answers: