Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 2
There’s no business like show business—but in Los Angeles, it feels like there’s no business at all. If that sounds melodramatic, consider this: The Art Directors Guild, a labor union representing about 3,000 film workers, has suspended a training program and issued a statement explaining that “we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession”. This is a reaction to Hollywood’s decline, which is reaching a critical point for the industry and Southern California.
Production has been slipping away from Hollywood since the 1950s, but the effects have never been more apparent than at present. Other regions in the United States, Canada and Europe have steadily increased incentives to attract TV shows and movies, leaving California in the dust. Georgia offers up to 30% in transferable tax credits on film and TV production costs, plus an additional 10% increase on the base tax credit if the project includes a Georgia promotional logo.
Even as California lost a huge volume of production to other locations, there was still plenty of film production taking place in Los Angeles before this year. We were kept afloat by “peak TV”, the glut of content that was required by the explosion of streaming services.
But 2022 was the peak of peak TV. Back then platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV hemorrhaged billions of dollars to generate content to attract new subscribers, resulting in 633 scripted series being released that year. As the streamers’ emphasis changed from subscriber growth to profitability, prices for the services went up and the number of new shows went down to 481 released in 2023, with the number expected to dip into the 300s within a few years.
If productions in Southern California dip below a critical level for too long, the industry’s essential talent will drift away along with enormous sums of revenue. Persuading studios to film here would become much more challenging if we couldn’t offer a deep bench of local film workers, on-screen talent and local businesses that support the entertainment industry.
That’s why the California Film Commission and its Los Angeles counterpart, Film LA, now should act, before it’s too late. Those agencies and other government bodies should dramatically improve incentives to keep our current shows and attract new productions to Los Angeles. Let’s go on with the show … and make sure the show doesn’t go on without us.
26. The Art Directors Guild’s statement reveals
27. The example of Georgia is used to illustrate the efforts to
28. Peak TV passed its peak as
29. According to Paragraph 6, California’s entertainment industry might face
30. The author concludes the text by emphasizing that California should strive to
答案与解析 (Answers)
26. [D] the gloomy situation of Hollywood.
解析：第一段提到艺术指导工会（ADG）暂停了培训项目，并表示“凭良心不能再鼓励人们从事这个职业”。这反映了作者所说的“好莱坞的衰落正达到一个关键点”。这种“不推荐入行”的做法直接揭示了好莱坞目前惨淡/阴郁的现状（gloomy situation）。
27. [A] lure production with tax incentives.
解析：第二段提到其他地区通过增加“激励措施（incentives）”来吸引影视制作。随后举出佐治亚州的例子：提供高达30%的可转让“税收抵免（tax credits）”，如果包含宣传标志还加10%。这正是为了说明通过税收优惠政策来“诱引（lure）”制作，选A。
28. [B] streamers changed their strategic priorities.
解析：第四段解释了“巅峰电视（Peak TV）”终结的原因：流媒体平台的“重点从订阅者增长转向了盈利能力（emphasis changed from subscriber growth to profitability）”。这种战略重心的转移导致了制作数量的下降，即战略优先级的改变，选B。
29. [C] a brain drain to other places.
解析：第五段指出，如果制作水平长期过低，“行业的关键人才将会流失（essential talent will drift away）”。一旦缺乏本地工人、人才和支持企业，吸引制片厂就会变得更难。这种人才的外流即“人才流失（brain drain）”，选C。
30. [A] maintain its position in the industry.
解析：最后一段作者呼吁政府机构采取行动，“大幅提高激励措施以留住当前的节目并吸引新制作”。末尾那句“确保演出不会在没有我们的情况下继续（make sure the show doesn’t go on without us）”有力地强调了加州应该努力维持其在行业中的地位，选A。
核心长难句精解 (Highlighted Sentences)
1. 宾语从句与同位语：
"The Art Directors Guild, a labor union representing about 3,000 film workers, has suspended a training program and issued a statement explaining that “we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession”."
【解析】两个逗号之间是 同位语，解释说明 ADG 的身份。that 引导宾语从句，说明 statement 的具体内容。in good conscience 是个地道的短语，表示“凭良心”。
【翻译】艺术指导工会——一个代表着约3000名电影工作者的劳工组织——已经暂停了一项培训计划，并发布声明称：“凭良心，我们不能再鼓励你们从事我们的职业了。”
"The Art Directors Guild, a labor union representing about 3,000 film workers, has suspended a training program and issued a statement explaining that “we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession”."
【解析】两个逗号之间是 同位语，解释说明 ADG 的身份。that 引导宾语从句，说明 statement 的具体内容。in good conscience 是个地道的短语，表示“凭良心”。
【翻译】艺术指导工会——一个代表着约3000名电影工作者的劳工组织——已经暂停了一项培训计划，并发布声明称：“凭良心，我们不能再鼓励你们从事我们的职业了。”
2. 比较级与分词作状语：
"Other regions... have steadily increased incentives to attract TV shows and movies, leaving California in the dust."
【解析】leaving... in the dust 是现在分词短语作结果状语。leave sb in the dust 是个生动的习语，字面是“把某人留在尘土里”，实际意为“远远超过某人/让某人望尘莫及”。
【翻译】其他地区……一直在稳步增加激励措施以吸引电视剧和电影，使得加州望尘莫及。
"Other regions... have steadily increased incentives to attract TV shows and movies, leaving California in the dust."
【解析】leaving... in the dust 是现在分词短语作结果状语。leave sb in the dust 是个生动的习语，字面是“把某人留在尘土里”，实际意为“远远超过某人/让某人望尘莫及”。
【翻译】其他地区……一直在稳步增加激励措施以吸引电视剧和电影，使得加州望尘莫及。
3. 复杂的条件状语从句：
"Persuading studios to film here would become much more challenging if we couldn’t offer a deep bench of local film workers, on-screen talent and local businesses that support the entertainment industry."
【解析】if 引导虚拟条件句。a deep bench of 是个体育隐喻，原指“板凳深度”，这里指“雄厚的人才储备”。that 引导定语从句修饰 local businesses。
【翻译】如果我们不能提供雄厚的本地电影工作者、出镜人才以及支持娱乐产业的本地企业，那么说服制片厂来这里拍摄将会变得更具挑战性。
"Persuading studios to film here would become much more challenging if we couldn’t offer a deep bench of local film workers, on-screen talent and local businesses that support the entertainment industry."
【解析】if 引导虚拟条件句。a deep bench of 是个体育隐喻，原指“板凳深度”，这里指“雄厚的人才储备”。that 引导定语从句修饰 local businesses。
【翻译】如果我们不能提供雄厚的本地电影工作者、出镜人才以及支持娱乐产业的本地企业，那么说服制片厂来这里拍摄将会变得更具挑战性。