For a century and a half the piano has been one of the most popular solo instruments for Western music. Unlike string and wind instruments, the piano is completely self- sufficient, as it is able to play both the melody and its accompanying harmony at the same time. For this reason, it became the favorite household instrument of the nineteenth century.
The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early keyboard instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries-the spinet, the dulcimer, and the virginal. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century. The clavichord's tone was never powerful, nevertheless, because of the variety of tone possible to it, many composers found the clavichord a sympathetic instrument for intimate chamber music. The harpsichord with its bright, vigorous tone was the favorite instrument for supporting the bass of the small orchestra of the period and for concert use but the character of the tone could not be varied save by mechanical or structural devices .
The piano was perfected in the early eighteenth century by a harpsichord maker in Italy (though musicologists point out several previous instances of the instrument). This instrument was called a piano e forte (soft Mid loud), to indicate its dynamic versatility; its strings were struck by a recoiling hammer with a felt-padded head. The wires were much heavier in. the earlier instruments. A series of mechanical improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or to soften it, the perfection of a metal frame, and steel wire of the finest quality, finally produced an instrument capable of myriad tonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to sharp, percussive brilliance.
Question 36. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The historical development of the piano
B. The quality of tone produced by various keyboard instruments
C. The uses of keyboard instruments in various types of compositions
D. The popularity of the piano with composers
Question 37. Which of the following instruments was widely used before the seventeenth century?
A. The harpsichord B. The spinet C. The clavichord D. The organ
Question 38. The word “supplanted” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_____________.
A. supported B. promoted C. replaced D. dominated
Question 39. The word "it" in paragraph 2 refers to the_____________.
A. variety B. music C. harpsichord D. clavichord
Question 40. According to the passage, what deficiency did the harpsichord have?
A. It was fragile B. It lacked variety in tone
C. It sounded metallic D. It could not produce a strong sound
Question 41. According to the information in the last paragraph, which of the following improvements made it possible to lengthen the tone produced by the piano?
A. The introduction of pedals B. The use of heavy wires
C. The use of felt-padded hammerheads D. The metal frame construction
Question 42. The word "myriad" in line 22 is closest in meaning to_____________ .
A. noticeable B. many C. loud D. unusual
12. Đề thi thử THPT 2021 - Tiếng Anh - Nhóm GV MGB - Đề 12 - có lời giải
