Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Most forms of property are concrete and tangible, such as houses, cars, furniture or anything else that is included in one’s possessions. Other forms of property can be intangible, and copyright deals with intangible forms of property. Copyright is a legal protection extended to authors of creative works, for example, books, magazine articles, maps, films, plays, television shows, software, paintings, photographs, music, choreography in dance and all other forms of intellectual or artistic property.
Although the purpose of artistic property is usually public use and enjoyment, copyright establishes the ownership of the creator. When a person buys a copyrighted magazine, it belongs to this individual as a tangible object. However, the authors of the magazine articles own the research and the writing that went into creating the articles. The right to make and sell or give away copies of books or articles belongs to the authors, publishers, or other individuals or organizations that hold the copyright. To copy an entire book or a part of it, permission must be received from the copyright owner, who will most likely expect to be paid.
Copyright law distinguishes between different types of intellectual property. Music may be played by anyone after it is published. However, if it is performed for profit, the performers need to pay a fee, called a royalty. A similar principle applies to performances of songs and plays. On the other hand, names, ideas, and book titles are excepted. Ideas do not become copyrighted property until they are published in a book, a painting or a musical work. Almost all artistic work created before the 20th century is not copyrighted because it was created before the copyright law was passed.
The two common ways of infringing upon the copyright are plagiarism and piracy. Plagiarizing the work of another person means passing it off as one’s own. The word plagiarism is derived from the Latin plagiarus, which means “abductor”. Piracy may be an act of one person, but, in many cases, it is a joint effort of several people who reproduce copyrighted material and sell it for profit without paying royalties to the creator. Technological innovations have made piracy easy and anyone can duplicate a motion picture on videotape, a computer program, or a book. Video cassette recorders can be used by practically anyone to copy movies and television programs, and copying software has become almost as easy as copying a book. Large companies zealously monitor their copyrights for slogans, advertisements, and brand names, protected by a trademark.
With which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree?
A. Teachers are not allowed to make copies of published materials for use by their students
B. Plays written in the 16th century cannot be performed in theaters without permission
C. Singers can publicly sing only the songs for which they wrote the music and the lyrics
D. It is illegal to make photographs when sightseeing or traveling
Đáp án A.
Key words: author, agree.
Clue: “To copy an entire book or a part of it, permission must be received from the copyright owner, who will most likely expect to be paid”: Để sao chép toàn bộ một cuốn sách hoặc một phần của nó thì phải nhận được sự cho phép của người sở hữu bản quyền và phải trả tiền bản quyền cho họ.
Vậy ta chọn đáp án A. Teachers are not allowed to make copies of published materials for use by their students: Tác giá bài viết này có lẽ sẽ đồng ý nhất với việc các giáo viên không được phép sao chép các tài liệu đã được xuất bản để cho học sinh sử dụng. Các đáp án còn lại lờ sai:
B. Plays written in the 16th century cannot be performed in theaters without permission: Các vở kịch được viết vào thế kỳ 16 không thể được trình diễn trong nhà hát mà không được phép.
C. Singers can publicly sing only the songs for which they wrote the music and the lyrics: Ca sĩ chỉ có thể hát công khai những bài hát do họ đã sáng tác nhạc và lời.
D. It is illegal to make photographs when sightseeing or traveling: Chụp ảnh khi đi tham quan du lịch là phạm pháp