1.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 instruments capable of myriad tonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to a ship, percussive brilliance.
十九世纪一系列持续的机械进步，包括踏板的传入、金属结构的完善和钢丝最完美的质量，最后产生了一种能容纳无数音调——从最精致的和弦到一个成熟管弦的声音或从一个清澈的歌声到辉煌的敲击乐的效果——的乐器。
2.Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1972 as “silent”， the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent.
虽然我们习惯于谈到1972年以前的电影是无声的，但用一句完全感性的话来说，电影从来就不是没有声音的。