题目内容

While music has value all by itself, researchers have long noticed that musicians also tend to be better at learning languages and show other improved reading and math abilities. Now a new study from the University of Washington by Christina Zhao shows that rhythm is an important bridge between music and speech as early as nine months of age.

Researchers randomly placed babies into two groups of 20 each, and each group played at the lab with their parents for a dozen 15-minute sessions over a month.

In one group, researchers played recordings of songs with a waltz rhythm and showed the parents how to help their babies tap out that 1-2-3 beat in time with the music on boy drums or with their feet. In the other group, children played with typical toys and no music.

The babies in the music group were better able to detect random mistakes in that rhythm when they heard it within two weeks of the last session. They also showed a stronger brain response to disruptions in the rhythm. For example, researchers would sometimes alter the timing of syllables(音节) by slightly shortening the middle sound of a word like bibbi to make it bibi—and the babies with music training were more likely to notice it.

In other words, music training not only improved the babies’ ability to notice when a musical rhythm skipped a beat, but also improved their ability to notice when the rhythms of speech changed unexpectedly, an important skill for learning to talk.

The study reflects Zhao’s personal experiences as a pianist who music in college, and as someone who speaks both Mandarin and English. She noticed that a lot of her fellow musicians were also good at learning other languages. “That really got me wondering how these two are related, “Zhao said.

1.What can we learn about the new study?

A. It included twenty babies.

B. The babies were grouped by age.

C. It was carried out in form of lab tests.

D. The two groups were offered different types of music.

2.According to the last paragraph, Christina Zhao ________.

A. will carry on with this study

B. is good at discovering hidden connections

C. is willing to share her personal experiences

D. began learning different languages during childhood

3.Which is the best title for the text?

A. Music Learners’ Advantages Over Language Learners

B. An Important Bridge Between Music and Babies

C. Researchers Prove Music’s Influence on Babies

D. Music Skills May Help Babies Learn Languages

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I believe some__________will be found to work together for world peace with the same sympathy and understanding that people worked to rescue little Kathy Fiskus. I believe God will ________bring this about.

1.A. decorated B. reflected C. included D. occupied

2.A. cook B. designer C. pilot D. swimmer

3.A. liners B. shops C. hotels D. offices

4.A. interesting B. smart C. lucky D. proud

5.A. drawing B. riding C. walking D. running

6.A. often B. never C. almost D. hardly

7.A. took over B. picked up C. got out D. brought in

8.A. place B. need C. search D. control

9.A. so B. but C. and D. or

10.A. how B. where C. which D. what

11.A. undiscovered B. unsettled C. unplanned D. unexpected

12.A. in B. from C. about D. on

13.A. favor B. pity C. belief D. sense

14.A. fell B. waved C. threw D. hid

15.A. school B. business C. rescue D. loan

16.A. produced B. transported C. furnished D. supposed

17.A. buses B. planes C. ships D. trains

18.A. worried B. satisfied C. amazed D. concerned

19.A. time B. road C. money D. way

20.A. someday B. forever C. nowhere D. therefore

My doorbell rings at 11 a.m. On the step, I find an elderly Chinese lady. She is small and slight. She holds a paper carrier bag in her hands.

I know this lady. It is by no means her first visit. Her daughter, Nicole, bought the house next door last October. Nicole, who is currently in Shanghai, has apparently told her mother that I am having heart surgery shortly, and the result is that her mother has decided I need to be supplied with meals.

I know what is inside the paper carrier bag — a stainless-steel container with a meal of rice, vegetables and either chicken, meat or shrimp. This has become an almost-daily occurrence.

Communication between my benefactor (恩人)and me is somewhat handicapped by the fact that she doesn’t speak English and all I can say in Mandarin is “hello”. Once, she brought an iPad and pointed to the screen, which displayed a message from Nicole telling me that her mother wanted to know if the food was all right.

“Your mother just can’t be bringing me meals like this all the time” I protested. “I can hardly reciprocate by cooking something from my native land, like roast beef or Yorkshire pudding for her” I said.

“Oh,no,” Nicole said. “Don’t worry about that. She has to cook for the family anyway, and she wants to do it for you. You can call her Wing, which is her surname.”

The tenant in my basement suite is a university student who speaks Mandarin quite well, so with her help, I have found out that Wing is 68—13 years younger than I am — and that she lived through the Cultural Revolution. For my part, I was raised in wartime Britain.

So here we are, two grandmothers a world away from where we were raised, neither of us able to speak the other’s language. But the doorbell keeps ringing and there is the familiar paper earner bag, handed smilingly to me by Wing.

Right now I am working on some more Mandarin words—it’s the least I can do after such a display of kindness.

“Thank you” is, of course,the first one, which somehow seems inadequate.

1.The author and Wing got to know each other .

A. as next door neighbors

B. when exchanging meals

C. by sharing similar experiences

D. after using an iPad to communicate

2.The underlined word “reciprocate” in Paragraph 5 probably means .

A. do as well B. offer generously

C. give in return D. accept with pleasure

3.The author’s effort to learn Mandarin shows her .

A. great satisfaction B. real kindness

C. heartfelt thanks D. sincere friendship

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