Question

【题目】 Do you know there is a connection between music and language? You may not believe it. But recent studies give us the answer: Music can improve certain language abilities in the brain. Now, let's look at two examples.

Recently, researcher Kris has done a research which shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability. In his study, he divided the people into two groups. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the other group had no musical training. He asked these people to listen to a person talking in a noisy room. As a result, the musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

You may wonder why. The answer is that musicians can hear better because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists. When they play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others’ too. But they must listen closely to what they are playing, and pay no attention to the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to focus on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of nose.

A doctor at Harvard Medical School works with stroke（中风）patients. These people cannot say their name, addresses or other information normally because of their illness. However, they can still sing. He was surprised to find that singing words helped his patients to speak. Why does this work? The doctor isn’t sure. Music seems to make different parts of the brain work, including the damaged（损坏的）parts. This might help patients to use that part of the brain again.

Music can improve concentration（注意力）, memory, listening skills and overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better. Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp as we get older. Music is not only enjoyable but also good for us in many other ways.

【1】Musicians can hear better in a noisy room because they_________

A.can focus on certain soundsB.are cleverer than normal people

C.are trained to hear noisesD.have a gift in this

【2】The underlined word "sharp" probably means “_________"in the last paragraph.

A.quick to reactB.having a thin edge

C.strong or forcefulD.sudden and rapid

【3】What is the passage mainly about'?

A.Music can improve our hearing abilities.B.The relationship between music and language.

C.Music can keep our brain clear.D.Singing words can help sick people.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】A

【3】B

【解析】

你知道音乐和语言之间有什么关系吗？研究者们通过研究表明音乐可以提高大脑中的某些语言能力。短文中作者通过两个例子对此做出了解释。

【1】细节理解题。根据短文第三段 “The answer is that musicians can hear better because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds.”可知，第二段介绍的这个实验表明音乐家们在比较吵闹的房间里听力更好，这是因为他们学会了关注特定的声音。故选A。

【2】词义猜测题。根据该词的上句话 “Music can improve concentration（注意力）, memory, listening skills and overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better.” 可知，音乐可以提高注意力、记忆力、听的技能以及综合语言能力，能帮助病人变得更好。这说明音乐对于我们的大脑是有积极的作用的。该词所在的句子 “Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp as we get older.”说“演奏乐器或唱歌可以帮助我们在学校表现更好，当我们变老的时候保持我们的大脑……”，A选项“反应快”符合语境。故选A。

【3】主旨大意题。A“音乐可以提高我们的听力”；B“音乐和语言之间的关系”；C“音乐可以使我们的大脑清楚”；D“歌词能帮助病人”。根据短文第一段 “Do you know there is a connection between music and language? But recent studies give us the answer: Music can improve certain language abilities in the brain.”可知，这篇短文介绍的是音乐和语言之间的关系，即音乐可以提高大脑中某些语言能力。故选B。