Question

【题目】

Clara sits at her desk deep in thought. She stares at the math problem in front of her desperately trying to remember how to solve it, but as she sits there her long list of homework plays over in her head, and she becomes overwhelmed. She bites her lip thinking and thinking. Then she hears a song on the radio. As she turns up the music, a wave of calm spreads over her body, she closes her eyes and listens to the music.When the song ends, Clara’s eyes open and she turns off the radio. She looks again at the troublesome question and sighs, “I remember how to do this now,” she says to herself. Then she finishes the problem, but this time calmer than before.

According to NPR news, 45% of teens say they are stressed by school pressures, such as homework and grades. High school, and all of the honors and AP courses, can stress out teens like Clara to the point of exhaustion, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Lots of students can use stress relievers to simmer down during their school day. Music can be one of those reliefs.

When the body is stressed, it releases cortisol (释放皮质醇), a life sustaining adrenal hormone (肾上腺荷尔蒙) nicknamed “the stress hormone”. By playing music, students stop the flow (流动) of cortisol released from their body, therefore returning to their normal, non-stressed self quicker than someone who didn’t hear or play any music.

When returning to this state, teens can think more clearly, with their stress gone. Music does not only calm the stressed mind, it develops creativity, as well as improving math and reading skills. A music class can help students who are stressed and give them an hour of relaxation during their day. This can help high schoolers have a clear mind to concentrate on their schoolwork. Adding music to a teen’s day can help them become less stressed and finally help them with their courses, making a smarter generation.

Now, I know you’re thinking, “What about kids who find playing a musical instrument hard or boring? How would taking a music class help them?” Well, even though playing an instrument doesn’t necessarily help all teens, it is agreed that there are very few teens who do not listen to music. This shows that all students, in their own way, like hearing music throughout their day. The music that they listen to calms them and gives them reassurance (保证) that they can make it through their schoolwork. That being said, all schools should have a required hour of ‘relaxation’ time when high schoolers would listen to music, do easy homework, and calm themselves down after their long school day.

Music helps kids in their education, providing them with a brighter future and ensuring that they take care of their generation, the generation before them, and the generations to come.

【1】The words “becomes overwhelmed” in Paragraph 1 probably mean “________”.

A. loses confidence B. feels disappointed

C. can not think clearly D. isn’t sure about the answers

【2】What can we learn from the passage?

A. Music helps students to be more creative.

B. Few students can relax themselves at school.

C. Adding music to a teen’s day stops them from studying.

D. Music speeds up the flow of cortisol released from the body.

【3】According to Paragraph 5, we know that ________.

A. taking a music class is hard and boring

B. all teens listen to music in their own way

C. playing an instrument is necessary for all teens

D. all schools have a required hour of ‘relaxation’ time

【4】What is the best title of the passage?

A. The Bright Future of Music

B. The Way of Calming Down

C. The Calming Power of Music

D. The Way of Solving Problems

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】B

【4】C

【解析】

本文主要通过一位名叫克拉拉的学生的案例，讨论了青少年利用音乐处理自身的压力的问题，强调了音乐在帮助减压方面的作用。

【1】句意：第1段中的“变得不知所措”可能的意思是“不能清楚地思考”。结合前句和后句“She stares at the math problem in front of her desperately trying to remember how to solve it, but as she sits there her long list of homework plays over in her head. She bites her lip thinking and thinking.”（她盯着她面前的数学问题拼命想回忆起如何解决这个问题，但当她坐在那里时，她长长的作业清单在她的脑海里浮动起来，她咬着嘴唇思考了又思考。）这说明她的思想很挣扎，变得不知所措，无法清楚思考，其他的三个选项A“失去信心”，选项B“感到失望”，选项D“对答案不确定”都是不准确的。故选C。

【2】句意：我们能从这段文字中知道到什么？音乐可以帮助学生更有创意。从文中“Music does not only calm the stressed mind, it develops creativity, as well as improving math and reading skills.”（音乐不仅能平息压力的头脑，还能发展创造力，提高数学和阅读技能。），故选A。

【3】句意：根据第五段的信息，我们知道所有的青少年都以自己的方式听音乐。文章中“This shows that all students, in their own way, like hearing music throughout their day.”（这表明所有学生们以他们自己的方式喜欢整天听音乐。），选项A“把音乐课看得困难且无聊。”，选项C“演奏乐器对于所有的青少年是很必要的。”，选项D“所有的学校对休息时间有要求的时间。”故选B。

【4】句意：本文最佳标题是什么？音乐的平静力量。从文中多出均可看出主题是在讨论音乐可以是人平静这一作用。如“A music class can help students who are stressed and give them an hour of relaxation during their day.”（音乐课可以帮助有压力的学生，让他们在一天中放松一小时。），结合第二段中的数据等均可看得出文章的主题，选项A“音乐的美好前景”，选项B“冷静的方式”，选项D“解决的问题的方式”等均不全面，故选C。