Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability, a new study by University of Melbourne researchers has found. The researchers said previous theories about how we appreciate music were based on the physical functions of sound, the ear itself and a born ability to hear harmony.
The study shows that musical harmony can be learnt, and it is a matter of training the brain to hear the sounds. So if you thought that the music of some foreign culture (or Jazz) sounded like the crying of cats, it’s simply because you haven’t learnt to listen by their rules.
The researchers used 66 volunteers with a range of musical training and tested their ability to hear combinations of notes(音符) to determine if they found the combinations familiar or pleasing. They found that people needed to be familiar with combinations of notes. If they found the notes unfamiliar they also found the sound unpleasant. This finding put an end to centuries of theories claiming that physical functions of the ear determine what we find attractive.
The study found that trained musicians were much more sensitive to unpleasant notes than non-musicians. When they couldn’t find the note, the musicians reported that the sounds were unpleasant, while non-musicians were much less sensitive. This shows the importance of training or nurturing(培養(yǎng)) the brain to like particular sound of combinations of notes, like those found in jazz or rock.
Depending on their training, a strange chord(和弦) sound was pleasant to some musicians, but very unpleasant to others. This showed us that even the ability to hear a musical note is learnt.
To confirm this finding, they trained 19 non-musicians to find the notes of a random selection of western chords. Not only did the participants’ ability to hear notes improve rapidly, afterward they reported that the chords they had learnt sounded more pleasant -- regardless of how the chords were played.
The question of why some combinations of musical notes are heard as pleasant or unpleasant has long been debated. “We have shown in this study that for music, beauty is in the brain of the beholder(觀看者)”, a researcher said.
小題1:According to the study, people find foreign music quite unpleasant because_____.
A．they hear the music much too often
B．they don’t like the person playing it
C．they have no idea about how to listen
D．they have no born musical ability at all
小題2:Although non-musicians were less sensitive to music, they can still_____.
A．be trained to like particular music
B．make friends with real musicians
C．find the beauty of chords without training
D．enjoy the beauty of music when played by musicians
小題3:The 19 non-musicians were trained in order to show_____.
A．the brain likes particular combinations of notes
B．not a strange note was pleasant to all musicians
C．how the chords were played was very important
D．people’s ability to hear a musical note can be learnt
小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Love of musical harmony can’t be taught.
B．Love of music is not natural but nurtured.
C．Listening to music can improve your brain.
D．You can be a musician without being trained.

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:D
小題4:B

試題分析: 本文是說明文，提到對音樂的喜愛是可能過能培養(yǎng)獲得。
小題1:C細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段提到if you thought that the music of some foreign culture (or Jazz) sounded like the crying of cats, it’s simply because you haven’t learnt to listen by their rules.如果你認為外國的音樂象貓叫，那就是僅僅因為你聽不懂他們的規(guī)則，所以選C項。
小題2:A細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段提到This shows the importance of training or nurturing(培養(yǎng)) the brain to like particular sound of combinations of notes, like those found in jazz or rock.這就表明訓練與后天培養(yǎng)的重要性，所以選A項。
小題3:D 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第六段提到Not only did the participants’ ability to hear notes improve rapidly, afterward they reported that the chords they had learnt sounded more pleasant -- regardless of how the chords were played.不僅是參與者聽記迅速提高超過十短的會話能力，之后他們說他們已經(jīng)知道和弦聽起來更加愉快——不管和弦進行調(diào)整所以選D項。
小題4:B 主旨大意。本文開篇提到對于音樂的愛好不僅僅是天生的，還是可能通過培養(yǎng)與訓練能得到，通過舉例及對于研究對象的分析，The study found that trained musicians were much more sensitive to unpleasant notes than non-musicians.被訓練的音樂人能對不是那么動聽的音樂比不被訓練的人更為敏感，所以B項對于音樂的愛好不是天生的而是可有后天培養(yǎng)出來的。
考點 ：科普類閱讀。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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Mr Mehr notes that the works of writer William Shakespeare are not taught , so the children will do better in physics. He says Shakespeare is taught because it is important for cultural reasons.“And I don’t think music needs to be any different than that.”
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A．visual B．colorful C．traditional D．serious
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B．IQ is a good measure of a child’s intelligence
C．music can enable a child to go to a better school
D．music should be taught for cultural reasons
小題4:The study shows that       .
A．early music training has negative effects
B．musical lessons should be stopped at school
C．musical training doesn’t improve kids’ intelligence
D．playing musical instrument makes kids more creative

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
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Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
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A．a(chǎn)re too strict with their children
B．a(chǎn)re too rich to educate their children
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B．the education system of the school
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D．children’s hobbies in the classroom
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A．learn how to serve their parents
B．learn how to become strong and fat
C．get a lot from it and prepare themselves for the future
D．make their parents believe that they are clever
小題4:According to the last paragraph we can conclude that    .
A．broken radios and television sets are useful
B．one’s interest and curiosity may be useful for his later life
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There is some unwelcome news for students preparing for exams and officers putting in long hours-----you don't need the break as much as you may think that makes you feel less tired.
Scientists have long assumed that willpower (意志力) is a limited resource, which is why you feel the need to have a rest, have a snack and come back to a task when you're feeling better. They argued that the only way to restore willpower was by rest, food or entertainment.
But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is all in your head. They found that people's beliefs in willpower determine how long and how well they'll be able to work on a tough mental exercise. "If you think of willpower as something that's limited, you're more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task," said Prof.Veronika Job. "'But if you think of willpower as something that is not easily used up, you can go on and on."
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Mr. Job said. "The theory that willpower is a limited resource is interesting, but it has had unintended consequences. Students who may already have trouble studying are being told that their power of concentration is limited, and they need to take frequent breaks. But a belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.'"
The findings could help people who are" battling temptation. Willpower isn't driven by a biologically based process as much as we used to think. The belief in it is what influences your behavior.
小題1:The theory that willpower is limited supports that _________.
A．people must eat snacks when they feel tired
B．people do need a break to restore their willpower
C．there’s no way to strengthen people’s willpower
D．weak willpower doesn’t affect people’s life much
小題2:What have the scientists long believed regarding willpower?
A．It is in the charge of people.
B．It is a limited resource.
C．There is no way to restore willpower.
D．It doesn’t easily run out.
小題3:Which of the following best helps the students to prepare better for their exams?
A．Push themselves even if they want to take a break.
B．Don’t eat fast food while studying.
C．Remind themselves willpower is not limited.
D．Stay in a comfortable and quiet place.
小題4:The following groups can benefit from the findings except
A．patients following strict diets
B．children liking to watch TV
C．smokers trying to give up smoking
D．employees facing a new but well-paid task
小題5:What’s the best title for the passage?
A．A new theory about willpowerB．How to build strong willpower
C．The great influence of willpowerD．Willpower doesn’t last long

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