Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.

Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音調(diào))．

One of the study’s authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”．This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr.Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.

Mandarin(普通話)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(編碼) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A single­syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.

For this study，the researchers looked at 20 non­Chinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.

As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings：squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.

The lead author of the study，Patrick C．M.Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.

40． When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.

A．he has a difficult time learning music at the same time

B．he has an easier time learning music at the same time

C．it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand

D．it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch

41．Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?

A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music.

B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain.

C．Because music training might help people with language study.

D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music.

42．The underlined word “intoned” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by the word “____”．

A．created                           B．spelled     

C．seemed                           D．pronounced

43．What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers

B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study

C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning

D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs

Why is there no risk to the customer when a bank prints the customer’s name to his cheques?

When anyone opens a current account at a bank, he is lending the bank money, repayment of which he may demand at any time, either in cash or by drawing a check in favor of another person. Primarily, the bank-customer’s account is in credit or overdrawn. But, in addition to that basically simple concept, the bank and its customer owe a large number of obligations(義務(wù)) to one another. Many of these obligations can give rise to problems but a bank customer, unlike, say, a buyer of goods, cannot complain that the law is loaded against him.

The bank must obey its customer’s instructions, and not those of anyone else. When, for example, a customer first opens an account, he instructs the bank to debit（把......記入借方） his account only in respect of checks drawn by himself. He gives the bank specimens(標(biāo)本) of his signature, and there is a very firm rule that the bank has no right to pay out a customer’s money on a check on which its customer’s signature has been forged(偽造). It makes no difference that the forgery may have been a very skillful one: the bank must recognize its customer’s signature. For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice, adopted by banks, of printing the customer’s name on his checks. If this helps forgery, it is the bank which will lose, not the customer.

36. When you have a bank account, you ___

A.must always be in credit

B.can’t draw any money if you’re overdrawn

C.can draw money without notice

D.can’t pay money to anyone else

37. One of the obligations a bank has to a customer_____

A.is that it can’t take instructions from other people

B.is that it can avoid complications and problems

C.it must pay money to the customer even if he is seriously overdrawn

D.it must print the customer’s signature

38. The underlined part “the law is loaded against him” in the second paragraph is most likely to mean_____

A.the law is not of his interest

B.the law is unfavorable to him

C.the law is not in favor of him

D.the law is not in his honor

39. If someone forged your signature and drew money from your account___

A.the bank would always pay money to the forger

B.the bank wouldn’t lose any money

C.you wouldn’t lose any money

D.you wouldn’t lose your money

       For as long as I can remember, I have been very_16____ at arguing with people. As soon as someone disagrees with me, I get angry because I feel __17__, like the other person is out to show that I am __18__. And for some reason, I hate being wrong! So my __19__ reaction is to get very defensive. I __20__ my voice, and I end up saying something I later __21__. Needless to say, the whole thing ends with me blaming __22__, and the other person feeling alienated(疏遠(yuǎn)) from me. This bothers me especially because my mother does the exact same thing and I hate __23__.

       I have noticed this tendency in me for a long time now, __24__ I have never been able to stop. I did some __25__ management work with a therapist(治療專家) a while ago, but because I moved and __26__ an advisor at school who can’t see me __27__, I have not been able to continue this important work. They tell you to stop and count to 10, __28__ your breathing, calm yourself down before you __29__. But that’s the whole problem. I could never think of __30__ myself until it was too late! The __31__ things had already come out of my mouth, and I was stuck picking up the pieces.

       Right now the __32__ is urgent because my relationships with a wonderful boy is __33__ because of my being afraid of being wrong. He is closing himself off from me because I have hurt him, and __34__ I am no longer attractive as a woman with no confidence in myself and a bad temper. How do I stop ruining my relationships and hating myself? How do I stop __35__ being wrong?

16. A. bad                            B. good               C. hateful                     D. quick

17. A. disappointed           B. excited              C. attacked           D. ashamed

18. A. wrong                       B. foolish            C. empty-headed    D. right

19. A. unusual                  B. immediate        C. following           D. last

20. A. raise                          B. lower                C. keep                 D. change

21. A. remember                  B. regret                C. forget               D. realize

22. A. her                                B. him                   C. me                    D. myself

23. A .it                               B. her                    C. them                 D. us

24. A. so                       B. but                    C. although            D. however

25. A. health                        B. action             C. calmness           D. anger

26. A. headed to                   B. asked for           C. turned to          D. referred to

27. A. regularly                    B. carelessly          C. immediately       D. patiently

28. A. stop                           B. manage             C. keep                 D. control

29. A. say                            B. chat                  C speak                 D. talk

30. A. stopping                     B. managing           C. persuading       D. helping

31. A. hurtful                    B. surprising          C. colorful             D. dangerous

32. A. event                         B. thing                 C. affair                D. problem

33. A. in the way                  B. in the end          C. in danger           D. in the beginning

34. A. no doubt                    B. no problem     C. no wonder         D. no way

35. A. liking                         B. hating             C. finding              D. dealing

New ways have been found to prevent the river ______.

   A. not to be polluted            B. against polluting

   C. from polluting               D. from being polluted

Considering his health, I advise him to ______ an hour or two each day to work out．

A．set about       B．set off          C．set up               D．set aside

When you keep your promise, no matter how much effort (努力) it takes, you will be       .

A. spotted                     B. surrounded               C. admired                    D. rewarded

 Though ___________ to see us, the professor gave us a warm welcome.

A. surprising         B. was surprised      C. surprised      D. being surprised

In my opinion，keeping dogs should not be banned，but ______ to certain areas.

A．limitedB．limiting C．to limitD．to be limited

"Steve's love and energy ______ and improve all of our lives.” Apple said about Steve Jobs' passing.

A. enrich        B. swap        C. rescue        D. found

—Tell the men working there that they can rest for an hour.

— All right. But does that　________me, too ?

A．do with B．come with C．go for D．fit with