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
“A room without books is like a body without a soul,” observed the Roman philosopher, Cicero. It can also be a sign of financial problems to come. New research has uncovered a strong connection between the earning of adults and whether they grew up surrounded by books as children.
Three economists at the University of Padua—Giorgio Brunello, Guglielmo Weber and Christoph Weiss—studied 6000 men born in nine European countries and concluded that children with access to books could expect to earn more money than those who grew up with few or no books.
They studied the period from 1920 to 1956, when school reforms saw the minimum school leaving age raised across Europe. They booked at whether, at the age of 10, a child lived in a house with fewer than 10 books, a shelf of books, a bookcase with up to 100 books, two bookcases, or more than two bookcases.
Over the period studied, the research, published in The Economic Journal, found that an additional year of education increased a man’s average lifetime earnings by 9%. Men brought up in houses with less than a shelf of books earned only 5% more as a result of the extra year’s education, compared with 21% more for those who had access to a lot of books. And those who had access to books were more likely to move to the better-earning opportunities in cities than those without books. The men’s first job was also much more likely to be a white-collar job.
The economists offer a number of theories for the results. “Perhaps books matter because they encourage children to read more and reading can have positive effects on school performance,” they said.
The number of books in children’s homes can effectively predict their cognitive(认知的) test scores. This may indicate a home that encourages cognitive skills, which are important for economic success in life.
1.Why did author mention Cicero’s words in the first paragraph?
A. To make an argument. B. To introduce the topic.
C. To express his own views. D. To arouse readers’ interest.
2.What can we learn about the people studied by the researchers?
A. They were tracked by researchers since age 10.
B. They all left school because of school reforms.
C. They came from several different countries.
D. They are now white-collar professionals.
3.How does the author show the results of the research?
A. By listing numbers.
B. By providing examples.
C. By following the order of time.
D. By following the order of importance.
4.What is the main conclusion to the research?
A. Homes without books are vulnerable（脆弱）to financial problems.
B. Families that can afford books raise successful children.
C. Boy who love reading books earn more than girls.
D. Children who live with books earn more as adults.
More cycling, better public transport and car bans… Places all over the world are taking a range of measures to lower traffic pollution.
Paris
Paris bans cars in many historic central districts on weekends, places odd-even(单双日制的) bans on vehicles, makes public transport free during major pollution events and encourages car-sharing programs. A long section of the right bank of the river. Seine is now car-free and a monthly ban on cars has come into force along the Champs-Elysees.
The Netherlands
Politicians want to ban the sale of all petrol cars from 2025, allowing only electric of hydrogen vehicles. The new law will allow anyone who already owns a petrol car to continue using it. Most cities encourage bicycle use.
Freiburg
Freiburg in Germany has 500km of bike routes and a cheap and efficient public transport system. One town, Vauban, forbids people to park near homes and makes car-owners pay 18,000 for a space on the edge of town. In return for living without a car, people are offered cheaper housing, free public transport, and plentiful bicycle spaces.
Curitiba
The southern Brazilian city of two million people has one of the biggest and lowest-cost bus systems in the world. Nearly 70% of its people go to work by public transport and the result is pollution-free air and traffic-free streets.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen prioritizes(优先考虑) bikes over cars and now has more cycles than people. The city calculates that one mile on a bike is worth $0.42 to society, while one mile in a car is a $0.2 loss. Large parts of the Danish capital have been closed to vehicles for decades.
1.What will happen in Paris during major pollution events?
A. Historic central districts won’t allow cars in.
B. People can take public transport free of charge.
C. Car-sharing programs will raise money publicly.
D. People must obey the old-even traffic restrictions.
2.From 2025, the Netherlands will ________.
A. put 500km of bike routes into full use
B. completely forbid the use of petrol cars
C. only allow the sale of electric or hydrogen vehicles
D. own the biggest and lowest-cost bus system in the world
3.What does Vauban forbid its people to do?
A. Park their cars around their homes. B. Sell or buy parking spaces.
C. Occupy bicycle spaces. D. Go to work by car.
4.Which of the following cities attach great importance to cycling?
A. Park and Curitiba. B. Paris and Freiburg.
C. Curitiba and Copenhagen. D. Freiburg and Copenhagen.
今年暑假，一批来自国外的中学生将来中国参加在玉山一中举行的数学奥林匹克赛，届时，他们将吃、住在玉山。假设你是高二年级的学生李明，有意邀请一位学生在你家入住，现向学校总负责老师张老师写一封英文信，内容如下:
1．介绍你本人及家庭情况; 2．陈述你申请的理由; 3．希望得到这个机会。
注意:1. 词数100左右, 开头和结尾已经写好, 不计入总词数;
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
Dear sir,
I am Li Hua. I’m writing to__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your early reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该漏字符号下写上该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（ \ ）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该横线下写上修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The other day I happened to meet a young America student in our school. It was the first time that I have met a foreigner, so I went up immediately and greeted him with English. He told me that he was a college student travel in China and he liked China very much. I volunteered to show him around the school. He was deep impressed with the Chinese buildings and was busy taking the photos all the time. He said never had he seen so beautiful buildings. After that, they went boating on the BingXi River and had a wonderful time. I was very glad to have such a good chance to practicing my spoken English.
Electric bicycles are now playing 1. important role in the daily life of many students of Yushan No.1 Middle School. 2.fact, they seem to have become a necessary and important part of their school life. By3.(give) them rapid transportation, electric bicycles have freed some students from having accommodation on campus. This, in some way, helps to relieve the school of the 4. (grow) of its dormitories(寝室). For many families, electric bicycles are also very 5. (help). They have made 6. possible for parents to send their children to the school in a relatively shorter time.
7., the use of electric bicycles has also led to some problems. When the teenage students have the use of the bicycles, their parents can’t keep an eye on8.. Some students don’t follow traffics rules at all. There is a 9.(great) danger if a student shows off by speeding or after drinking alcohol. Too many electric bicycles are parked around the campus, 10.affects the traffic and the image of our school as well.
