Have you ever found yourself in this situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child — a bit of nostalgia (怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.
Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.
All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.
Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.
Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy or memorable tune.
Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh’s website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”
1.The “song” mentioned in the first paragraph is intended to ________.
A. recall the past B. amuse the readers
C. introduce the topic D. compare the past with the present
2.According to the passage which language doesn’t share the same root with Germanic or Romance languages?
A. Hungarian B. Spanish
C. Italian D. English
3.From the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that ________.
A. singing is the best way to learn a foreign language
B. brain probably works best when foreign language learners sing the words
C. a listen-repeat method is very effective for any language learner
D. Dr. Katie Overy and Dr. Ludke disagree with each other
4.What’s correct about the study undertaken by the researchers at the University of Edinburgh?
A. Altogether twenty adults were tested in the study.
B. People in the 3rd group performed as well as the other 2 groups.
C. People in the 2nd group were asked to speak the words to a beat.
D. In the study 60 adults were divided into 3 groups according to abilities.
5.In which situation can the finding of the research be applied?
A. A mother is going to teach her baby how to speak.
B. A child is going to have his first music lesson.
C. A student is going to learn a new English song.
D. An American is going to learn some Chinese.
During this shopping season, salesmen will come up with different strategies to get your business. Many product companies use specific colors to cause positive emotions and compete for a sale. However, sight is not the only sensory (感官的) retail that companies use. Sounds and smells can also influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Nobel Prize-winning research shows that our sense of smell has great power to cause an emotional response. A study published earlier this year compared purchasing in a French flower shop when the smell of lavender (薰衣草) was given off and when it wasn’t. It found that the smell increased the number of consumers’ purchasing items and the amount of their purchases. An earlier study using Nike shoes found that consumers desired the shoes more, and were willing to pay more, when the room had a mixed smell of flowers. Realizing the subconscious impact of smell, many stores apply artificial scents (气味) through their heating and air-conditioning vents (通风口) or place scent machines above their doors. For instance, a coconut scent might make that bikini more appealing as you long for a vacation.
Ever felt frenzied due to a store’s fast-paced music? Or calmed by a piece of light music? A retailer’s choice of music can have a big impact on consumers’ moods. One study found that when subjected to loud music, consumers will spend less time in a store. But interestingly, the researchers did not find a difference in sales or customers’ satisfaction. Another interesting finding from a recent study was that customers actually shop longer when exposed to unfamiliar music. Just as department stores use different scents in certain departments, many use different music in some areas to appeal to varying consumers.
Well, you could always leave the store and take a break, but the food court probably isn’t your best choices as brands like Cinnabon and Panera Bread also use scents as part of their customers’ experience. Online retailers (零售商) use a variety of other strategies to get your business, but you can always neglect those and enjoy the familiar scents of home.
1.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. consumers’ favorite sounds and smells while shopping
B. shopping malls’ strategies for satisfying consumers
C. some special services from super shopping malls
D. two factors affecting consumers’ shopping decisions
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?
A. Decorating stores with flowers becomes a fashion.
B. Shops with special smells can attract more consumers.
C. Smells can actually help businessmen gain more profits.
D. The products with a kind of special smell are more popular.
3.How does music have an effect on consumers?
A. It controls consumers’ desire for shopping.
B. It influences how long consumers stay in a shop.
C. It gives consumers the satisfaction of enjoying shopping.
D. Whether consumers are willing to buy things depends on it.
4.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “frenzied” in Paragraph 3?
A. Satisfied. B. Depressed.
C. Surprised. D. Excited.
5.What does the writer try to express in the last paragraph?
A. Online shopping is becoming more and more popular nowadays.
B. People should spend more time at home with family members.
C. People can choose to get rid of salesmen’s promotion strategies.
D. Smells and sounds are important for consumers’ shopping experience.
Below is a web page from http://www.parents.com/ .
Kid of the Year Photo Contest
Enter your kid’s photo today and win ! We’re giving away 52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers’ Choice votes. PLUS our editors will select one entry (参赛作品) to win our grand prize of $7,000.
Official Contest Rules
No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Kid of the Year Photo Contest entry period begins at 12:00 a.m. March 23, 2019, and ends on January 21, 2020 (the “Entry Period”). Entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2020 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.
SPONSOR: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.
ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.
Share My Entry:
Visit http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-1/kid-of-the-year/ and click the button to enter. Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. Photos must be taken by entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats (格式) and cannot exceed 3 MB.
Facebook Entry:
Visit Facebook.com/ParentsMagazine and click the Kid of 2019 tab. Fill out the registration form and upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will be applied to all photos. Photos must be taken by entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats and cannot exceed 3 MB.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents.com.
Photos must not contain material that infringes the rights of another, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright violation. Photos must not contain brand names or trademarks.
LIMIT: One entry per household, per eligible (有资格的) child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more than one eligible child in the household, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.
1.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. you should buy something first before you enter the contest
B. your entry will not be returned even if you don’t win the contest
C. you should send your entry before 12:00 p.m. on March 23, 2019
D. the editors of the contest will decide who will win the 20,000 dollars in prizes
2.Linda, a mother with seven-year-old twins, wants to enter the contest. She MUST ________.
A. provide a description and an album title for the kid’s photos
B. go to Meredith Corporation to fill out the registration forms
C. complete the entry process separately for each of her kids
D. provide the information to Facebook if she chooses Facebook Entry
3.To enter the contest, photos must ________.
A. have won some prize or award
B. be taken by non-professional entrants
C. contain brand names or trademarks
D. contain parents’ personal information
4.What does the underlined word “infringes” mean?
A. violates. B. obtains.
C. grasps. D. cheats.
5.The purpose of the passage is ________.
A. to advertise the website Facebook. com
B. to make profits by attracting photographers’ interest
C. to introduce two methods of entering a photo contest
D. to encourage parents with children to enter a photo contest
I never knew how well Mother could keep a trust until I was going through her things after she died. I discovered something I had _______ forgotten, something that happened to me as a child.
One day, as I went to sleep after my sisters and I had said our prayers, I recalled the events of the day and how _______ I had behaved toward Mother. “I must make things right now,” I thought.
Quietly I _______ out of bed and picked up the pencil and paper from the dresser, and then tiptoed into the hall. The _______ from the living room shone dimly. I knew Mother was downstairs still doing some sewing.
I quickly _______ a note asking Mother to excuse me for being so _______. I didn’t want my sisters to know my business so I _______ a postscript, “Please don’t let anyone else see this.” Then I _______ moved into my parents’ bedroom and put the letter under Mother’s pillow.
The next morning when I _______ my bed after breakfast, I ________ found a return note under my pillow. Mother wrote that she loved me and ________ me. This became my way of apologizing whenever I talked ________ or disobeyed. Mother always left a return note, but she never ________ our under-the-pillow messages in front of the family. Even when we were ________, she never mentioned them when we sisters ________ our childhood.
When Mother passed away, I had to go through her personal belongings. In her desk was a bundle of notes tied with a faded ribbon. On top was a message in handwriting which read, “In the event of my death, please ________ these.”
I ________ the package and glanced at the handwriting on the bottom. To my ________, I recognized my childish writing, “PS. Please don’t let anyone else see this. Love, Edie.” I gently placed the unopened bundle in the ________ along with other things for the rubbish burner. “Lord,” I prayed, “make me like ________.”
1.A. long B. hardly C. never D. often
2.A. well B. politely C. happily D. badly
3.A. went B. rushed C. slipped D. moved
4.A. moon B. light C. gas D. lamp
5.A. found B. sent C. wrote D. took
6.A. lazy B. late C. careless D. naughty
7.A. took B. added C. brought D. placed
8.A. quietly B. quickly C. calmly D. hurriedly
9.A. searched B. left C. made D. folded
10.A. secretly B. unexpectedly C. happily D. fortunately
11.A. favored B. understood C. supported D. forgave
12.A. over B. back C. loudly D. big
13.A. spoke about B. put on C. gave out D. got around
14.A. alone B. curious C. older D. interested
15.A. reminded B. forgot C. missed D. recalled
16.A. keep B. destroy C. hide D. announce
17.A. turned over B. tore open C. looked through D. picked up
18.A. sadness B. embarrassment C. surprise D. excitement
19.A. drawer B. wastebasket C. bedroom D. dresser
20.A. God B. an angel C. a bird D. Mother
--- I’ll pay a visit to Hong Kong. Would you mind keeping an eye on my house?
--- Not at all. ______.
A. I’d rather not B. I’d be happy
C. I’ve no time D. I’d like to
--- What did she want to know, Tom?
--- She wondered ______ we could complete the experiment.
A. when was it B. it was when that
C. it was when D. when it was that
