Many of us listen to music while we work, thinking that it will help us to concentrate on the task at hand. And in fact, recent research has found that music can have beneficial effects on creativity. When it comes to other areas of performance, however, the impact of background music is more complicated.
The idea that listening to music when working is beneficial to output probably has its roots in the so-called “Mozart effect”. Put simply, this is the finding that spatial rotation performance(空间旋转能力) is increased immediately after listening to the music of Mozart, compared to no sound at all.
How sound affects performance has been the topic of research for over 40 years, and is observed through a phenomenon called the irrelevant sound effect. To study irrelevant sound effect, participants in the research are asked to complete a simple task which requires them to recall a series of numbers or letters in the exact order in which they saw them. The tricky thing is being able to do this while ignoring any background noise.
Two key characteristics of the irrelevant sound effect are required for its observation. First, the task must require the person to use their rehearsal abilities(复述能力), and second, the sound must contain acoustical variation(声学变化). Where the sound does not vary much acoustically, the performance of the task is much closer to that observed in quiet conditions.
The irrelevant sound effect itself comes from attempting to process two sources of ordered information at the same time—one from the task and one from the sound. Unfortunately, only the former is required to successfully perform the recall task, and the effort in ensuring that irrelevant order information from the sound is not processed actually hinders(阻碍) this ability.
A similar conflict is also seen when reading while in the presence of lyrical music. In this situation, the two sources of words—from the task and the sound—are in conflict. The cost is poorer performance of the task in the presence of music with lyrics.
What this all means is that whether having music playing in the background helps or hinders performance depends on the task and on the type of music, and only understanding this relationship will help people maximize their productivity levels.
1.“Mozart effect” is mentioned to ________.
A. explain how music can relax people
B. show music can improve performance
C. advise people to listen to Mozart music
D. stress Mozart music gains wide attention
2.It can be inferred that participants in the research ________.
A. have improved their rehearsal ability
B. perform better in the quiet conditions
C. ignore the background noise successfully
D. prefer the music with great sound variation
3.Paragraph 6 is written to ________.
A. support an idea B. make a contrast
C. introduce a topic D. describe a fact
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Music shapes your life
B. Music develops your creativity
C. Choose quiet music for your work
D. Does music make you concentrate?
The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don’t know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.
That’s because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation(处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.
Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.
1.How does the author feel about the solutions to problem of robocalls?
A.Panicked. B.Confused. C.Embarrassed. D.Disappointed.
2.Taking advantage of the new technologies, scammer can ________.
A.aim at victims precisely B.damage databases easily
C.start campaigns rapidly D.spread information widely
3.What does the passage imply?
A.Honesty is the best policy.
B.Technologies can be double-edged.
C.There are more solutions than problems.
D.Credibility holds the key to development.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted
B.Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls
C.Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous
D.How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology
The Alexander technique
Until earlier this year, I didn’t know anything about the Alexander technique—and saw no reason to think I should. One day, the backache I regularly suffered was more painful. I was brought up to think that the preferred way of dealing with aches is to do nothing and hope they’ll go away, but I eventually went to the doctor. After examining me, he said, “You actually have bad posture (姿势). Go off and learn the Alexander technique.” Three months later I could walk straighter and sit better.
The Alexander technique is a way of learning how you can get rid of harmful tension in your body. The teaching focuses on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less severely and carry out the movements that we do all the time with less effort. There is little effort in the lessons themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from yoga or pilates, which are exercise-based. A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimum effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine (脊椎) and relax your body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.
The technique helps to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try folding your arms the opposite way to normal. This is an example of a habit the body has formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any inappropriate posture can cause problems for the body. The technique teaches you to let go of the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to go back to its natural place on the top of our spines.
So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Alexander, an Australian actor born in 1869, found in his youth that he had vocal (声音的) problems during performances. He analyzed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with excellent results. He brought his technique to London and opened a teacher-training school, which is still successful today.
So if you’re walking along the road one day with shoulders bent forward, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a thought to the Alexander technique. It will help you walk tall again.
1.What does the author suggest in Paragraph 1?
A. She felt no better after the treatment.
B. She got bored with the Alexander technique.
C. She was sceptical about the doctor’s method.
D. She was unwilling to seek treatment for her backache.
2.What is the principle of the Alexander technique?
A. Physical tension shouldn’t be completely relieved.
B. The technique shouldn’t be combined with other exercises.
C. The practice of the technique shouldn’t be attempted alone.
D. Familiar physical actions shouldn’t be done with much effort.
3.What can we learn about Frederick Alexander?
A. He managed to recover his vocal powers.
B. He was eager to make a name for himself.
C. He developed a form of exercise for actors.
D. He had to leave home to develop his technique.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The occurrence of back pain is widespread.
B. Alexander improved the technique to treat body pain.
C. The Alexander technique helps overcome posture problems.
D. People with back pain are victims of inappropriate postures.
Keep up-to-date on the topics you love the most with a discount magazine subscription. Whether you enjoy discovering the latest celebrity gossip, or just working on word puzzles that exercise your brain, you can count on DiscountMags to offer you the absolute lowest price on your favorite best selling print or digital magazines and journals.
Disney Princess magazine is the perfect magazine for any little girl! Your daughter will love reading stories, playing games, and making crafts that are all related to her favorite princesses. She will get hours of entertainment from each publication and you will enjoy watching her have so much fun! Order her a discount subscription to Disney Princess magazine today!
Our Price: $28.97
Cover Price: $ 39. 60
For Over 35 years, National Geographic Kids has given children 6 and up an award-winning combination of photos, facts and fun while encouraging them to learn about the world around them. Featuring jokes, games and activities, National Geographic Kids puts science, technology, archeology, and the animal kingdom at their readers’ fingertips and its fast-paced, addictive format ensures they’ll never be bored. But the real beauty of National Kids is its philosophy of making learning fun.
Our Price: $19.95
Cover Price: $35.40
If you love being a hostess, Taste of Home magazine is for you. Filled with recipes, entertaining ideas, healthy meals and photographs of every dish, you’ll find plenty of inspiration inside each issue.
Our Price: $ 16.99
Cover Price: $ 23.94
Popular Science magazine is a publication about what is popular in the world of science. From articles featuring information and review about various gadgets, the latest trends in vehicles, scientific discoveries, the latest technologies, and even a do-it-yourself section that you will love, this magazine has a little of everything. Order your discount subscription to the scientific world today!
Our Price: $ 12.00
Cover Price: $ 47.88
For more information, please click https://www.discountmags.com/.
1.Which magazine will you subscribe if you want to send a gift to a 5-year-old girl?
A. Taste of Home. B. Popular Science.
C. Disney Princess. D. National Geographic Kids.
2.What is SPECIAL about National Geographic Kids?
A. It combines fun with learning.
B. There are articles about scientific discoveries.
C. Kids can learn science, technology, and the animal kingdom.
D. It is a publication about what is popular in the world of science.
3.Where can you find the passage?
A. A newspaper. B. A guidebook.
C. A magazine. D. A website.
假定你是李华, 进入高中已近一个学期, 感悟颇多。请你写一封信给你的美国笔友John, 向他介绍你的学习生活情况。内容包括:
1. 学校环境;
2. 人际交往;
3. 学习生活。
注意:
1. 词数100词左右;
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯;
Dear John,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
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。
Miss Jones was math teacher. Her home not far from her school, but she always walked there in the morning. All the pupils in the school was very young. In a cold and windy morning, Miss Jones walked to the school, and the cold wind goes into her eyes. and big tear began to run out . she reached school. opened the door and going into the classroom. It was nice and warm here and Miss Jones was happily, but then a small boy looked at her for a few seconds, to put his arms around her and said kind. "Don't cry, Miss Jones .School isn't very bad."
1.2.3.4.5.
6.7.8.9.10.
