Hacking our senses to boost learning power
Some schools are pumping music, noises and pleasant smells into the classroom to see if it improves exam results. Could it work? Why do songs stick in our heads? What does your school smell like? Is it noisy or peaceful?
It might not seem important, but a growing body of research suggests that smells and sounds can have an impact on learning, performance and creativity. Indeed, some head teachers have recently taken to broadcasting noises and pumping smells into their schools to see whether it can boost grades. Is there anything in it? And if so, what are the implications for the way we work and study?
There is certainly some well-established research to suggest that some noises can have a harmful effect on learning. Numerous studies over the past 15 years have found that children attending schools under the flight paths of large airports fall behind in their exam results. Bridget Shield, a professor of acoustics (声学) at London South Bank University, and Julie Dockrell, from the Institute of Education, have been conducting studies on the effects of all sorts of noises, such as traffic and sirens (汽笛), as well as noise generated by the children themselves. When they recreated those particular sounds in an experimental setting while children completed various learning tasks, they found a significant negative effect on exam scores.
“Everything points to a bad impact of the noise on children’s performance, in numeracy, in literacy, and in spelling,” says Shield. The noise seemed to have an especially harmful effect on children with special needs.
Whether background sounds are beneficial or not seems to depend on what kind of noise it is — and the volume. In a series of studies published last year, Ravi Mehta from the College of Business at Illinois and his colleagues tested people’s creativity while exposed to a soundtrack made up of background noises — such as coffee-shop chatter and construction-site drilling — at different volumes. They found that people were more creative when the background noises were played at a medium level than when volume was low. Loud background noise, however, damaged their creativity.
Many teachers all over the world already play music to students in class. Many are inspired by the belief that hearing music can boost IQ in later tasks, the so-called Mozart effect. While the evidence actually suggests it’s hard to say classical music boosts brainpower, researchers do think pleasant sounds before a task can sometimes lift your mood and help you perform well, says Perham, who has done his own studies on the phenomenon. The key appears to be that you enjoy what you’re hearing. ‘If you like the music or you like the sound — even listening to a Stephen King novel — then you do better. It doesn’t matter about the music,’ he says.
So, it seems that schools that choose to prevent disturbing noises and create positive soundscapes could enhance the learning of their students, so long as they make careful choices. Yet this isn’t the only sense being used to affect learning. Special educational needs students at Sydenham high school in London are being encouraged to revise different subjects in the presence of different smells — grapefruit scents for maths, lavender for French and spearmint for history.
1.The four questions in the first paragraph are meant to ________.
A.create some sense of humour to please the readers
B.provide the most frequently asked questions in schools nowadays
C.hold the readers’ attention and arouse their curiosity to go on reading
D.declare the purpose of the article: to try to offer key to those questions
2.What does the conclusion of the studies of noise conducted by Bridget Shield and Julie Dockrell suggest?
A.Peaceful music plays an active role in students’ learning.
B.Not all noises have a negative impact on children’s performance.
C.We should create for school children a more peaceful environment.
D.Children with special needs might be exposed to some particular sounds.
3.Ravi Mehta’s experiment indicates that ________.
A.students’ creativity improves in a quiet environment
B.we may play some Mozart music while students are learning
C.a proper volume of background noises does improve creativity
D.noise of coffee-shop chatter is better than that of construction-site drilling
4.Towards the positive impact of appropriate background sound and smell on students’ learning and creativity, the author’s attitude is ________.
A.ambiguous B.doubtful
C.negative D.supportive
5.Which of the following is most likely to follow up the research findings?
A.Experts’ research into other senses that can improve students’ grades.
B.More successful examples of boosting learning power by using music.
C.Suggestions for pumping lots of pleasant smells into school campuses.
D.Debates on whether noises can really have positive effect on students’ performance.
Here is some must-know information from a handbook on how people behave in doing business in some countries.
In Brazil
Brazilians are warm and friendly. They often stand close when talking and it is common for them to touch the person on the shoulder. People often greet each other (particularly women) with light cheek kisses. Schedules tend to be flexible, with business meetings sometimes starting later than planned. But to be safe, be on time. Meals can stretch for hours — there’s no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil. Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon. Brazilians are social, preferring face-to-face communication over mails or phone calls.
In Singapore
Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small, polite bow. Business cards should be offered and received with two hands. Arriving late is considered disrespectful. So be on time. Efficiency(效率) is the goal, so meetings and dealings often are fast-paced. Singaporeans are direct in their discussions, even when the subject is about money. Rank is important and authority is respected. This determines both people interact in meetings. For example, people avoid disagreeing outright with someone with a higher rank.
In the United Arab Emirates
In the UAE, status is important, so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles. The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere. So, do not pull away the handshake. Women should cover themselves when it comes to dress. Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows(肘部) and down to the knees. People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants. Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided. When meetings are one-to-one, if your host offers you coffee, you should refuse. It might seem odd, but it is a cultural tradition. Coffee should only be accepted if it is always set out or presented.
In Switzerland
The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name. They also are respectful of private lives. You should be careful not to ask about personal topics. Punctuality (守时) is vital, something that comes from a deep respect for others’ time. Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe. They also have clear structure in their companies. Higher-ups make the final decisions, even if others might disagree. Neat, clean dress is expected. The Swiss follow formal table manners. They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table. It is polite to finish the food on your plate.
1.The passage is mainly about _____________.
A.communication types
B.the workplace atmosphere
C.customs and social manners
D.living conditions and standards
2.Why do Singaporeans avoid arguing with their boss?
A.They put efficiency in the first place.
B.They dislike face-to-face communication.
C.They want to finish meetings as quickly as possible.
D.They are supposed to obey the person of a higher rank.
3.In the UAE, when should you refuse the coffee if it is offered?
A.When greeting seniors.
B.When meeting the host alone.
C.When attending a presentation.
D.When dining with business partners.
4.In which country do people care about where to put their hands at the dinner table?
A.In Brazil. B.In Singapore.
C.In the United Arab Emirate. D.In Switzerland.
Life is filled with changes. As we get older we _______ realize that those challenges are the very things that _______ us and make us who we are. It is the same with the challenges that come with _______.
When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two _______. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing _______ the challenge isn’t worth the _______ and call it quits. Although there are certainly _______when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most _______all that is needed is _______ and communication.
When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how ________ or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to ________ it and work it through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a ________ for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. ________ you can say to a friend, “I got my feelings hurt,” ________ “You hurt my feelings,” you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.
In dealing with the challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for ________ they are: small hurdles you need to jump or ________ on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is ________ to get over, and hurt only ________ to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, it ________ to everyone, and some day you will ________ all this and say, “ Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that is a good thing.”
1.A.seem to B.come to C.hope to D.try to
2.A.design B.promote C.direct D.shape
3.A.confidence B.pressure C.friendship D.difficulty
4.A.opportunities B.expectations C.choices D.aspects
5.A.demanding B.deserving C.predicting D.presenting
6.A.comment B.loss C.trouble D.expense
7.A.spans B.times C.dates D.ages
8.A.cases B.fields C.parts D.occasions
9.A.assessment B.commitment C.encouragement D.adjustment
10.A.doubtful B.shameful C.harmful D.painful
11.A.keep B.control C.face D.catch
12.A.space B.plan C.topic D.room
13.A.If B.As C.While D.Unless
14.A.other than B.rather than C.or rather D.or else
15.A.what B.who C.where D.which
16.A.pass by B.come across C.get through D.run over
17.A.unnecessary B.necessary C.impossible D.possible
18.A.helps B.means C.aims D.attempts
19.A.opens B.appeals C.goes D.happens
20.A.look down on B.look back on C.look forward to D.look up to
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇 60 词左右的内容概要。
Two years ago, Li Yuhua's daughter taught her how to shop online. Since then, the 51-year-old farmer in Wushan has been a regular online shopper. Shoppers like Li Yuhua are the new target for China's ecommerce giants, including Alibaba Group, which operates the Taobao platform, and JD.com. Rural China added 3 million more Internet users in the first half, taking the total number to 225 million, or 26.3%, of the country's total Internet population of 854 million, according to a report on rural ecommerce development released last week by the China International Electronic Commerce Center. That helped improve rural online sales in the first half of the year by 21% to 777.1 billion yuan (US$109.6 billion), outpacing the national growth rate by 3.2 percentage points.
''However, it is a little bit early to say that China's ecommerce battlefield is moving to rural China, '' said Chen Tao, a senior analyst at consultancy Analysys. Unlike urban residents, most rural Chinese haven’t experienced ecommerce shopping. While that provides online platforms with one of the last undeveloped markets for ecommerce, progress has been slow due to the lack of infrastructure(基础设施)and logistics(物流)support.
To address that problem, China's second-largest ecommerce operator, JD.com hired more deliverymen and tested drone(无人机) delivery services to improve service in rural China. Alibaba Group, China's largest ecommerce player, announced in April last year that it had invested US$717 million in Huitongda Network Co., which helps to boost sales in 15,000 towns across 18 provinces.
Another inhibiting factor in the development of rural ecommerce is the income gap. In 2018, annual per capita disposable income(人均可支配收入)in rural areas was 14,600 yuan (US$2,065) compared with 39,300 yuan (US$5,559) in cities. ''Lower disposable incomes in rural areas limit the consumption,'' said analyst Chen. ''It also takes time to educate rural residents to accept ecommerce services as most of them are new to online. There is still a long way to go to popularize online shopping in rural China.''
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假定你是高三学子李华。因新冠疫情，高考延迟了一个月。面对新形势，你对学习感到迷茫，所以写信给心理学家 Dr. Smith 询问缓解压力的方法。
内容包括:
1. 写信目的；2. 咨询内容；3. 期待回复注意:
1. 词数 80 左右； 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1 个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Being a doctor, you may think I would always suggest a bottle of something for what makes you ill.
1., first and foremost, I believe in the “do no harm” motto when it comes to health care. For example, you may first try music before2. (take) a pill. It is safe and it does no harm to your money.
For most people, music is already an important part of daily life. Some rely on music 3. (get) them through the boring journey to work, while others turn up their favorite music to stay pumped during a ke wan gworkout. Many even have the stereo on when they4. (cook), taking a shower, or folding the laundry.
Music is often linked to mood. 5. certain song can make us feel relaxed, happy, 6. (energy), or sad. Because music can have such an impact 7. mindset and well-being, it should come as no surprise 8. the connection between music and health has been studied for use in managing different 9. (condition). Music 10. (believe) to have healing effects, but types of music differ in the feelings they arouse. For example, classical music has been found to cause comfort and relaxation while rock music may lead to discomfort.
