Question

    They say music is universal, and it seems to be true since wherever we go, we see people listening, playing or dancing to it. We tend to think that music is larger than our cultural differences and shows the deeper connections between us.

But according to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, music doesn’t speak to everyone. There is a condition, the researchers argue, called “musical anhedonia”. They say that those who have this condition lack the ability to experience pleasure from music.

For the study, 30 people listened to the same, mostly classical music pieces. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire on how they felt about the music. At the same time, the researchers measured their heart rate and skin reaction, which are considered physiological measures of emotion.

According to the researchers, most of the people in the study got pleasure from the music. They had a quicker heartbeat and sweated more. However, a small number had very little and even no pleasant feeling while they listened. These people had none or very few of the physical signs the others in the study experienced.

The researchers say that this means people have different abilities to enjoy music and that “there are people who specifically can’t enjoy music at all”, study author Josep Marco-Pallres of the University of Barcelona in Spain told Live Science.

To study the condition further, another group of scientists, at Columbia University, US, researched brain activities. They found that the key is the blood flow to the reward system in the brain.

“People who got less pleasure from music had lower blood flow to areas involved in the reward system of the brain when listening to music,” reported the Daily Mail.

The lower blood flow makes it more likely that the brain’s “reward system” will not be active. Thus, it will produce less of the “pleasure chemical” dopamine. As a result, people get less pleasure from music.

If the research is correct, according to National Public Radio, there are simply people who just don’t get music. They may get pleasure from many things, but a good song isn’t one of them.

1.What do we know about people with musical anhedonia?

A.They usually avoid listening to music.

B.They like to listen to certain types of music.

C.They believe cultural differences are larger than music.

D.They can’t feel the pleasure that music brings to others.

2.What was the purpose of the study?

A.To learn how music influences people’s emotions.

B.To understand the relationship between music and the body.

C.To learn what music people love the most.

D.To see whether music works in the same way for all people.

3.What happened to the participants when they listened to music?

A.Those who enjoyed music had more dopamine produced.

B.Those who enjoyed music had slower blood flow.

C.All of them had faster heartbeat and sweated more.

D.They showed different physical signs as the music changed.

4.Which is the best title of this passage?

A.How people get pleasure from music?

B.Why music isn’t for everyone?

C.What brain produces with music?

D.A new research of listening.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述一项研究显示音乐快感缺失的人不能从音乐中体会快感比并介绍了研究过程和原因。

1.细节理解题。由第二段最后一句“They say that those who have this condition lack the ability to experience pleasure from music.”可知，他们说那些有这种情况的人缺乏从音乐那体验快感的能力。由此可见，音乐快感缺失的人不能感受到音乐所带来的快乐。结合选项可知，选项D正确。

2.推理判断题。由第二段的第一句“But according to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, music doesn’t speak to everyone.”，第五段“The researchers say that this means people have different abilities to enjoy music and that “there are people who specifically can’t enjoy music at all”, study author Josep Marco-Pallres of the University of Barcelona in Spain told Live Science.”可知，但是根据一项最近发表在《现代生物学》杂志上的研究，音乐并不是对每个人都适合。研究人员说这意味着人们有不同的能力享受音乐，并且有一些人明确地根本不能享受音乐。由此可见，这项研究的目的是为了研究音乐对每个人是否一样。结合选项可知，选项D正确。

3.推理判断题。由第八段第二句“Thus, it will produce less of the “pleasure chemical” dopamine.”和最后一句“As a result, people get less pleasure from music.”可知，所以，它会产生更少的“快乐化学物质”多巴胺。结果是人们从音乐那获取更少的快乐。由此判断出，当人们听音乐的时候，多巴胺产生的越多，人们从音乐那获取的快乐更多。结合选项可知，选项A正确。

4.主旨大意题。由全文内容可知，第二段的第一句“But according to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, music doesn’t speak to everyone.”表达的是但是根据一项最近发表在《现代生物学》杂志上的研究，音乐并不是对每个人都适合。第五段“The researchers say that this means people have different abilities to enjoy music and that “there are people who specifically can’t enjoy music at all”, study author Josep Marco-Pallres of the University of Barcelona in Spain told Live Science.”表达的是研究人员说这意味着人们有不同的能力享受音乐，并且有一些人明确地根本不能享受音乐。第六段的最后一句“They found that the key is the blood flow to the reward system in the brain.”表达的是他们发现这个关键之处是流向大脑奖励系统的血液。第八段倒数两句“Thus, it will produce less of the “pleasure chemical” dopamine. As a result, people get less pleasure from music.”表示的是所以，它会产生更少的“快乐化学物质”多巴胺，结果是人们从音乐那获取更少的快乐。由此可见，全文是在讲述音乐并不是每个人都适合，有些人就无法享受音乐的快乐以及导致其这样的原因。所短文的最佳标题为“为什么音乐不适合每个人？”，选项B正确。