Question

    One of the most popular beliefs in parenting is the so﹣called Mozart effect， which says that listening to music by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart can increase a child's intelligence． Some pregnant women have even gone so far as to play Mozart recordings on headphones pressed against their bellies． And it's not hard to see how Mozart's name became associated with accelerated development． He was history's greatest child genius， performing astonishing music for kings and queens at an age when many of us were content with tuneless singing "I'm a Little Teapot"．

So， if you have kids or you're expecting to have them， how seriously should you take the Mozart effect？ Will the child who doesn't listen to Mozart in the cradle （摇篮） be limited to an ordinary life？ Are you a bad parent if your kids don't know about any works of Mozart？

Relax． There is no scientific evidence that listening to Mozart improves children's cognitive abilities． The whole idea comes from a small study done in 1993， which found that college students who listened to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major （K 448）showed some improvement in a test of spatial （空间的） skills． This finding was later described as something extremely amazing by a musician， Don Campbell， in a book． Campbell's claims about the super powers of Mozart's music were repeated endlessly in the media and fueled a craze for Mozart﹣based enrichment activities． In 1998， for example， the governor of Georgia in the USA requested funds to send classical﹣music CDs to all parents of newborns in the state．

Since then， scientists have examined the claim that Mozart increases intelligence and found no evidence for it． The original experiment with college students was reviewed in 1999， and the increase in the students' spatial skills was found to be negligible． In 2007 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research asked a team of experts to examine the scientific literature regarding Mozart and child development， and they found no reason to believe that it increased intelligence．

1.People relate Mozart to children's intelligence development because he　   　．

A.owned extraordinary music talent.

B.could perform music as a child.

C.offered music to pregnant women.

D.was an royal Austrian composer.

2.What can we know about the small study in 1993？

A.It added to the popularity of Mozart's music．

B.It found no evidence for supporting Mozart effect．

C.It helped college students make academic progress．

D.It urged Georgia's governor to spread classical music．

3.What does the underlined word "negligible" probably mean？

A.Sudden．

B.Insignificant．

C.Average．

D.Steady．

4.What can be the best title for the text？

A.New Findings： Mozart Effect to Be Proved.

B.Secrets Uncovered： History of Mozart Effect.

C.Does Listening to Mozart Make Kids Smarter？

D.How Does Mozart Improve Kids' Intelligence？

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。本文主要就“奥地利作曲家沃尔夫冈•莫扎特的音乐可以增加孩子的智力”这件事情展开了讨论和研究，科学家们也对莫扎特提高智力的说法进行了研究，但没有发现任何证据。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段“One of the most popular beliefs in parenting is the so﹣called Mozart effect， which says that listening to music by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart can increase a child's intelligence． Some pregnant women have even gone so far as to play Mozart recordings on headphones pressed against their bellies．And it's not hard to see how Mozart's name became associated with accelerated development．He was history's greatest child genius， performing astonishing music for kings and queens at an age when many of us were content with tuneless singing "I'm a Little Teapot"”可知，最流行的育儿观念之一是所谓的莫扎特效应，它说听奥地利作曲家沃尔夫冈•莫扎特的音乐可以增加孩子的智力。一些孕妇甚至用压在肚子上的耳机播放莫扎特的录音。不难看出莫扎特的他是历史上最伟大的儿童天才，在我们许多人满足于无调子的歌唱"我是一个小茶壶"的年龄时，他已经为国王和王后演奏了令人惊讶的音乐。所以人们把莫扎特和儿童智力发展联系起来是因为他拥有非凡的音乐天赋。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段“The whole idea comes from a small study done in 1993， which found that college students who listened to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major （K 448）showed some improvement in a test of spatial （空间的） skills． This finding was later described as something extremely amazing by a musician， Don Campbell， in a book． Campbell's claims about the super powers of Mozart's music were repeated endlessly in the media and fueled a craze for Mozart﹣based enrichment activities”可知，整个想法来自于1993年的一项小型研究，该研究发现，在D大调（K448）听莫扎特两钢琴奏鸣曲的大学生在空间技能测试中表现出了一定的进步，这一发现后来被一位音乐家唐•坎贝尔（Don Campbell）在一本书中描述为一件非常惊人的事情。坎贝尔关于莫扎特音乐超能力的说法被媒体无休止地重复，并激起了对以莫扎特为基础的丰富活动的狂热。可知1993年的小研究增加了莫扎特音乐的受欢迎程度。故选A。

3.词义猜测题。根据最后一段划线词所在的上下文句子“Since then， scientists have examined the claim that Mozart increases intelligence and found no evidence for it． In 2007 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research asked a team of experts to examine the scientific literature regarding Mozart and child development， and they found no reason to believe that it increased intelligence”可知，此后，科学家们对莫扎特提高智力的说法进行了研究，但没有发现任何证据，德国联邦教育和研究部要求一个小组专家们对有关莫扎特和儿童发展的科学文献进行了研究，他们没有理由相信这会增加智力。所以通过上下文的语境可以判断出，可知的划线处的意思应该是“微不足道的”。所以和B项" Insignificant“微不足道的”意思一致。故选B。

4.主旨大意题。阅读全文以及根据第一段“One of the most popular beliefs in parenting is the so﹣called Mozart effect， which says that listening to music by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart can increase a child's intelligence” 可知，最流行的育儿观念之一是所谓的莫扎特效应，它说听奥地利作曲家沃尔夫冈•莫扎特的音乐可以增加孩子的智力。以及短文主要就"奥地利作曲家沃尔夫冈•莫扎特的音乐可以增加孩子的智力"这件事情展开了讨论和研究，所以C选项“听莫扎特的音乐能让孩子们更聪明吗？”为本段最佳标题。故选C。