Maths and Music
An excellent way to kill a conversation is to say you are a mathematician. Tell others you are also a musician, however, and they will be hooked. Although there are obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity, there is no direct evidence for the kind of magical connection many people seem to believe in.
I’m partly referring here to the “Mozart effect”, where children who have been played Mozart compositions are supposedly more intelligent, including at maths, than other children. It is not hard to see why such a theory would be popular: we would all like to become better at maths without putting in any effort. But the conclusions of the experiment that expressed the belief in the Mozart effect were much more modest. If you want your brain to work better, you clearly have to put in hard work. As for learning to play the piano, it also takes effort.
Surely a connection is quite reasonable. Both maths and music deal with abstract structures, so if you become good at one, then it is likely that you become good at something more general that helps you with the other. If this is correct, it would show a connection between mathematical and musical ability. It would be more like the connection between abilities at football and tennis. To become better at one, you need to improve your fitness and coordination (协调). That makes you better at sport and probably helps with the other.
Abstract structures don’t exist only in maths and music. If you learn a language then you need to understand its abstract structures like grammar. Yet we don’t hear people asking about a connection between mathematical and linguistic (语言的) ability. Maybe this is because grammar feels mathematical, so it wouldn’t be surprising that mathematicians were better at learning grammar. Music, however, is strongly tied up with feelings and can be enjoyed even by people who know little about it. As such, it seems different from maths, so there wouldn’t be any connection between the two.
Let’s see how we solve problems of the “A is to B as C is to D” kind. These appear in intelligence tests but they are also central to both music and maths. Consider the opening of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (小夜曲). The second phrase is a clear answer to the first. The listener thinks: “The first phrase goes upward and uses the notes of a G major chord (和弦); what would be the corresponding phrase that goes downward and uses the notes of a D7?” Music is full of puzzles like this. If you are good at them, expectations will constantly be set up in your mind. The best moments surprise you by being unexpected, but we need the expectations in the first place.
1.What does the author say about “Mozart effect”？
A. The goal of it was not carefully thought about.
B. The interest people showed in it was unexpected.
C. The way it was carried out proved to be ineffective.
D. The findings from it gave people wrong information.
2.The author mentioned football and tennis in Paragraph 3 to show that ______.
A. music and maths have something in common
B. football and tennis are played in a similar way
C. certain skills may be developed through practice
D. abstract structures bring benefits to various fields
3.We can infer from Paragraph 4 that ______.
A. language is less attractive to learners
B. mathematicians are good at music learning
C. language seems more like maths than music does
D. the structure of language is easier to learn than that of music
4.What is the writer’s main purpose in the last paragraph?
A. To prove how music finally differs from maths.
B. To describe the mathematical processes musicians may have.
C. To show how abstract thinking applies to both music and maths.
D. To explain why Mozart is so highly considered by mathematicians.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Maths and Music
An excellent way to kill a conversation is to say you are a mathematician. Tell others you are also a musician, however, and they will be hooked. Although there are obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity, there is no direct evidence for the kind of magical connection many people seem to believe in.
I’m partly referring here to the “Mozart effect”, where children who have been played Mozart compositions are supposedly more intelligent, including at maths, than other children. It is not hard to see why such a theory would be popular: we would all like to become better at maths without putting in any effort. But the conclusions of the experiment that expressed the belief in the Mozart effect were much more modest. If you want your brain to work better, you clearly have to put in hard work. As for learning to play the piano, it also takes effort.
Surely a connection is quite reasonable. Both maths and music deal with abstract structures, so if you become good at one, then it is likely that you become good at something more general that helps you with the other. If this is correct, it would show a connection between mathematical and musical ability. It would be more like the connection between abilities at football and tennis. To become better at one, you need to improve your fitness and coordination (协调). That makes you better at sport and probably helps with the other.
Abstract structures don’t exist only in maths and music. If you learn a language then you need to understand its abstract structures like grammar. Yet we don’t hear people asking about a connection between mathematical and linguistic (语言的) ability. Maybe this is because grammar feels mathematical, so it wouldn’t be surprising that mathematicians were better at learning grammar. Music, however, is strongly tied up with feelings and can be enjoyed even by people who know little about it. As such, it seems different from maths, so there wouldn’t be any connection between the two.
Let’s see how we solve problems of the “A is to B as C is to D” kind. These appear in intelligence tests but they are also central to both music and maths. Consider the opening of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (小夜曲). The second phrase is a clear answer to the first. The listener thinks: “The first phrase goes upward and uses the notes of a G major chord (和弦); what would be the corresponding phrase that goes downward and uses the notes of a D7?” Music is full of puzzles like this. If you are good at them, expectations will constantly be set up in your mind. The best moments surprise you by being unexpected, but we need the expectations in the first place.
1.What does the author say about “Mozart effect”？
A. The goal of it was not carefully thought about.
B. The interest people showed in it was unexpected.
C. The way it was carried out proved to be ineffective.
D. The findings from it gave people wrong information.
2.The author mentioned football and tennis in Paragraph 3 to show that ______.
A. music and maths have something in common
B. football and tennis are played in a similar way
C. certain skills may be developed through practice
D. abstract structures bring benefits to various fields
3.We can infer from Paragraph 4 that ______.
A. language is less attractive to learners
B. mathematicians are good at music learning
C. language seems more like maths than music does
D. the structure of language is easier to learn than that of music
4.What is the writer’s main purpose in the last paragraph?
A. To prove how music finally differs from maths.
B. To describe the mathematical processes musicians may have.
C. To show how abstract thinking applies to both music and maths.
D. To explain why Mozart is so highly considered by mathematicians.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Maths and Music An excellent way to kill a conversation is to say you are a mathematician． Tell others you are also a musician， however， and they will be hooked． Although there are obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity， there is no direct evidence for the kind of magical connection many people seem to believe in．
I'm partly referring here to the "Mozart effect"， where children who have been playing Mozart compositions are supposedly more intelligent， including at maths， than other children． It is not hard to see why such a theory would be popular： we would all like to become better at maths without putting in any effort． But the conclusions of the experiment that expressed the belief in the Mozart effect were much more modest． If you want your brain to work better， you clearly have to put in hard work． As for learning to play the piano， it also takes effort．
Surely a connection is quite reasonable． Both maths and music deal with abstract structures， so if you become good at one， then it is likely that you become good at something more general that helps you with the other． If this is correct， it would show a connection between mathematical and musical ability． It would be more like the connection between abilities at football and tennis． To become better at one， you need to improve your fitness and coordination （协调）． That makes you better at sport and probably helps with the other．
Abstract structures don't exist only in maths and music． If you learn a language then you need to understand its abstract structures like grammar． Yet we don't hear people asking about a connection between mathematical and linguistic （语言的） ability． Maybe this is because grammar feels mathematical， so it wouldn't be surprising that mathematicians were better at learning grammar． Music， however， is strongly tied up with feelings and can be enjoyed even by people who know little about it． As such， it seems different from maths， so there wouldn't be any connection between the two．
Let's see how we solve problems of the "A is to B as C is to D" kind． These appear in intelligence tests but they are also important to both music and maths． Consider the opening of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik （小夜曲）． The second phrase （小节） is a clear answer to the first． The listener thinks： "The first phrase goes upward and uses the notes of a G major chord （和弦）； what would be the corresponding phrase that goes downward and uses the notes of a D7？" Music is full of puzzles like this． If you are good at them， expectations will constantly be set up in your mind． The best moments surprise you by being unexpected， but we need the expectations in the first place．
1.What does the author say about "Mozart effect"？ ______
A. The goal of it was not carefully thought about．
B. The findings from it gave people wrong information．
C. The interest people showed in it was unexpected．
D. The way it was carried out proved to be ineffective．
2.The author mentioned football and tennis in Paragraph 3to show that ______ ．
A. football and tennis are played in a similar way．
B. certain skills may be developed through practice．
C. music and maths have something in common．
D. abstract structures bring benefits to various fields．
3.We can infer from Paragraph 4that ______ ．
A. language seems more like maths than music does．
B. language is less appealing to learners．
C. mathematicians are good at music learning．
D. the structure of language is easier to learn than that of music．
4.What does the writer intend to state in the last paragraph？ ______
A. How music differs from maths．
B. Why musicians possess mathematical abilities．
C. Why Mozart is so highly considered by mathematicians．
D. How abstract thinking applies to both music and maths．
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
—Starting a conversation is a good way to kill time on the train.
—_______. I also like to talk with strangers.
A. That is true B. It sounds like fun
C. I don’t think so D. You are kidding
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
He is really an excellent doctor and he is____to becoming an expert in this field.
A. in a way B. by the way
C. on the way D. under way
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
An excellent way to help memory is to connect information with pictures, which ______ as a memory-link method.
| A．considers | B．is considering | C．is considered | D．Considered |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
—Reading is the best way to kill time on the train.
—________ I never go traveling without a book.
A.You are joking. B.I don’t think so. C.That’s true. D.Don’t mention it.
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the conversation mainly about?
A. How Alexa killed her plants.
B. Where Alexa planted her plants.
C. Why Alexa kept her house green.
2.What did Alexa do with her yellow plant?
A. She put it in the sunlight. B. She returned it to the shop. C. She gave it too much water.
3.What does the man suggest Alexa do?
A. Throw all her plants aw ay. B. Find out more about plants online. C. Move all her plants out of the sun.
高三英语长对话中等难度题查看答案及解析
Wondering what to see and do in India in November? November is an excellent month to visit India. Here are the best festivals in November, 2018 in India.
International Yoga and Music Festival
Organized by Nada Yoga School every year since 2008, the International Yoga and Music Festival features 50 of the best professional yoga teachers Ayurvedic（印度草药按摩）doctors， dancers, musicians, and philosophers from Rishikesh and abroad. Free classes and lectures are held with topics including yoga, Ayurveda, philosophy, and Indian classical music. There’s an Indian classical music concert in the evenings as well.
Time: November 1-7, 2018. Location: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
Wangala Festival
Also known as the 100 Drum Wangala Festival this is the biggest harvest festival of Meghalaya's Garo tribe in northeast India. Held in honor of the Sun God of fertility, the festival marks the end of the seeding season and agricultural year. It's celebrated by the beating of drums, blowing horns, and traditional dancing.
Time: November 6, 2018. Location: Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Bandra Wine Festival
Being popular with local people for six years, the Bandra Wine Festival is a fun opportunity to sample the best wines in India. In addition to tasting wine, there are market stalls, food stalls, live music in the evenings, and dancing.
Time: November 7-8, 2018.
Location: D'Monte Park, Bandra West, Mumbai.
Pushkar Balloon Festival
The International Hot Air Ballooning Festival is an added attraction at the Pushkar Camel Fair. Similar to the Taj Balloon Festival in Agra, it’s hosted by Sky Waltz, and features hot air balloons from around the world and a Night Glow Music Concert. Accommodation and balloon flight packages are offered to visitors.
Time: November 21-23, 2018. Location: Pushkar, Rajasthan.
1.If you want to learn health knowledge, you’d better go to .
A. Pushkar, Rajasthan
B. Garo Hills, Meghalaya
C. Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
D. D'Monte Park, Bandra West, Mumbai.
2.The Garo tribe holds the Wangala Festival in order to .
A. thank Sun God for his giving
B. celebrate their sowing season
C. show their pleasure after harvest
D. celebrate the end of the old year
3.Who could most probably enjoy the Bandra Wine Festival?
A. News reporters. B. Successful leaders
C. Professional dancers. D. Wine lovers.
4.What can we know about the Hot Air Ballooning Festival?
A. There is no fee to attend it.
B. It is an event during the Pushkar Camel Fair.
C. All the hot air balloons come from India.
D. It is held to produce beautiful hot air balloons.
5.If you are free during the second half of November, you can enjoy .
A. Wangala Festival B. Bandra Wine Festival
C. Pushkar Balloon Festival D. International Yoga and Music Festival
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The little boy isn’t getting on well in maths and worse still, he is even unwilling to go to school. With her son _____, she feels very ______.
A. disappointing；worrying B. disappointing；worried
C. disappointed；worried D. disappointed；worrying
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
1. The tournament is open to both____(业余爱好者) and professionals.
2. He is an excellent ____(律师) with a good brain and a determination to achieve.
3. He's had three accidents in the past ____(两星期).
4. There is much chance that Bill will ____(复原) from his injury in time for the race.
5. Since a lot of graduates are hunting for jobs, the government should take measures to _____
(促进) employment.
6. The plane crashed, killing all 200 people____(在飞机上).
7. Who is it that has the children ____(负担) with so much homework nowadays?
8. She is always very ____(准时的) for appointments.
9. Computers and mobile phones, though they are indeed making our life easy and ____(效率高的) have reduced the need for face-to-face communication.
10. Her health has been____(下降，衰退) progressively for several months.
高三英语单词拼写中等难度题查看答案及解析