Certain aspects of music have the same effect on people even when they live in very different societies, a new study reveals.
Researchers asked 40 Mbenzele Pygmies in the Congolese rainforest to listen to short clips of music. They were asked to listen to their own music and to unfamiliar Western music.
The same 19 selections of music were also played to 40 amateur or professional musicians in Montreal. Musicians were included in the Montreal group because Mbenzele Pygmies could be considered musicians as they all sing regularly for ceremonial purposes, the study authors explained.
Both groups were asked to rate how the music made them feel using emoticons, such as happy, sad or excited faces.
There were significant differences between the two groups as to whether a specific piece of music made them feel good or bad. However, both groups had similar responses to how exciting or calming they found the different types of music.
"Our major discovery is that listeners from very different groups both responded to how exciting or calming they felt the music to be in similar ways," Hauke Egermann, of the Technical University of Berlin, said in a news release from McGill University in Montreal. Egermann conducted part of the study as a postdoctoral fellow at McGill.
The Montreal participants felt a wider range of emotions as they listened to the Western music than the Pygmies expressed when listening to either their own or Western music. This may be due to the different roles music plays in the two cultures.
"Negative emotions are felt to disturb the harmony of the forest in Pygmy culture and are therefore dangerous," Nathalie Fernando, of the University of Montreal's faculty of music, said in the news release. "If a baby is crying, the Mbenzele will sing a happy song. If the men are scared of going hunting, they will sing a happy song — in general, music is used in this culture to evacuate all negative emotions, so it is not really surprising that the Mbenzele feel that all the music they hear makes them feel good," she explained.
1.Why could Mbenzele Pygmies be regarded as musicians?
A. They are crazy about music.
B. They major in music at school.
C. They can play musical instruments well.
D. They often sing songs on ceremony.
2.The study mainly finds that ________.
A. music is universal across cultures
B. music varies among different countries
C. western music results in negative emotions
D. music makes people happy
3.The underlined word “evacuate” probably means ________.
A. set off B. benefit from C. get rid of D. account for
4.The examples mentioned in the last paragraph are to show that ________.
A. music plays different roles in the two cultures
B. music plays the same role in the two cultures
C. negative music disturbs the harmony of the forest
D. happy music is welcomed everywhere
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Certain aspects of music have the same effect on people even when they live in very different societies, a new study reveals.
Researchers asked 40 Mbenzele Pygmies in the Congolese rainforest to listen to short clips of music. They were asked to listen to their own music and to unfamiliar Western music.
The same 19 selections of music were also played to 40 amateur or professional musicians in Montreal. Musicians were included in the Montreal group because Mbenzele Pygmies could be considered musicians as they all sing regularly for ceremonial purposes, the study authors explained.
Both groups were asked to rate how the music made them feel using emoticons, such as happy, sad or excited faces.
There were significant differences between the two groups as to whether a specific piece of music made them feel good or bad. However, both groups had similar responses to how exciting or calming they found the different types of music.
"Our major discovery is that listeners from very different groups both responded to how exciting or calming they felt the music to be in similar ways," Hauke Egermann, of the Technical University of Berlin, said in a news release from McGill University in Montreal. Egermann conducted part of the study as a postdoctoral fellow at McGill.
The Montreal participants felt a wider range of emotions as they listened to the Western music than the Pygmies expressed when listening to either their own or Western music. This may be due to the different roles music plays in the two cultures.
"Negative emotions are felt to disturb the harmony of the forest in Pygmy culture and are therefore dangerous," Nathalie Fernando, of the University of Montreal's faculty of music, said in the news release. "If a baby is crying, the Mbenzele will sing a happy song. If the men are scared of going hunting, they will sing a happy song — in general, music is used in this culture to evacuate all negative emotions, so it is not really surprising that the Mbenzele feel that all the music they hear makes them feel good," she explained.
1.Why could Mbenzele Pygmies be regarded as musicians?
A. They are crazy about music.
B. They major in music at school.
C. They can play musical instruments well.
D. They often sing songs on ceremony.
2.The study mainly finds that ________.
A. music is universal across cultures
B. music varies among different countries
C. western music results in negative emotions
D. music makes people happy
3.The underlined word “evacuate” probably means ________.
A. set off B. benefit from C. get rid of D. account for
4.The examples mentioned in the last paragraph are to show that ________.
A. music plays different roles in the two cultures
B. music plays the same role in the two cultures
C. negative music disturbs the harmony of the forest
D. happy music is welcomed everywhere
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The harmful effects that smog can have on people's health are one of the top ______ of those who live in some cities.
A.concerns B.conflicts
C.characters D.charges
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Music has a great effect on everyone. But does music affect plants, too? People have been experimenting with music for almost three decades. From school-level projects to higher-level scientific experiments, the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic.
We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave. Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells. But why is music associated with plant growth? In humans, music has a strong effect on our health and mood, and over the years, people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants, too. Plants are sensitive by nature, and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do. There are stories about plants shedding tears. Although scientists do not support these as facts, these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants.
Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic (音响的) energy. It increases their rate of growth and their size, and influences their overall health. Dan Carlson, after a thorough study over a span of many years, has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients(养分) more efficiently.
It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray (叶面喷剂) that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies. Carlson calls this spray “Sonic Bloom”. His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in-according to Guinness Book of World Records-the largest indoor plant on record.
The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process. It grew to be 1,300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years. Its normal lifespan(寿命), however, is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall. The book, Secret of the Soil, writes about Sonic Bloom and its results. Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market.
1.What inspired scientists to experiment with plants?
A. The effects of music on humans.
B. Plants are sensitive by nature.
C. The cell division taking place within the cells.
D. People’s debatable opinion of the effect music has on plants.
2.What is the main idea of Para. 3?
A. Nutrients are important to plants.
B. Music can have some good effects on plants.
C. How the rate of growth of plants can be improved.
D. What kinds of music can contribute to the growth of plants.
3.What did Dan Carlson develop?
A. A spray called “Sonic Bloom”.
B. A method to grow larger plants.
C. A special plant that grows very fast.
D. Acoustic energy that plants respond to
4.Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records?
A. It is the oldest indoor plant.
B. It is the largest indoor plant.
C. It gives off the most pleasant smell.
D. It can grow in the toughest conditions.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Music has a great effect on everyone. But does music affect plants, too? People have been experimenting with music for almost three decades. From school-level projects to higher-level scientific experiments, the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic.
We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave. Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells. But why is music associated with plant growth? In humans, music has a strong effect on our health and mood, and over the years, people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants, too. Plants are sensitive by nature, and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do. There are stories about plants shedding tears. Although scientists do not support these as facts, these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants.
Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic (音响的) energy. It increases their rate of growth and their size, and influences their overall health. Dan Carlson, after a thorough study over a span of many years, has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients(养分) more efficiently.
It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray (叶面喷剂) that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies. Carlson calls this spray “Sonic Bloom”. His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in-according to Guinness Book of World Records-the largest indoor plant on record.
The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process. It grew to be 1,300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years. Its normal lifespan(寿命), however, is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall. The book, Secret of the Soil, writes about Sonic Bloom and its results. Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market.
1.What inspired scientists to experiment with plants?
A.The effects of music on humans.
B.Plants are sensitive by nature.
C.The cell division taking place within the cells.
D.People’s debatable opinion of the effect music has on plants.
2.What is the main idea of Para. 3?
A.Nutrients are important to plants.
B.Music can have some good effects on plants.
C.How the rate of growth of plants can be improved.
D.What kinds of music can contribute to the growth of plants.
3.What did Dan Carlson develop?
A.A spray called “Sonic Bloom”.
B.A method to grow larger plants.
C.A special plant that grows very fast.
D.Acoustic energy that plants respond to
4.Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records?
A.It is the oldest indoor plant.
B.It is the largest indoor plant.
C.It gives off the most pleasant smell.
D.It can grow in the toughest conditions.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many songs, poems, and books have been written on love’s strong effect on people. The state of being in love has even been compared to being sick or mad. A study by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London has found that love does affect people’s brains by making them feel great.
Zeki studied young men and women who had recently fallen in love. He found that, when they were looking at photos of their loved ones, there was heightened activity in four areas of their brains. These areas deal with emotions, and one of them, in particular, is known to respond to drugs that cause feelings of great joy and excitement.
Interestingly, the study also found a lack of activity in two other areas of the brain when the volunteers looked at their lovers’ photographs. One of these areas is linked to feelings of sadness, while the other is often active in people suffering from depression. It seems love really can be uplifting.
The state of being in love, according to some scientists, may actually be good for your health. Although scientists know that being in love can make a person feel great, the exact influence of love on a person’s health is harder to determine. However, scientists say that people do need love in order to live healthy lives.
According to Dr. Thomas Lewis, people need to be in relationships because that is how we are designed. He says the brain can only maintain(保持) the overall stability of a person’s immune(免疫) system, bodily rhythms, and heart if it receives input(输入) from outside the body in the form of emotional connections with others.
Professor Antonio Damasio has a similar view. He says that love enriches a person’s imagination and creativity, and makes a person’s body work better. He also believes that love can even improve the body’s ability to fight against disease. Damasio’s wise words of advice are “ Choose love and you will live longer.”
1.What is the main idea of this passage ? __________.
A. love can really cause people active
B. love has an effect on songs and books
C. love is linked with emotion
D. love is what we need
2.What does the underlined word “uplifting” mean? It means __________.
A. inspiring B. available C. cold D. mad
3.From the passage we can conclude that__________.
A. People write songs, poems and books to say love is the sweetest thing
B. nobody but Professor Semir Zeki has understood love does affect people’s brains
C. being in love sometimes may make someone act as if he/ she were mad
D. love causes heightened activity in all areas of a person’s brains
4.Which of the following statements is not true?
A. Some scientists have the idea that love does good to people.
B. It is possible for scientists to decide how much influence love can give people.
C. People are born to be in need of getting on touch with each other.
D. A person’s health depends on partly on emotional connections with others.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Use your head; nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as ___ is learned by yourself.
A.something B.that C.what D.it
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Use your head. Nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as ______learned by yourself.
A.those | B.what | C.that | D.the one |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
16. Nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as _____ learned by yourself.
A.that | B.what | C.which | D.It |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Use your head. nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as ________learned by yourself.
A.those | B.what | C.that | D.the one |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Use your head; nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as _________learned by yourself.
A.those | B.what | C.that | D.the one |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析