One of the proven benefits of reading is that it helps to build a stronger memory. But does it matter if you read the words on a page or listen to them?
In a 2016 study, one group of readers was asked to listen to an excerpt (摘录) from the audiobook version of Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, while another group read the same excerpt on an e-reader. A third group read and listened at the same time.
All participants were then given a quiz to measure how well they had absorbed the material. It was concluded that participants were able to recall as much from reading as they were from listening.
Reading has been proven to provide a number of benefits to your brain, and make you smarter overall. However, science also tells us that listening to audiobooks can also have very positive effects on the brain. For example, according to a study by the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, our brains are more likely to create meaningful images when we listen to stories, as opposed to reading them in a traditional format. That’s because when we listen instead of reading, our brains are allowed more space for their visual processes to do their things.
In addition, audiobooks can also help boost your comprehension and vocabulary as much as their print and digital versions. Audio versions might even have an extra advantage for those of us learning English as a second language or teaching kids to read, since proper pronunciation will be guaranteed. This benefit can be enhanced by following along with the text while listening to the audio.
There’s no doubt that both reading and listening to books do some great good to your brain and overall well-being. Thankfully, a great read (or listen) is more accessible than you’d think! There are dozens of free and cheap print books, audiobooks, and e-books out there waiting to be discovered!
1. How was the 2016 study carried out?| A．By giving examples. | B．By doing interviews. |
| C．By analyzing causes and effects. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．To strengthen their memory. | B．To improve their ability. |
| C．To test their learning effects. | D．To understand their personalities. |
| A．Listening creates mental pictures. | B．Reading results in a better memory. |
| C．Reading turns visual processes into reality. | D．Listening improves our imagination. |
| A．ensure greater fluency in learners’ language speaking |
| B．bring about greater effect combined with text reading |
| C．account for greater share of resources than paper ones |
| D．become digital once its paper-based versions come out |
相似题推荐
Dear Editor,
I’m now a postgraduate student and have studied at top universities, but am troubled that my life choices are conditioned by a need to prove myself, possibly resulting from a deep-rooted sense of insecurity. At school, I based my self-worth on academic success. I care excessively (过度地) about what impression I’m making and can’t bear the thought of displeasing people. How can I stop caring what other people think?
Mr. Perfect
Dear Mr. Perfect,
You are living your life by externally referencing. This means your actions are guided by what you imagine other people think of you. Your challenge is to become more internally referenced, which means you can make choices guided by the experience of how things feel to you. Go with what feels good, not with what you think would look good to others.
You don’t need to impress anyone. You are good enough exactly as you are. We are not necessarily accepted by people because we impress them and, in fact, if we try too hard to do that, we are more likely to be rejected. You don’t have to say “top” university, you can be proud of what you have achieved, but without being competitive.
We do care about what people think about us. We want friendly colleagues and close friends-it matters. People will want to be around you because they feel seen by you and you can get on each other’s wavelengths, not because you are impressive. So let go of impressing and think more about relating. Worthiness is not about being a top academic, it is about being a caring, curious human being.
Philippa
1. According to Philippa, what should Mr. Perfect do to live by “internally referencing”?
| A．Seek others’ advice. | B．Make sensible choices. |
| C．Follow his own heart. | D．Leave good impressions. |
| A．He can never be good enough. | B．He is a worthy person as he is. |
| C．His relationship decides his worth. | D．His academic performance matters. |
| A．Showing empathy. | B．Turning for help. |
| C．Establishing new relationships. | D．Pleasing people. |
【推荐2】Before I begin with my speech on Rainwater Harvesting, let me first extend warm thanks to all the parents for coming together under one roof and making our event a success. As we have been taught in our school the benefits of rainwater harvesting, all the children decided to spread the knowledge amongst their families and friends and enlighten everyone about its benefits.
Rainwater harvesting is an interesting method to collect and store rainwater for such uses as landscape irrigation, animal raising, gardening, etc. When the rain comes, we never make any efforts towards preserving that water. The water can be collected from different hard surfaces, like terrace and/or other artificial aboveground tough surfaces. If the climate is dry, such as that in South Australia, the technique of rainwater harvesting can prove to be extremely beneficial for the environment.
There are many rural households that have to conserve all the water for their property and rainwater more often than not offers comparatively a better quality supply to the household than river, dams or bore water. Rainwater harvesting however is not only meant for rural regions as many urban households too are joined to a reticulated(网状的) , treated source of water supply. This method of rainwater harvesting can considerably bring down the use of main water sources.
Now, what are the advantages of rainwater harvesting? One of the major benefits is that it will help you bring down your water bills, secondly you will have an alternative source of water supply during the situation of water crisis and thirdly it will help you maintain your green, blossoming garden. Excessive dependency on climate as well as tank size is not right and so rainwater harvesting can help reduce the burden drastically on the main sources of water. Rainwater harvesting also helps overcome the fear of storm water runoff; thus reducing the risk of local flooding or scouring of brooks. You can collect rainwater from various rooftops, based on what quality of rainwater is required.
1. What is the purpose of the speech?| A．To advocate water preservation. | B．To promote rainwater harvesting. |
| C．To thank parents coming to the event. | D．To educate people on saving water. |
| A．on tough surfaces | B．at scenic spots |
| C．in dry areas | D．on animal farms |
| A．keeps the gardens green | B．offers a better quality supply |
| C．comes from rivers and dams | D．reduces the consumption of treated water |
| A．Methods of collecting rainwater. | B．Means of treating rainwater. |
| C．Water reservation and climate change. | D．Disadvantages of rainwater harvesting. |
【推荐3】Simple Ways to Improve Your Written English
Many people think it is really difficult to improve their writing in English. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English.
●Increase your vocabulary
To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to know lots of words—it means actually being able to use them correctly.
●
People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different writing styles.
Reading shouldn’t be boring.
●Double check your writing.
●Just do it!
| A．Know your readers. |
| B．Read widely and often. |
| C．Always check your writing twice. |
| D．Remember, practice makes perfect! |
| E．Choose books or articles that interest you. |
| F．Use simpler language and shorter sentences to show your ideas. |
| G．So it’s a good idea to enlarge your vocabulary by using them in your writing. |
【推荐1】As we grow old, we realize that we have so little time to read and there are so many great books that we’ve yet to get around to. Yet re-readers are everywhere around us. For certain fans, re-reading The Lord of the Rings is a conventional practice annually. One friend told me that Jane Austen's Emma can still surprise him, despite his having read it over 50 times.
New sudden clear understandings can be gained from the process of re-reading. Journalist Rebecca Mead, a long-time English woman in New York, first came across George Eliot’s Middlemarch at 17. Since then, she has read it again every five years. With each re-reading, it has opened up further; in each chapter of her life, it has resonated differently. Mead evidenced the large number of ways in which really good books not only stand the test of repeat reads, but also offer fresh gifts each time we crack their spines. These kinds of books grow with us.
Scientists have also recognized the mental health benefits of re-reading. Research conducted with readers in the US found that on our first reading, we are concerned with the “what” and the “why”. Second time round, we’re able to better appreciate the emotions that the plot continues to express. As researcher Cristel Russell of the American University explained. returning to a book “brings new or renewed appreciation of both the great book and its readers.”
It’s true that we often find former selves on the pages of old books (if we’re fond of making notes on the pages). These texts can carry us back to a time and place, and remind us of the kind of person that we were then. We're changed not only by lived experience but also by read experience — by the books that we've discovered since last reading the one in our hand.
More so than the movie director or the musician, the writer calls upon our imaginations, using words to lead us to picture this declaration of love or that unfaithfulness in life. A book is a joim project between writers and readers, and we must pour so much of ourselves into reading that our own life story can become connected with the story in the book.
Perhaps what’s really strange is that we don’t re-read more often. After all, we watch our favourite films again and we wouldn’t think of listening to an album only once. We treasure messy old paintings as objects, yet of all art forms, literature alone is a largely one-time delight. A book, of course, takes up more time, but as Mead confirms, the rewards make it adequately worthwhile.
1. The two books are mentioned in Paragraph 1 mainly to__________.| A．attract the attention of readers | B．introduce the topic of the passage |
| C．provide some background information | D．show the similarity between re-readers |
| A．recite them | B．re-read them | C．recall them | D．retell them |
| A．reading benefits people both mentally and physically |
| B．readers mainly focus on feelings on their first reading |
| C．we know ourselves better through re-reading experience |
| D．we will change writers by reading the books |
| A．call on different understandings of re-reading old books |
| B．argue against the mental health benefits of re-reading |
| C．bring awareness to the significance of re-reading |
| D．introduce the effective ways of re-reading old books |
【推荐2】Four Books Worth Reading
The Humane Home by Sarah Lozanova
The book contains seven chapters that cover topics like energy efficiency, water conservation, passive solar heating, building materials, air quality, choosing where to live, etc. It contains numerous little projects, from building garden beds to preserving home-grown produce. The book is a quick and easy read, easily finished in an hour or two.
An AImost Zero Waste Life by Megean Weldon
The book offers suggestions for reducing waste in every area of life, from grocery shopping, to beauty routines and clothing. In urging people to choose bamboo toothbrushes and package-free goods, Weldon never mentions a single company. This may be strategic — companies come and go and such references could potentially make the book feel out-of-date — but it could leave the reader still wondering where to start.
The Eco-Hero Handbook by Tessa Wardley
The book addresses the issue of eco-anxiety by devoting a one-page answer to a commonly-asked question and, hopefully, enabling the readers to feel like they can take action. The questions range from “Is my water usage affecting the planet and nature?” to “Which foods are responsible for the worst forest damage?” and so on.
Sustainable Home by Christine Liu
This beautiful book could sit on your coffee table, with its gorgeous minimalist photography. Author Christine Liu is a sustainability blogger whose own home and DIY projects are featured in the book. She goes through all the steps you can take to avoid waste and adopt more eco-friendly practices.
1. Who may be interested in the four books?| A．Those who love environmental science. |
| B．Those who focus on research about nature. |
| C．Those who enjoy an eco-friendly lifestyle. |
| D．Those who care about endangered species. |
| A．Sarah Lozanova. |
| B．Megean Weldon. |
| C．Tessa Wardley. |
| D．Christine Liu. |
| A．The Humane Home. |
| B．An Almost Zero Waste Life. |
| C．The Eco-Hero Handbook. |
| D．Sustainable Home. |
【推荐3】Three Formats of Books
Printed books are mostly produced in three fundamental formats: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and Mass Market Paperback.
A hardcover (also known as hardback or hardbound) is a type of book that is bound with hard and rigid protective covers and the pages are often strongly held together with stiches or staples (缝线或订书钉). They are the most expensive of the three formats.
A trade paperback (more commonly known as paperback) is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover. Their pages are often held with glue rather than stitches or staples. Trade paperbacks are cheaper than hardcovers but costlier than mass market paperbacks.
Mass market paperbacks are basically small sized books printed on a lower quality paper with an inexpensive binding. They are cheaper to produce and mostly sold in nontraditional bookselling locations such as drugstores, supermarkets, railway stations, and airports, as well as in traditional bookstores.
Mass market paperbacks are produced to target a bigger market. Due to their low production cost they can be made available to a large mass of people at cheaper and affordable rates. Mass market paperback books are smaller in size (usually about 4 inches wide and 7 inches tall) and their font (字体) size is also comparatively smaller. Besides, mass market paperbacks mostly do not have any illustrations (pictures, diagrams, and other decorative features) that may be present in the hardcover or the paperback formats of that same book.
Another very important feature of mass market paperbacks is that they are mostly strippable books. “Strippable” simply means that a book’s cover can be torn off (or stripped of) by the book retailers or distributor, and then sent back to the book publisher for a refund (退款；返还款). So, when the booksellers notice that some mass market paperback books have been in stock for a while and are not selling well, they can simply strip off the covers of those books and return them to the publishers for refund. The part of the book left after the cover is sipped off is illegal to sell and has to be recycled.
1. What’s special for hardcover books compared with the other two?| A．They’re not easily broken. |
| B．Their covers can be stripped off. |
| C．They have the largest number of consumers. |
| D．They are of excellent quality and bargain price. |
| A．Hardcover. | B．Trade paperback. |
| C．Mass market paperback. | D．Hardbound. |
| A．They have various decorative features. |
| B．Those without covers can be sold cheaply. |
| C．Brochures belong to mass market paperback books. |
| D．They can be returned to the publishers if not damaged. |
| A．By offering figures. | B．By telling a story. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making a comparison. |
【推荐1】Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine about a mutual(共同的) friend of ours. “I wish I could be like Jenny. She always seems so happy. I’m not joking; I honestly think she has the perfect life,” said my friend.
If you were to look at the Instagram account of Jenny, you would indeed see what looks like the perfect life. However, despite the enviable content of her Instagram, I learned through a conversation with this girl that it was all carefully handled. Everything was put together to maintain the public image that she was a happy-go-lucky and carefree girl. When she was sad or upset, there was no indication of these emotions on her Instagram.
In fact, we all choose our online media presence. Look through your Instagram — I bet that you don’t post pictures where you don’t feel camera-ready. On Instagram, we always show our “good side”. Think about it. Would you rather post “I tried so hard but I ended up failing my test” or “ I treated myself to a hot coffee after studying hard all week”?
We all want to present the best parts of our lives, to show what’s going well and what we’re proud of. We take photos of the nice things we own, or of any sorts of events considered “special”, such as invite-only or formal parties. We post photos of the good times rather than the bad times. No matter what happens, we try to make our online image perfect.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making your online presence perfect — everyone does it in some way or another. However, when it comes to feeling envious of someone else’s Instagram posts, remember that just like you, they’re showing their good side.
1. What’s Jenny’s life like indeed?| A．She lives a perfect life. | B．Her life is full of sadness. |
| C．Her life is boring and meaningless. | D．She lives an ordinary life just like others. |
| A．That people dream of living a perfect life. |
| B．That people hide their bad side online. |
| C．That people love reading posts online. |
| D．That people want to please others online. |
| A．We shouldn’t perfect our online image. |
| B．We should always show our good side. |
| C．We should stop reading online stories. |
| D．We don’t need to envy others’ online presence. |
| A．A professor’s speech. | B．A survey of people’s life. |
| C．A personal online account. | D．An entertainment magazine. |
【推荐2】You’ve heard an old Chinese saying before: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. You may even be nodding your head in agreement right now. However, we can have a different understanding about it.
When a person is starving, that’s not the time to fill their head with knowledge but to first give the person a fish—eradicating their hunger—and only then teach them to fish. Far too often, people ignore this common sense first step. They see someone who is struggling, and they rush to offer wisdom. “Let me tell you what I’d do in your position,” a well-meaning individual might offer.
But few of us understand the anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that come with overwhelming need. People meeting with personal disasters don’t have the ability to think straight. Their nerves may be shot. Their confidence may be non-existent. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that person’s situation?
Rushing to offer a struggling person long-term advice is a waste of time. Instead, it makes far more sense to help them regain their emotional balance. Once their ears, heart and mind open, you’ll have an opportunity to teach a new skill.
But how do we know whether a person needs a fish before a fishing lesson? Two things: One is the ability to pay attention. We need to know whether the other person is open and receptive, or looking at the world through narrowed eyes? You can’t just take their words but have to look at how the person acts and what they don’t say. The other is empathy (共情). The more successful you are, the harder it is to imagine what it must be like to be the opposite. Try to create a safe environment for emotional acceptance before the fishing lesson.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To illustrate a concept. | B．To introduce the background. |
| C．To bring in a new viewpoint. | D．To put up an example. |
| A．Getting rid of. | B．Paying attention to. |
| C．Making up for. | D．Putting up with. |
| A．Get them to think straight. |
| B．Teach them a new skill. |
| C．Give them long term advice. |
| D．help regain their emotional balance. |
| A．Live and learn. |
| B．Put yourself in others’ shoes. |
| C．Never teach a fish to swim. |
| D．Don’t teach old dogs new tricks. |
【推荐3】You may think that creativity and artistic judgment are what sets humans apart from artificial intelligence (AI). Robots will be washing our windows long before they start creating masterpieces Right?
Not necessarily. At Amper Music (www.ampermusic.com), you can make the music you want based on mood, instrument, speed and length. You click “Render,” and boom! There’s your original piece, not only composed (作曲) but also “performed” and “mixed” by AI software.
But something has kept bothering me: What happens in a world where effort and scarcity (稀缺) are no longer part of the definition of art? A mass-produced print of the Mona Lisa is worth less than the actual Leonardo painting. Why? Scarcity—there’s only one of the original. But Amper turns. professional-quality original piece of music every time you click “Render.” It puts us in a strange world where works of art are unique but require almost zero human effort to produce. Should anyone pay for these things? And if an artist puts AI masterpieces up for sale, what should the price be?
That’s not just a thought experiment either. Soon the question “What’s the value of AI artwork and music?” will start impacting flesh—and—blood consumers. It has already, in fact.
Earlier, reporters discovered something suspicious (可疑的) about many playlists of Spotify—another online music service. According to the report, the composers and bands who wrote the songs appeared to be nonexistent. These playlists have names like Peaceful Piano and Ambient Chill—exactly the kind of music AI software is good at.
Is Spotify using software to compose music to avoid paying fees to human musicians? The New York Times reported that the tracks with false names have been played 500 million times, which would ordinarily have cost Spotify $3 million in payments.
But Spotify has firmly denied that the tracks in question were created by “fake” artists to avoid payments: while posted under pennames, they were written by actual people receiving actual money for work that they own. But the broader issue remains. Why couldn’t Spotify, or any music service, start using AI to produce free music to save itself money? Automation (自动化) is beginning to replace millions of human taxi drivers, truck drivers and fast-food workers. Why should artists and musicians be an exception to the same economics?
Should there be anything in place—a union, a law---to stop that from happening? Or will we always value human-produced art and music more than machine-made stuff? Once we’ve answered those questions, we can settle the really big one: When an AI—composed song wins the Grammy, who will be awarded?
1. What do we know from the example of Amper Music?| A．It doesn’t need any human effort to compose music. |
| B．It allows ordinary people to perform their own music. |
| C．It makes a challenge to the traditional definition of art. |
| D．It produces music works that are similar in styles. |
| A．it is hard to tell AI artworks apart from human artworks |
| B．people will be charged for AI art in the near future |
| C．people don’t know what price of AI art is reasonable |
| D．the scarcity of AI artworks means it is one of a copy |
| A．AI music can be performed free of charge |
| B．its musicians might not be paid fairly |
| C．playlists of its music did not actually exist |
| D．AI software has replaced human musicians |
| A．draw deserved attention to AI-made artworks |
| B．warn against the immediate threat from AI art |
| C．support the use of AI software in art creation |
| D．solve misunderstandings about AI’s role in art |
