Why modern music should quieten down

Quietness may be underestimated values in pop music.     1     (look) up “the loudest band in the world” and you will be confronted with a large number of rock giants from Manowar who proudly achieved a sound pressure level of 139 dB to Motor-head. The pickings are slim     2     we substitute “quiet” for “loud”.

In a way, increasing the volume of a song makes biological sense, something the music industry       3     (exploit) since the jukebox era. There is an organ in the inner ear called sacculus that in linked to a region of the brain     4     (associate) with pleasure and react to low-frequency vibrations over 90 dB.

On the other hand,     5     (focus) sorely on loudness ignores the infinitely more subtle appeal of being quiet. A French band called “Air”,     6     twenty-years collection was released on June 10, are masters of the art. As any teacher knows, quietness can be more effective than shouting to make people pay attention. Air employed this gentle persuasion on Moon Safari, an album that attracts the listener       7     the peaceful sound of rain and muted drums. Even when Air do increase the volume, the vocalist's voice remains one of     8     (gentle) noises in pop. Given its warmth and peacefulness, it is no coincidence     9     the album was a favourite among clubbers after a night out. It is a time when the desire for kindness, companionship and warmth prevails.

So forget the “loudness war”. Manowar     10     be happy with their 139 dB, but they are comprehensively defeated by fireworks, which reach 145 to 150 dB when they explode, and the call of the blue whale, which goes all the way up to 188 dB. Now that' something to shout about.

Robert Cormier

(1925—2000)

I take real people and put them in extraordinary situations.

Robert Cormier did not seem like an author who would create controversy, or argument. Never    1    he live farther than three miles from his childhood home in Leominster, Massachusetts, and for many years, he was a popular columnist for a local newspaper. On most afternoons, he could be found in the area’s public library.

However, controversy (争议) for Cormier began in 1974,    2    he published his novel The Chocolate War. The novel deals with bullying (霸凌) at a New England school in a realistic way. Soon some people were calling for the book     3    (ban) from libraries and schools.

    4    under great pressure, Cormier never backed down. “My dream was to be known as a writer and to be able to produce at least one book that    5    (read) by people. That dream came true with my first novel    6    (publish). And all    7    rest has been a sweet bonus. One of the sentences that     8    (occur) all the time in letters I receive is: ‘You tell it like it is.’ And that’s encouragement for me and keeps me     9    (go).”

Cormier continued to write about the realities of growing up, with novels such as I AM the Cheese and stories such as “The Moustache”. His stories reflect an amazing ability to focus on everyday American life and capture it       10    the perspective of teenagers, who see things that adults don’t always see.

A Glimpse into John Muir

Here’s a biography of John Muir, in Johnson Muir’s own writings, to bring readers a life story of this remarkable man who did so much to raise America’s awareness of environmental issues.

    1     America’s first environmentalist, John Muir lived his life forever daring to undertake new adventures. He spent most of his days outdoors and had a deep love for the wild lands. In the book, we meet John Muir     2       he is fearlessly climbing the roof of his house. He captures birds only to let them go when he realizes the cruelty     3     (involve). He becomes an inventor and sells his inventions     4     (attend) the university. As a young man, he began walking over lens of thousands of miles during his lifetime, to the south to Florida, the west to California and north to Alaska     5     readers are taking a long and particularly hair-raising adventure and a large mass of floating ice.

Muir’s learning in observation throughout his life let him to devote his last year to     6     (preserve) the natural environment. His writing and speaking raised awareness of the importance of conversation and helped bring about our national park system. Readers     7     feel they know John Muir after reading his story and many people     8     (influence) by his passion for preserving the richness of our lands.

The     9     portrait of Muir’s life is a proof to     10     it means to be lifelong learners and to use that learning to inform and bring about change.

Scientists and engineers     1     (prepare) for possible travel into interstellar space, the area in between stars, in the distant future. Experts believe it will likely take many years before the technology and equipment are developed     2     (send) humans to this unexplored area of space. But if it does happen, massive spaceships     3     carry humans on long trips to distant starts.

Two American researchers, Andrew McKenzie from the University of Kansas and Jeffrey Punske of Southern Illinois University, have explored one possible problem with such travel. They considered the possibility     4     changes in human language could develop over time, thus     5     (cause) major communication problems with people on Earth.

Languages naturally change as communities grow more isolated from each other, the researchers noted in the paper. The long isolation of a community could lead to enough differences in language to make     6     impossible for community members back home to understand. The researchers noted that in    7     (add) to new words being used, the language of people traveling on spaceships and living in colonies     8     (experience) many other changes. For example, the sounds of different letters would likely change over time, affecting not only individual words, but the whole grammatioal system.

The researchers say one possible solution to     9     (limit) communication problems would be to include language experts on spaceship crews. Another suggestion is to use sign language as a form of communication. McKenzie added that space travelers might question whether it is even worth trying to learn how to communicate with people on Earth. But he believe there will always be a need, even     10     it is very limited. “You have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back, or to read the instruction manuals and information that came with the ship,” he said.

Games come to a complicated end

The flame that burned throughout one of history’s most controversial Games was extinguished Sunday as Japan brought the curtain down on the Tokyo Olympics with Closing Ceremonies that were as unusual as the event     1    .

It was a fitting, bittersweet end to a complicated Games.     2     the ban on spectators meant the Games looked and felt nothing like the electric showcase of Japan that organization     3     - (hope) for, the Olympics nonetheless provided a much-needed respite, a burst of joy and human wonder, for viewers around the world     4     (exhaust) by the pandemic. Day after day over two weeks, the magic of Olympic competion cut through the gloom and isolation of the pandemic. Hour after hour, athletes emerged after years of sacrifice, self-discipline and adversity to enter the global spotlight and light     5     the world’s hearts with their modesty, grace and joy.

Japan proved to the world that, despite all of the criticism, it     6     hold an Olympic Games in the midst of a global pandemic. Some of the rules, including forcing athletes to wear masks on the podium and put medals around their own necks, might have seemed suffocating, but the thick web of restrictions     7     (prove) effective in allowing the competition to go ahead.

There were signs of incremental progress: There were the most gender-balanced Games and the most diverse in terms of openly LGBTQ participation. Yet the emtpy venues also engendered a sense of loneliness and even a bitterness     8     the joy and achievement couldn’t wash entirely away. Likewise, the stories of resilience and indomitable spirts     9     (overcome) adversity couldn’t make up for the communal passio, the fervor and the fun that come with a hyped-up crowd. Athletes clutching medals and waving gamely at their far-off families on video screens couldn’t mask the absence of their families and friends.

“The pandemic Olympics featured some glorious performances, but the empty venues made them a strange     10     epic experience, a brief diversion from the surging delat curse,” said Jeff Kingston, a professor of political science at Temple University Japan.

Rosa's Sports Photo Competition Entry

Ice hockey is played on an ice rink with a goal net at each end. Two teams on skates compete to score goals by using a stick, curved at one end,     1    (hit) a small, hard rubber disc, called a puck. There may be 20 players in each team, but only six can be on the rink at any time. One of them is the goalkeeper, who     2    (allow) to catch the puck or block it with any part of their body, as well as with their sick. Ice hockey has always been most popular in places     3     cold winters, for example in Canada, northern European, countries and the northern states of the USA. However, with indoor ice rinks, many other countries have started competing in this sport and ice hockey events held all year around.

In this photo,     4    (take) during a match between Hungary and Holland, you can see two players who are trying to control the puck. Their bodies are bumping together and the Dutch player is finding it hard to keep his balance on one leg, but they are both concentrating on reaching the puck with their sticks. I chose this action photo because it shows     5     exciting and competitive the game is. The light shining on the ice gives you an idea of the hard surface,     6     makes ice hockey the fastest team sport in the world. The puck can travel up to 160 kph and players may shake at about 40 kph. They must be ready to race forward, stop or turn quickly and changes suddenly from attacking to defending.

Also,     7     the photo shows, ice hockey is a very physical contact sport. Injuries are common, especially     8     players crash into each other. In the photo you can see the helmets that protect their heads and the thick pads that are worn on their legs, knees and shoulders. The game is so challenging that players can usually only stay on the ice for about two minutes before     9     (replace). It is their amazing physical skill and speed     10     make ice hockey so exciting to watch.

Be Careful on the Internet

Parents of boys at a Sydney private school have been urged to monitor their sons' use of social networking website,with a warning     1     any mistakes made in teenage years could be permanently recorded on the Internet and catch up with them later in life.

The headmaster,Timothy Wright,wrote to parents on Thursday,     2     (explain)that younger boys were too immature to fully understand the possible consequences of disclosing private information on social networking sites."We now know that those parts of the brain     3     deal with decision-making are still developing in a man in his 20s.'he said. ‘But mistakes     4     (commit)at fifteen may be still accessible to an employer ten years later.

Modern technology means that a careless word, an ill-willed comment or an inappropriate photograph, are on permanent record and freely available to     5     has access. Stupidities that     6     (forget) immediately before now last, spread and damage in ways unknown before this decade.

Dr Wright said that     7     words spoken in the playground could be more easily forgotten, those captured on the Internet or on mobile phone text messages could have far more lasting and more hurtful consequences.

He urged parents to set ground rules for use of mobile phones and the Internet and in particular to set boundaries on taking and sending images that     8     be used to bully(霸凌）others. “Parents who are paying for the Internet service have an unquestionable right    9     ( insist) they are a friend on social networking websites.I would certainly insist on this    10     at least the end of 16 if not later.'he wrote.