1 . It is thought that music can make maths more enjoyable, keep students engaged and help case fear or anxiety they have about maths.

To find out more, Turkish researcher Dr Ayca Akin, from the Department of Software Engineering, Antalya Belek University, searched academic databases for research on the topic published between 1975 and 2022. She then combined the results of 55 studies from around the world, involving almost 78,000 young people from kindergarten pupils to university students, to come up with an answer.

Students took maths tests before and after taking part in the intervention and the change in their scores was compared with that of youngsters who didn’t take part in an intervention. The use of music, whether in separate lessons or as part of maths classes, was associated with greater improvement in maths over time. The integrated lessons had the biggest effect, with around 73% of students who had integrated lessons doing significantly better than youngsters who didn’t have any type of musical intervention. Some 69% of students who learned how to play instruments and 58% of students who had normal music lessons improved more than pupils with no musical intervention.

The results also indicate that music helps more with learning arithmetic than other types of maths and has a bigger impact on younger pupils and those learning more basic mathematical concepts. Dr Akin points out that maths and music have much in common, such as the use of symmetry symbols. Both subjects also require abstract thought and quantitative reasoning.

Limitations of the analysis include the relatively small number of studies available for inclusion. This meant it wasn’t possible to look at the effect of factors such as gender, socioeconomic status and length of musical instruction on the results.

Dr Akin adds, “Encouraging mathematics and music teachers to plan lessons together could help ease students’ anxiety about mathematics, while also boosting achievement.”

2 . Dragons, a famous imaginary beast born from fantasy, are often present in stories in the west and east. In both cultures, dragons are generally recognized as massive creatures capable of flight. They have great power and are often associated with magical abilities. However, due to their different cultural roots and images, there exist significant differences in the way dragons are regarded in the west and east, particularly in China.

Chinese dragons most resemble snakes, and have four claws and no wings. They often have features of other animals, including carp, tigers, and eagles. In the contrast, Western dragons look like huge lizards with big claws and large bat-like wings, and are often shown with spines or rough scales.

In traditional Chinese culture, a dragon is a symbol of luck, power and high status. They can cause weather changes and bring rainfall to the fields to ensure rich harvests. They are considered divine creatures, which hold an important position as the head of the four spirits. Therefore, to symbolize their power, ancient Chinese emperors decorated their clothes with dragon patterns. These clothes are known as dragon robes. Many Chinese view the dragon as a national symbol, proudly referring to themselves as “descendants of the dragon”. In the west, however, a dragon symbolizes an evil creature that spreads violence and terror throughout the land. They are believed to be transformed by the devil, with the ability to breathe fire or spit poison. Many western tales show dragons being defeated and killed to protect people from danger.

Today, dragons continue to evolve, exceeding traditional boundaries and finding new significance in global culture. They are no longer associated with evil or good, but rather as complex characters with their own unique personalities and motivations. For example, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon begins as a dangerous dragon but evolves into a misunderstood being with love and compassion. This challenges the idea of dragons as naturally evil, presenting them as complex beings with emotions and motivations.

China is the native place of tea. Originally, tea     1     (use) as a kind of medicine instead of a drink. Later as the ancient Chinese people explored further into the features of tea, they separated it     2     herbs (药草)and made it into a kind of drink and     3     (gradual), it developed into Chinese tea culture.

Records show that the custom of tea drinking,     4     started in the Western Han Dynasty (朝代), became     5     fashion for people with high     6     (society) position during the Wei Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty it was common     7     (drink) tea. And people tried out even more     8     (way) to drink tea. In the Song Dynasty, tea planting and trade were on the increase and the technique of     9     (make) tea was greatly improved. By the Yuan Dynasty, drinking tea     10     (become) something very common in everyday life. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, people drank tea in almost the same way as we do today.

9 . Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, “Would you mind _______ your seat? A couple would like to sit together.” The only _________ seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts (石膏绷带), a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. “No way am I going to sit there,” I thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, “She needs help.” Finally, I _______ to move to that seat.

The girl was named Kathy. She had been in a car accident and now was on her way for _________. When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to _________that Kathy would not be able to ___________herself. I considered _________to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too _________to offer a service to a _________. But then I realized that Kathy’s need was more __________than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat, and although she was uncomfortable to accept, she __________as I expected. We became closer and closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart had__________, and the __________ was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself.

I was very glad I had reached beyond my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her. Love sometimes flows beyond human borders and removes the fears that keep us __________. When we __________to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world.

As the final exam drew near, I was trying to do some revision for an important oral exam in the local library. However, people kept disturbing me, and I was getting more and more annoyed. Of course, the more upset I got, the less I was able to concentrate. The last straw was when I heard someone behind me. The singing was so loud that I could even recognize the song! I turned around and glared at the person who was singing. It was a tall girl about the same age as me and she had a big smile on her face. She was standing with a book in her hands near the “English Literature” section. She looked like a literary type and seemed very interested in what she was reading. I glanced at the book’s cover. It was a book of Tennyson’s poems.

The fact that she looked like a sensitive, friendly girl didn’t matter. If anything, it made me even angrily. In fact, I’m surprised there wasn’t steam coming out of my ears!

I picked up my books, glared at her and whispered angrily, “Thanks to your noise. I’ve been unable to study. You’re so selfish!” Then I stormed out of the library with anger. Because I left the library in such a hurry, I left my most important textbook behind. It was only when I got home two hours later that I realized I’d forgotten it and there was nothing I could do as the library was closed. I was so upset that I almost cried.

Just then, the phone rang, and I answered it.

I sighed with relief and agreed to meet her at the convenience store down the road.