4 . I suffered a stroke (中风) in March 2013, then mostly recovered (康复) and realized I had been very ________. Six months after the stroke, I began to take piano lessons. Some people believe students can only learn music well when they’re ________. Money problems meant I never had that ________ as a child. But I had a dream, so this belief did not ________ the 52-year-old me.

I learned slowly with my first teacher. Then after two years, I started with a man. He seemed ________. In our first lesson, he asked me how my last teacher taught. I ________ how she would play each new song for me first and then help me work it out.

“I won’t be doing that,” he said. “I expect you to learn the ________ yourself and I expect you to practice. If not, you will have to find another ________.”

Our class lasted three months. However, in our last lesson before Christmas, he strongly criticized (批评) me, saying that I played with the ________ rhythm and tone (节奏和音调). I went home in a state of ________.

When I saw him again, I played the same ________ again and then said, “I practiced this piece about 500 times.”

There was silence. Then, surprisingly, he said he could see I had put ________ into it.

From that day, he changed. He became kind and warm. He ________ explained difficult terms and took care to ________ my creativity. Through him, I fell deeply in love with ________.

It is the piano that helps me get over the stroke and find my confidence again.

8 . It’s happened to all of us: a song comes on the radio, and we are immediately transported back to a time in our past.     1    

There are a few things that connect tunes with our memories. Music is often a necessary element of many important life events, and it is also very effective in arresting our attention.     2     Besides, the emotional nature of music helps make it particularly memorable.

We often become familiar with a piece of music because we hear it as background music. The more familiar a piece of music is, the more effective it is in bringing back memories.     3     The reason is that we are far more likely to hear a song over and over again than to watch a film or a TV programme in the same way.

Tiffany Jenkins, writing for a culture column, has a different opinion:     4     She tells us how throughout history oral cultures have passed important knowledge from generation to generation through songs because of this characteristic. The rhythm (韵律) and rhyme in lines of songs all serve as memory aids.

    5     This fact corresponds with what many experts call the “reminiscence bump (怀旧性记忆)”, where older adults (over forty) have increased recollection of events that occurred during their adolescence and early adulthood.

It’s clear that our memories and music are closely linked — to the point that music is being used to help Alzheimer’s disease sufferers access memories that they thought they had lost.

9 . Getting older means greater maturity and wisdom.     1     In a society that is aging fast, it has become crucial to find ways to prevent related mental and emotional disorders. Music emerges as a promising tool for promoting well-being of the elderly.

Music has a great power to cause strong emotions and intense pleasure.     2     singing and dancing to music with others is not only fun but also improves mood. Musical activities are great ways to reduce stress because they take our minds off problems. They also help us feel less lonely and more connected with other people.

    3     A song may become a soundtrack for a particular time, such as a delightful party with friends that you had along time ago. Listening to that song allows you to remember all the happy memories from that time.

Finally, music contributes to keeping our thinking skills sharp. It makes our brains work hard in unique ways to understand the rhythm and melody.     4     For example, exposure to background music, particularly classical music, during cognitive (认知的) tasks is shown to improve older people’s cognitive processes, such as processing speed and working memory.

In conclusion, music is a powerful tool to fight against aging-related emotional and cognitive problems. It is an enjoyable and social activity, available to anyone regardless of their background or previous musical experience.     5