When Emily was 16, she had a dream of becoming a professional singer, a dream that was as bright as the stars in the night sky. Emily’s parents, though supportive, often reminded her of the importance of her studies. This made Emily feel torn (为难) between her passion and her responsibilities

Each day, Emily trained herself for hours. She would sing in the mirror, imagining every audience was fully attracted by her singing. The sound of her voice filled the empty room, giving Emily a sense of purpose and fulfillment (成就感).

When she learned about the local singing competition, Emily felt a spark of excitement in her heart. She chose a song that reflected her emotional journey and practised it over and over again. The lyrics spoke to her heart, allowing her to relive (回味) moments of joy, heartbreak and growth.

Finally came the day of the competition. With butterflies in her stomach, Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she walked onto the stage. As the music began, Emily closed her eyes and let her voice flow out. She could hear the audience gasp (倒吸气) as she hit the high notes, and she felt a sense of connection with them that she had never experienced before.

As she sang, Emily’s emotions poured out.

When the judges announced Emily as the winner, she felt a wave of joy washing over her.

4 . Undoubtedly, music can comfort the soul for some, and it could also be a temporary reliever for physical pain. Listening to favorite songs could reduce people’s sensibility of pain, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research. And the most effective pain relievers were songs describing bittersweet experiences and causing strong feelings.

The study invited 63 young adults to bring two of their favorite songs, which were required to be at least 3 minutes and 20 seconds long. One selection represented their favorite music of all time, and the other was the song they could use to comfort loneliness. The researchers also had the young adults pick one of seven songs that the team considered relaxing and were unfamiliar to the study participants. Each person experienced 7-minute blocks (隔音) where they were instructed to stare at a monitor screen while listening to their favorite music, or one of the seven relaxing instrumental songs, or a scrambled (打乱) version of both songs and the relaxing song chosen. One 7-minute block had people sitting in silence. All the while, the researchers stuck a hot object to the participants’ left inner forearms. When assessing their experiences, people were more likely to report feeling less pain when listening to their favorite songs compared with hearing the unfamiliar relaxing song or silence.

After interviewing the participants about the song they brought and their rating of pain, the researchers found people who listened to bittersweet and moving songs felt less pain than when they listened to songs with cheerful themes. People who listened to bittersweet songs also reported more chills — the thrill and tremble you get on your skin from listening to pleasurable music. “When people are listening to music they enjoy, by our measurements it can reduce the pain that we’re feeling by 10%,” said Patrick, a professor of biomedical and molecular sciences.

Chinese chime bells are an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells,     1     (play) melodically. They are also called bianzhong. These sets of chime bells were used     2     polyphonic (多音的) musical instruments and some of these bells have been dated at between 2, 000 to 3, 600 years old. They were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a wooden hammer.

They have     3     lens-shaped section, the bell mouth has a distinctive profile, and the outer surfaces of the large bells feature studs. The sound of this musical instrument is heard by     4     (hit) the bell. The one produced depends on     5     you hit the bell. The center is the source of the primary tone. The right and left corners give the secondary tone in a     6     (high) pitch. Chime bells in ancient China     7     (reserve) for the nobles and symbolized power and wealth. In the Song Dynasty, musicians used this instrument for grand     8     (performance). In modern times, the standardized bianzhong are used by music and dance groups. A great example of the range of tones produced by these ancient instruments     9     (be) the bells of Marquis Yi, which were unearthed in 1978. These bells are still fully playable after long years and thanks to     10     (they) twin-tone capability, they can sound a complete 12-tone scale.

7 . Music can be a great mental rest, allowing you to relax and get lost in your favorite songs.     1     Here are some ways music can make you a better person and positively impact your everyday life.

Boost (增强) your creativity. Music is a creativity booster. When you turn up the songs that make you joyful, your brain gets more creative.     2     Find the music that makes you feel positive and cheered up, so your creative juices can flow.

Build cooperation and connection with people. Playing a musical instrument helps you connect with people with similar interests.     3    

    4     Music has a magic al power to promote emotions. Listening to joyful music lifts your happiness levels, which can make you more generous. It’s like a happy circle where feeling good makes you want to give back, and giving back makes you feel even better.

Improve physical health and performance.     5     Music improves our energy and endurance, and makes exercise more fun. And if you have your headphones on during works, you’re more likely to stick with your fitness routines.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 — 476 BC), there was a musician,     1     lived alone in a forest where he played the guqin, and his name was Yu Boya. One day, a passing woodcutter     2    (name) Zhong Ziqi was intrigued (陶醉于) by the sounds of the musical instrument, and Mr. Zhong Ziqi     3    (he) listened with full attention. Yu     4    (sincere) played the guqin, causing various pictures in Zhong’s imagination, such as flowing clouds and plunging waterfalls. Such was the     5    (connect) between performing and listening. They became bosom friends (挚友). After many years, when the woodcutter died, Yu decided     6    (smash) his instrument and never to play again since he was sure that he would never again have someone like Zhong to so intuitively understand his music.

Indeed, the guqin — the favored instrument of Confucius — was     7     essential musical instrument of ancient China’s educated elite (精英). It     8    (add) to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.

In April, when President Xi Jinping     9    (meet) with French President Emmanuel Macron, a classic guqin piece, High Mountain and Flowing Water, was played to celebrate the friendship and mutual understanding     10     the two countries.