1 . Yesterday, I was standing in line at a store and the song Please Come to Boston which was quite popular when I was in high school, came on in the background. I hadn’t heard it for years. Suddenly, I was overcome by flashbacks of people and places linked to that song from earlier stages of my life.
It seems people tend to be extremely nostalgic (怀旧的) about the music they listened to when they were young. Psychological research has shown that autobiographical memories (life experiences) from certain time periods are remembered better than others. One obvious phenomenon is the “reminiscence bump” (记忆隆起): the fact that people tend to recall memories from when they were 10 to 30 years old much better. That’s because this period contains many novel and self-defining life experiences such as graduation and marriage. Biological changes may also boost the effectiveness of our memories from this period.
In our experiment, we investigated the presence of the “musical reminiscence bump” in a group of 470 adults aged 18 to 82. Our aim was to examine how a person’s age when a song was popular affected three related but distinct concepts: the degree to which the song was associated with autobiographical memories, how familiar the song was and how much they liked the song. Participants were shown the titles and artists of 111 pop songs that had featured in the charts across a 65-year period (1950~2015). After a given time, they were asked to complete the measurement.
We discovered music during one’s adolescence was rated as more familiar. In addition, we found some songs were preferred regardless of a participant’s age. For instance, we saw a general increase in how much people liked songs from the late 1970s to early 1980s, even in participants who weren’t yet born during that time period. Examples of songs we used from this time period include Hotel California by the Eagles.
Music can undeniably cause nostalgia. For example, advertisers want to elicit (引出) a nostalgic reaction from a certain group of consumers. And they should notice doctors who aim to reconnect patients suffering from memory loss with self-defining memories from their pasts can also take advantage of nostalgia.
1. What does the author want to imply through his own experience at a store?| A．His taste for music in high school. |
| B．His way of killing the boring queuing time. |
| C．The link between sales and background music. |
| D．Music’s ability to waken memories from the past. |
| A．It helps improve our childhood memories) |
| B．It still remains a mystery to modern science. |
| C．Events occurring during it are more memorable. |
| D．It explains why some have a better memory than others. |
| A．Make a list of their favorite songs and artists. |
| B．Provide ratings of three music-related questions. |
| C．Learn to sing some songs released in the past 65 years. |
| D．Compare the features of pop songs from different periods. |
| A．The Eagles were a representative band in the late 20th century. |
| B．Pop music stars’ adolescence had a great impact on their works. |
| C．The late 1970s and early 1980s were the peak of music creation. |
| D．Pop music from certain time periods was favored by different generations. |
| A．Musical nostalgia has practical applications in life. |
| B．All doctors are responsible for treating nostalgia. |
| C．Too much nostalgia may lead to memory loss to a degree. |
| D．Advertisers are good at analyzing consumers’ musical tastes. |
2 . Can you think of a day without music? We can hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music. They listen to music, they dance to music, and they learn to play musical instruments.
Music isn’t only a combination of pleasant sounds. It is an art which reflects life. There are a lot of different kinds of music. Some of them appeared long ago, and some are modern. Folk music appeared long ago, but it is still alive. Folk songs are very pleasant to listen to. Classical music is often associated with the music of the past. Rap is a modern musical style where the singer speaks or shouts the words in time to music with a steady beat.
Great Britain has produced more popular music stars than any other country. British groups often set new trends in music. New styles, groups and singers continue to appear. Many of the new bands have been able to use changes in technology to develop their music such as computerised drum machines, synthesisers and other electronic instruments.
Tastes differ. So people’s musical interests range from pop and rock music to classical music and opera. My favourite style of music is pop music, because it is full of energy. When I listen to pop music it makes me remember happy times and forget the problems of everyday life. I also enjoy listening to classical music. The music I hate is heavy metal. I find it noisy. When I listen to this style of music it presents to my mind pictures of dark days. My mother and father agree with my tastes in music. Though they prefer to listen to classical, they think that modern music is not too bad.
Music appeals to our hearts. It comforts our souls and enriches (充实) our minds. Music is beauty in sounds; it is our magic source of inspiration.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Several types of music. | B．Different musical tastes. |
| C．The development of musical styles. | D．The importance of music in our lives. |
| A．By describing courses. | B．By analysing reasons. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．It has produced many popular music stars in the world. |
| B．It fails to apply new technology in the performances. |
| C．Many new bands insist on traditional instruments. |
| D．British groups fall behind the new trends now. |
| A．It is played with electronic instruments. |
| B．It is characterised by a steady beat. |
| C．It is loud and strong. |
| D．It sounds energetic. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Dissatisfied. | D．Unconcerned. |
3 . Kim Jae-geun, a softly-spoken 59-year-old man in South Korea, had spent many years in advertising before he no longer had the strength for it. So during the past seven years, instead of spending his days writing copy, Mr. Kimhas spent his evenings behind the counter of his bar, Seochon Blues, near Seoul’s government district. The place is also home to thousands of vinyl records (黑胶唱片) that he began collecting as a teenager. Customers can request their favourite songs there. The bar is often full of tired office workers, and 20-something people and local artists at weekends. “There’s a special wave,” Mr. Kim observed. “All the young people ask for very old songs.” he said.
Mr. Kim’s Seochon Blues is one of the dozens of “LP bars” in South Korea’s capital, many of which are run by men with similar stories. South Korean companies offer few opportunities to middle-aged workers who haven’t climbed through the ranks. Leaving their jobs in their fifties, with music collections becoming too large for their living rooms, a few who haven’t taken up work as taxi drivers or security guards began to make a living by opening such bars.
The first LP bars opened in the 1990s, possibly inspired by the “listening bars” that originated in mid-20th century Japan. Music enthusiasts would come to these bars to listen to imported records that were otherwise hard to come by. The LP bars have proliferated in recent years with more and more people loving going there, thus greatly benefiting the middle-aged owners.
All LP bars encourage nostalgia (怀旧). “I don’t like digitization or the isolated way people have now,” said Lee Jae-jun, who left his job and also opened such a bar. He likes recalling the eighties and nineties and playing songs from people’s youth. “On the best days, regulars arrive for just one drink, and then I play old songs they like. And before you know it, it’s midnight and everyone goes home, drunk and happy,” said Lee Jae-jun.
1. What appears unusual for Mr. Kim in Seochon Blues?| A．Teenagers collect different types of vinyl records. |
| B．The youth enjoy listening to old songs. |
| C．Artists try to get inspiration for writing songs. |
| D．People show off their success in advertisements. |
| A．Middle-aged workers are welcomed by small companies. |
| B．South Koreans prefer to live a quite relaxed life. |
| C．South Koreans tend to change their jobs constantly. |
| D．LP bars offer career opportunities to middle-aged workers. |
| A．Sprung up | B．Survived. | C．Died down. | D．Returned. |
| A．Amazing and professional. | B．Romantic and enjoyable. |
| C．Nostalgic and relaxed. | D．Mysterious and encouraging. |
| A．The stories behind Kim Jae-geun | B．The rise of LP bars in South Korea |
| C．The popularity of music bands | D．The influence of old records |
4 . National Music Theater Competition
The 2024 National Music Theater Competition (NMTC) will be held. It was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional music theater soloist (独唱者). NMTC has provided industry connections for past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues.
Prizes (each prize only for a person)
The champion: $5,000 plus a concert at the next national conference of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), a $1,000 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard, a Career Management Services package from Stage Door Connections.
The runner-up: $2,500 plus a $500 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard.
The third place: Louise Lerch Prize; $1,000 cash prize.
The fourth place: Bill Hayes Prize; $750 cash prize.
Qualification
Singers aged from 20 to 28 as of September 15, 2023.
Entrance Procedure
Application requires a fee of $900, but for these students of NATS members the fee is $75. Application fees due to cancellation by the applicant won’t be returned. All application materials must be submitted by September 15, 2023. If you are planning to submit your application for the online round, you must complete the submission by September 15, 2023, but you’ll have 30 days after the deadline to upload your audition (试唱) videos. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Where to Audition
The preliminary (预选的) round
Live auditions: November 1 to 10, 2023 in New York City.
Online auditions: Video submission deadline is October 15, 2023.
Semifinal and final rounds
Live auditions: The semifinal round: January 3 to 9, 2024; the final round: January 15 to 20, 2024.
The semifinal and final rounds will be held in New York City as part of the 2024 NATS Winter Workshop.
1. Why was the National Music Theater Competition launched?| A．To make people like music. |
| B．To promote the leisure industry. |
| C．To popularize Broadway musicals. |
| D．To seek promising talents. |
| A．A $500 Gift Certificate and Louise Lerch Prize. |
| B．$2,500 in prize money and a Gift Certificate. |
| C．A Career Management Services package. |
| D．A chance to perform at a concert. |
| A．Being at least 28 years old. |
| B．Applying for membership of NATS. |
| C．Submitting application materials on time. |
| D．Uploading audition videos by September 15. |
| A．Competitors can enter the semifinal round on January 18, 2024. |
| B．Both online and live auditions are available in any round. |
| C．There are three rounds in the competition in total. |
| D．Application submission deadline is October 15, 2023. |
| A．To call on people to explore their potential in music. |
| B．To attract young singers to apply for the competition. |
| C．To appeal to young singers to become NATS members. |
| D．To encourage people to enter the musical industry. |
