1 . Music can relax the mind, energize the body, and even help people better manage pain.
Research suggests that background music improves mental performance. Playing more positive music leads to improvements in processing speed. So next time you are working on a task, turn on a little music in the background for a boost in your mental performance.
Music can help you eat less.
Music can be a helpful weight-loss tool. To lose weight, listen to soft music and dim the lights. According to one study, people eating at low-lit restaurants where soft music was played consumed less food.
Music can help you sleep better
Music can help you manage pain
Research has shown that music can be very helpful in the management of pain. One study of fibromyalgia (纤维性肌痛) patients found that those who listened to music for one hour a day experienced a significant reduction in pain.
| A．Music can reduce stress |
| B．Music can improve mental performance |
| C．The psychological effects of music can be powerful |
| D．Music and lighting help create a more relaxing setting |
| E．Some people enjoy listening to music before they go to sleep |
| F．Such a result suggests music therapy can help treat some diseases |
| G．Sleeplessness is a problem that affects people of different age groups |
2 . When Joel Bueno informed his parents that he wanted to play music just like his elder twin brothers, the couple were shocked. It seemed an impossible wish to satisfy their adorable boy. But then they found Eye Harp—a gaze-activated digital instrument that their son, diagnosed with cerebral palsy (大脑性瘫痪), could play. Sitting in a hotel lobby about to go on stage, Joel says the Eye Harp—the name of the instrument as well as the company—brings him joy. But more than that, it enables him to express a range of emotions with others.
Zacharias Vamvakousis is the creative force behind Eye Harp. In 2008, he began looking into ways for disabled people to play music when a friend of his had a motorcycle accident that threatened his ability to play the guitar. It set him on a path that integrated his musical passion with his computer science skills.
Eye Harp became a mission. For many people with severe disabilities, expressing basic thoughts and feelings—let alone intentional creative expression—can be a challenge. But Dr. Vamvakousis’ combination of art and technology enables users to communicate from their soul by translating the smallest movements into musical notes on digital instruments of their choice. He created the not-for-profit Eye Harp Association in 2019, with the goal of making musical expression available to all.
The Eye Harp is in its fifth version. Now he’s focused on making the instrument as user-friendly as possible for music teachers and therapists (治疗师).“Playing music is a process that requires studying and having music classes,”he notes.“So if we want it to reach many people, we have to reach first the music teachers.”
Globally, around 50 million people could benefit from augmented (增强的) and alternative communication technology, Dr. Vamvakousis estimates. Currently, he says, fewer than 2% are so equipped. So far, around 650 people are using either the basic or advanced versions of Eye Harp.
1. Why is Joel Bueno’s experience mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To show his passion for music. | B．To introduce a cure for a brain disease. |
| C．To praise his strong will against disability. | D．To present the function of a digital instrument. |
| A．His sympathy for Joel Bueno. | B．His eagerness to help his friend. |
| C．His pursuit of becoming a musician. | D．His ambition to get a master’s degree. |
| A．It is thought poorly of. | B．It is an expensive device. |
| C．It has benefited millions of people. | D．It has an enormous potential market. |
| A．Music: A Good Way to Find Your Inner Voice |
| B．Zacharias Vamvakousis: A Creative Musician |
| C．Eye Harp: New Hope for Disabled Music Lovers |
| D．Joel Bueno: A Disabled Boy with Strong Willingness |
3 . My parents always told me that I couldn’t dance, because it was a girl’s sport. But I never gave up my dream of becoming a dancer, I practised secretly, learning from books, movies, and shows. However, without my parents’ support, that
One summer, my little sister Maggie was going to dance lessons. I immediately asked my parents for permission(允许) to take her to the lessons. What a
One afternoon, I was
“What’s the matter, Maggie?” I stopped
“Denis, you are a great dancer! Can you help me?”
“What is it?” I wondered.
“There’ll be a dancing performance in my school,
“You can be a good dancer!” I
In the following months, we practised every evening,
Finally came the big day. I became
My heart was beating wildly when I saw my father coming towards me. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Well done, son. Though it is hard for me to
I’d been waiting for this moment for so long. I knew that the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy, but I wouldn’t
| A．line | B．dream | C．answer | D．message |
| A．similar | B．funny | C．good | D．strange |
| A．playing | B．struggling | C．achieving | D．practising |
| A．drawing | B．dancing | C．singing | D．writing |
| A．but | B．or | C．so | D．if |
| A．happily | B．anxiously | C．slowly | D．angrily |
| A．asked | B．believed | C．encouraged | D．informed |
| A．sad | B．lazy | C．sorry | D．wrong |
| A．chatting | B．resting | C．sleeping | D．hiding |
| A．shy | B．bored | C．nervous | D．angry |
| A．music | B．lesson | C．meeting | D．party |
| A．arrived | B．finished | C．succeeded | D．regretted |
| A．admit | B．catch | C．cause | D．agree |
| A．took away | B．paid for | C．fell into | D．belonged to |
| A．give up | B．give in | C．give out | D．give away |
4 . Music has universal power. It helps people from all walks of life find their creative
Mike Ball, the founder of Lost Voices, first
As a writer and music enthusiast, Ball recognized the potential of songwriting as a
Lost Voices conducts week-long programs, sending musicians into residential treatment facilities to
Through the
| A．gestures | B．expressions | C．thoughts | D．talents |
| A．rewards | B．entertains | C．provides | D．challenges |
| A．Meanwhile | B．Otherwise | C．Instead | D．However |
| A．greeted | B．invited | C．introduced | D．encountered |
| A．writing | B．singing | C．teaching | D．recording |
| A．misunderstood | B．criticized | C．changed | D．unheard |
| A．familiar | B．positive | C．loving | D．humorous |
| A．recommendation | B．judgment | C．realization | D．creativity |
| A．frightening | B．smooth | C．plain | D．significant |
| A．engage | B．play | C．debate | D．act |
| A．watch | B．assist | C．forbid | D．command |
| A．experience | B．devotion | C．motivation | D．adventure |
| A．challenging | B．limited | C．joint | D．tiring |
| A．wealth | B．struggle | C．hope | D．peace |
| A．want | B．wait | C．remain | D．deserve |
5 . A broken heart. A sad ending to a love affair. That’s something most of us have experienced, or probably will. After all, it’s part of human life. But no question, the experience can be serious. You might find yourself listening more to sad music, sad songs. Or worse, that you’ve been into a sense of hopelessness about life itself.
You might feel a sadness, as in Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart, or the pain of a lyric from Bob Dylan’s Love Sick: “I’m sick of love, I wish I’d never met you.”
But research shows there are pathways through the heartache. Listening to sad music is a major one. It can help you begin to feel joy and hopefulness about your life again. It can activate empathy (共鸣) and the desire to connect with others—both pathways through the prison of heartache and sadness.
That may sound paradoxical (相悖的). Especially if you listen to melancholy music, like Marianelli’s Farewell, or to popular songs—and there are plenty of them, across decades and generations: Billie Eilish’s When The Party’s Over in our present times; R. E. M.’s Everybody Hurts, from the 90s.
New research finds that sad music can help heal (治愈) and uplift you from your broken heart. For example, a recent study from Germany found the emotional impact of listening to sad music is an arousal of feelings of empathy and a desire for positive connection with others. That, itself, is psychologically (心理的) healing.
The finding links with other studies that show accepting your sad situation emotionally—accepting reality as it is—stirs (唤起) healing and growth beyond it. In short, accepting your full experience arouses hope. For example, research from Cornell University, described here and published in Psychological Science, found that accepting discomfort about a life experience or new situation, and viewing it as a step towards growth and change, generates motivation (动力) to find a pathway through it, beyond it.
1. Who sang the song Love Sick?| A．Neil Young. | B．Bob Dylan. | C．Marianelli. | D．Billie Eilish. |
| A．Peaceful. | B．Popular. | C．Light. | D．Sad. |
| A．Accept reality as it is. |
| B．Turn to a psychologist for help. |
| C．Read some books about psychology. |
| D．Get fully prepared and make big changes. |
| A．The Importance of Music |
| B．How to Heal a Broken Heart |
| C．The Sad Music’s Effect on Heartache |
| D．How to Survive in a Difficult Situation |
6 . Joshua Countryman, the Henry Sibley High School choir director, was invited by his school to make a video to cheer up sheltered-at-home students this spring. After asking the teachers in his school to record themselves singing Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Countryman turned the voices and videos into a virtual choir posted on YouTube.
Then he let his school choirs go virtual, too: not with just one song but with all 13 songs they had been practising for their spring performance. In the end, he created a special concert. “I don’t like to lose,” said Countryman. “To give up on a concert experience, to me, that felt like a loss. It was important that we could get a win.”
During the coronavirus pandemic (冠状病毒流行病), virtual choirs have been popping up all over Minnesota. Singers sing at home, with their voices and faces all edited together and shown in online videos. Colleges have made vitual choirchoir videos. Children’s Theatre made one of “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie”, its postponed (推迟的) spring show.
“It was stressful at first. I overthought a lot of things,” said choir student Tamit Weldeyesus. “I probably had to record the first song 20 or 25 times, and I kept telling myself that this had to be perfect because if it was not, everyone could hear my mistake. It was a lot easier than I had expected.”
After spending half the spring conducting online classes and organizing the virtual choir concert, Countryman said, “The virtual choir creates an excellent opportunity to really make assessments (评价) for each student. Even if we go back to school every day, the virtual component (组成部分) is going to have to be important at least in my class because of that huge risk of increased virus transmission (病毒传播) in the choir.”
1. What did Countryman do for the high school where he works?| A．He composed a new song. | B．He made a video for the teachers. |
| C．He created a virtual choir concert. | D．He helped his students win a competition. |
| A．Musicians and colleges worked together to cheer up people. |
| B．Children’s Theatre put on the musical “Annie” online. |
| C．A new type of virtual music came into being. |
| D．Virtual choirs became statewide popular. |
| A．She is very humorous. | B．She tried to achieve perfection. |
| C．She knows herself very well. | D．She paid little attention to her mistakes. |
| A．It was a valuable teaching tool. | B．It sometimes wasted a lot of time. |
| C．It required great organizational abilities. | D．It was useful mainly during the pandemic. |
7 . Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians. He completed 722 musical works including 9 symphonies. Unfortunately, the musician died while still working on his 10th Symphony. Now, a team of musicians and scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to complete the artist’s final masterpiece.
Dr. Matthias Roder first came up with the idea to complete the composition. The director of the Karajan Institute in Austria thought it was an appropriate way to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday. He began by enlisting an international team of experts in music, including music composer Walter Werzowa and Dr Ahmed Elgammal, the creator of an innovative AI technology for the art market.
Elgammal and his colleagues started the process by familiarizing the AI software with a broad range of classical music and then narrowing it down to just Beethoven’s work. Meanwhile, Werzowa and his group tried to decipher the rough sketches and the handful of notes that detailed Beethoven’s plans for the10th Symphony.
The team then fed the AI software musical notes from the unfinished composition. Since music is very structured and mathematical, AI can predict the next note accurately. However, it starts to deviate from the central theme after a few notes. To stay true to Beethoven’s original composition, Elgammal’s team sent Werzowa hundreds of AI-generated musical note variations every evening. Werzowa would listen to them and then select the one that he thought was closest to what the artist would have written. The AI team would add the music and rerun the software to generate the next suggestions. And piece by piece, the team was able to complete the 10th Symphony!
The composition delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic debuted in Beethoven’s birthplace of Bonn, Germany, on October 9, 2021. Not surprisingly, the AI-generated masterpiece is causing some controversy. Critics believe technology shouldn’t be used to replicate the human creative process. Elgammal and his team agree with their stance and say their AI software isn’t out to replace humans — it’s just a tool to help artists express themselves in new ways.
1. Why did Matthias Roder decide to complete Beethoven’s final composition?| A．To make Beethoven more famous. |
| B．To help realize Beethoven’s dream. |
| C．To get a better understanding of Beethoven’s work. |
| D．To mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. |
| A．They listened to hundreds of AI-generated musical notes. |
| B．They familiarized the AI software with Beethoven’s work. |
| C．They introduced the AI software to various kinds of classical music. |
| D．They fed the Al software musical notes from the unfinished symphony. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Copy. | C．Study | D．Destroy. |
| A．AI put extra notes to Beethoven’s 10th Symphony |
| B．AI technology was created for the art market |
| C．AI helped complete Beethoven’s unfinished symphony |
| D．AI enabled artists to express themselves in new ways |
8 . In the year 2017, the world lost many great musicians. Their deaths were felt over the world and country music star Keith Lionel Urban honored these musicians in a very special way. During a New Year’s Eve concert, Keith talked about all the greats that passed away and how some of them were music and life coaches or examples to him.That was when Keith decided to put together a mixture of songs from all of these artists.
At the concert, pictures of some of the most eminent people in the music industry appeared across the screen. As their pictures appeared, Keith sang the songs that the artists were best-known for. Each performance was truly moving, and the audience loved it. Instead of thinking it was a sad moment, everyone was able to think about how much joy these artists brought to the music industry.
Keith sang a few lines from songs by Chris Cornell, Gregg Allman, Chuck Berry, Don Williams, Glen Campbell and Troy Gentry. The audience cheered aloud whenever he changed from one song to another. It was amazing how smoothly he played through the different styles of music. It was a perfect interpretation (演绎) of his gift.
When he got to the final song, he invited his wife to join him on stage to dance and close out the night. Then his two daughters joined their parents. It was really an unforgettable performance.
Music truly has the ability to touch a special place in our hearts and even if we do not know these artists personally, their songs have meant a lot to many of us. I am sure those artists would have been so proud to hear him sing their music. It is a way to honor those late artists and celebrate the joy they brought to our lives!
1. Keith got the idea of honoring the great musicians when he ________.| A．saw their pictures at a concert | B．heard a song of a dead musician |
| C．knew their stories from his coaches | D．talked about their influence on him |
| A．Talented. | B．Outstanding. | C．Proud. | D．Modest. |
| A．It showed his musical talent. |
| B．It did not show his real style. |
| C．It made the audience feel sad about the musicians’ deaths. |
| D．It set a good example to other artists and musicians. |
| A．Chris Cornell | B．Elvis Presley | C．Troy Gentry | D．Chuck Berry |
9 . Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. “The only thing that I
Being normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair, which
Dancing on
Every year Hill holds a dance camp for wheelchair users of all generations and abilities, and last year, 173
| A．learnt | B．loved | C．made | D．received |
| A．impression | B．confusion | C．emotion | D．ambition |
| A．uneasy | B．unlikely | C．unable | D．unwilling |
| A．destroyed | B．changed | C．chosen | D．removed |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．However | D．Moreover |
| A．Far from | B．But for | C．Far away | D．Except for |
| A．healthy | B．formal | C．normal | D．friendly |
| A．averagely | B．occasionally | C．eventually | D．definitely |
| A．Although | B．Because | C．Once | D．If |
| A．formed | B．led | C．found | D．represented |
| A．dreams | B．injuries | C．accidents | D．disabilities |
| A．break out | B．break down | C．turn out | D．turn down |
| A．running | B．dancing | C．rolling | D．jumping |
| A．wheels | B．ground | C．stages | D．feet |
| A．changed | B．controlled | C．knocked | D．folded |
| A．required | B．shown | C．designed | D．analyzed |
| A．movements | B．discussions | C．comments | D．reactions |
| A．infectious | B．glorious | C．precious | D．harmonious |
| A．students | B．participants | C．women | D．reporters |
| A．shared | B．accepted | C．desired | D．achieved |
10 . While the arts can’t stop the COVID-19 virus or the social unrest we see in the world today, they can give us insight into the choices we make when moving through crises and chaos. The arts invite everyone to think in new ways.
We often experience works of art as something that’s pleasing to our senses without a full understanding of the creative effort. Great art often shows us contradictions and crises, and we can learn a great deal from their resolutions. Through our understanding of art, we can gain a deeper understanding of how we might overcome our own challenges. In understanding extremes of contrast, we can see the beauty in art with themes that are not simply pleasing for their magnificent features or qualities.
Beethoven offers a wonderful example of moving artfully through crises and chaos. He composed his Symphony No.9 as his hearing loss became more and more pronounced. The opening of the symphony seems to come out of nowhere, from near silence in the opening to a full expression of what many consider to be the joy of freedom and universal brotherhood with Schiller’s Ode to joy (欢乐颂). Beethoven appears to have created a work of art that not only freed him from his personal struggles, but one that also speaks to the joy of living together in peace and harmony.
Have a dialogue between the two opposing parts and you will find that they always start out fighting each other until we come to an appreciation of difference—a oneness of the two opposing forces. The arts offer many lessons that can help us gain the knowledge we need to move more confidently in today’s competitive and uncertain environment. An openness to arts-based solutions will give you more control over your future.
1. What value does art have beyond pleasing people’s senses?| A．It brings people inner peace. | B．It contributes to problem-solving. |
| C．It reduces the possibility of crises. | D．It deepens understanding of challenges. |
| A．It celebrates freedom and unity. | B．It aims to show crises and chaos. |
| C．It opens with Schiller’s Ode to Joy. | D．It is unfinished due to his hearing loss. |
| A．Leaving things as they are. | B．Making a choice between them. |
| C．Separating them from each other. | D．Engaging them in a conversation. |
| A．How COVID-19 changes art | B．Moving artfully through crises |
| C．Essentials of Symphony No.9 | D．How to appreciate arts in new ways |
