1 . Growing evidence shows that dancing can boost brain health and help manage neurocognitive (神经认知的) disorders. So what is it about dance that’s different from other regular exercises?
Helena Blumen, a cognitive scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says the complex mental multitasking that dance requires engages various parts of the brain at the same time. Basically, dancing requires more brainpower than simpler repetitive exercises.
While scientists are still learning how the mechanisms of dancing work in the brain, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge. Researchers at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany, did MRI scans of older adults who had participated in one of two programs over a six-month period. One group practiced dance and the other did a traditional exercise program with cycling and strength training. While both groups improved their level of physical fitness, the dancers grew more white and gray matter in the parts of the brain responsible for cognitive processes. Both white and gray matter typically decline as we get older, making communication in the brain slow.
Imagine your brain is a city with loads of roads. The researchers assume, the changes brought by dancing contribute to brain plasticity, which is like the city’s ability to build new roads, repair old ones or even change the direction of traffic based on how often the routes are used and what the city needs.
In addition to the physical and neurological(神经学的) benefits, dance can also help people accept what their bodies can and can’t do. Dawnia Baynes, 44, developed multiple sclerosis (MS) after her body lose all feeling from the chest down. She recently joined an online dance program for people with MS. Not only has it improved her range of motion, it has also helped her overcome her fear of being judged for how she moves.
“To see other people moving is like I’m moving,” she says, “and knowing that I don’t have to be professional and super technical in my dancing makes me comfortable with where I am right now.”
1. What does dancing involve according to the text?| A．Mental multitasking. | B．Picturing abstract images. |
| C．Simple repetitive exercises. | D．High level of physical fitness. |
| A．Growth. | B．Volume. | C．Flexibility | D．Damage. |
| A．She has become a professional dancer. |
| B．She has set up an online dance program. |
| C．She has broadened her range of influence. |
| D．She has developed greater self-acceptance. |
| A．Dance for Better Health | B．Choose Proper Exercise |
| C．Take Yourself as You Are | D．Manage Neurocognitive Disorders |
In the ancient times, the drum was believed to be linked to high authorities,
In ancient China, the drum was not only used in
3 . In a world of music streaming services, access to almost any song is just a few clicks away. Yet, the live performance lives on. People still fill sweaty basements, muddy fields and gilded concert halls to hear their favourite musicians play. And now neuroscientists might know why—live music engages the brain’s emotion centres more than its recorded counterpart.
Concerts are immersive (沉浸式的) social experiences in which people listen to and feel the music together through crescendos, key changes and rhythmic drops. Moreover, they are dynamic — artists can adapt their playing according to the crowd’s reaction.
It was this last difference that led neuroscientists, based at the Universities of Zurich and Oslo, to study the brain responses of people listening to music. In the “live” experiment, participants lay in an MRI scanner listening to the music through earphones, while a pianist was positioned outside the room. The pianist was shown the participant’s real-time brain activity as a form of feedback. In the recorded condition, participants listened to pre-recorded versions of the same tunes.
The scientists were interested in how live music affected the areas of the brain responsible for processing emotions, particularly the amygdala, an area deep inside the brain. The results, just published in the journal PNAS, revealed that live music had a significantly greater emotional impact. Whether the music conveyed happiness or sadness, dynamic live performances led to increased activity not only in the amygdala but also other parts of the brain’s emotion processing network. The researchers also found that participants’ brain activity tracked the acoustic (声学的) features of the music, like tempo and pitch, far more closely when it was played live.
While the study didn’t fully recreate the live concert experience, the findings suggest that artists’ ability to adjust their performance in real time contributes to the emotional resonance (共鸣) of live music. Some musical acts now attempt to recreate live concerts, such as ABBA Voyage, an immersive pre-recorded VR concert, but without artists’ capacity to read audience’s mood and respond accordingly, it will never quite match the real thing.
1. Why do people attend live shows despite music streaming services?| A．Because they prefer being with friends at a concert. |
| B．Because they enjoy the process of finding popular music. |
| C．Because they intend to meet their favorite musicians in person. |
| D．Because they value the emotional connection live music brings. |
| A．observe the participants’ brain activity as feedback |
| B．compare the effectiveness of live performances and recorded ones |
| C．provide live accompaniment to participants inside the MRI scanner |
| D．demonstrate their ability to read and respond to the audience’s mood |
| A．Live music affected only the amygdala of the brain. |
| B．The brain responded more intensely to acoustic features of live music. |
| C．Live music had a reduced emotional impact compared to recorded music. |
| D．The participants’ brain activity was especially sensitive to dynamic music. |
| A．It fails to create a perfect performing atmosphere. |
| B．It matches the sound quality of live performances. |
| C．It greatly stirs up the audience’s emotional response. |
| D．It lacks artists’ response based on audience’s feedback. |
4 . It is thought that music can make maths more enjoyable, keep students engaged and help ease 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 (算术) than other types of maths and has a bigger impact on younger pupils and those learning more basic mathematical concepts. Dr Akin point s 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, socio-economic 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.”
1. How did Dr Akin conduct her research?| A．By launching a questionnaire online. | B．By creating a data model. |
| C．By analyzing data worldwide. | D．By surveying university students. |
| A．Take maths tests. | B．Develop abstract thought. |
| C．Plan lessons with music teachers. | D．Learn more basic mathematical concepts. |
| A．Music has some similarities with mathematics. | B．Music can help students learn mathematical models. |
| C．Music is involved in mathematical calculation. | D．Music comes from mathematics. |
| A．Overall. | B．Sensitive. | C．Subjective. | D．Imperfect. |
5 . Four Best Rock Drummers (鼓手) of All Time
Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker is a legendary drummer who was best known for his work with the band Cream. He was born in England in 1939, and he first gained fame in the 1960s for his innovative style and powerful technique. Baker was a master of jazz, rock, and African rhythms, and he was one of the first drummers to use double bass (低音) drums.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins rose to fame as the drummer for the rock band Genesis, but he soon became known as a solo artist in his own right.
One of Collins’ most symbolic moments is during the middle of the song In the Air Tonight. Collins plays a symbolic drum fill that even non-drummers collectively know how to play almost by instinct (本能). The drum fill was so impressive that it has been used in countless commercials and TV shows.
Keith Moon
Keith Moon was one of the most influential drummers of his generation. As a member of The Who, he helped pioneer a new drumming style characterized by its power and energy.
Moon was known for his aggressive playing style and willingness to take risks. For example, he often incorporated long drum fills into his playing. In addition, he was not afraid to experiment with new techniques.
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr is best known as the drummer for the Beatles. But Ringo’s life didn’t start out on such an attractive note. He was born in Liverpool. England, in 1940. Ringo’s father left when he was three, and his mother soon died of cancer. Ringo was sent to live with his aunt, who was so poor that she often couldn’t afford to feed him. Yet, despite these difficult beginnings. Ringo persevered and went on to have a remarkable career.
1. Who was a member of Cream?| A．Ginger Baker. | B．Phil Collins. | C．Keith Moon. | D．Ringo Starr. |
| A．His innovative style. | B．His powerful technique. |
| C．His use of double bass drums. | D．His drum fill in the song In the Air Tonight. |
| A．He rose to fame early. |
| B．He joined the Beatles in 1940. |
| C．He had a hard life in his childhood. |
| D．He was afraid to experiment with new techniques. |
Yangko, a rural Chinese folk dance with a history
Yangko employs drumming, Suona, dancing and singing. Content is based
That was a big competition. We all knew it. The entire school was filled with excitement and anticipation. It was the annual choir(合唱) competition, and we were determined to participate despite knowing that many of us were not the best singers.
As the class monitor, I felt responsible for calling in my classmates and convincing them to join the chorus. I knew it wouldn’t be easy; some of them were hesitant and gave me skeptical looks, while others ran away. But I wasn’t ready to give up.
With a persuasive tone and genuine enthusiasm, I spoke to my classmates, explaining why it was important for us to participate as a team. I told them that it wasn’t about being the best, but about coming together and enjoying the experience of singing as a group. Slowly, I started to see some students were interested and a few of them promised to give it a try.
Our rehearsals (排练) were intense, filled with laughter, and sometimes frustration. We tried our best to perfect our harmonies and cooperation, but deep down, we still held onto the belief that we would probably end up at the bottom of all-the choirs. In that moment of despair, a boy from our choir whispered, “Are we just asking for humiliation(羞辱)?” The words made our doubts and fears stronger.
But right before it was our turn to step onto the stage, Mrs. Wood, our music teacher, brought us together in a tight group. She looked into our eyes and said firmly, “We are not here to impress; we are here to express.” Her words made all the difference.
With an understanding of the true meaning of our performance, we stepped onto the stage. As the music started, we sang from our hearts. We didn’t worry about being perfect or winning the competition; we focused on expressing our love for music and the joy of singing together.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When the performance ended, our headmaster stepped onto the stage.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The competition results were announced later, and we were awarded a special medal for our team spirit.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Liu Ziqing fell in love with ballet as a little boy. But he never really got the
Most people in their early 50s call themselves lucky if they can lightly jog a few times a week without
“I had been
Becoming a ballet dancer at age 53 wasn’t a(n)
| A．ability | B．right | C．chance | D．desire |
| A．food | B．paper | C．money | D．medicine |
| A．product | B．habit | C．reward | D．luxury |
| A．ended up | B．stuck to | C．felt like | D．kept on |
| A．refused | B．decided | C．pretended | D．remembered |
| A．controlling | B．suffering | C．reducing | D．hiding |
| A．curiosity | B．imagination | C．flexibility | D．patience |
| A．find | B．use | C．make | D．attain |
| A．stand | B．vary | C．conflict | D．connect |
| A．carrying out | B．putting up | C．thinking about | D．setting about |
| A．responded | B．stressed | C．complained | D．recalled |
| A．temporary | B．challenging | C．easy | D．interesting |
| A．suppose | B．understand | C．accept | D．suspect |
| A．defeated | B．missed | C．hated | D．ignored |
| A．supportive | B．ashamed | C．afraid | D．proud |
When I was 15, I fell in love with the songs when they were first released — Bring Him Home, I Dreamed A Dream and On My Own. Even though I hadn’t read Les Miserables and knew very little about the musical, the songs captured my attention and I happily sang along with enthusiasm and energy whenever I heard them on the radio.
At the age of 17, I watched Les Miserables in a theatre of Vancouver. After getting home, I was really thrilled and announced that I wanted to perform in the musical. Hearing what I said, my parents did nothing but support me, although they considered the thought ridiculous, given that we lived 50 kilometres from the nearest large town, Toowoomba. There was little likelihood of ever having a chance to perform.
But some things are just meant to be. The Toowoomba Choral Society bought the performance rights with the view to perform it. Although I was not a member of the choir, they called for auditions (试镜) and I went along. I had had no experience singing and had never performed in any musicals but I believed in miracles and hoped that there was a place for me somewhere in the chorus.
I tried out for the part of Javert but did not have the range. Little did I know there were a host of parts that needed filling. Fortunately, I was chosen to be in the chorus as well as playing seven roles — ten costume changes in all. It was so exciting to play all the different parts. Rehearsals (排练) started immediately and I got a crash course in singing, acting and dancing. There was so much to learn and as I drove to rehearsals three times a week a little voice would say, “You are in over your head, get out now.”
I really had a hard time rehearsing — first with written texts and sheet music and then without. Personally, I struggled. So much to learn really made me so crazy that I had a strong desire to quit. And the little voice “You are in over your head, get out now.” rang in my ears again.
注意：(1) 续写词数应为150左右；
(2) 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At that time, my parents’ determined look appeared in my mind.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the opening night, nervous as I was, I gathered my courage and stepped on the stage.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional form of dancing. With its display of profound cultural elements, it
The
In ancient times, the drums were played
During a given performance, drummers perform various dance moves while
In the past decades, efforts
