1 . An orchestra is attempting to bring people living with dementia (痴呆) back into the present. The work being done by Manchester Camerata has never been more important, given that there are about 900,000 people with the condition in the UK, a number that is predicted to nearly double by 2040.
People with dementia often find listening to music can reignite old memories from long ago. Much more overlooked, though, is the impact that making music can have on the present. While some with dementia can often feel trapped in the past, some researchers believe the act of creating music—as well as listening to it—can help to reconnect then to the here and now.
A new BBC documentary—Dementia, Music and Us—follows the work of Manchester Camerata and its principal flautist (长笛手) Amina Hussain. who, also a professional music therapist, leads classes across the north-west of England that have been described as life-changing. Classes for the community consist of improvisation (即兴创作), singing, and writing their own music.
Keith, 62, was diagnosed with dementia when he was 53. Like many, he really struggled to come to terms with his new reality. He found the sessions to be genuinely life-changing. “I think the thing that saved us was the first ever music group we went to because from that group it opened other groups up for us.” he said. “The workshops make you smile, enjoy life and it just brings the best out of you.”
Researcher Dr Dowlen is seeking to better understand the “in the moment” benefits of music-making for people with dementia. She believes the improvisational music workshop experience allows people to “create something that is held now in the moment.” She added, “Improvisational music-making is particularly important for people with dementia, especially when it comes to building their confidence and their self-esteem.”
1. Why is the work being done by Manchester Camerata important?| A．Music is an important part of daily life. | B．Music is an effective cure for dementia. |
| C．More people are pursuing a musical career. | D．A growing number of people live with denentia. |
| A．Keep alive. | B．Bring back. | C．Push away. | D．Take up. |
| A．He has become more socially active. | B．He has adapted to life with dementia. |
| C．He has demonstrated his music talent. | D．He has recovered his long-lost memory. |
| A．They bring mixed results, | B．They enjoy great popularity. |
| C．They promote people’s welfare. | D．They need to focus on the moment. |
2 . Do you listen to quiet music to help you wind down before sleep? However, this practice could be counter-productive, according to a new study by Michael K. Scullin and colleagues at Baylor University. The work, published in Psychological Medicine, found that bedtime music was associated with more sleep disruptions and that instrumental music is even worse than music with lyrics.
In the first study, 199 online participants living in the US reported on their sleep quality and music listening frequency and timing, as well as their beliefs about how this affected their sleep. Almost all—87%—believed that music improves sleep, or at least does not disrupt it. However, the team found that more overall time spent listening to music was associated with poorer sleep and daytime sleepiness. Just over three quarters of the participants also reported experiencing frequent “earworms”—having a song or tune “stuck” and replaying in their minds. A quarter reported experiencing these during the night at least once per week, and these people were six times as likely to report poor sleep quality. The team’s analysis suggested that listening specifically to instrumental music near bedtime was linked to more sleep-related earworms and poorer sleep quality.
The team then ran an experimental study on 48 young adults. After arriving at the sleep lab at 8:45 p. m., participants went to a quiet bedroom, where they completed questionnaires that included measures of stress, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. They also had electrodes applied, ready for the night-time polysomnography to record their brain wave activity, as well as heart rate and breathing, and reported on how relaxed, nervous, energetic, sleepy and stressed they felt. At 10:00 p. m., they were given some “downtime”, with quiet music playing. Half were randomized to hear three songs while the other half heard instrumental-only versions of these same songs.
Participants reported decreases in stress and nervousness and increased relaxation after listening to either set of songs, and also showed decreases in blood pressure. So-as earlier studies have also suggested- quiet music at bedtime was indeed relaxing at the time. However, a quarter of the participants woke from sleep with an earworm, and the polysomnography data showed that instrumental versions of the songs were more likely to induce these awakenings as well as other sleep disruptions, such as shifts from deeper sleep to lighter sleep. Taken together, the findings represent “causal evidence for bedtime instrumental music affecting sleep quality via triggering earworms” the team writes.
Why instrumental-only songs should have a bigger impact than music with lyrics isn’t clear. The three songs used in this study were chosen because they were likely to be familiar. Hearing them without the lyrics might have prompted the participant’s brains to try to add the words, which might have made earworms more likely. If this is the case, all instrumental music may not have the same effect. However, the data from the first study is consistent with the idea that instrumental music generally is more of a problem.
1. According to the passage, the participants in both studies______.| A．were required to listen to light music | B．felt their sleeping problems resolved |
| C．had their sleeping quality monitored | D．provided feedback on bedtime music |
| A．Lead to. | B．Impact on. | C．Break in. | D．Focus on. |
| A．Earworms are mainly caused by music with lyrics. |
| B．Bedtime music leads to high blood pressure and anxiety. |
| C．Quiet music improves sleeping quality while loud music harms sleep. |
| D．Both familiar and unfamiliar instrumental music can cause sleeping problems. |
| A．how instrumental music disturbs sleep |
| B．the possible negative effect of bedtime music |
| C．how people can improve their sleep quality |
| D．differences between music with and without lyrics |
3 . Behind the Mask
Wearing the face of Patih Manis, a character in Bali’s dance dramas, means more than simply putting on a tapel, or mask.
“When you dance with a tapel and perform its character, you undergo a transformation,”says I Made Bandem, a scholar and teacher of Balinese arts – and a dancer for seven decades. “You must’marry’that mask and make ritual (仪式) offerings to create unity between yourself and the tapel. Many dancers will sleep with the mask beside them, so that they can learn its true character.”
Hand – carved tapel are essential to Topeng Pajegan and Topeng Panca, dance dramas often held at temple festivals and family rituals across this Indonesian island. The masks, along with delicate costumes, music that makes you sleep, and staccato movements – sometimes only of the fingers – have attracted Balinese audiences since the 17th century. The stories staged in Pajegan and Panca tell the history of the Balinese people, and the characters never change: Their appearance, movements, roles, and even the order in which they emerge remain the same. Yet in spite of this structure, topeng leave room for a great deal of artistic freedom. With no written text and no required musical arrangement, the entire performance which can last around four hours will be an improvisation – dancers and musicians drawing signals from one another.
It’s believed that every mask used for performance has a spirit. And if the correct offerings and taboos have been observed and the dancers have devoted themselves to mental, physical, and spiritual training, then during a dance drama their bodies will become a medium for the tapel’s spirit.
“A dancer strives to achieve taksu, which is a combination of presence, power, and passion, ”says Bandem.“This is what we pray for before we perform; it is through taksu that we bring the ancestors and their stories to life.”
1. What can we learn about tapel from the first two paragraphs?| A．Tapel refers to a character’s name. |
| B．Tapel is supposed to be with the dancers all along. |
| C．Tapel builds a bridge between the dancer and the true character. |
| D．Tapel experiences dramatic changes when worn by a dancer. |
| A．Well-designed costumes. | B．Balinese stories. | C．Uplifting music. | D．Artistic freedom. |
| A．A performance created casually. | B．A performance with full preparation. |
| C．A performance given perfectly terribly. | D．A performance without deliberate preparation. |
| A．Taksu is a Balinese dancer’s pursuit. | B．The story behind the mask. |
| C．Tapel’s spirit is impossible to overlook. | D．Taksu is a medium to connect the past and the present. |
4 . The first thing you notice at Nate Otto’s house is a 1967 Oldsmobile 98, an old car. Inside is a small, 100-year-old reed organ ( 簧风琴). It’s just a small taste of what’s in Otto’s house: self-playing, old-style musical robots called player pianos. Some sound and look as good as they did a century ago. Some are awaiting repair. Otto, a 29-year-old, has decided that it’s his job to bring player pianos back to life.
As the owner of Rum River Restoration, Otto believes he’s the only full-time player piano restorer ( 修复师) in the state of Minnesota. He specializes in Jazz Age objects that once were ubiquitous in America but now are largely forgotten except by collectors.
Otto believes in doing things the old-fashioned way and tries his best to make player piano restorations as real as possible.
Otto views the player pianos that he fixes as kinetic art ( 动态艺术) pieces. The classic player piano, or pianola, was first developed at the end of the 19th century. It was seen as a thing that helped to change American musical tastes, spreading new styles of music such as jazz to middle-class people. In their successful days, most of the pianos made in the U.S. were player pianos.
By the 1920s, however, the rise of radios and record players provided an even easier way to listen to music, hurting the sales of player pianos. The market for the instruments finally disappeared with the 1929 stock market crash ( 股票市场暴跌) and the Great Depression.
Keeping a player piano going today is a little like restoring an old car: It takes time, love, money and so on. A full rebuild of a player piano mechanism might take 100 to 150 hours of work and cost $5,000 to $8,000 on average, Otto said. But it’s worth it for some people to once again hear an instrument that brought generations of family members together to listen, sing and dance.
1. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Natural. | B．Difficult. |
| C．Common. | D．Interesting. |
| A．It was created in the 20th century. | B．It was invented by Otto’s family. |
| C．It helped the spread of jazz. | D．It can be easily found today. |
| A．It fell out of popularity. | B．It was not known to the public. |
| C．It was first brought outside the U.S. | D．It caused the sales of record players to fall. |
| A．It was a waste of time. | B．It was worth continuing. |
| C．It was easier than restoring cars. | D．It was not helpful in supporting his life. |
High school was a hard time for me, as it is for many kids. Recently I was reminded (使想起) of a huge reason why I made it through that time of my life. The reason was music.
I was reminded of this because my old high school is about to be pulled down over the Christmas break and the kids will be moving into a bigger newly built school in January. The high school band and chorus(合唱队) recently gave a concert on the 80-year-old stage, and all chorus alumni (校友) were invited to take part in this event. The alumni have been invited back to sing with the chorus in other concerts before, but this one was special. This was our last chance to sing on this stage.
We all arrived early for rehearsal (排练). Many of us did not even need music during rehearsal because we remembered the song so well. It became a tradition to invite alumni back on stage and sing “Honor and Glory” every year. After one rehearsal of it, it was like we never left.
As we waited for the beginning of the concert, we began taking ourselves on one last tour of the high school. We looked at the same artwork that has been on the same walls for years, but the only good memories (记忆) I actually remembered were the time I spent singing in the chorus. When nothing else felt like it was going right, music was there. Music has helped me and saved me.
Soon, everyone will get to experience a much bigger school with a much bigger stage for more amazing concerts, but I will always remember that stage that I sang on with my former classmates. I remember the songs that we sang together, countless memories, and just how thankful I am for my amazing music teachers who helped make music have such a strong influence on my life.
1. Why was the recent concert special? (no more than 10 words)2. What did the author mean by saying “it was like we never left” in paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
3. What did the author think of singing in the chorus in high school? (no more than 1 words)
4. What is the purpose of the text? (no more than 10 words)
5. What precious memories did you have in high school? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
6 . Recently, Google researchers published a paper describing results from an artificial intelligence(AI) tool, called MusicLM, built to create music. It is not the first AI music tool to launch. But the examples Google provides demonstrate musical creative ability based on a limited set of descriptive words. AI shows how complex computer systems have been trained to behave in human-like ways. Google engineers explain the MusicLM system this way.
First, a user comes up with a word or words that describe the kind of music they want the tool to create. For example, a user could enter this short phrase into the system: “a continuous calming violin backed by a soft guitar sound.”The descriptions entered can include different music styles, instruments or other existing sounds. Several different music examples produced by MusicLM were published online. Some of the generated music came from just one-or-two-word descriptions,such as “jazz”, or “techno”. The system created other examples from more detailed descriptions containing whole sentences. In the resulting recording, the music seems to keep very close to the description. The team said that the more detailed the description is, the better the system can attempt to produce it.
In addition to generating new music from written descriptions, the team said the system can also create examples based on a person’s own singing, whistling or playing an instrument. The researchers said the tool “produces high-quality music...over several minutes, while being faithful to the text conditioning signal”.
Although MusicLM hasn’t been released for public use, Google announced it was releasing a “high-quality dataset” of more than 5,500 music-writing pairs prepared by professional musicians called MusicCaps. The researchers took that step to assist in the development of other AI music generators.
The MusicLM researchers said they believe they have designed a new tool to help anyone quickly and easily create high-quality music selections. However, the team said it also recognizes some risks linked to the machine learning process.
1. Which instruction may help create the most accurate music by MusicLM?| A．Rock and roll. |
| B．A piano piece to uplift one’s spirits. |
| C．Eastern music. |
| D．A mixed sound of guitar and violin. |
| A．To allow the public to use MusicLM. |
| B．To display the capabilitiesof MusicLM. |
| C．To help develop other AI music generators. |
| D．To promote the MusicCaps music-writing service. |
| A．Problems about the new tool. |
| B．Advantages of using MusicLM. |
| C．Background of the research team. |
| D．Application of AI technology. |
| A．MusicCaps behave in human-like ways. |
| B．AI makes music accessible to ordinary people. |
| C．Musicians recognize the true value of MusicLM. |
| D．MusicLM creates music from written descriptions. |
7 . While most musicians work with other artists when creating their music, Holly Herndon, an American musician and sound artist who is now based in Berlin, takes a different way, working with the machine learning software called Spawn. The software uses artificial neural networks modeled after the structure of the human brain. These networks learn patterns from datasets during the training process. Based on the data, the networks create new material that includes Herndon’s own voice.
When producing her album, PROTO, Holly trained datasets to write new music. The process requires the input data of music written by people or by artificial intelligence (AI). The neural networks then produce variations of that music. “Computers surprise you in a way that an instrument doesn’t,” Holly said. So what does music sound like when composed by what is essentially a robot? It sounds like music from the future!
But Holly Herndon isn’t the only one exploring AI in composition. Machines have played an increasingly important role in music over the last century. The godfather of computer science, Alan Turing, developed the first computer generated music in 1951. Then in 1980. David Cope from the University of California, Santa Cruz developed EMI — Experiments in Musical Intelligence, a system that analyzes existing music and produces new pieces based on it.
AI might not take over the job of the “pop star” anytime soon, or will it? Miquela Sousa is a computer-generated artist with over one million followers on Instagram. “I’m a model and singer. And I’m a robot,” Miquela said. This then raises the question: Can we reproduce creativity using a computer?
Though those questions are not easy to answer, I believe the next frontier of music lies somewhere in between. I can see the path forward with a new dawn of creativity that combines human inventiveness with AI. And the next chapter of music will certainly become wonderful as music and AI become even more closely connected.
1. What plays an important role in producing PROTO?| A．Holly’s special voice. | B．The input of existing music. |
| C．Holly’s rich knowledge. | D．The use of an instrument. |
| A．To promote deep thinking on AI musicians. |
| B．To show the popularity of smart robots. |
| C．To explain the tasks of computer-generated artists. |
| D．To make comparisons between human and robotic artists. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Surprised. | C．Confused. | D．Confident. |
| A．The increasing diversity of AI music. | B．The development of musical composition. |
| C．The history of computer-generated music. | D．The combination of AI and musical composition. |
8 . Within the last decade, music festivals have grown into a major moneymaker in a competitive industry that sees hundreds of such events each year in the U. S. There are the big ones with big ticket prices, multiple stages, camping options and nearly endless lists of performers.
The origins of music festivals date back to ancient Greece, where such events often involved competitions in music, arts and sports. Modern music festival in the U. S. grew out of the establishment of Woodstock. Though it was not the first event of its kind, the 1969 event holds a mythical place within American pop-cultural history.
The mechanics that drove music festivals to becoming top earners have a lot to do with the effects of modern life, says Chirinos, a professor of clinical music and global health at New York University.
On the other hand, for artists, appearing at music festivals is an easier way to make money than depending on record sales or long tours. As record sales saw a sharp decline in the early-to-mid-2000s thanks to the growth of digital music, artists began depending on touring to earn money.
| A．Music itself has changed as well, making festivals a bigger attraction for listeners. |
| B．Streaming pop stars’ performance makes music even more popular. |
| C．And alongside their rise in popularity, hundreds of smaller festivals have flourished. |
| D．People are more likely now to spend money on experiences over material goods. |
| E．Festivals have since grown into mainstream businesses that reap profits and embrace corporate sponsorships. |
| F．The first musical festival was said to be held in Coachella. |
I walked to Mrs. Windsor’s house as I always did when I heard the piano. Before ringing the bell, I stood against the wall and sighed sadly. I daydreamed what I’d rather be doing. I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn’t have a gift for it. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt it my duty to try.
The door opened. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music. Today Mrs. Windsor introduced her niece Pasha to teach me. With a smile, Pasha sat beside me on the piano bench, opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys. Then I frowned (皱眉) and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I had to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. “Jennifer, what are you hearing in the music?” I looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn’t know what she meant.
“Here, let me try and you listen,” Pasha advised.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play.
“See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?”
Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys. “Now the princess appears and she’s picking flowers from the water’s edge.” A happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha’s dancing fingers. “Oh, but she slips!” The music changed. “And our princess is being carried off by the fast-flowing stream. Quickly, the princess’ horse sees her plight (困境) and races to the river’s edge where he swims out to let her catch hold of him. Luckily, they make it to the bank and she hugs her faithful horse.” Pasha finished with a big smile and then looked at me.
I was delighted and advised to try another one. Pasha smiled and together we played many pieces of music that afternoon, finding the stories in the music and learning that sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the river onto dry land again.
1. Why did the author sigh sadly? (no more than 15 words)2. How did Pasha inspire the author to play the piano? (no more than 8 words)
3. What made the music change in Pasha’s playing? (no more than 10 words)
4. Please explain the meaning of the underlined sentence. (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Pasha? Why? (no more than 25 words)
10 . Music has been around since the first man walked on the Earth. Every beat or sound our ancestors heard was in some way a kind of music. Dating back to the early age, music would have been something as simple as the sound of the sea wave, or a wild animal running across the plain. Today’s music is so varied that almost every child or teenager has a long list of favorite songs that they like to listen to on their smartphone or other devices.
But even with such a large variety of music forms today, I’m sure the traditionalists wouldn’t agree with what today’s youngsters refer to as good music. Nowadays, young people are looking to discover the latest “in music”. This is the sort of music that is able to make everyone feel great at the moment but soon forgotten once something better comes along.
For me, I’m truly in love with rock music. Rock is a hugely misunderstood type, with many people simply connecting it with negative social problems such as drugs and overdrinking, given that some of the world’s most famous rock stars have been in the press for their frightening behaviors under the influence of beers or wines. However, it is important to tell the difference between artists and their music, and not make unnecessary judgments about the music just because of the behavior of the musician.
Another widely misunderstood belief is that rock music is only about drums and guitars, when that is just its outward face. A wide variety of other instruments are important to rock, and make an important contribution to the sound of the music as a whole, other than just guitars and drums.
1. Why does the author mention the nature sound in paragraph 1?| A．To show the simplicity of early music. | B．To present the variety of early music. |
| C．To indicate the history of music. | D．To promote people’s love of nature. |
| A．Music changes over time. | B．Music comes in various forms. |
| C．“In music” challenges the traditionalists. | D．Opinions are divided on music preference. |
| A．Media only reports musicians negatively. | B．Some rock stars behave improperly. |
| C．Rock expresses drugs and overdrinking. | D．Music instruments of rock are traditional. |
| A．Every teenager has their own favorite songs. | B．Traditional music can easily be forgotten. |
| C．Music should be judged fairly. | D．Drums and guitars stand for rock music. |
