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A

Listening to the right kind of music directly affects blood flow as well as lungs and the heart, indicating that music could one day be used to slow the heart rates and lower blood pressure, according to a new study by Italian researchers.

For several years now, music has already been used at the bedside in many hospitals. Not only does it not cost anything, music also has beneficial physical effects on the body as well as a person’s mood, the authors wrote. They found in a previous study that music with faster tempos (拍子) was linked with an increased breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure. However, when the music stopped playing, breathing, heart rate and blood pressure went down, sometimes even below the beginning rate. Slower the music was, slower were the heart rates.

For their study purposes, the experts involved 24 healthy people between 24 and 26 years old. Among the participants, there were 12 experienced singers (9 women) and 12 individuals (7 women) who had no previous musical training. The subjects were provided with headphones and were attached to electrocardiograms (ECG, 心电图) and monitors, so the experts could measure their blood pressure, lung condition and narrowing of blood veins (血管) on the skin.

The music the participants were played included selections from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, “Va Pensiero” from Verdi’s opera Nabucco, and “Libiam Nei Lieti Calici” from Verdi’s La Traviata. The volunteers also listened to a 2-minute silent pause.

The results showed that:

Every crescendo (渐强音) resulted in an increased narrowing of blood vessels (血管) under the skin, raised blood pressure and heart beat. In each music extract played, the length of the effect was proportional (成比例的) to the change in musical profile.

During the silent pause, changes dropped. The blood vessels under the skin became wider and there were reductions in heart beat and blood pressure observed. In contrast to music, silence brought down heart rate and other variables (变量), indicating relaxation.

According to previous studies, music is very beneficial when it comes to reducing stress, it also improves athletic performance and motor skills of patients with neurological impairments (神经损伤). Dr Bernardi noted that these days, music is being used more and more frequently as a therapeutic (治疗的) method for different conditions.

1. According to the study, music could be used to treat heart disease mainly because ______.

A. it is free B. it can be relaxing

C. it improves the mood of patients D. it affects blood pressure

2. When people listen to music with a faster time______.

a. their blood veins become wider

b. their heartbeat is increased

c. their blood pressure is raised

d. their breathing becomes faster

e. they become happier

A. a, b, c B. a, b, e C. b, c, d D. b, c, e

3. According to the article, which of the following statements is true?

A. None of the participants in the study had received musical training before.

B. During the silent pause, heart rate always dropped lower than the beginning rate.

C. A 2-minute silent pause didn’t have any effect on the participants in the study.

D. How long the music can affect heart rate was decided by the change in musical profile.

4. What can be inferred from the article?

A. Light music is helpful to improve people’s athletic performance.

B. There is great potential for music to be used as a therapeutic method.

C. Listening to music frequently can lower the chance of getting heart disease.

D. Music with slow tempos is widely used to help people with neurological impairments.

B

“Keep out or I’ll chase you out! This is my property!”

You hear this every spring. It is a long musical sound – a birdsong! Birds use their songs to communicate different messages to one another. People who study bird sounds are learning their meanings.

Usually it is the male that sings. Early in spring he sings to say that he has picked out a piece of property. He sings to attract a female of his same kind. Together they will raise a family in his territory (领地). He sings to tell all other birds of his kind to keep out.

Each kind of bird has its own type of song. Cardinals sing something that sounds a little like “What cheer, cheer, cheer.” Towhees sing, “Drink your tea.”

Most of the time birds pay attention only to the songs of birds of their own kind. Cardinals answer cardinals, and song sparrows answer song sparrows. A cardinal knows that a song sparrow will not try to steal its mate. So you can see one reason why a cardinal may chase away another cardinal but will not bother a song sparrow.

Most different kinds of birds eat different things. To find enough to eat, a bird needs a big piece of land to search in. Many kinds of birds have some way of dividing up the land into territories. Song sparrows, cardinals, ovenbirds, and white-throated sparrows are some of the birds that have territorial systems.

Especially in early spring, birds work out the boundaries between their territories by singing “keep out” threats and by chasing and fighting each other. The birds continue singing to tell females that they have set up territories. Neighboring birds seem to agree that there are make-believe fences between their pieces of property. Then they do not have to waste energy chasing each other instead of taking care of their young.

Scientists guessed that some birds could recognize their neighbors by small differences in their songs. Two scientists who studied white-throated sparrows found that these birds can even tell the difference between songs of individual birds of their own kind. White-throated sparrows have songs that seem to say “I’m your neighbor” or “I’m a stranger” or “I’m your neighbor to the west.” Other kinds of birds could tell neighbors from strangers by their songs, too.

5. What is the article mainly about?

A. How birds build up their territories.

B. How birds sing to communicate.

C. How male birds chase after females.

D. How scientists recognize birds’ songs.

6. A cardinal may not keep a song sparrow out of its territory because ______.

A. they sing different songs

B. they have separate territories

C. it feels no threat from a song sparrow

D. song sparrows are friendly to other birds

7. Some birds have their own territorial systems so that ______.

A. they don’t need to fight or chase each other

B. they often work together against threats

C. they build up fences to protect their property

D. they find a big piece of land to search for food

8. What can we conclude from the article?

A. Male birds use their songs to communicate more than females.

B. Scientists have learned the meanings of all white-throated sparrows sing.

C. Not all birds can recognize their neighbors by small differences in their songs.

D. White-throated sparrows are the smartest birds the scientists ever found.

C

Roller coaster thrills and excitement could be accompanied by severe damage to our ears, and even can cause temporary hearing loss, warn doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Dr Kathleen L. Yaremchuk and her colleagues at Henry Ford Hospital found that the popular rides, which have in recent years become more and more extreme with sudden sharp turns, ups and downs, and high speeds, can cause a common ear injury, known as barotrauma. The experts explain that the condition occurs when there is a quick change in pressure between the outside environment, the eardrum and the pressure in the middle ear space.

In most cases, this change in air and ear pressures can be eased when riders swallow several times in a row, yawn, or chew gum. However, during the extreme acceleration (加速) of a roller coaster ride, it is almost impossible for a person to balance ear pressure using these methods. Ear barotrauma typically is connected with dizziness, popping ears as well as ear pain, and in rare cases the condition can lead to temporary hearing loss.

The warning comes after Dr Yaremchuk and her colleagues treated a 24-year-old man who still had pain in one of his ears 2 days after riding a roller coaster. During the ride the young man had turned his head to speak to his girlfriend, who was sitting next to him, therefore exposing his ear to the full impact of the acceleration – 120mph within 4 seconds. While not enough to reach and damage the eardrum, the strong pressure to the ear did cause barotrauma, although the patient recovered three days later.

Dr Yaremchuk said roller coaster fans should be aware of what they can do in order to prevent barotrauma from occurring. “Based on our research, we recommend that passengers remain facing forward for the duration of the ride to not let the full impact of acceleration hit the ear,” Dr Yaremchuk suggested.

Other types of injuries connected with roller coaster rides have been reported by medical professionals previously, such as bruising and spine (脊椎) injuries. All these injuries are linked to the force of roller coaster acceleration.

9. The writer of the article intends to _______.

A. tell readers about the latest discoveries of roller coasters

B. warn roller coaster fans of the potential danger of the rides

C. provide roller coaster passengers with tips on security

D. attract more people to take the popular roller coaster rides

10. Which of the following is NOT a common symptom of ear barotraumas?

A. dizziness B. ear discomfort

C. popping ears D. temporary hearing loss

11. It can be inferred from the article that _____.

A. patients who suffer ear barotrauma hardly ever fully recover

B. at least four types of injuries are connected with the roller coaster

C. the younger and weaker an rider is, the more likely he or she will develop barotraumas

D. the faster and extremer the ride, the greater the possibility that ear barotraumas may occur

12. When riding a roller coaster, you are advised to _____.

A. chew gum B. turn your head sideways

C. face forward for the entire ride D. swallow several times in a row

D

A new study indicates whether it is around the dinner table or in front of the television, members of US families are spending less time with each other. As family time decreases, there is a rise in the use of Internet and the number of social networking sites.

The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California reported that 28 percent of those who took part in the survey, said that they have been spending less time with members of their families. That figure has nearly tripled since 2006, when 11 percent of families had indicated to be spending less time with household members. However, these individuals did not report spending less time with their friends. In 2000, people spent about 26 hours every month with their families. By 2008, the number dropped to just 18 hours.

In addition, the study found that a high percentage of Internet users reported being ignored sometimes or often because another member of the family spent too much time browsing the web (44 percent reporting). And even higher percentage (48 percent) said that they were ignored because other members spent too much time watching television.

“The primary purpose of the studies is exploring the profound changes in views and behavior that have occurred during those 15 years of Internet use – as well as the changes yet to come,” reported Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future.

The development of the modern new technologies has, in some ways, an impact on the way family members socialize and interact. Mobile phones make it easier for parents to keep track of where their kids are, but at the same time this allows children to have a kind of privacy they would never have had in the past days. TV watching has cut into dinner time, and as TV sets become cheaper and cheaper, they also are present now almost in every room, so that parents and their children no longer have to gather in the living room to watch it.

13. The study found that US people ________.

A. are spending more of their spare time browsing the web than watching TV

B. are spending more time with their friends than with their family members

C. spent less time with their families and friends in 2008 than they did in 2006

D. spent an average of 8 more hours with their families every month in 2000 than they did in 2008

14. The underlined word “tripled” in paragraph 2 probably means________.

A. fell by twice the number B. increased by twice the number

C. fell by three times the number D. increased by three times the number

15. According to Jeffrey I. Cole, the studies aim to ______.

A. analyze what has changed the way people socialize

B. learn how the Internet has influenced lifestyles

C. discover the changes to surfing habits

D. find out why US people spend less time with their families

16. What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A. Modern technologies contribute to the loss of family interaction time.

B. Children are enjoying less privacy and freedom due to the development of new technologies.

C. With the help of technologies, people stay more connected with their families and friends.

D. New technologies are a helpful tool to bridge the gap between children and parents.

E

Dreaming is believing, claim researchers of a new study, who found that dreams have an effect on people’s behavior, judgment and they might contain important hidden truths as well.

“Psychologists’ interpretations (解释) of the meaning of dreams vary widely. But our findings show that people believe their dreams provide meaningful insight (见识) into themselves and their world,” said a lead author of the study Carey Morewedge, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

In six different studies, researchers surveyed nearly 1,100 people about their dreams. One of the studies focused on general beliefs about dreams and involved 149 university students. All students were asked to rate different theories about dreams. The experts found that a surprising majority of the participants supported the theory about dreams revealing (揭示) the hidden truths about themselves and the rest of the world.

In a second experiment, they surveyed 182 people at a Boston train station, and asked them to imagine one out of four possible situation that could have occurred the night before a scheduled airline trip. Most of the participants said that dreaming of a plane crash would be more likely to affect their travel plans than would just thinking about a crash, or being warned by the government of a terrorism risk. They said a dreamed crash would influence their travel plans just as much as learning about a real crash on their planned route would.

Another experiment involved 270 men and women from across the United States. In a short online survey, they were asked to recall one of the dreams they had seen about any person they knew.

The findings showed that people were more likely to remember and describe pleasant dreams about a person they liked, rather than a person they disliked. Meanwhile, in most cases they tended to consider an unpleasant dream as more meaningful if it was about a person they disliked.

“In other words,” said Morewedge, “people attribute (归因于) meaning to dreams when it corresponds (与……一致) with their pre-existing beliefs and desires.”

The researchers say that more investigation (研究) is needed to fully understand how people interpret their dreams. According to Morewedge, most people realize that dreams are not predicting their future, but they still try to find some meaning in there.

17. The purpose of the studies is to _______.

A. determine when people tend to remember their dreams

B. research whether dreams have anything to do with real life

C. find out how people interpret their dreams and what impact that has

D. understand what causes people to dream and how to interpret dreams

18. According to the second experiment, what might influence people’s travel plans most?

A. Thinking about a past plane crash.

B. Dreaming about a plane crash.

C. Hearing a government’s warning of a terrorism risk.

D. Imagining a plane crashing on their planned route.

19. What can be concluded from the study?

A. Dreams can be a useful tool for learning and problem solving.

B. Most people disagree that dreams help them better know themselves and the world.

C. A majority of people believes that dreams can predict their future and try to find their meaning.

D. When a dream conflicts with people’s existing beliefs and desires, they tend to attribute less meaning to it.

20. Which kind of dream is seen as more meaningful than the rest?

A. A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes.

B. A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes

C. An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes.

D. An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes.