Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability, a new study by University of Melbourne researchers has found. The researchers said previous theories about how we appreciate music were based on the physical functions of sound, the ear itself and a born ability to hear harmony.
The study shows that musical harmony can be learnt, and it is a matter of training the brain to hear the sounds. So if you thought that the music of some foreign culture (or Jazz) sounded like the crying of cats, it’s simply because you haven’t learnt to listen by their rules.
The researchers used 66 volunteers with a range of musical training and tested their ability to hear combinations of notes(音符) to determine if they found the combinations familiar or pleasing. They found that people needed to be familiar with combinations of notes. If they found the notes unfamiliar they also found the sound unpleasant. This finding put an end to centuries of theories claiming that physical functions of the ear determine what we find attractive.
The study found that trained musicians were much more sensitive to unpleasant notes than non-musicians. When they couldn’t find the note, the musicians reported that the sounds were unpleasant, while non-musicians were much less sensitive. This shows the importance of training or nurturing(培养) the brain to like particular sound of combinations of notes, like those found in jazz or rock.
Depending on their training, a strange chord(和弦) sound was pleasant to some musicians, but very unpleasant to others. This showed us that even the ability to hear a musical note is learnt.
To confirm this finding, they trained 19 non-musicians to find the notes of a random selection of western chords. Not only did the participants’ ability to hear notes improve rapidly, afterward they reported that the chords they had learnt sounded more pleasant -- regardless of how the chords were played.
The question of why some combinations of musical notes are heard as pleasant or unpleasant has long been debated. “We have shown in this study that for music, beauty is in the brain of the beholder(观看者)”, a researcher said.
【小题1】According to the study, people find foreign music quite unpleasant because_____.
| A．they hear the music much too often |
| B．they don’t like the person playing it |
| C．they have no idea about how to listen |
| D．they have no born musical ability at all |
| A．be trained to like particular music |
| B．make friends with real musicians |
| C．find the beauty of chords without training |
| D．enjoy the beauty of music when played by musicians |
| A．the brain likes particular combinations of notes |
| B．not a strange note was pleasant to all musicians |
| C．how the chords were played was very important |
| D．people’s ability to hear a musical note can be learnt |
| A．Love of musical harmony can’t be taught. |
| B．Love of music is not natural but nurtured. |
| C．Listening to music can improve your brain. |
| D．You can be a musician without being trained. |
【小题1】C
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】B
解析试题分析: 本文是说明文，提到对音乐的喜爱是可能过能培养获得。
【小题1】C细节理解题。根据第二段提到if you thought that the music of some foreign culture (or Jazz) sounded like the crying of cats, it’s simply because you haven’t learnt to listen by their rules.如果你认为外国的音乐象猫叫，那就是仅仅因为你听不懂他们的规则，所以选C项。
【小题2】A细节理解题。根据第四段提到This shows the importance of training or nurturing(培养) the brain to like particular sound of combinations of notes, like those found in jazz or rock.这就表明训练与后天培养的重要性，所以选A项。
【小题3】D 细节理解题。根据第六段提到Not only did the participants’ ability to hear notes improve rapidly, afterward they reported that the chords they had learnt sounded more pleasant -- regardless of how the chords were played.不仅是参与者听记迅速提高超过十短的会话能力，之后他们说他们已经知道和弦听起来更加愉快——不管和弦进行调整所以选D项。
【小题4】B 主旨大意。本文开篇提到对于音乐的爱好不仅仅是天生的，还是可能通过培养与训练能得到，通过举例及对于研究对象的分析，The study found that trained musicians were much more sensitive to unpleasant notes than non-musicians.被训练的音乐人能对不是那么动听的音乐比不被训练的人更为敏感，所以B项对于音乐的爱好不是天生的而是可有后天培养出来的。
考点 ：科普类阅读。
一线名师提优试卷系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Did you get a flu shot this year？For the first time，the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US is recommending that all children aged from 6 months to 18 years receive the flu vaccine.
Vaccines battle diseases caused by bacteria and viruses.A weakened form of the germ (病菌) is introduced into the body.The body makes special substances called antibodies (抗体) to fight the germs.If the actual germs were to attack，the antibodies would fight.Because there are many kinds of flu viruses，scientists must create a new vaccine formula (处方) each year.Researchers must make a prediction.
It is like forecasting the weather.Sometimes they are right on，and sometimes they are off.But even when the vaccine does not closely match circulating flu types，it can make the illness less serious.
“The flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio (小儿麻痹症) vaccine or the measles vaccine，” says Dr.William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.“It’s not a great vaccine，but it is in fact quite a good vaccine.”
But a flu vaccine doesn’t work for everyone.There are certain people who should be careful about taking it，because the vaccine is produced in eggs.Those who are allergic (过敏的) to eggs should not take it.If you have a fever，you should wait until you recover.
Some people are afraid that they might get the flu from the flu shot.Scientists say that it is not possible，because the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated.But some minor side effects such as lowgrade fever and body ache could occur.If they do，they begin soon after the shot and usually last only one to two days.
Did you know？Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by putting a virus into a healthy person.In 1796，English scientist Edward Jenner placed some infected material under a boy’s skin.
【小题1】The underlined word “vaccine” (in Para.1) refers to________.
| A．virus used for fighting against disease |
| B．antibody to fight the germs |
| C．formula to fight against disease |
| D．germ to be injected into the body |
| A．is as effective as the polio and the measles vaccines |
| B．is worse，compared with the polio and the measles vaccines |
| C．does help to make illness less serious |
| D．is quite good because it works for everyone |
| A．those who are not allergic to eggs can take the flu vaccine |
| B．not all the flu vaccines are effective for everyone |
| C．you should go to a doctor if you have a fever after taking the flu vaccine |
| D．it is possible that some people might get the flu from the flu shot |
| A．they’ll be allergic to eggs |
| B．their bodies will ache for 5 days |
| C．they probably have a low fever |
| D．they won’t catch a flu ever after |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs—what do they have in common? They are, of course, all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo. com, they all best illustrate(举例说明) the word “cool”. 
But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.
Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term “cool” goes back to 15th century West African philosophy(哲学). “Cool” relates to ideas of grace(优雅) under pressure.
“In Africa, ” he writes, “coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life.”
The modern idea of “cool” developed largely in the US in the period after World War II. “Post-war ‘cool’ was in part an expression of war-weariness (n. 厌战情绪)
. . . it went against the strict social rules of the time,” write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules:Anatomy of an Attitude.
But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for “cool” in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities. He always gets the girl, smokes cigarettes, wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies(欺凌弱小者). In the movie, Dean showed what “cool” would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.
Today the focus of “cool” has changed to athletics (体育运动) stars. Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.
But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools.
“Call it the Harry Potterization of America—a time when being smart is the new cool,” writes journalist Joe Sunnen.
【小题1】Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.
| A．introduce the topic | B．draw our attention |
| C．tell us what they have in common | D．tell us what is “cool” |
| A．thought and acted differently from the majority |
| B．had a calm and quiet attitude towards life |
| C．didn’t observe rules and authorities |
| D．had all kinds of “bad” manners |
| A．do very well in their studies |
| B．are very skilled at sports |
| C．are good at chess and other thinking games. |
| D．have supernatural powers like Harry Potter |
| A．It is generally considered “cool” to be independent-minded and not to follow the crowd. |
| B．“Cool” was used as early as the 15th century. |
| C．Disobeying one’s parents and the authorities is considered “cool” among American young people nowadays. |
| D．Getting the first place in an exam can also be considered “cool”. |
| A．The origin of the word “cool”. |
| B．The kinds of people who are “cool”. |
| C．The changing meaning of the word “cool”. |
| D．How to be a “ cool” person. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.
But things may start to improve soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel engines(柴油机)by 40 percent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.
“We encourage the development of public transports. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them, ”said an official.
Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions(排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.
Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index(指数)gave just 100 days as good.
“I am glad to see an improvement, ”said a senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in fog. ”
In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French Air Force was called off.
Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.
【小题1】 The passage is mainly about .
| A．a programme aiming at improving Beijing’s air quality |
| B．progress made in Beijing’s air quality |
| C．Beijing’s air pollution |
| D．the differences between Hainan and Beijing |
| A．Clean fuel technology will be used in public transports. |
| B．Some factories have been asked to cut production. |
| C．Some construction sites have been told to be closed. |
| D．A display show of airplanes has been called off. |
| A．far more still needs to be done |
| B．nothing else needs to be done |
| C．all traffic has to be closed |
| D．the development of the city has to be slowed down |
| A．Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse. |
| B．Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality. |
| C．People see clouds of smoke in the sky in the winter of Beijing. |
| D．The government is making efforts to stop air pollution. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry(洗衣房) ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English.
No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples:
“I'm sorry to bother you...” Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries."
“Can you help me with this?” Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons."
“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations(预定) for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room."
“I understand it's not your fault...” Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday."
“Excuse me, but I understood that...” Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars." Then give them an opportunity to do the right thing.
【小题1】What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give an introduction of life abroad. |
| B．To give suggestions on how to learn English. |
| C．To offer advice on giving complaints in English. |
| D．To offer guides to those who travel around the world. |
| A．state our complaints politely |
| B．go for the police immediately |
| C．use indirect language to hurt people |
| D．fight against the one who is responsible |
| A．Because the situation is never serious. |
| B．Because the listener may not speak English. |
| C．Because it can help solve the problem more easily. |
| D．Because we should be always in good manners abroad. |
| A．“Can you help me with this?” |
| B．“I understand it's not your fault.” |
| C．“Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!” |
| D．“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
New crime prediction software should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of other crimes. Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software has already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation(缓刑) or parole(假释) are most likely to murder and to be murdered.
“When a person goes on probation or parole he is supervised(监督) by an officer. The question is ‘what level of supervision is appropriate?’” said Berk. It used to be that parole officers used the person’s criminal record, and their judgment to make decisions.
“This research replaces those seat-of-the –pants calculations,” he said.
Technology helps determine level of supervision. On average there is one murder for every 100,000 people. Even among high-risk groups the murder rate is one in 100. Predicting such a rare event is very difficult, but advances in computer technology works.
Years ago, the researchers made a dataset of more than 60,000 various crimes. Using the software they developed, they found some much more likely to commit murder when paroled or probated. They could identify eight future murderers out of 100.
Berk’s software examines roughly two dozen variables(可变因素), from criminal record to geographic location. The type of crimes, and more importantly, the age at which that crime was committed, were two of the most predictive variables.
“People assume that if someone murdered then they will murder in the future,” said Berk. “ What really matters is what that person did as a young individual. Predicting future crimes sounds well. But we aren’t anywhere near being able to do that.”
“Berk’s scientific answer leaves policymakers with difficult questions. By labeling one group of people as high risk, and supervise them closely, there should be fewer murders, which the potential victims should be happy about. It also means that those high-risk individuals will be supervised more aggressively. For human rights advocates, that means punishing people who, most likely, will not commit a crime in the future,” said Bushway. “It comes down to a question of whether you would rather make these errors or those errors.”
【小题1】The underlined words(in Para.3) probably mean___.
| A．calculations based on subjective opinions |
| B．calculations based on widespread voting |
| C．calculations made by advanced technology |
| D．calculations based on serious considering |
| A．6.5. | B．13. | C．52. | D．65. |
| A．the technology developed by Richard Berk will soon be widely used in the US |
| B．the technology would not be widely accepted in the short term |
| C．whether a person murders or not largely decided by his upbringing while young |
| D．if a person murdered when he was fifty, he is sure to murder again while on probation |
| A．positive | B．negative | C．objective | D．indifferent |
| A．Closely Supervise Potential Murders |
| B．Measures Taken to Prevent Criminal Behavior |
| C．Technology Revolutionizes Judges’ Way of Working |
| D．Software is Developed to Predict Criminal Behavior |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(过错). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: Practice remembering.
【小题1】The main reason for one’s poor memory is that _______.
| A．his memory is not often used |
| B．he does not use his name or legs for some time |
| C．his father or mother may have a poor memory |
| D．he can’t read or write |
| A．you can’t use them any more |
| B．they will become stronger |
| C．they will become neither stronger nor weaker |
| D．they become weak and won’t become strong until you use them again |
| A．they have saved much trouble |
| B．they have saved much time to remember things |
| C．they have to use their memories all the time |
| D．they can’t write everything in a little notebook |
| A．Don’t Stop Using Your Arms or Legs |
| B．How to Have a Good Memory |
| C．Strong Arms and Good Memories |
| D．Learn From the People |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
(2013·高考新课标全国卷Ⅰ，B)The baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital.She is quiet but alert (警觉)．Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it.She stares at it carefully.A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another，this time with the spots differently spaced.As the cards change from one to the other，her gaze(凝视) starts to lose its focus—until a third，with three black spots，is presented.Her gaze returns：she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card.Can she tell that the number two is different from three，just 24 hours after coming into the world?
Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment，but with three spots shown before two，shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes.Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb，a key，an orange and so on)，changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves.Could it be the pattern that two things make，as opposed to three? No again.Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three，or three to two.The effect even crosses between senses.Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two；likewise (同样地) when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots.
【小题1】The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s________.
| A．sense of hearing | B．sense of sight |
| C．sense of touch | D．sense of smell |
| A．the size of cards | B．the colour of pictures |
| C．the shape of patterns | D．the number of objects |
| A．To reduce the difficulty of the experiment. |
| B．To see how babies recognize sounds. |
| C．To carry their experiment further. |
| D．To keep the babies’ interest. |
| A．Science fiction. |
| B．Children’s literature. |
| C．An advertisement. |
| D．A science report. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In films, dads change from cruel men to loving souls. Here is a list of good and bad movies dads .Atticus Finch in To kill a Mockingbird（杀死一只知更鸟）
GOOD DAD:A man whose wife has died with a young family and a busy job as a lawyer, Gregory Peck's character in the 1962 film is one of the great heroes of American cinema Firm but fair he teaches his children respect and human decency（正派)．Harper Lee's novel gets a respectable transposition（转变)to film, thanks to Gregory Peck's perfect performance.
Jack Torrance in The Shining
BAD DAD: When Jack Torrance ,his wife ,Wendy ,and son, Danny ,escaped from the cold winter to the Overlook Hotel we know that Jack has hardly been a model father But when Jack becomes extremely angry and tries to murder his family with an axe, Danny used his intelligence to defeat him and left him to freeze to death．
George Bailey in It's a Wonderful life
GOOD DAD: James Stewart's character is a father-of-four who is saved from the edge of suicide (自杀)and realizes his positive effect on others lives．Much of the film is unpleasant, with George shouting at his children as he faces financial problems. But finally the lovable father realizes the worth of his own life, the value of friendship and the importance of being a loving dad
Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back（帝国大厦）
BAD DAD: When the unfriendly cyborg（半机器人）told Luke Skywalker that he was his father ,the son's reaction says it all: "No! No!" It's hardly a joyful welcome to the family. For most of his son's life, Darth Vader has been an absent dad—and he has just cut off Luke's hand You can understand why Father's Day cards might not be available.
【小题1】Who is Harper Lee?
| A． An actor. | B． A novelist | C． A movie director. | D． A translator. |
| A． Jack Torrance | B． Wendy | C． Danny | D． Darth Vader |
| A．To kill a Mockingbird | B．The Shining |
| C．It's a Wonderful Lift | D．The Empire Strikes Book |
| A．He lost his hand in an accident |
| B．His father changed him into a cyborg. |
| C．He discovered that he had a cruel father: |
| D．His father lived with him for most of his life. |
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