文档内容
选择性必修第一册 Unit 2 The universal language
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
From strumming a guitar next to a campfire to entertaining guests with a piano piece at a
formal dinner，being able to play a musical instrument is unquestionably rewarding.Studies
comparing the mental abilities of musicians and non-musicians often show that musical training is
related to small，but significant，cognitive(认知的) benefits even when other factors，such as
social and economic status，are accounted for.Indeed，there is evidence that just two years of such
training enhances cognition.
However，it has remained unclear whether these enhanced cognitive skills are just temporary.
It is difficult to determine if cognitive changes associated with learning how to play an
instrument remain throughout a person’s lifetime.On a single day in 1947 ， the Scottish
government tested the intelligence of almost every 11-year-old child who attended school in the
country.In 2017，researchers at Edinburgh University’s Reid School of Music realized it was not
too late to ask the original participants about their musical experiences.
The researchers developed a questionnaire that collected information about lifetime musical
experience.This was completed by the surviving members who returned to the study for further
testing in 2018.The participants were asked how many instruments they played and what their
training was like.They were also asked to record how many years of regular practice they had and
what performance level they had reached.A total of 366 members provided usable information and
117 revealed that they had some degree of experience with musical instruments.
Overall，the researchers found that a significant positive relationship existed between playing
an instrument and change in cognitive ability over time.More specifically，the more years and
more hours of practice with an instrument that a person had，the more likely they were to show a
positive cognitive change over the course of their life.Precisely why learning to play a musical
instrument has these effects remains unclear.The researchers theorize that driving people to
regularly use a mix of focused attention，co-ordination，auditory-motor skills and memory results
in advantageous cognitive changes.
1．What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A．The significance of playing a guitar and a piano.
B．The benefits of playing a musical instrument.
C．The relationship between music and social status.
D．The difference between musicians and non-musicians.
2．What do we know about the Edinburgh research?A．It surveyed 366 participants.
B．Its participants were old men or women.
C．It asked participants to play musical instruments.
D．Its data explained why music affected cognition.
3．What was the result collected in the 1947 Scottish government used as?
A．A database. B．An example. C．A cause. D．A target.
4．What is the main idea of this text?
A．Musical instruments benefit temporary cognitive ability.
B．Musical instruments lead to disadvantages in cognition.
C．Playing a musical instrument enhances cognition in the long run.
D．Playing an instrument prevents temporary cognitive changes.
B
(2024·江苏苏州统考模拟预测)
There’s no tune，no lyrics and you can’t dance to it.Don’t let that put you off：white
noise is the music industry’s next big thing.Streaming services have seen an explosion of tracks in
the last year consisting entirely of recordings of rainfall，ocean waves and winds.
Some of the recordings have earned their creators millions of pounds.Record companies and
tech firms have taken notice.Apple is including background noise in its next operating system，and
TikTok has been promoting pink noise and brown noise—sounds with lower frequencies—as an aid
to concentration for students at the start of the school year.
Noise fans say that studying，sleeping and meditation(冥想) are all enhanced by listening to
these sounds at proper levels.The economics of music-streaming mean noise-makers can cash
in.Someone falling asleep to White Noise Baby Sleep’s 90-second track Clean White Noise on
repeat for seven hours will win up 280 plays.By last Friday it had been played 837 million times，
worth an estimated $2.5m in royalties (版税)．The lead track on Spotify’s own Rain Sounds
playlist，two minutes of rainfall，has more than 100m plays.
In contrast，Laura Mvula only has 541,000 Spotify streams for the title track of this year’s
award-winning album，Pink Noise—not a slice of sleepiness but tuneful，lyrical dance-pop that
took her three years to make.Spotify，Apple Music，and other streaming services pay royalties in
roughly the same way.They set aside a total pot for royalties，which is then divided up between
distributors，record labels，recording artists and songwriters.That means that Mvula will get a
smaller slice of the Spotify pie than will White Noise Baby Sleep，although most of it goes to
the major record companies.
It’s hard to work out who is making such noise.Spotify lists White Noise Baby Sleep’s
songwriting credits as belonging to an Erik Eriksson.It’s not obvious who Eriksson is or whether
he is part of a larger organization，but the Medium website One Zero last year established that
many of the artists’ names are pseudonyms(假名) used by companies.5．Which of the following best describes white noise?
A．Tuneful. B．Confusing. C．Pricey. D．Profitable.
6．How does the author describe the popularity of white noise in paragraph 3?
A．By presenting some statistics. B．By making classifications.
C．By making a comparison. D．By giving a definition.
7．What does the author want to show by mentioning Laura Mvula’s Pink Noise?
A．White noise is more popular. B．Pink noise has gone out of date.
C．How Mvula gets paid. D．Who makes huge profits.
8．What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
A．Tips for attracting more white noise fans.
B．Challenges some companies are faced with.
C．Difficulty in identifying the copyright holders.
D．Ways to improve the qualities of credits.
Ⅱ.七选五
As a radio presenter，I noticed that individuals often prefer music from their teenage or early
twenties.__1__
Firstly，we tend to have a different good memory between the ages of about ten and
thirty.__2__ The second reason is that music is a powerful trigger for our emotions，which in turn
spark our memories.The music in our teen years is likely to have lots of emotions to understand，
so even a very small part of a particular song can bring powerful feelings and memories flooding
back.
__3__ It can have a calming effect ， putting you in a relaxed mood ， ready ， to
remember.Rhythms and rhymes are great memory aids.And when we love a song，we tend to
repeat it over and over again.Singing or playing something can even activate “muscle
memory”，and there are many cases of people with severe memory loss still being able to
perform music they learned decades ago.
So the next time you hear a familiar song，put it to good use，to explore and exercise your
memory.Think about the places and people it reminds you of and the emotions it brings.__4__
Remember a particular time in your life，think about the music you listened to then and let it take
you back，following the connections as you piece together the past.
You can also use music when you’re learning.__5__ If you’re dealing with several topics，
play different styles of music while learning different things.
Experiment to see what works for you.Songs can have a powerful impact on memory，and
that should be music to everyone’s ears!
A．There are two very good reasons for that.
B．The following practical suggestions are just for you.
C．There are further ways in which music boosts recall.D．Find recordings that energize your thinking in your study.
E．Some people use music to make themselves fall asleep faster.
F．You may feel as if you rediscover the richest details of your past.
G．Most of us have more novel and exciting memorable experiences then.
Ⅲ.完形填空
The Healing Power of Music
Since Mom died and Dad lived alone，he was often angry，and lately he was getting more
and more confusing.Today __1__ to be worse than usual.He had a new aid named Linda，from our
home country of Lithuania.The __2__ of a stranger was bound to make Dad even more __3__.
Sure enough，Dad started __4__ as soon as I got in the door.“This new girl doesn’t know
anything，” he whispered with dissatisfaction.
“It’ll take some time for her to learn how to help you，” I __5__ him.
The three of us sat __6__ in the living room.I wished I could think of something to say.Lord，
please help us feel more comfortable with this arrangement.
Linda __7__ to her feet.Walking over to Dad’s record player，she __8__ a Lithuanian folk
record onto the turntable(转盘)．The familiar accordion(手风琴) music played.Dad started __9__
along to it.Linda smiled.
The music seemed to drive all the __10__ from the room.We chatted about Lithuania.It was
one of the __11__ visits Dad and I had ever had.
When I left，he hugged me good-bye and asked me to __12__ old photos with him and Linda
next time.__13__，I had a look at the old Dad，the man I’d always loved __14__ time with.
I’d come to Dad’s house expecting the __15__.But with Linda’s help and a little music
from the old country，I’d found what I would always love.
1．A.promised B．tended C．planned D．needed
2．A.choice B．presence C．name D．assistance
3．A.absent-minded B．ill-tempered C．light-hearted D．heart-struck
4．A.shouting B．warning C．remarking D．complaining
5．A.advised B．directed C．comforted D．informed
6．A.impatiently B．anxiously C．awkwardly D．boringly
7．A.sprang B．went C．struggled D．came
8．A.threw B．placed C．grabbed D．played
9．A.laughing B．singing C．clapping D．smiling
10．A.tension B．atmosphere C．sound D．warmth
11．A.longest B．strangest C．nicest D．rarest
12．A.check on B．hang on C．get through D．look at
13．A.For a moment B．At a time C．By the way D．On the whole
14．A.treasuring B．wasting C．saving D．spending15．A.best B．greatest C．worst D．happiest
Ⅳ.语法填空
Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional form of dancing.With its display of profound cultural
elements，it 1.____________(include) in the first batch(批次) of China’s national intangible
cultural heritage(非物质文化遗产) items in 2006.
The 2.____________(early) historical references of this art date back to the Spring and
Autumn Period.At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty，it started to gain 3.____________(popular)
in and around the capital，and then it was introduced to Mentougou District of Beijing.
In ancient times，the drums were played 4.____________ New Year’s Eve at the imperial
palace to bring peace.As a result，the performance also became known as the “New Year
Drum” by Beijingers.This type of drum dance is commonly seen 5.____________(perform)
during the last and first month of the lunar year in many local festive activities，thus expressing
people’s hope of 6.____________ peaceful and prosperous year to come.
During a given performance ， drummers perform various dance moves while
7.____________(hold) the drum in their left hands and a mallet( 球 棍 ) in their right
hands.Traditional Chinese aesthetic(美学的) concepts are reflected in the drum playing，all of
8.____________ represent distinctive local features.
In the past decades，efforts 9.____________(make) by Mentougou District to preserve this
signature folk dance culture.Today，the time-honored folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being
taken up by the young people 10.____________ is presenting its lively artistic charm(魅力) on a
global stage.
Ⅴ.读后续写微写作
Paula started working as part of the janitorial(保洁的) staff at a big office building.As Mr
Alexander，the janitorial manager said，the job was difficult for a disabled granny like her.And
some of her co-workers worried about having to take on extra work to make up for what she
couldn’t do，but the older woman proved them all wrong.
She was efficient，almost better than those who could walk perfectly.She was always on
time，made no excuses，and learned from her mistakes.Her teenage grandkids helped her，and
together，they proved to the state that Paula was their best guardian.
For years，Paula had lived on her pension and disability benefits，which were only enough
for bills and a few necessities.Also，being at home with nothing to do made her feel worthless.
But her life brightened when her grandkids visited，and her daughter and son-in-law had been
fantastic parents.Their passing in a car accident was tragic，especially when it looked like the three
kids would be separated into different foster homes and shelters.
Paula knew she had to do something，and she did.Mr Alexander praised her work ethic
often，and she made friends with her colleagues.It was a good situation.Tiring but better than not
being able to see her grandkids ever again.It was getting close to the end of the business day，and Paula was already done with her
responsibilities.She placed everything in its proper place and looked around in case she had
forgotten something.A misplaced trash bag was sitting in a corner.It wasn’t supposed to be
there.Paula shook her head，smiling.“Someone forgot，” she commented as she approached
the bag.She decided to take the trash out herself.However，it was heavier than usual.She couldn’t
even lift it properly.“My goodness，what’s in here？” she wondered as her fingers untied the
knot.
范文补全
To her surprise，the bag contained big piles of money，which could set a person up
for life! “Why so much cash ？ ” she asked the empty room ， panicking a
little.1.__________________( 她 突 然 有 了 一 个 念
头).2.__________________________________________________________(如果她拿了那些钱，
她可以辞职并过上更好的生活)．But as soon as that thought came，it went away.Someone had
put money in a dark trash bag and hid it in the janitorial closet of the building.It was more than a
little suspicious.3.____________________________________________(如果这些钱是被某些罪
犯藏起来的怎么办)？Would it be better to ignore the bag and go home? She tied the bag’s knot
and tried to forget about it.But her conscience didn’t allow her to ignore
it.4.____________________________________________________________________________
(她深呼吸，抓起手机报了警)．
The police came immediately.They were investigating some people for money laundering(洗
钱).5.____________________________________________________________________(这个包
正是他们推进案件所需要的)．With the clue，the police arrested the criminals eventually.Even
more shocking，a TV channel asked Paula for an interview a few days later.They asked her about
her finding and her life.Paula told them everything about her grandkids.Her story went viral，and
netizens started a fund for her family，6.____________________________________________(因
为Paula的勇敢、牺牲和勤奋的品质感动了他们)．She saved the money and continued her
work.She knew 7.______________________________________________________________(钱
并不是唯一能证明她是外孙们最好监护人的东西)．
