For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音調(diào)). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in social isolation( 隔離). “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed . For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”

1.Which of the following is true of amusics?

A. Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them.

B. They love places where they are likely to hear music.

C. They can easily tell two different songs apart.

D. Their situation is well understood by musicians.

2.According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who _________.

A. dislikes listening to speeches

B. can hear anything nonmusical

C. has a hearing problem

D. lacks a complex hearing system

3.In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.

A. her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier

B. she were seventeen years old rather than seventy

C. her problem could be easily explained

D. she were able to meet other amusics

4.What is the passage mainly concerned with?

A. Amusics’ strange behaviours.

B. Some people’s inability to enjoy music.

C. Musical talent and brain structure.

D. Identification and treatment of amusics.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年廣東汕頭金山中學(xué)高二上12月月考英語卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

The judge permitted the couple ________ the boy who became an orphan after the earthquake.

A. adapting B. to adapt C. adjusting D. to adopt

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年山西太原第五中學(xué)高二12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

A Chinese couple tried to name their baby “@”, saying the character best represents their love for the child, according to an official trying to standardize the national language. The unusual name stands out especially in Mandarin, which has no alphabet (字母表) and instead uses tens of thousands of multi?stroke (多筆畫的) characters to represent words. “The whole world uses it to write emails, and translated into Chinese it means ‘love him’,” the father explained, according to the deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming.

While the @ symbol is familiar to Chinese email users, they often use the English word “at” to sound it out. With a drawn?out “t”, this sounds something like “ai ta”, or “l(fā)ove him”, to Mandarin speakers. Li says the name is an extreme example of people’s increasingly adventurous approach to Mandarin, as commercialization and the Internet break down conventions (習(xí)俗).

Another couple tried to give their child a name that in English sounds like “King Osrina”.

Li did not say if officials accepted the “@” name. But earlier this year the government announced a ban on names using Arabic numerals (阿拉伯?dāng)?shù)字) and foreign languages. Sixty million Chinese face the problem that their names use ancient characters so uncommon that computers cannot recognize them and even fluent speakers are left scratching their heads, said Li, according to a report on the government website. One of them is the former Premier Zhu Rongji, whose name has a rare “rong” character that gives newspaper editors headaches.

1.Why did the Chinese couple try to name their baby “@”？

A. Because they wanted their baby to have a special name.

B. Because they wanted their baby to have an international name.

C. Because the @ symbol is familiar to email users all over the world.

D. Because the @ symbol sounds something like “ai ta”, which means “l(fā)ove him” in Chinese.

2.It can be inferred that ___________.

A. Li Yuming is in favor of the baby’s name

B. many Chinese people use Arabic numerals in their names

C. a majority of the Chinese people are having longer names

D. there is little possibility for the “@” name to be officially accepted

3.The underlined part in the passage probably means___________.

A. even native speakers find it hard to accept these strange names

B. even native speakers can’t find these characters in their computers

C. even those who are expert at Chinese can’t recognize these characters

D. even those who are expert at Chinese find it hard to accept these names

4.The former Premier Zhu Rongji is mentioned in the passage because ________.

A. people often mispronounce his name

B. there is an uncommon character in his name

C. he often made newspaper editors annoyed during his term in office

D. he once stressed the importance of standardizing Chinese characters

5.The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. how Chinese parents name their babies

B. the importance of standardizing Chinese characters

C. a ban on names using Arabic numerals and foreign languages

D. the problems caused by uncommon characters used in Chinese names

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年遼寧實(shí)驗(yàn)中學(xué)分校高二12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：語法填空

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容(不多于3個(gè)單詞)或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

Last year, my brother and I went to Miami for a vacation. Some of my friends who had been there before said 1. was a wonderful holiday destination. Before we went, we had planned for months. When the day came, we were ready.

After our plane landed, we went to the hotel. We had made our reservation six months 2. (early),but the man at the front desk said there had been a mistake. We 3. (tell)that our rooms hadn’t been reserved for that week, 4. for the week after. I didn’t understand 5. this would happen and my credit card had already been charged 6. the reservation. What’s worse, the hotel had been fully booked. When we were wondering what to do, the manager came out. She was 7. (surprise)helpful. She apologized for the mistake and gave us a spare VIP room on 8. top floor. We had never stayed in such an amazing room, and we weren’t charged extra.

The next day, my brother and I went to the beach 9. we watched some people play volleyball. We got a little 10.(sunburn),but the day had been so relaxing that we didn’t mind.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年遼寧沈陽第二中學(xué)高二12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：單詞拼寫

短語填空

1.So it will be very difficult for us __________ ( 領(lǐng)先 ) in this competition .

2.We _______( 呼吁) South Africans not to do this many times , but it doesn’t work .

3.________ ( 把目光從…移開)the screen about every 20 minutes and stare at a distant object for several seconds to relax your eyes .

4.Exchange opinions with your parents frequently so you can ____(和… 關(guān)系好) each other .

5.They ____________ ( 對(duì)…感到羞恥) their treatment of the black in the 19th century .

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年河北邢臺(tái)第一中學(xué)高二12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

If you have a bad habit of losing things, a new device that can be connected to any item that you might lose may be the way to solve your problem. The Tile, a small square linked up to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth, lets you see how close you are to the missing item, within a 50-to 150-foot range . If the item goes out of your phone’s 150-foot range, it can still be detected (發(fā)現(xiàn)) on other smartphones with the same app.

When you log into the app on your phone, it shows you, with green bars that increase or decrease, how far away you are from the Tile. You can also program it to make a sound when you get close to the Tile. And you can link up your phone with up to ten Tiles. And if your lost item — a dog, for example, or a stolen bike — goes out of your own phone’s 150-foot Bluetooth range, you can set it as a “l(fā)ost item”. If any of the phones with the Tile app comes within the range of your lost item, a message will be sent to your own phone, reminding you of its position. The Tile app also has the function to remember where it last saw your Tile, so that you can easily find where you left it.

Since the Tiles use Bluetooth rather than GPS, they never run out of battery or need to be charged, and they last for one year before needing to be replaced. The app, which will come into the market this winter, works with iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPad Mini, iPad 3rd and 4th generation, and iPod 5th generation.

1.The Tile app can help you .

A. find your missing items

B. use your phone more wisely

C. save your phone’s battery power

D. connect something to your phone

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Tile needs to be charged after a year of use.

B. One smart phone can only be linked up to one Tile.

C. The Tile cannot work when linked up to a phone without Bluetooth.

D. A missing item can’t be found if it goes out of the needed range.

3.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A. What the Tile app is.

B. How the Tile app works.

C. The advantages of the Tile app.

D. Why the Tile app was invented.

4.Where does this passage probably come from?

A. A science fiction novel. B. An advertisement.

C. A personal diary. D. A news report.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年河北衡水第二中學(xué)高二上學(xué)期期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

完形填空,閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

Do you know insurance? Buying insurance is a ________ by which people can protect themselves ________ large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay ________ sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only ________ will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out or the sums of money it has ________.

The first modern fire insurance company was ________ in London, England in 1666. A great fire had just ________ most of the city, and people wanted protection against ________ losses. The first company________ rapidly. Soon other companies were founded in other areas.

Benjamin Franklin helped form the first fire insurance company in America in 1752. He also ________ a new kind of insurance for ________ . The new insurance would offer protection against the loss of crops ________ storms.

In 1795, Benjamin Franklin helped start ________ new insurance company in America. This company, ________ offered life insurance, collected some money ________ from many different men. ________ a man died, his family was given a large sum of money. Today, this company is ________ in business.

Over the years, people have ________ from many new kinds of insurance when they have suffered from ________ accidents as car and plane crashes. ________ , almost everyone has some kind of insurance.

1.A. wayB. firmC. considerationD. means

2.A.. fromB. againstC. withD. beyond

3.A. smallB. hugeC. muchD. little

4.A. manyB. littleC. fewD. a few

5.A. stoleB. collectedC. lentD. brought

6.A. builtB. foundC. formedD. organized

7.A. destroyedB. hurtC. harmedD. wounded

8.A. fartherB. furtherC. widerD. longer

9.A. risenB. risedC. grewD. turned

10.A. suggestedB. determinedC. askedD. demanded

11.A. farmersB. workersC. waitersD. doctors

12.A. withB. byC. fromD. for

13.A. otherB. certainC. anotherD. some

14.A. whereB. whichC. whomD. that

15.A. commonlyB. usuallyC. regularlyD. ordinary

16.A. IfB. AlthoughC. UnlessD. Because

17.A. alwaysB. stillC. hardlyD. seldom

18.A. paidB. offeredC. boughtD. benefited

19.A. manyB. soC. suchD. that

20.A. TodayB. GenerallyC. LatelyD. Tomorrow

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年安徽銅陵第一中學(xué)高一上期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

An interesting study posted on Facebook recently shows how men and women develop new interests as they mature(成熟).

While women tend to take exercise seriously from the age of 34, men will wait until their 45th birthdays before working hard to get in shape.

The average woman spends more time talking about sports, politics, career and money as she gets older.

Women’s interest in books reaches its peak(頂峰) at the age of 22, while that of men does so when they are in their 50s.

Men start to change their focus from the workplace to other things after age 30, while women do not do so until eight years later. Both, however, care most about fashion at age 16.

The research used anonymous(匿名的) data donated by thousands of Facebook users, recording the statuses, ‘likes’ and ‘interests’ they had posted on their profiles.

It found the average woman talks about television most at 44, while men peak much younger, at age 31.

Men are also most likely to see a film in a cinema at age 31, while women go out to see films most when they are only 19.

Men are most interested in travel at 29, women at 27, while women talk most about food and drink at 35, and men at 38.

And if you are middle aged, a safe topic for any audience is the weather, which is a key interest for many as they approach 60.

Stephen Wolfram, the British scientist who carried out the research, says, “It’s almost shocking how much this tells us about the changes of people’s typical interests.

“People talk less about video games as they get older, and more about politics.”

1. When do women love books best?

A. At the age of 22. B. At the age of 50.

C. At the age of 30. D. At the age of 15.

2.Men tend to ______ once they are 30.

A. gain more and more weight

B. be less interested in their jobs

C. do more exercise

D. pay more attention to their appearance

3. What are men and women both interested in when they are 16?

A. Getting in shape.

B. Going to the cinema.

C. Popular style of clothing.

D. Food and drink.

4.What does Stephen Wolfram think about the result of the research?

A. People’s interests are different from each other.

B. People’s interests change greatly with age.

C. It is normal for people to change their interests.

D. It is not good for people to change their interests.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆山西省高三上學(xué)期期中考前檢測(cè)英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Raised in a fatherless home，my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home，Dad never met me，even in severe weather. If I grumbled，he’d say in his loudest father-voice，“That’s what your legs are for!”

The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was canceled one spring evening.

It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop，I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.

A row of hedge（樹籬）edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey，I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening，the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge，moving toward the house. Upon closer observation，I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I knew，each time I’d come home，he had stood behind the hedge，watching，until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care，after all.

On later visits，that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home，I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair. “So! My son，it’s you!” he’d say，his face lengthening into pretended surprise.

I replied，“Yes，Dad，it’s me. I’m home.”

1.What does the underlined word “grumbled” in Paragraph 1 probably mean .

A． Accepted happily.

B． Explained clearly.

C． Agreed willingly.

D． Spoke unhappily.

2.What made the author feel upset was ______.

A． the tiredness after long hours in labs

B． the fear of seeing something moving

C． the feeling of being less than valued

D． the loneliness of riding the bus home

3.The author’s father watched behind the hedge because ______.

A． he was concerned about his son’s safety

B． he wanted to help his son build up courage

C． he didn’t want to meet his son at the doorway

D． he didn’t think his son was old enough to walk alone

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text

A． My Father’s Secret.

B． The Life of My father.

C． Terrible Journey Home.

D． Riding Bus Alone.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案