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.

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??

2.Although non-musicians were less sensitive to music, they can still_____.

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

3.The 19 non-musicians were trained in order to show_____.

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

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

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.

When Hurricane Phailin hit India in late 2013, it became the largest storm to strike the subcontinent in over a decade. The storm affected more than 12 million people in India and neighboring countries, and damaged or destroyed many houses. However, good news is that cleverly-designed beach house created by architect Ray Huff can survive such strong winds and storm waves.

Located on the shore of an Indian island, Huff’s award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Phailin.

Huff pointed out that many houses built along shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement(执行) of building codes wasn’t strict. After Phailin’s attack, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house should be able to stand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.

At first sight, Huff's house looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, according to one observer. But looks can be misleading. The house’s wooden frame is reinforced(加固) with long steel rods to give it extra strength.

To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on pilings---long columns of wood anchored(固定) deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also balance the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. “These swells of water come ashore at great speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

Huff designed the wooden pilings to be partially hidden by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In case of a storm wave, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.

1.After Hurricane Phailin, new houses built along shore line are required_____.

A. to be easily reinforced ????????????? ?????????????

B. to look smarter in design

C. to meet stricter building standards?

D. to be designed in the shape of cubes

2.The award-winning beach house is quite strong because____.

A. it is made of redwood

B. it is in the shape of a shell

C. it is strengthened by steel rods ?????????????

D. it is built with wood and stones

3.Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on wooden pilings in order to _____.

A. support the weight of the house

B. allow the waves to run through the house

C. anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand

D. prevent water from rushing into the house

4.The main function of the shell is_____.

A. to give the house a better appearance

B. to strengthen the pilings of the house

C. to protect the wooden frame of the house

D. to slow down the speed of the swelling water

阅读下列各小题，根据汉语句子，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子，并将答案写在答题卡上的相应题号后。

1.While he was rescuing survivors in the ruins, little ___________ his safety, though he was in great danger himself.? (care)???????????

当他在废墟里救助幸存者的时候，虽然自己处在巨大的危险之中，他并不在乎个人安危。

2.Science and technology is developing rapidly and it’s hard to predict ___________ in another 20 years. (like)

科学技术日新月异，很难预测再过20年世界会是什么样。

3.Wolves are highly social animals ______________ cooperation. (depend)

狼是高度群体化的动物，其成功依赖于合作。

4._______________ her, she always tries to avoid me, pretending not to have seen me at all. (approach)

不管我什么时候接近她，她总是试图躲避，假装根本没看见我。

5.On Nov. 13, 2013 the powerful typhoon “Haiyan” hit the Philippines, ____________. (leave)

2013年11月13日，强台风海燕袭击了菲律宾，使得几百万人无家可归。

6.The young lady _______________ with her husband about money and housework. (hear)

经常听到那位年青女士为钱和家务事与丈夫争吵。

7.Should ________________, I would try to help you to apply for a better job in my company. (work)

要是你失业了，我就在我的公司里为你申请一份更好的工作。

8.It is your efforts, not your intelligence ______________ your success. (contribute)

努力而不是聪明促成的。

9.With _____________, the newly-elected chairman couldn’t sleep well at night. (settle)

新任主席有许多问题要解决，晚上无法安睡。

10.Mary as well as her sisters ______________ to learn Chinese, for they want to have a better understanding of Chinese culture.（decide）

玛丽和她的姐妹们已经决定留下来学习汉语，因为她们想更深入地了解中国文化。

请你根据以下提示，并结合事例，用英语写一篇短文。

Only when we match our words with actions can we make a difference in what we hope to accomplish.

注意：????????????? ①无须写标题；

②除诗歌外，文体不限；

③文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；

④词数为不少于120字，如引用提示语则不计入总词数。

Selig formally announced on Thursday his intention to retire in January 2015. “It re­mains my great______to serve the game I have loved throughout my life.” he said.

A. contribution????????????? B. pattern????????????? C. competition????????????? D. privilege

Telling twins apart as an adult is hard enough, but what happens when a baby meets someone who____exactly her dad?

A. represents????????????? B. resembles????????????? C. ????????????? distinguishes????????????? D. dismisses

Nokia has????????????? a family????????????? of low-cost mobile phones based on Google's Android operating system.

A. performed????????????? B. operated????????? C. launched????????????? D. instructed

Every time I take part in a friend’s big party. I always go to talk to those who just sit alone so that they don’t feel_____.

A. let out????????????? B. wiped out???????? C. made out????????????? D. left out

Nowadays, Internet shopping will really_____when people are????????????? sure????????????? that it is safe.

A. take off????????????? B. take up?????????? C. take away????????????? D. take on

In the eyes of a policeman, it's a usually very dangerous to get close to the _____criminal. He may do anything he would to escape.

A. desperate????????????? B. conscious????????? C. primitive????????????? D. sensitive