Many people believe that teaching children music makes them smarter, better able to learn new things. But the organizers of a new study say there's no scientific evidence that early musical training affects the intelligence of young people.

An estimated 80 percent of American adults think music lessons improve children's abilily to learn or their performance in school. They say that the satisfaction for learning to play a new song helps a child express creativity.

Researchers at Harvard University, however, have found that there's one thing musi­cal training does not do. They say it does not make children more intelligent. Samuel Mehr is a graduate student at Harvard's School of Education. He said it is wrong to think that learning to play a musical instrument improves a child's intellectual development. He says the evidence comes from studies that measured the mental ability of two groups of 4-year-olds and their parents. One group attended music class, the other went to a class that places importance on the visual arts—arts that can be seen.

"The evidence there is 'no'. We found no evidence for any advantage on any of these tests for the kids participating in these music clases," said Mehr.Samuel Mehr says researchers have carried out many studies in an effort to learn whether musical training can make children smarter. He says the results have been mixed. He says only one study seems to show a small percentage increase in IQ, intellectual scores among students after one year of music lessons. He does not believe that IQ is a good measure of child's intelligence. He says researchers in his study compared how well children in the musical training group did on mental processing tasks or projects, then the results were compared to those of children who did not take lessons. There was no evidence that the musical training group did much better on the mental tasks than the other group.

The researchers comfirmed the results with a larger group of children and their par­ents.Mr Mehr says music lessons may not offer children a fast easy way to gain entry to the best schools later of their life. But he says the training is still important for cultural reasons. In his words, "We teach music because music is important for us."

1.According to the new study, musical training______.

A. makes children smarter????????????????????????

B. helps a child express creativity

C. does not make children more intelligent??????????

D. improve children's ability to learn in school

2.Samuel Mehr may agree that______.

A. the children who attended music class are smarter than those who attended arts class

B. IQ is a good measure of a child's intelligence

C. we needn't to teach children music

D. music training is still important for cultural reasons

3.In order to confirm his view, Samuel Mehr______.

A. conducted more than one research

B. interviewed many American adults

C. taught two groups of 4-yetr-olds music and arts

D. offered children a fast way to be admitted to the best schools

4.The artical may be taken from a report about _____.

A. health????????????? B. education????????????? C. ????????????? culture????????????? D.economy

When we’re young and we dream of love and fulfillment, we think perhaps of moon-covered Parisian nights or walks along the beach at sunset.

No one tells us that the greatest moments of a lifetime are short, unplanned and nearly always catches us off guard.

Not long ago, as I was reading a bedtime story to my seven- year-old daughter, Annie I became aware of her focused look. She was starring at me with a faraway, blank expression. Apparently, completing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers was not as important as we first thought.

I asked what she was thinking about.

“Mommy,” she whispersd., “I just can’t stop looking at your pretty face, I almost dissolved on the spot.

Little did she know how many trying moments the glow(喜悦)of her sincerely loving statement would carry me through over the following years.

Not long after, I took my four-year-old son to an elegant department store, Where the sweet notes of classic love song drew us toward a tuxedoed(穿晚礼服)musician playing a grand piano. Sam and I sat down on a marble bench nearby, and he seemed as astonished by the pleasant theme as I was.

I didn’t realize that Sam had stood up next to me until he turned, took my face in his little hansd and said, “Dance with me”.

If onLy those women walking under the Paris moon knew the joy of such an invitation made by a round-cheeked boy with baby teeth. A I though shoppers openly chucked(咯咯笑)and pointed at us as we glided(滑步)and whirled around the open space, I would not have traded a dance with such a charming young gentleman if I’d been offered the universe.

56. From the pasage we know that      .

   A. Annie knew how important she was to her mothre.

   B. shoppers didn’t notice the author dancing with her son.

   C. the Tale of Samuel Whiskers is a book for children.

   D. Sam was not surprised at the music which was played in the store.

57. When the author knew her daughter couldn’t stop looking at her pretty face, felt      .

   A. sad            B. deeply moved         C. annoyed         D. ashamed

58. Why wouldn’t the author trade a dance with her son even if she was given the world?

   A. Because she knew she wouldn’t given the universe.

   B. Because her son was the nost important person to her.

   C. Because she thought she was the happiest one at the moment.

   D. Because it was very important for the author to dance with her son.

59. What does the author want to prove by showing two examples of her kids?

   A. Her kids love her very much.  B. She enjoys staying with her kids.

   C. The greatest moments of a lifetime al ways come unexpectedly.

   D. Those women walking under the moon should enjoy the happiness with kids.

60. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   A. Annie is older than Sam.       B. Sam is the author’s son.

   C. Annie is the author’s daughter.   D. Both Annie and Sam like dancing.

May : Happenings from the Past

May 5 , 1884

Isaac Murphy , son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history, rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby. He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times.

May 9 , 1754

Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon , showing a snake cut in pieces , with the words “Join or Die” printed under the picture.

May 11 , 1934

The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, the result of years of drought (干旱) , blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington , D. C.

May 19, 1994

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s, died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64.

May 24, 1844

Samuel F. B. Morse taps (轻敲) out the first message, “What hath God wrought,” over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D. C, to Baltimore, Md.

We know from the text that Buchanan is _______________.

   A. Isaac’s father

   B. a winning horse

   C. a slave taking care of horses

   D. the first racing horse in Kentucky

What is the title of the first American political cartoon?

   A. Join or Die

   B. Pennsylvania Gazette

   C. What Hath God Wrought

   D. Kentucky Derby

In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die?

   A. 1934            B. 1960           C. 1964           D. 1994

Which of the following places has to do with (与...有关)the first telegram in history?

   A. Washington, D. C.

   B. New York City

   C. Kentucky

   D. Pennsylvania

When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was “No.”
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.
Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing. Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.
46. When Paul was a boy, _____.
A. he had decided never to leave his hometown
B. the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter
C. no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution
D. he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area
47. Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?
A. He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.
B. He was interested in planting trees since he was young.
C. He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.
D. He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.
48.  What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?
A. That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.
B. That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.
C. That no one would like to join him in the efforts.
D. That he had to keep everything he did secret.
49. The message of the passage is that _____.
A. action speaks louder than words
B. perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders
C. God helps those who help themselves
D. many hands make light work

Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left there in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their grown-up children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. Actually this is not true. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care that elderly people need.
Prof. Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. This statistic (统计) shows the change in life-styles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents some time after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after care-givers provide for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶, 指夫或妻) will probably take care of them.
Because Americans are living longer than ever, more psychologists and social workers have begun to study care-giving to improve care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: all caregivers believe that they are the best person for the job, for different reasons. One caregiver said that she had always been close to her mother. Another was the oldest child. In other words, they all felt that they could do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. They discovered three basic reasons. Many caregivers believed that they had the responsibility to help their relatives. Some stated that helping others made them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping someone now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent.
48. It can be inferred that a middle-aged couple in the US _______.
A. spend more time with their children than with their parents
B. depend on their children’s assistance in caring for the elderly
C. don’t pay more attention to their children than to their parents
D. spend more time taking care of their parents than before
49. The most common characteristic of caregivers is ______.
A. they all have professional qualifications in care-giving
B. they all believe themselves to be the best caregiver
C. they are the eldest child in the family
D. they are close to their parents
50. Which of the following is NOT a basic reason for care-giving?
A. Respect from other members of the family.
B. Prepayment for the care they will get in old age.
C. A feeling of being needed and helpful.
D. A strong sense of duty to the elderly.
51. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Most old people in the US are living a happy life.
B. Most old people in the US live longer today after an illness than people did years ago.
C. Most elderly people in the US are taken care of by their families, who often find the experience satisfying.
D. Most elderly people in the US prefer living with their families to living nursing houses.