C
It is a source of national embarrassment — no matter how many hours of lessons and listening to foreign language tapes,most of us can only stammer(结结巴巴地说)our way through a simple drink order while abroad.
However,a new study suggests there may be hope for those who struggle(努力)to get to learn a foreign language — they should try singing it instead. Research from the University of Edinburgh found that adults who sang words or short phrases from a foreign language while learning were better at speaking it later. It is thought that by listening to words that are sung,and by singing them back,people build strong links(联系)between music and memory.
Although not clearly understood,music is known to help students when studying and can help to trigger memory recall(回忆). That means music can help you remember things that have happened.
Dr Overy and her friend,Dr Karen Ludke,did the experiment(实验). They used recordings of Hungarian(匈牙利语)words to teach 60 adults. They chose Hungarian as none of the participants(参与者)had any experience of learning this language.
The participants either listened to words that were spoken and then repeated them back,or the words were said rhythmically(有节奏地)or sung. After a 15-minute learning period,they were then given a test to see how well they had learned the words. Those who had used the “listen and sing” method scored highest. They were also better at recalling the words correctly in tests of long-term(长期的)memory.
Dr Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. She said,“The results suggest that the ‘listen and sing’ learning method can improve memory for spoken language.”
(
C
)7. What does the underlined word “embarrassment” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. You can't find the way to the place where you want to go.
B. You can't have drinks in the bar after you order them.
C. You can't speak a foreign language well after learning it for long.
D. You can't understand language tapes when you are studying abroad.
(
A
)8. What does the underlined word “trigger” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Cause. B. Protect. C. Prevent. D. Treat.
(
B
)9. Why did the researchers choose Hungarian to do the experiment?
A. Because there were few Hungarian songs.
B. Because it was new to the participants.
C. Because it didn't have any long words.
D. Because it was easy for the researchers to record.
(
C
)10. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Singing is a traditional method of teaching new languages.
B. Singing is only helpful to people in short-term memory.
C. Singing can help you while you learn a foreign language.
D. Singing can help improve your grades in all subjects.
