(C)
Being able to play a musical instrument is, without doubt, useful. You can impress guests with a piano piece at a dinner, or make friends by joining a music club. Besides, those who play musical instruments have often been found to do better in cognitive tests (认知测试).
Some studies compared the cognitive ability of musicians and non-musicians. Their findings showed that musical training could bring small but important cognitive advantages. However, these studies didn't last long enough. This made it impossible to find out if these cognitive changes stayed with a person's whole life.
Judith Okely at Edinburgh University found a way to solve the problem. In 1947, the Scottish government tested the intelligence (智力) of almost every 11-year-old child in the country. In 1997, Dr Okely's team contacted 1, 091 of those children and tested their intelligence once more between 2004 and 2007. The study continues and the participants (参与者) need to take a cognitive test every three years.
In 2017, Katie Overy, also at Edinburgh University, asked the participants about their musical experiences over the years. 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 had and what performance level they had reached. A total of 366 participants provided useful information and 117 mentioned that they had some degree of experience with musical instruments.
All in all, the researchers have found that there is a close relationship between the playing of an instrument and a person's change in cognitive abilities. Moreover, the longer people practise playing an instrument, the more likely they are to show a positive (积极的) cognitive change over the course of their lives. The influence is small, but it remains important.
(
C
) 7. What does the underlined word "problem" refer to?
A. The studies were made in only one country.
B. The studies only included famous musicians.
C. The studies were done over a short period of time.
D. The studies didn't have enough adult participants.
(
D
) 8. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A. Music can sometimes change the way people see things.
B. People's cognitive ability has something to do with their ages.
C. People's cognitive ability is difficult to change in a short time.
D. More practice in playing an instrument can help improve one's cognition.
(
D
) 9. The purpose of this passage is to
explain the relationship between musical training and cognitive ability
.
A. encourage readers to learn a musical instrument
B. introduce something interesting about people's cognition
C. provide readers with some ways to improve their cognition ability
D. explain the relationship between musical training and cognitive ability
(
B
)10. Which is the structure of the passage? (①=Paragraph 1, ②=Paragraph 2...)
A. ①/②③/④⑤
B. ①/②/③④/⑤
C. ①②③/④/⑤
D. ①②/③/④⑤
