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Reading Music

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Nguyễn Minh Thu Khoa Tiếng Anh
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20 views2 pages

Reading Music

Uploaded by

Nguyễn Minh Thu Khoa Tiếng Anh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A Is there a connection between music and language?

According to
recent studies, the answer is yes: Music boosts certain language
abilities in the brain. Here are two examples.

Music and Hearing


B A study from Northwestern University shows that playing a musical
instrument can improve a person’s hearing ability. As a part of the
study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room.
The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second
group had no musical training. The musicians were able to hear the
talking person more clearly.
C Musicians hear better, says study leader Nina Kraus, because they learn
to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists in an orchestra.
When the violinists play with the group, they hear their own instrument
and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they
are playing, and ignore the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able
to concentrate on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.

Music and Speech


D Gottfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with
stroke1 patients. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their
names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can
still sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find that singing words helped
his patients to eventually speak. Why does this work? Schlaug isn’t
sure. Music seems to activate2 different parts of the brain, including the
damaged parts. This somehow helps patients use those parts of the
brain again.

Understanding the Results


E Music improves concentration, memory, listening skills, and our
overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better.
Playing an instrument or singing, says Nina Kraus, can help us do better
in school and keep our brains sharp as we get older. Music, therefore,
is not only enjoyable; it’s also good for us in many other ways.

1 A stroke is an illness of the brain. It can make a person unable to move one side of their body.
2 If you activate something, you make it start working.

Unit 3B 43
READING COMPREHENSION

A. Choose the best answer for each question.

GIST 1. What could be another title for the “Music and Hearing”
section?
a. Trained to Listen
b. How to Be a Musician
c. Playing in an Orchestra
DETAIL 2. What two groups did Nina Kraus study?
a. noisy people and quiet people
b. musicians and nonmusicians
c. violinists and other musicians
REFERENCE 3. What does they refer to in paragraph C, line 3?
a. orchestra musicians
b. instruments
c. violinists Studies have suggested that
playing classical music to babies
DETAIL 4. What is true about Nina Kraus and Gottfried
may make them smarter.
Schlaug?
a. They both work at Harvard Medical School.
b. They both play an instrument in an orchestra.
c. They are both interested in how music and the brain are connected.
DETAIL 5. How does Gottfried Schlaug help stroke patients speak?
a. by playing music for them
b. by getting them to sing words
c. by teaching them to play instruments

EVALUATING B. Are the following statements true or false according to the reading passage, or
STATEMENTS is the information not given? Circle T (true), F (false), or NG (not given).

1. In the Northwestern University study, the nonmusicians T F NG


could hear better.

2. Nina Kraus can play the violin very well. T F NG

3. People who speak well can learn to play an instrument quickly. T F NG

4. Gottfried Schlaug isn’t sure why music helps stroke patients. T F NG

5. Studies show that listening to music helps people sleep better. T F NG

6. Nina Kraus believes that singing lessons can help students get T F NG
better grades in school.

44 Unit 3B

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