To learn an instrument such as the violin or accordion takes years. The job opportunities for musicians are scarce and competition is fierce. Then why are more people than ever before paying a lot of good cash to get their children the best music teaching they can afford? The secret lies in the influence of music on the whole person. It has been found that learning a musical instrument actually increases a person's IQ over time. Different instruments and different trypes of music have varying effect, with classical music and the string family coming out on top, potentially increasing you IQ by up to 12 points! When is a good time to start learning music? Experts have found that even the fetus can benefit from listening to classical music. Surround yourself and your family with good music from the first. The Suzuki Piano Method teaches children from the age of 3 years piano, with two lessons per week. From preschool, children can learn to read music and play from sheet music. Progress in learning your instrument is directly proportional to the amount of practicing. Is there such a thing as an unmusical child? Shinichi Suzuki proposes that music is the native home language of all human beings and therefore nobody can be "unmusical". Of course there are exceptional talents, compared to which others may seem to be slower learners. Is there any benefit for adults in starting an instrument? Apart from the purely relaxing aspect, yes. Learning an instrument can earn even adults additional IQ points, and as an added benefit in improves your health by reducing your stress levels. Your social life may benefit too, if you are prepared to come out of your box and join occasions such as Ceilidhs (musical get-togethers) or arrange house concerts. It has been established that people who play instruments tend to be more emotionally balanced and more patient with themselves, others and life in general. So go ahead, sign up for that amateur orchestra, dust off your old trombone or take your first real six-string down from... What can be inferred from the text? A) Music can balance our life. B) Music can improve our living conditions. C) Playing instruments can make adults keep their IQ points. D) Playing instruments can help us get along well with others.
D
(Question)
I used to think of myself as a fairly open person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever read anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors. So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing. As I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, I decided to ask the planet's readers for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English. The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were getting in touch with ideas and offers of help. Some posted me books from their home countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62% of the British who only speak English. Even so, selecting books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK and Ireland, getting English versions of stories was difficult. But the effort was worth it. I found I was visiting the mental space of the storytellers. These stories not only opened my mind to the real life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel. And that in turn changed my thinking. Through reading the stories shared with me by bookish strangers around the globe, I realised I was not alone, but part of a network that spread all over the planet. Why was it hard for the author to select the right books to read? A) The author had a busy schedule. B) The author was only interested in a few topics. C) The author could only read books written in English. D) Most books recommended are not available in local bookshops.
(Answer)
C
Ques: On New Year's Eve At midnight on New Year's Eve, people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they no longer want. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and dishes. In Madrid, Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. People flock to the main square. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the clock strikes twelve, the people eat the grapes-- one for each stroke. In Tokyo people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year. In Tokyo, people eat noodles on New Year's Eve _ . A) because they like eating noodles very much B) so that the daytime could be longer C) in order that they could live longer D) though they don't eat them
Ans: B
There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care.To water his flowers,he used two buckets.One was a shiny and new bucket.The other was a very old and _ one,which had seen many years of service,but was now past its best. Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets.Then he would carry them along the path,one on each side,to the flowerbeds.The new bucket was very proud of itself.It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled .The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes:before it reached the flowerbeds,much water had leaked along the path. Sometimes the new bucket would say,"See how capable I am ! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day ! I don't know why he still bothers with you.What a waste of space you are !" And all that the old bucket could say was,"I know I'm not very useful,but I can only do my best.I'm happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me,at least. " One day,the gardener heard that kind of conversation.After watering the flowers as usual,he said,"You both have done your work very well.Now I am going to carry you back.I want you to look carefully along the path." Then the two buckets did so.All along the path,they noticed,on the side where the new bucket was carried,there was just bare earth;on the other side where the old bucket was carried,there was a joyous row of wild flowers,leading all the way to the garden. The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to _ . A) laugh at the old one B) take pity on the old one C) show off its beautiful looks D) praise the gardener's kindness
A