1 Study Finds Music Lessons Do Not Make Children Smarter 研究发现上音乐课并不会让儿童变聪明

仔细听

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.

许多人相信，教孩子音乐会让他们变得更聪明，更擅长吸收新知识。但是据一项新研究的组织者们称：早期音乐教育可影响年轻人智力这一说法是没有科学依据的。

听力破解：that teaching发生连读，that[ðæt]读作[ðæ]。此外，study[′stʌdi]出现浊化，[t]被读作[d]。

词汇宝典：evidence 的意思是“证据，迹象”，在法律中尤其常用，如：

I don't understand why he could be released.我不明白他怎么会被释放了。

There wasn't enough evidence to prove him guilty.因为没有充分的证据证明他有罪。

此外，与evidence有关的常用短语有：in evidence显而易见的；on the evidence of sth.用某事作为依据。

仔细听

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

据估计，约80%的美国人认为，音乐课会增强孩子们的学习能力或是改善他们在学校的表现。他们说，学会演奏一首新曲子的那种满足感有利于孩子表现其创造力。

词汇宝典：satisfaction是“满足，愉快”的意思，如：Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress so far.双方都对目前的进展感到满意。此外，get satisfaction from sb.指“从某人处得到赔偿”；do sth.to one's satisfaction指“做某事让某人满意”。

仔细听

Researchers at Harvard University，however，have found that there's one thing musical training does not do.They say it doesnot 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.

然而，哈佛大学的调查发现，有一件事是音乐教育做不到的，那就是让孩子变得更聪明。

塞缪尔·梅尔是哈佛大学教育学院的一位毕业生，他说，认为学会演奏一门乐器就能促进儿童智力发展的想法是错误的。

听力破解：播音员重读了两个not，意在引起读者注意，强调否定意思。

仔细听

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 answer there is ‘no’.We found no evidence for any advantage on any of these tests for the kids participating in these music classes.”

他说证据来源于一些研究，这些研究测试了两组四岁儿童和他们父母的智力。一组上音乐课，另一组则上侧重视觉艺术（能看见的艺术）的课。“答案是‘没有’，我们没找到任何关于参加音乐课的孩子在测试上更有优势的证据。”

词汇宝典：participate的意思是“参加”的意思，与in连用，与join的区别是：participate in常接竞赛、讨论、会议等；join接组织或某人。如：How many countries will participate in the Olympic Games？会有多少国家参加奥运会？

仔细听

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，intelligence scores among students after one year of music lessons.

塞缪尔·梅尔说，调查者们已经进行了许多研究，试图了解音乐训练能否让儿童变聪明。他说结论有很多种，只有一项研究似乎表现出学生经过一年的音乐教育后，智商有了小幅上升。

听力破解：播音员分别重读了many和mixed两个关键词，要引起注意。此外，effort to出现连读，读作[′efətu]。

学着说一说

1.place importance on重点关注

▶place importance on 等同于 attach importance to，如：

We should attach great importance to the project.

我们应该大力关注这个项目。

▶important 的常用搭配还有：be of vital importance，表示“十分重要”，如：

Keeping promises is of vital importance in business.

做生意时信守承诺很重要。

2.carry out进行

▶carry out 意为“进行”时，如：

Extensive studies have been carried out on the patient.

对该患者已经进行了广泛的研究。

▶carry out 还有“实施，贯彻”的意思，如：

The plan has carried out for three months.

计划已经进行了三个月了。

2.advantage on...在……上有优势

▶advantage on在新闻中用的是“在……上有优势”的意思，即advantage on any of these tests，表示“在测试上更有优势”。

▶advantage还常与over sb.连用，意为“比某人有优势”，如：

Her British upbringing gives her certain advantages over her opponents.她的英式教养让她比对手略胜一筹。

▶take advantage of是“利用”的意思；to one's advantage是“对某人有利”的意思。