Have you ever wondered why certain pop songs just make you feel so good? Researchers studying the question found that uncertainty and surprise give listeners the most pleasure. The study included 80,000 chords (和弦) in 745 pop songs between 1958 and 1991.
Each song was stripped of its melody (旋律) and lyrics (歌词) so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.
They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.
Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, “Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance (平衡) between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”
Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team’s study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners’ expectations.
7. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Taken. B. Added.
C. Played. D. Recorded.
8. What does the study find?
A. Expected music is exciting. B. Unexpected chords bring pleasure.
C. Familiar music is boring. D. Unfamiliar chords are hard to follow.
9. What can we learn about pleasant songs from Cheung’s words?
A. They can explain human nature. B. They can improve our pleasure system.
C. They make some people feel blue. D. They balance expectation and surprise.
10. What is the purpose of the text?
A To introduce a scientific study’s finding. B. To show music’s importance in our life.
C. To compare different studies on music. D. To experiment music in science.
【答案】
Each song was stripped of its melody (旋律) and lyrics (歌词) so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.
They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.
Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, “Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance (平衡) between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”
Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team’s study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners’ expectations.
7. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Taken. B. Added.
C. Played. D. Recorded.
8. What does the study find?
A. Expected music is exciting. B. Unexpected chords bring pleasure.
C. Familiar music is boring. D. Unfamiliar chords are hard to follow.
9. What can we learn about pleasant songs from Cheung’s words?
A. They can explain human nature. B. They can improve our pleasure system.
C. They make some people feel blue. D. They balance expectation and surprise.
10. What is the purpose of the text?
A To introduce a scientific study’s finding. B. To show music’s importance in our life.
C. To compare different studies on music. D. To experiment music in science.
【答案】
苏19057182-3号