Question

Clara sits at her desk deep in thought. She stares at the math problem in front of her desperately trying to remember how to solve it, but as she sits there her long list of homework plays over in her head, and she becomes overwhelmed. She bites her lip thinking and thinking. Then she hears a song on the radio. As she turns up the music, a wave of calm spreads over her body, she closes her eyes and listens to the music.When the song ends, Clara’s eyes open and she turns off the radio. She looks again at the troublesome question and sighs, “I remember how to do this now,” she says to herself. Then she finishes the problem, but this time calmer than before.

According to NPR news, 45% of teens say they are stressed by school pressures, such as homework and grades. High school, and all of the honors and AP courses, can stress out teens like Clara to the point of exhaustion, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Lots of students can use stress relievers to simmer down during their school day. Music can be one of those reliefs.

When the body is stressed, it releases cortisol (釋放皮質(zhì)醇), a life sustaining adrenal hormone (腎上腺荷爾蒙) nicknamed “the stress hormone”. By playing music, students stop the flow (流動) of cortisol released from their body, therefore returning to their normal, non-stressed self quicker than someone who didn’t hear or play any music.

When returning to this state, teens can think more clearly, with their stress gone. Music does not only calm the stressed mind, it develops creativity, as well as improving math and reading skills. A music class can help students who are stressed and give them an hour of relaxation during their day. This can help high schoolers have a clear mind to concentrate on their schoolwork. Adding music to a teen’s day can help them become less stressed and finally help them with their courses, making a smarter generation.

Now, I know you’re thinking, “What about kids who find playing a musical instrument hard or boring? How would taking a music class help them?” Well, even though playing an instrument doesn’t necessarily help all teens, it is agreed that there are very few teens who do not listen to music. This shows that all students, in their own way, like hearing music throughout their day. The music that they listen to calms them and gives them reassurance (保證) that they can make it through their schoolwork. That being said, all schools should have a required hour of ‘relaxation’ time when high schoolers would listen to music, do easy homework, and calm themselves down after their long school day.

Music helps kids in their education, providing them with a brighter future and ensuring that they take care of their generation, the generation before them, and the generations to come.

1.The words “becomes overwhelmed” in Paragraph 1 probably mean “________”.

A. loses confidence B. feels disappointed

C. can not think clearly D. isn’t sure about the answers

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Music helps students to be more creative.

B. Few students can relax themselves at school.

C. Adding music to a teen’s day stops them from studying.

D. Music speeds up the flow of cortisol released from the body.

3.According to Paragraph 5, we know that ________.

A. taking a music class is hard and boring

B. all teens listen to music in their own way

C. playing an instrument is necessary for all teens

D. all schools have a required hour of ‘relaxation’ time

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. The Bright Future of Music

B. The Way of Calming Down

C. The Calming Power of Music

D. The Way of Solving Problems

Answer 1