Ielts Academic Reading Practice Test 167 18983ccbe4
Ielts Academic Reading Practice Test 167 18983ccbe4
Ielts Academic Reading Practice Test 167 18983ccbe4
Reading Passage
Roger Highoeld is perplexed as to how the amalgam of sound waves we call music can have
such an impact.
A.Sound, at its most elemental, is a pressure wave propagating through air. So how can the
combination of sound waves we call music become, as Tolstoy put it, "the shorthand of
emotion"? Or, to rephrase the question, how can mechanical vibrations have such a major
impact?
B.The author of The Music Instinct, Philip Ball, contends that the key is not in the notes
themselves, but in our own imaginations. At a recent session I co-organized with him at the
Royal Institution, he highlighted the extent to which contemporary popular music takes as much
C.Regardless of one's musical preferences, the brain must work hard. The astounding
harmonics-packed richness of a note played on a piano or flute will suddenly collapse in your
head, allowing you to perceive only a single note rather than a forest of Overtones, due to your
D.My acquaintance stated that people are hardwired to seek order and that music facilitates the
recognition of these patterns. We are packed with a variety of mental shortcuts to assist us to
interpret the world around us. These rules represent the neurological mechanisms that enable
E.Medical imaging has demonstrated that the questioned brain activity does not occur in
isolation. Different musical aspects stimulate distinct parts of the brain. The temporal lobe
processes melody and pitch, the hippocampus retrieves musical memories, and
F.Curiously, when the brain encounters nonsensical sentences, it emits the same signal of
confusion that it emits when the grammar of music sounds incorrect or when chords in a piece
of music do not complement one another. The octave, the gap in which one note is exactly twice
as high in frequency as the one preceding it, occupies a special position, according to research
therefore the essential question is whether or not the human brain is designed to process it.
According to him, the pleasure that our brains derive from sounds is completely accidental. The
H.The unfortunate truth may be that we simply do not know. We do know, however, that our
upbringing has a substantial effect on how we develop a taste for music. A few years ago, Philip
Ball discovered that music appears to have a national character, most likely due to the rhythms
and cadences of the numerous languages spoken in each situation. Composers in the English
tradition frequently employ rhythms and interludes that mirror the English tendency to vary pitch
and duration in speech more than the French. According to this criterion, Elgar is frequently
I.As with acoustics, the convention is the determining element for what is considered harmonic.
The elderly believe that contemporary music contains dissonant, startling tones that are
unpleasant to listen to. However, musical discord has always existed. Both Beethoven and
Chopin are unworthy of serious consideration. It is contingent upon the existing norms of the
time. In the Middle Ages, what we now consider consonant was considered dissonant.
Historically, the augmented fourth was referred to as "Diabolus in musica" because of its
demonic nature. Even now, it has a disturbing effect on us, which may explain its prevalence in
heavy metal.
J.Near the end of my interview with Philip Ball, I asked if the good effects of music on the brain
could be utilized. This was the perfect chance for him to examine the so-called "Mozart effect,"
the belief that early exposure to classical music helps infants acquire an appreciation and
respect for information. According to a 1996 study, rock music for infants is more beneficial to
their brain development than classical music. The impact of the music on the mood of the
K.According to Ball, we all have a natural inclination to make the world more musical. It's difficult
to claim "I am not musical," even if that's how you feel whenever you're dragged along to sing
karaoke. Only a small portion of the general population may be described as being completely
tone-deaf.
Questions 1 - 6
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-l from the box below. Write the correct letter
3.Identifying patterns
Questions 7-9
7. These rules represent the ______ that allows us to categorize and understand musical
sounds.
the fundamental question is whether or not the human brain is suited to process it.
9. Philip Ball noticed a few years ago that music appears to have a national identity, most likely
Question 10-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage? In boxes
benefits it provides.
13. People who are not particularly musically inclined are likely to be drawn to karaoke.