Why modern music should quieten down

Quietness may be underestimated values in pop music. 【小题1】 (look) up “the loudest band in the world” and you will be confronted with a large number of rock giants from Manowar who proudly achieved a sound pressure level of 139 dB to Motor-head. The pickings are slim 【小题2】 we substitute “quiet” for “loud”.

In a way, increasing the volume of a song makes biological sense, something the music industry   【小题3】 (exploit) since the jukebox era. There is an organ in the inner ear called sacculus that in linked to a region of the brain 【小题4】 (associate) with pleasure and react to low-frequency vibrations over 90 dB.

On the other hand, 【小题5】 (focus) sorely on loudness ignores the infinitely more subtle appeal of being quiet. A French band called “Air”, 【小题6】 twenty-years collection was released on June 10, are masters of the art. As any teacher knows, quietness can be more effective than shouting to make people pay attention. Air employed this gentle persuasion on Moon Safari, an album that attracts the listener   【小题7】 the peaceful sound of rain and muted drums. Even when Air do increase the volume, the vocalist's voice remains one of 【小题8】 (gentle) noises in pop. Given its warmth and peacefulness, it is no coincidence 【小题9】 the album was a favourite among clubbers after a night out. It is a time when the desire for kindness, companionship and warmth prevails.

So forget the “loudness war”. Manowar 【小题10】 be happy with their 139 dB, but they are comprehensively defeated by fireworks, which reach 145 to 150 dB when they explode, and the call of the blue whale, which goes all the way up to 188 dB. Now that' something to shout about.

Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Mystery is No Mystery

The area of ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, known as the Bermuda Triangle, is the source of much mystery. Over the centuries, reports of ships and planes disappearing 【小题1】 a trace have seized the public attention, leading the zone 【小题2】 (nickname) “The Devil’s Triangle.” Suggested causes for these mysterious disappearances range front supernatural powers to underwater alien bases. However, there is a more basic question to ask: Do more craft really disappear in the Bermuda Triangle than in any similarly trafficked area? The answer, 【小题3】 it turns out, is no.

The Bermuda Triangle covers a vast 700,000 square-kilometer swathe of ocean. Close to the equator(赤道)and near the United States, it is a particularly busy patch of sea with heavy traffic. According to Lloyd’s of London and the U. S. Coast Guard, 【小题4】 you were to compare the number of disappearances to the large quantity of ships and planes that have passed through the Bermuda Triangle, you would find that there 【小题5】 (be) nothing out of the ordinary about the area.

These days, new theories are being put forward, with a bit of scientific truth to them. Some have attributed Bermuda Triangle disappearances to explosive releases of methane (甲烷) gas, 【小题6】 (trap) as methane hydrate inside water molecules beneath the cold seabed of the deep ocean. Such blowouts could potentially release a giant amount of gas that could cause the sea to bubble like it was boiling, which could possibly sink ships because the resulting bubbles would be much 【小题7】 (thick) than the water on which large ships normally float. The gas could also rise into the sky, 【小题8】 (produce) a mixture of five to 15 percent methane which could explode on contact with the engine exhaust of a hot airplane.

The only problem with this theory is that scientists won’t be able to tell with much certainty if this is a factor   【小题9】 the ocean floor is mapped in greater detail. It remains to be seen 【小题10】 they will succeed in their attempt to clear up the Bermuda Triangle “mystery” this time around.

Natural early risers are less likely to develop mental health problems than night owls, according to scientists.

【小题1】 (program) biologically to wake up early is linked to greater happiness and a lower risk of schizophrenia (精神分裂症) and depression. Evening types may be at greater risk 【小题2】 mainly early start times at work.

Prof Mike Weedon, of the University of Exeter, said, “【小题3】 large number of people in our study means we have provided the strongest evidence to date 【小题4】 ‘night owls’ are at higher risk of mental health problems, such as schizophrenia and lower mental well-being, 【小题5】 farther studies are needed to understand this link.”

The study 【小题6】 (use) genetic data from 250^000 participants signing up to help the research and 450,000 people in the UK Biobank study Participants were asked whether they were “a morning person” or an “evening person”, and their genomes (基因组) were analysed,   【小题7】 (reveal) genes that people shared that appeared to influence sleep patterns.

The number of areas of the genome known to influence 【小题8】 someone is a riser has grown from 24 to 351. “This study highlights a large number of genes which can be studied in more detail to work out how different people can have different body clocks,” said Weedon.

The evidence suggested evening types were roughly 10% more likely to develop schizophrenia while morning people were also at lower risk of depression and reported 【小题9】 (be) happier in well-being questionnaires.

Samuel Jones, the paper’s lead author, said that the current hypothesis is that evening types have to work 【小题10】 their natural body clock in the world of work, which may have negative consequences. Another possibility is that the body-clock genes have a more direct influence on vulnerability to certain conditions.