For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics pare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be unfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is plex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists pare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.” (335 words)
【小题1】Which of the following is true of amusics?A．Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them.B．They love places where they are likely to hear music.C．They can easily tell two different songs apart.D．Their situation is well understood by musicians.【小题2】According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who .A．dislikes listening to speechesB．can hear anything nonmusicalC．has a hearing problemD．lacks a plex hearing system【小题3】In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that .A．her problem with music had been diagnosed earlierB．she were seventeen years old rather than seventyC．her problem could be easily explainedD．she were able to meet other amusics【小题4】What is the passage mainly concerned with?A．Amusics’ strange behaviours.B．Some people’s inability to enjoy music.C．Musical talent and brain structure.D．Identification and treatment of amusics.A
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(答案→)A
解析：
【文章大意】文章讲述的是世界上有一群天生不喜欢听音乐的人，被称之为amusic，这些人听力上没有任何问题，只是不喜欢听音乐，也无法欣赏音乐。很多人在之前都因此而苦恼，现在有了科学的解释，他们可以摆脱那种尴尬、不自在的处境了。
【小题1】根据第一段“For some people, music is no fun at all”可知，A项正确，意为，“对于某些人来说，听音乐并不是开心的事情”和A项的听音乐对他们来说远非是愉快的相同。因此，B项也是错误的。根据第一段的“People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. ”可知，CD两项错误。
【小题2】该段前两句讲的是不爱听音乐的人和喜欢听音乐的人是不同的，他们之间的区别很复杂，但是那have no problems understanding ordinary speech. ”又讲到了这些不爱听音乐的人在理解其他非音乐的声音或者演讲的时候是没有问题的，目的是为了强调他们是正常的，没有什么缺陷的，因此defective hearing指的是C项的a hearing problem,即听觉有问题。句意为，他们之间的区别是很负责的，但并不包括听觉有问题这种情况。
【小题3】I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.意为，我希望我在十七岁的时候就学会了这样说（指的是No thanks, I’m amusic这句，意为，谢谢你，我是一个不喜欢听音乐的人），而不是到了七十岁才学会。从最后一段我们知道，their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断)他们的这种状况终于最后确诊了，他们都属于amusic，但是这来的太迟了，对于Margaret来说，因为之前她总是Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem感到很尴尬，因此她希望她年轻的时候，就可以有现在这样的诊断。
【小题4】全文主要讲述的是不喜爱听音乐的一类人，被称之为amusic，他们之前都没有得到统一的诊断或者认识，直到现在。因此选择B项，Some people’s inability to enjoy music意为，一些人无法欣赏音乐。A项，错在strange behaviors，文章只是说他们不喜欢有音乐的地方，并没有讲到他们其他的一些奇怪的举动。C项Musical talent and brain structure音乐天赋和大脑构造，明显与文章大意不符。D项中错在treatment，意为治疗，文章并没有讲到如何帮助这些人治疗他们的问题。因此排除D。