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Whether it is Mozart or Miley, your choice of music could determine whether you will perform well in your work.
A new study suggests that listening to music in the office improves the speed and accuracy of tasks such as data entry, proof-reading and problem solving.
In an office-based experiment, 88 percent of participants were found to produce their most accurate work when listening to music.
The study also found that 81 percent completed their fastest work when music was played.
And it matters what type of music you listen to. For instance, if you’re doing your tax returns, then classical music is the most effective as it improves maths skills.
Listening to Jessie J or Justin Bieber could also improve your speed, with 58 percent of participants completing data entry tasks faster while listening to pop songs.
During proof-reading, dance music, such as David Guetta, had the biggest positive impact with participants increasing their speed by 20 percent compared to tests undertaken with no music at all.
Dance music also had a positive effect on spell-checking with a 75 percent pass rate compared to 68 percent when no music was played at all.
The research, undertaken by Brighton-based Mindlab International, suggests that silent offices may be the least productive.
“The music experiment showed that when listening to music, 9 out of 10 people performed better, ” said Dr. David Lewis, Chairman of Mindlab International.
“Proper music enables people to quickly process and keep information, regulate their behaviors, make good choices, solve problems, plan and adjust to changing mental demands, ” a senior investigator of Mindlab International explains.
“While many schools are cutting music programs and spending more and more time on test preparation, our findings suggest that musical training may actually help to set up children for a better academic future, ” added Dr. David Lewis.
【语篇概述】这篇文章主要讲述了音乐与工作效率之间的关系, 人们可以根据工作性质的不同选择合适的音乐, 在音乐的伴随下人们工作的效率更高。
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The positive relationship between music and efficiency.
B. The speed and accuracy of problem-solving tasks.
C. The comparison of different kinds of music.
D. The experiment on productivity of office staff.
【解析】选A。主旨大意题。通读全文, 并根据第二段判断, 本文主要讲述了音乐和工作效率之间的关系, 故选A。
2. According to the passage, we can conclude that _______.
A. different kinds of music lead to the same effect
B. silent offices can make people perform better
C. listening to proper music can improve efficiency in office
D. more tests prepare children for a better academic future
【解析】选C。推理判断题。通读全文并根据倒数第二段中的“Proper music enables people to quickly process and keep information, regulate their behaviors, make good choices, solve problems, plan and adjust to changing mental demands. . . ”可知, 在办公室里听适当的音乐能提高人们的工作效率, 故选C。
3. What is the author’s attitude towards school music programs?
A. Respectful. B. Doubtful.
C. Tolerant. D. Supportive.
【解析】选D。观点态度题。本文作者主要阐述音乐对工作效率的积极影响, 结合最后一段可推断, 作者对学校开展音乐教育是支持的, 故选D。
