初中英语 热点时事新闻做阅读理解+写作词汇积累

热点

Listening to classical music at work boosts productivity, study finds. 调查发现：工作时听古典音乐能提高效率。

热点链接

The next time you’re struggling to finish up a task at work, throwing on some Bach or Beethoven may worth a try. That’s the main conclusion of an experime nt on British workers that found listening to classical music at work can improve productivity by 15%.

An initial（初步的） survey of 2,000 UK employees revealed that half regularly listen to music on the job. Some of those employees’ bosses reportedly encourage the practice, but others are strictly against it, believing it hurts work performance. So, British classical music station Scala Radio and psychologist Dr. Becky Spelman set out to determine（查明）if background music hurts or hinders（阻碍） work efficiency.

Four office workers were asked to transcribe（抄写） two 600-word sets of song lyrics. The first set was transcribed with no music playing, while the other was completed with classical music playing in the background.

The first task, completed in silence, was completed in an average time of 20 minutes and 59 seconds. However, the second transcription exercise that involved music was completed in an average time of 17 minutes and 42 seconds; a difference of three minutes and 17 seconds, or 15%.

“Music has a v ery powerful impact on the brain. It affects mood, mental performance and physical performance,” says Dr. Spelman in a media release（媒体发布会）. “Many people find that listening to certain types of instrumental music can help them with their productivity levels.”

Scala Radio’s initial research had found that many British workers put headphones on first thing when they sit down at their desks to help them concentrate or block out（排除） distractions（分散注意力的事）. A third of those respondents（被调查人） said they work harder while listening to music, and 40% think they get more work done. Many respondents said they listen to music simply to avoid silence（10%）, and more than two-thirds of respondents who work from home said they would struggle to concentrate without music playing in the background.

In all, 47% of those polled on their work listening habits said they feel less stressed with background music playing, while over a third said their productivity improves.

“Provided the music has a calm, regular beat, it can actually help us to stay calm, reducing our stress, slowing our heart rate, and moderating（缓和）our pulse,” says Dr. Spelman. “This makes it easier for us to focus on the task at hand.”

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单词笔记

boost v.促进；推动；使兴旺

productivity n.生产力

work efficiency工作效率

headphone n.耳机

struggle to努力；吃力地进行

poll on投票

heart rate心率

pulse n.脉搏

provided conj.如果；假如

重点讲解

❶ So, British classical music station Scala Radio and psychologist Dr. Becky Spelman set out to determine if background music hurts or hinders work efficiency.

亮点词汇：set out to... 打算；着手

难句解析：该句主语为British classical music station Scala Radio and psychologist Dr. Becky Spelman ，if作连词引导宾语从句，意为“是否”。

注释：因此，英国古典音乐电台Scala Radio和心理学家贝基·斯佩尔曼博士着手研究背景音乐是否会损害或妨碍工作效率。

❷ Many people find that listening to certain types of instrumental music can help them with their productivity levels.

亮点词汇：help sb. with sth. 帮助某人做某事

注释：that引导宾语从句，作为动词find的宾语，listening to certain types of instrumental music 为宾语从句的主语。