One British school is finding that allowing children to listen to music or even to have the TV on while studying is helping improve grades. When your teenager starts a family _____ by sitting in an armchair listening to music while doing his homework next time, why not _____ a simple experiment? Rather than taking the strict line of _____ him to go to his bedroom to get on with it _____ , let him do the homework the _____ he wants. You might well find that his essay is more interesting than _____ he’s done before.

___ the research of Millfield Prep School, around 20% of youngsters _____ best with background music, 10% do extremely well when allowed to ______ their work with short walks around the room while up to 80% can focus ______ if allowed to play with a small object.

The research has advised the school to adopt a complete ______ approach, analyzing pupils to discover which learning style ______ them best — then letting them do their work listening to music or ______ lying down. Doubtful (感到怀疑的) parents at first regarded the ______ as a layabout’s (懒汉) deed but many are now applying it at ______ where children are also allowed to do their work ______ the television on.

“I ______ to work on the floor with music on low, ” admits Susan, 13, a day girl. “______ my parents thought I was playing truant (偷懒), but my ______ persuaded them to look at my homework and when they saw it was okay, they ______.”

   At the moment, when looking round the world, we can find all kinds of dance performances are being offered. There are many competitions, and the dancers might be quite confused (困惑的) Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished (区分) between the different styles of dance and the purposes of such competitions. When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher. Such a teacher might even have been a world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be experienced in teaching proper classical ballet.

People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; a large number of audiences go to watch modern dance companies. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.

The Ballet Rambert is Britain’s oldest dance company which began in 1926. In the 1960s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions. The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards. A change of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a “new look” in 1966. The purpose was to provide a chance for new talent and to show dance as a contemporary art form. And although some of the company’s previous fans disliked the change, new audiences came to see the productions.

The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In the 21st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in London’s West End. The company became a focus for new, progressive talent in the art.

The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original productions. It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!

   Here we will explore American folk music, the music of the people.

Good Night, Irene is an example of a traditional folk song. That means the song is so old that no one really knows who wrote it. Huddie Ledbetter, the singer and guitarist known as Lead Belly, first recorded Good Night, Irene in 1933. Since then more than a hundred other versions (版本) have been recorded. Good Night, Irene was a huge success for The Weavers in 1950.

Folk songs sometimes tell stories about real events. An example is the story of a young man whose last name was spelled D-U-L-A but pronounced “Dooley”. The story was retold in poems and songs — including the popular song, Tom Dooley, recorded in 1958 by the Kingston Trio.

Folk singer and songwriter Amy Speace says the history of American folk music can be imagined as a tree with many branches. At the center, she says, is Woody Guthrie. Woody Guthrie wrote almost 3,000 songs. But he only recorded about 300 of them. His granddaughter Anna Canoni says that was partly because he did not have enough money to record more. He made only one record with a major record company.

Yet for all his influence, millions of Americans today remember him for just one song, which children learned in school. The song, This Land Is Your Land, seems like the perfect expression of pride in country. What many people do not know is that it was meant sarcastically (讽刺地), as just the opposite. This meaning is made clear later in the song, and since then most children have never learned it in school.

Some people probably think a folk singer out of date from the 1960s. But these days, with music production software, digital video, and social networks all easily available, folk artists really can bring the world together.