The Student Union had decided to have a music party. It will be held in the first week of the May. The activities include singing pop songs and play classical and folk music. Bring your own musical instruments, please. A music contest will be including, too. The students taking part in the contest will listen part of a song or a piece of music, and then guess what it comes from. As you'd like to take part in the music party, please come and sign up for them before April 20th. The place of the activities will be told late. Come to have greatly fun!

The Student Union

   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 compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music sets 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 uncomfortable 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 complex, and it doesn't involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare 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.”

The song Lili Marleen was originally a poem written by a young soldier during World War I，【小题1】 missed his sweetheart，Lili. Later，a German musician set the poem to music and a popular German singer made a recording of it. But the recording wasn't popular. Then in 1941 when Germany invaded（侵略）Yugoslavia and took over Radio Belgrade，the German officer in charge there found that most of the station's 【小题2】（record）had been destroyed in the battle. However，in a dusty box，he found a record named Lili Marleen and began to play 【小题3】.In a very short time，it became 【小题4】（huge）popular with German soldiers.

Lili Marleen was asked 【小题5】（play）again by Radio Belgrade. As a result，it was broadcast every night at 9：57. Then something amazing happened. Although the song 【小题6】（sing）in German and played on a radio station by their enemy，it 【小题7】（become）popular with the local people and afterwards with American soldiers，too. Lili Marleen was at the top of the US music charts in 1944 and 1968，and later，the German and Japanese charts in 【小题8】 1980s. So what was the secret of its fame？Some say it was because of its theme of everlasting love，【小题9】（pain）separation and danger in times of war. But the most poetic comment about its 【小题10】（popular）came from Lale Andersen，"Can the wind explain why it became a storm？"

   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.

Amazing Benefits of Listening to Music

If you love listening to music, you’re good company. 【小题1】

★Music makes you happier.

When you listen to music, your brain produces a special matter. It biologically (生物学上) causes listeners to feel emotions like happiness, excitement, and joy. So next time you need an emotional increase, listen to your favorite tunes for 15 minutes.

★【小题2】

Listening to music you enjoy reduces levels of the stress in your body. This is an important finding since stress causes many illnesses. To stay calm and healthy during a stressful day, turn on the radio.

★Music helps you sleep better.

A study showed that students listening to classical music for 45 minutes slept better than students who did nothing. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a little Bach or Mozart before bedtime.

★Music helps you eat less.

【小题3】If you’re looking for ways to reduce your appetite (食欲), try dimming the lights and listening to soft music next time you sit down for a meal.

★Music strengthens learning and memory.

Researchers discovered that music can help you learn and recall information better. 【小题4】 Memorize these results. You now have a strategy to study more effectively for your next test.

★Music raises IQ and school performance.

Research shows that taking music lessons predicts higher school performance and IQ in young children. 【小题5】