单选题 The guy in the next cubicle is yammering away on the phone. Across the room, someone begins cursing loudly at a jammed copy machine. The headphones on the other end of your desk suddenly look very appealing. Would anyone mind if you tapped into your iTunes playlist for a while? Some workers like to listen to music when they find themselves losing focus. They may also plug in their earbuds to escape an environment that"s too noisy—or too quiet—or to make a repetitive job feel more lively.
In biological terms, melodious sounds help encourage the release of dopamine (a chemical found in brain) in the reward area of the brain, as would eating a delicacy, looking at something appealing or smelling a pleasant aroma, said Dr. Amit Seed, a physician of integrative medicine with the Mayo Clinic. People"s minds tend to wander, "and we know that a wandering mind is unhappy," Dr. Seed said. "Most of that time, we are focusing on the imperfections of life." Music can bring us back to the present moment. "It breaks you out of just thinking one way," said Teresa Lesiuk, an assistant professor in the music therapy program at the University of Miami. Dr. Lesiuk"s research focuses on how music affects workplace performance. In one study involving information technology specialists, she found that those who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who didn"t, because the music improved their mood.
Dr. Lesiuk found that personal choice in music was very important. She allowed participants in her study to select whatever music they liked and to listen as long as they wanted. Those who were moderately skilled at their jobs benefited the most, while experts saw little or no effect. And some novices regarded the music as distracting. Dr. Lesiuk has also found that the older people are, the less time they spend listening to music at work.
Few companies have policies about music listening, said Paul Flaharty, a regional vice president at a staffing agency. But it is still a good idea to check with your manager, even if you see others wearing headphones in the office. For those who choose to listen to music, it"s best to set limits, because wearing headphones for an entire shift can be perceived as rude by those nearby.
单选题 Some workers like to listen to music when they ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第一段。原文为“Some workers like to listen to music when they find themselves losing focus”，lose focus与cannot concentrate on work同义，即不能集中注意力。因为C项为正确答案。A项“对着电话讲个没完”，B项“对着卡住的复印机大声咒骂”，D项“想在一个嘈杂的环境中”均不符合题意。
单选题 ______ will not help encourage the release of dopamine in the reward area of the brain.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第二段。题干为哪一项不能够刺激大脑奖赏区释放多巴胺，根据文章原句“melodious sounds help encourage the release of dopamine in the reward area of the brain, as would eating a delicacy, looking at something appealing or smelling a pleasant aroma”，就是说“melodious sounds(优美的音乐)”，“eating a delicacy (吃美味食物)”，“looking at something appealing(观赏吸引人的东西)”以及“smelling a pleasant aroma(闻好闻的香味)”都有助于刺激大脑释放多巴胺。A项、B项、D项都可以刺激大脑释放多巴胺，而C项“Looking at something appalling”意为“看可怕的东西”，不符合题意，因此选择C项。
单选题 Which of the following is an effect of music according to Paragraph 2?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第二段。题目要求为“哪一项是音乐的作用”。第二段最后一句“because the music improved their mood”与D项相符，因此D项为正确选项。A项“使人们分神”，B项“将人们带入不快乐的时刻”，C项“使人们关注生活的不完美”均不是第二段所提到的音乐的作用。因此选择D项。
单选题 Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 3?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第三段。根据选项，找到“Those who were moderately skilled at their jobs benefited the most...regarded the music as distracting. ”由此可知，那些对工作中等熟练的员工从音乐中获益最大，而专家却很少或几乎没有受到影响，还有一些工作新手认为音乐让人分心。因此B项“专家受益最大”是错误的，选B项。A项“不太熟练的员工获益最大”，C项“新手认为音乐让人分心”，D项“年纪大的人听音乐时间少”均与原文相符。
单选题 It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。最后一段讲很少有公司出台有关听音乐的政策，但是当你听音乐的时候，最好还是和经理确认一下，并且要注意听音乐的时间限度，不要一整天都戴着耳机。A项“公司鼓励工作时听音乐”不符合原文意思，B项“当其他人都在听音乐的时候。你也可以随心所欲地听”错误。C项“工作时听音乐，你应该注意时间”符合原文意思。D项“工作时听音乐，别人管不着”不符合原文意思。因此正确答案为C项。