A SONG A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
Music therapy may one day be used as standard treatment for all kinds of illnesses. It may even replace traditional medicine. This is because recent studies have shown that music can speed up a person's recovery after a serious illness.
In 1996, a study which was carried out at Colorado State University in the USA proved that stroke victims who listened to music on a regular basis showed improvement in their ability to walk. This was in direct opposition to stroke victims who had not been exposed to music at all. According to this and other similar studies, music evidently stimulates the brain's motor system. In addition, it improves the spirits of stroke victims, causing them to be more sociable and less depressed.
Music has the same sort of effect on brain-damaged children. Stevie is a three-year-old boy who was born with cerebral palsy (CP). It is difficult for him to walk or to move his body in any way. Moreover, he thinks slowly and can hardly speak. However, all of Stevie's symptoms improve when he visits his music therapist. As the music plays, Stevie's entire body seems to come alive. He begins to laugh excitedly as he bangs on the drums and taps on the piano keys. Stevie's therapist claims, "By following the rhythm, Stevie is learning to balance his body and coordinate his movements."
Although music therapists believe every patient needs music in order to recover, the medical world hasn't yet fully accepted this belief. Nevertheless, given its rate of success, it probably won't be long before music therapy is just as routine as any other kind of medical treatment.
Questions
1. According to the passage and using your own words, answer the following:
a) Why does the therapist believe that music is helping Stevie to coordinate his movements?
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b) What prediction does the writer of the article make?
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True or False . Give evidence from the text
1. Music can be an alternative to traditional medicine. ..........................................................................
2. Every single stroke victim improved their ability to walk. .................................................................
3. Music therapy can only be used with stroke victims. ..........................................................................
4. Music therapy influences only the body. ..........................................................................................
Find a word or phrase in the passage which means the same as the following: (0.25)
a) make faster ........................................... c) makes better ..............................................
b) done ............................................ d) make stable .........................................................
Rewrite the following sentences so that the meaning stays the same.
a) Stevie can hardly speak. (be able to) ....................................................................... .
b) b) The medical world hasn't fully accepted music therapy.
Music therapy..................................................................
· Write a composition of about 120 words on one of the following topics. Specify your option.
a) Has music ever improved your spirits? Give examples.
b) Why is music important in our lives?
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