Day 21 为什么有些歌总在大脑里单曲循环 任务单-2026届高三上学期英语一轮复习专项

为什么有些歌总在大脑里单曲循环

Why Some Songs Get Stuck in Your Head​​

改编自：科学警告

Article

Main idea

If you’ve watched the movie KPop Demon Hunters and later see the word “golden”, what happens? People who have never heard the soundtrack notice nothing special. But those who know the song may suddenly hear a tiny fragment (碎片) of the chorus—“we’re goin’ up, up, up”—looping inside their heads. This is involuntary musical imagery, colloquially (俗语地) called an earworm. Surveys show that more than 90 % of us experience earworms at least once a week, and scientists are now mapping how they start, why they persist, and how to silence them—if silence is what you want.

段落大意：通过“golden”一词引出耳虫现象，给出定义并指出其普遍性。
论证方法：举例设问+统计论证（“>90%的人体验过”）。

Psychologists have discovered that earwoms recycle music from the same mental “pocket” of memory. The most powerful trigger is contiguous (连续的) repetition: a phrase that repeats immediately, without interruption. The chorus of Golden is sung four times in 40 seconds; Baby Shark repeats its hook even faster. Mass exposure on TikTok or radio adds familiarity, another essential ingredient.

段落大意：解释耳虫形成的音乐特征——“连续重复”与“大众曝光”。
 

Once the loop begins, the brain does not play the song from start to finish. Instead, it follows compressed instructions similar to: “skip intro, play verse twice, repeat chorus four times, return to verse.” When the default-mode network (DMN)—a group of regions linked to day-dreaming—takes over, these instructions are edited again. The DMN keeps only the most repetitive chunk and deletes the exit cue, so the fragment circles indefinitely.

段落大意：揭示大脑对音乐的“分段-指令”式存储机制，说明为何片段会无限循环。

Earworms can be started by recent listening, by seeing a single trigger-word, or by habits such as always hearing music on the bus. Inside the brain,

段落大意：列举触发耳虫的日常情境与习惯线索。

the DMN acts like a mischievous (顽皮的) sibling who locks the door and replays one favorite scene all night, while the “parent” networks that know when to stop are left outside.

How can you evict (赶走) an unwelcome guest? Singing the tune aloud to a friend works, because social engagement switches off the DMN, though it may also switch on embarrassment. Replacing the loop with a non-repetitive song—Happy Birthday or God Save the King—is less humiliating. Software company Atlassian even released a 40-second anti-earworm track whose melody never repeats; early tests suggest it can squash (压碎) the loop in roughly half of users.

段落大意：提供两种驱赶耳虫的实用策略及其利弊。

Ultimately, earworms reveal how economically the brain stores music, and they can be pleasant if you liked the original song. If you hate the repetition, diversify your playlist and let the DMN graze on new material. In short, make peace with the tiny DJ inside your head—or teach it better songs.

段落大意：升华观点——耳虫既可折磨人也能带来愉悦，关键在于多样化聆听与心态调整。

中心主题：耳虫现象的机制、诱因与应对
├─ 引入：生活化设问→定义+数据
├─ 成因分析
│ ├─ 音乐特征：连续重复+大众曝光
│ ├─ 认知机制：分段-指令存储
│ └─ 神经基础：默认模式网络走神
├─ 触发情境
│ ├─ 近期聆听
│ ├─ 环境/习惯线索
│ └─ 相似旋律
├─ 解决方案
│ ├─ 社交歌唱（打断DMN）
│ └─ 替换低重复旋律/专业音轨
└─ 价值升华：科学启示+心态管理

基础版题目（适合90分）

1. What is an “earworm” according to the text?

A. A small insect that lives in the ear.
B. A piece of music that repeats involuntarily in the mind.
C. A new style of K-pop dancing.
 

D. A special sound effect used in movies.

2. Which of the following songs is mentioned as having strong contiguous repetition?

A. God Save the King
B. Happy Birthday
C. Baby Shark
D. Imagine

3. The default-mode network (DMN) is described as a “mischievous sibling” mainly because it
   A. helps us remember long melodies exactly.
   B. keeps repeating only the most catchy part of a song.
   C. protects the brain from noisy environments.
   D. teaches children how to sing in tune.
4. What is the easiest way to stop an earworm mentioned in the text?

A. Listen to the same song 20 times in a row.
B. Sing the loop aloud to another person.
C. Take sleeping pills.
D. Wear noise-cancelling headphones.

5. What is the writer’s final attitude toward earworms?

A. They are dangerous and should be cured by doctors.
B. They are annoying but can be managed or even enjoyed.
C. They only happen to people who listen to K-pop.
D. They will disappear completely if we ignore them.

提高版题目（适合130分考生）

1. Which of the following best explains the brain’s storage of music that leads to earworms?

A. It archives entire songs as continuous audio files.
B. It compresses songs into sectional “pockets” and editable instructions.
C. It stores only lyrics without melodic information.
D. It records every detail of timbre and tempo permanently.

2. The word “ingredient” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
   A. flavour.
   B. component.
   C. obstacle.
   D. consequence.
3. Why does the author consider social singing an “effective but not always optimal” cure?

A. It damages vocal cords.
B. It requires expensive equipment.
C. It may cause embarrassment.