你有沒有過這種經歷：當廣播中響起一首歌時，你仿佛回到了第一次聽到這首歌的地方？音樂似乎能喚醒的記憶，這是為什么？本期節目探討音樂如何讓記憶駐留。

詞匯：music 音樂

It's happened to all of us: a song comes on the radio, and we are immediately transported to a time in our past. But what is it that makes music so effective at doing this?

There are a few things that link tunes with our memories. Paul Donoghue, writing for ABC News, reminds us that the emotional nature of music helps make it particularly memorable. And Kelly Jakubowski, an assistant professor in music psychology, adds that music and singing are often part of many important life events and rituals, and that it is also very effective in grabbing our attention. These things combined mean that music and these life events are likely to be encoded together in our memories.

Music itself is easy to remember. Tiffany Jenkins, writing for BBC Culture, tells us how throughout history oral cultures have passed important knowledge from generation to generation through song. The rhythm, rhyme, melody and alliteration in lyrics all serve as memory aids.

She goes on to say that pop music especially can be associated with a particular moment in time. As Shahram Heshmat, writing in Psychology Today highlights, we often become familiar with a piece of music because we hear it as background music. Familiarity is important. Jakubowski, tells us that the more familiar a piece of music is, the more effective it is at bringing back memories. This applies to music more than other cultural products because we are far more likely to hear a song over and over again than watch a film or a TV programme in the same way. Heshmat points out that our musical preferences usually form during our teens, and this corresponds with what many experts call the 'reminiscence bump', where we make our strongest memories between the ages of 10 and 30.

It's clear that our memories and music are closely linked – to the point that music is being used to help dementia sufferers access memories that they thought they had lost.

詞匯表

song 歌，歌曲
come on the radio 在廣播中播放
tune 旋律，曲子
music psychology 音樂心理學
singing 歌唱
through song 以歌曲的形式
rhythm 節奏，韻律
rhyme 押韻
melody 旋律，曲調
alliteration 頭韻
lyrics 歌詞
pop music 流行音樂
piece of music 一段音樂
background music 背景音樂
cultural product 文化產品
musical preferences 音樂偏好

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to Paul Donoghue, what aspect of music's nature makes it memorable?

2. How do oral cultures often pass on knowledge?

3. What kind of music can be easily linked to a period of time?

4. According to the article, how is music different to watching TV or films?

5. According to the article, when do people make their strongest memories?

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. The drum beats out the _______ of the song.

rhyme                     rhythm                   tune                       melody

2. I love that song! I can sing all the _______.

lyrics                       tunes                     instruments            sounds

3. When my favourite song _______ the radio, it makes me happy.

comes off                comes to               comes on               comes in

4. It's easier to remember the words when they _______.

spell                        sing                       sound                     rhyme

5. This is my favourite _______ of music.

tune                        piece                     song                       rhythm

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。 

1. According to Paul Donoghue, what aspect of music's nature makes it memorable?

He says that music's emotional nature makes it memorable.

2. How do oral cultures often pass on knowledge?

According to the article, oral cultures often pass on knowledge through song.

3. What kind of music can be easily linked to a period of time?

The article says that pop music can easily be linked to a period of time.

4. According to the article, how is music different to watching TV or films?

The article says that people are more likely to hear a song over and over again than watch a film or a TV programme in the same way.

5. According to the article, when do people make their strongest memories?

We make our strongest memories between the age of 10 and 30.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. The drum beats out the rhythm of the song.

2. I love that song! I can sing all the lyrics.

3. When my favourite song comes on the radio, it makes me happy.

4. It's easier to remember the words when they rhyme.

5. This is my favourite piece of music.