Music is often targeted at teenagers. Because teenagers go through big changes and start making life­affecting decisions in their teens, people naturally wonder what effects music has on teenagers. Does it lead to violence? Help test scores? Teach them valuable lessons? While there are negative effects, there are many positive effects, too.

　　Music can help students improve academic (学院的，大学的) performance. Studying music involves math and science, so students often improve in these areas. This improvement can benefit them in tests. According to a report, students who took part in music performance scored 41 points higher in math than those who did not take part in music performance.

　　Being a teenager can be rough emotionally. Music is an especially emotional art form covering every type of emotion. If they can find a song that matches their mood, they will feel comfortable. As music is a way to express emotions, many teenagers might try to make their own music, which can create healthy emotional expression.

　　Music is often related with culture. Thus, listening to music can teach teenagers a lot about their own culture and other cultures. They can learn musical traditions, musical instruments, history lessons and more. Plus, as listening to music is a fun activity, this can often be a more interesting way to learn about a culture, rather than simply reading a textbook.

　　Music tastes and interests can often bring people together, especially teenagers. Two teenagers who like the same style of music are easily to start up a friendship. As well, music is often enjoyed at concerts and dance clubs where teenagers often hang out (闲逛). Typically, the people attending these concerts and dance clubs already share a common interest, so a connection can be easily made.

　　Section_ⅠWelcome to the unit & Reading - Pre­reading

　　[原文呈现]

　　Turandot in Beijing

　　by Jane Jones

Last night, I witnessed① the first of only eight performances of Giacomo Puccini's world­famous opera, Turandot, being performed② in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The performance was splendid③. Some of the world's greatest opera singers were cast④ in this production, and many great Chinese musicians also participated⑤. Puccini, an Italian, wrote Turandot towards the end of his life, between 1920 and 1924. He liked East Asia very much and also wrote Madam Butterfly⑥， which is set in Japan⑦.