The "Mozart Effect" Fact or Fiction?

Recently, the idea that listening to classical music can increase intelligence, especially in babies, has caught the attention of the media, researchers, and parents around the globe. In the early 1990s, researchers from France and the US published articles that said listening to Mozart for 10 minutes temporarily improved performance on IQ tests and challenging tasks. As a result, the media quickly began reporting on the "Mozart effect." In 1997, Don Campbell patented the term and published a book about this interesting phenomenon. Campbell claimed that classical music could improve health and memory, counteract mental and physical disorders, and reduce stress and depression. He soon followed with The Mozart Effect for Children, as well as CDs and products for parents of young children. Today, a wide selection of similar products is available, including Baby Mozart and Baby Bach, two bestselling DVDs in the popular Baby Einstein series. There are even music players specially designed for expectant mothers to wear on their tummies. This way, babies can listen to classical music before they're even born. However, there is some doubt surrounding the Mozart effect. Parents question whether it is a proven reality or just a fad designed to make money. Frances H. Rauscher, a psychologist and author of one of the original studies, is skeptical. Much of the original research pointed to temporary improvements on specific tasks. She believes these findings have been incorrectly portrayed as a general increase in intelligence. "I don't think it can hurt," Rauscher said. Yet she added that parents may still want to think twice before spending a fortune trying to make a genius out of their baby.

1.tummy: It means stomaache.

2.fad: It means fashion.

3.temporarily: It is an adverb, like for a moment.

4.expectant mother: It mens a mother-to-be.

This article is talk about the way to make baby increase more intelligence. The researchers found that listen classical music can make baby smarter for a while, so they believe if baby listen classical music for a long time , it will really increase baby's IQ ,but there are still some people suspect this study is true or not. I think this method is a good education for baby.

Over 40 youngsters from abroad 'initiated' at Confucian temple

"I was greatly impressed."
So said Dario Rivera after he was initiated at a coming-of-age ceremony held at Taipei's Confucian Temple late last month.
"There never was such a grand, dignified initiation in my country, Mexico," Rivera said.
The 16-year-old boy attended the rites－in full accordance with Confucian rules that have been upheld for more than 2,000 years.
So were more than 40 other youngsters from abroad, aged from 16 to 20, who took part in the four-hour ceremony. Altogether 103 young men and women participated in the uniquely Chinese initiation, organized and sponsored by Rotary International District 3520.
It's part of the Taipei Rotarians' youth exchange program. Those initiated are all children of members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taipei or foreign students learning Chinese here.
Other features of the ceremony included the cleansing of the participants' hands in a golden bowl, the beating of the drum to get the initiation under way, participants' oral reports on their coming of age, a performance by a Confucian musical group, and the wearing of hats with pins inserted by guardians.
Only those who came of age were allowed to wear hats in ancient China. Pins had to be inserted to keep the hats in place.
Confucius was China's greatest sage and the founder of Confucianism, which was made a state religion by the Emperor Wu Ti of the Han Dynasty.


1. sage: Who is a perfect person.
2.oral report: It means a report which is not written on the paper , just tell the report to others by mouth.
3. in accordance with: It seems like obey.


The coming-of-age ceremony is an important part in Chinese culture , especialy the ceremony which be held at Confucian temple. I really iook forward I can attend this ceremony in the future.