Is there a connection between music and language?（音乐和语言之间存在联系吗？） According to recent studies, the answer is yes: Music boosts certain language abilities in the brain.（根据近期的研究，答案是肯定的：音乐能够提升大脑的某些语言能力。） Here are two examples.（这里有两个例子。）

A study from Northwestern University shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person’s hearing ability.（美国西北大学的一项研究表明，演奏乐器可以提高一个人的听力水平。） As a part of the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room.（作为研究的一部分，两组人在嘈杂的房间里听一个人说话。） The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training.（第一组的人是音乐家，而第二组的人没有受过任何音乐训练。） The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.（音乐家们能够更清晰地听清说话人的声音。） Musicians hear better, says study leader Nina Kraus, because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds.（研究负责人妮娜·克劳斯表示，音乐家听力更好，是因为他们学会了专注于特定的声音。） Think about violinists in an orchestra.（想象一下管弦乐队里的小提琴手。） When the violinists play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others, too.（当小提琴手随团演奏时，他们既能听到自己的乐器声，也能听到其他乐器的声音。） But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and ignore the other sounds.（但小提琴手必须仔细倾听自己的演奏，并忽略其他杂音。） In this way, musicians are able to concentrate on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.（通过这种方式，音乐家能够专注于某些特定的声音，即使在充满噪音的房间里也是如此。）

Gottfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke patients.（哈佛医学院的戈特弗里德·施劳格医生致力于中风患者的治疗。） Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other words.（由于病情，这些患者无法说出自己的名字、住址或其他词语。） However, they can still sing.（然而，他们仍然可以唱歌。） Schlaug uses singing to help these patients speak again.（施劳格医生通过唱歌来帮助这些患者恢复言语能力。） By practicing simple songs every day, patients learn to form words and sentences.（通过每天练习简单的歌曲，患者们学会了重新组成单词和句子。） Music, it seems, has the power to heal the brain in amazing ways.（看来，音乐确实拥有以令人惊叹的方式治愈大脑的神奇力量。）