Labyrinths have existed for well over 4,000 years. Labyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been found in regions as perse as modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India. There are various designs of labyrinth but what they all have in common is a winding spiral path which leads to a central area. There is one starting point at the entrance and the goal is to reach the central area. Finding your way through a labyrinth involves many twists and turns, but it’s not possible to get lost as there is only one single path.
In modern times, the word labyrinth has taken on a different meaning and is often used as a synonym for a maze. A maze is quite different as it is a kind of puzzle 【Q31】with an intricate network of paths. Mazes became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, and can still be found in the gardens of great houses and palaces. The paths are usually surrounded by thick, high hedges so that it’s not possible to see over them. Entering a maze usually involves getting lost a few times before using logic to work out the pattern 【Q32】 and find your way to the centre and then out again. There are lots of dead ends and paths which lead you back to where you started. The word ‘maze’ is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion 【Q33】. This is where the word ‘amazing’ comes from.
Labyrinths, on the other hand, have a very different function. Although people now often refer to things they find complicated as labyrinths, this is not how they were seen in the past. the winding spiral of the labyrinth has been used for centuries as a metaphor for life’s journey. It served as a spiritual reminder that there is purpose and meaning to our lives and helped to give people a sense of direction. Labyrinths are thought to encourage a feeling of calm and have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures over many centuries. 【Q34】
The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been found carved into stone 【Q35】, from Sardinia to Scandinavia, from Arizona to India to Africa. In Europe, these spiral carvings date from the late Bronze Age. The Native American Pima tribe wove baskets with a circular labyrinth design that depicted their own cosmology. In Ancient Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins 【Q36】 around four thousand years ago. Labyrinths made of mosaics were commonly found in bathhouses, villas and tombs throughout the Roman Empire.
In Northern Europe, there were actual physical labyrinths designed for walking on. These were cut into the turf or grass, usually in a circular pattern. The origin of these walking labyrinths remains unclear, but they were probably used for fertility rites which may date back thousands of years. Eleven examples of turf labyrinths survive today, including the largest one at Saffron Walden, England, which used to have a large tree in the middle of it. 【Q37】
More recently labyrinths have experienced something of a revival. Some believe that walking a labyrinth promotes healing and mindfulness, and there are those who believe in its emotional and physical benefits, which include slower breathing 【Q38】 and a restored sense of balance and perspective. This idea has become so popular that labyrinths have been laid into the floors of spas, wellness centres and even prisons in recent years.
A pamphlet at Colorado Children’s Hospital informs patients that ‘walking a labyrinth can often calm people in the midst of a crisis’. And apparently, it’s not only patients who benefit. Many visitors find walking a labyrinth less stressful than sitting in a corridor or waiting room. Some doctors even walk the labyrinth during their breaks. In some hospitals, patients who can’t walk can have a paper ‘finger labyrinth’ 【Q39】 brought to their bed. The science behind the theory is a little sketchy, but there are dozens of small-scale studies which support claims about the benefits of labyrinths. For example, one study found that walking a labyrinth provided ‘short-term calming, relaxation, and relief from anxiety’ for Alzheimer’s patients. 【Q40】
So, what is it about labyrinths that makes their appeal so universal? Well …
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
听前预测：定位词为 Mazes；提示词为 a type of，此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题定位词出现后，录音马上强调“it is a kind of puzzle”，其中 a kind of 对应题干中的 a type of，比较容易识别。本题之前有一大段录音没有出题，讲述题干的第 1 个小标题 Definition 的内容，音频长约 40 秒。注意雅思听力的答案在音频中的时间间隔有时不规律，按照关键词定位才是关键。
听前预测：定位词为 navigate through；提示词为 is，此处应填单数可数名词或不可数名词。
题目解析：本题定位词非常容易替换，并且本题与上题的题干连续出现，可以预判本题难度较高。题干中的 is needed 为被动语态，动词不定式 to navigate 表目的，因此空格处与“在迷宫中找路”（navigate through a maze）的实现方式有关。题干 navigate through 在录音中被替换为 find your way，被动语态 is needed 对应录音中的 using，因此答案为 logic。在录音中，本题答案先于定位词出现，要求考生
听录音时要有瞬时记忆能力，记住较多信息，同时还要理解雅思考试中被动与主动语态替换的思维，题目难度较大。
听前预测：定位词为 the word ‘maze’、derived from；提示词为 a feeling of，此处应填情绪类名词。
题目解析：一般反复出现的信息不应作为定位词，但本题 maze 一词加引号，录音中该词原词出现，derived from 表明本题在讨论 maze 一词的来源，对应录音中的 come from。本句录音中与题干 feeling 有关的信息只有 confusion（困惑）一词。题干中的 a feeling of 替换为录音中的 a state of，意为“……的状态”。
听前预测：定位词为 a journey through life、prayer；提示词为 in、and，此处应填和 prayer并列的名词。
题目解析：前置定位词 a journey through life 对应录音中的 life’s journey，接着捕捉和 prayer 为并列关系的名词，有且仅有 meditation，意为“冥想”。本题难在答案词 meditation 的拼写。
听前预测：定位词为小标题中的 spiral 以及本句的 carvings；提示词为 on，此处应填名词。
题目解析：定位词 spiral 原词出现后，紧跟着听到第 2 个定位词 carvings 被替换为 carved， 附近单独出现，且能代入题干的名词有且仅有 stone。
听前预测：定位词为 Ancient Greeks、used the symbol on；提示词为 on，此处应填名词。
题目解析：定位词 Ancient Greeks 在录音中被替换为 Ancient Greece，used the symbol on 在录音中被替换为被动语态“the labyrinth spiral was used on”，因此答案为 coins。注意在雅思考试中，主动、被动语态转换是一种非常常见的同义替换方式。
听前预测：定位词为 largest、turf、centre；提示词为 a big，此处应填单数可数名词。
题目解析：定位词 turf、largest 在录音中原词出现，随后捕捉由 big 修饰的单数可数名词，答案为 tree，big 在录音中被替换为 large。随后听到 in the middle 替换题干中的 at its centre，进一步印证答案。
听前预测：定位词为 mental and physical health、walking、reduce；提示词为 a person’s、rate，此处应填修饰速率（rate）的名词或形容词。
题目解析：定位词 walking 在录音中原词出现后，然后听到 emotional and physical benefits，对应题干中的“have a beneficial impact on mental and physical health”。接着听到 slower breathing，其中 slower 对应题干中的 reduce，因此答案为 breathing。
听前预测：定位词为 patients、can’t walk、‘finger labyrinths’；提示词为 made from，此处应填材料类名词。
题目解析： 定位词 patients、can’t walk 在录音中原词出现，接着捕捉预判的材料类名词，只有 paper。在录音中，本题答案词出现在定位词‘finger labyrinths’ 前，作前置修饰语，与题干中的顺序刚好相反。注意题干的语序与录音不完全一致，我们听录音前无从得知答案前置或后置，关键是根据预判选择符合题干问法的信息。
听前预测：定位词为 research has shown、Alzheimer’s；提示词为 less，此处应填不可数名词。
题目解析：本题与上题题干连续出现，审题时可以预判两题答案间隔近，难度较高。注意完成上题后，听到转折关系词 but 和 small-scale studies（小范围研究），表明录音开始讨论与本题 research 相关的新话题。接着听到“one study found”，对应题干中的“research has shown”，relief from 对应题干中的 less，因此答案为 anxiety。虽然定位词 Alzheimer’s 后置，但是不影响做题。做题的关键不是在录音中捕捉与题干一样的语法结构，而是根据定位词和提示词来捕捉符合题干要 求的信息。
