On a cold January morning in a Washington, DC Metro Station, a man with a violin played for about an hour. During that time about 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on. Four minutes later the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat without stopping and continued to walk. After 6 minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and walked away. After 10 minutes, a 3-year-old boy stopped but his mother dragged him along hurriedly. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. Finally only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $ 32. When he finished playing, no one applauded. The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate (复杂的) pieces ever written, with a violin worth $ 3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $ 100 each. The program was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about understanding, taste, and people’s social position. In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we appreciate beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? If we do not take a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, how many other things are we missing? 小题1: The first paragraph is aimed to tell us ______.
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