To begin with,"muzak"(音乐广播网 )was intended simplyto createasoothing(安慰)atmosphere.Recently,however,it's ecome big business —thanks in part to recentresearch.Dr.Ronald Milliman,an American marketing expert,hasshown that music can boost sales or increase factory roduction by as much as a third.But,it has to be light music.A fast one has no effect atall on sales.Slow music can increase receipts by 38%.This isprobably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunityto spot items they like to buy.Yet,slow music isn't alway sanswer.Dr.Milliman found,for example,that in restaurants slowmusic meant customers took longer to eat their meals,whichreduced overall sales.So restaurants owners might be welladvised to play up-tempo music to keep the customers moving—unless of course,the resulting indigestion leads tocomplaints!
练习：
1.The reason why background music is so popular isthat ______.
A.it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it
B.it can help to create a soothing atmosphere
C.it can boost sales or increase factory production erywhere
D.it can make customers eat their meals quickly
2.Background music means ________.
A.light music that customers enjoy mostB.fast music that makes people move fast
C.slow music that can make customers enjoy their meals
D.the music you are listening to while you are doingomething
3.Restaurant owners complain about background musicbecause ______.
A.it results in indigestion
B.it increases their sales
C.it keeps customers moving
D.it decreases their sales
4.The word"up-tempo music"probably means_____.
A.slow music
B.fast music
C.light music
D.classical music
1、B ；2、D ；3、D； 4、B
暂无解析
Yourdonationscan_____poorchildren____foodandachancetostudy.
-----Dad，lookatthebuilding.Itisonfire.
-----Call119____________mobilephonerightnow
Howshopscanexploitpeople'sherdmentalitytoincreasesales
1.ATRIPtothesupermarketmaynotseemlikeanexerciseinpsychologicalwarfare—butitis.Shopkeepersknowthatfillingastorewiththearomaoffreshlybakedbreadmakespeoplefeelhungryandpersuadesthemtobuymorefoodthantheyhadintended.Stockingthemostexpensiveproductsateyelevelmakesthemsellfasterthancheaperbutlessvisiblecompetitors.Nowresearchersareinvestigatinghow“swarmintelligence”(thatis，howants，beesoranysocialanimal，includinghumans，behaveinacrowd)canbeusedtoinfluencewhatpeoplebuy.
2.AtarecentconferenceonthesimulationofadaptivebehaviourinRome，Zeeshan-ul-hassanUsmani，acomputerscientistfromtheFloridaInstituteofTechnology，describedanewwaytoincreaseimpulsebuyingusingthisphenomenon.Supermarketsalreadyencourageshopperstobuythingstheydidnotrealisetheywanted:forinstance，byplacingeverydayitemssuchasmilkandeggsatthebackofthestore，forcingshopperstowalkpastothertemptinggoodstoreachthem.MrUsmaniandRonaldoMenezes，alsooftheFloridaInstituteofTechnology，setouttoenhancethistendencytobuymorebyplayingontheherdinstinct.Theideaisthat，ifacertainproductisseentobepopular，shoppersarelikelytochooseittoo.Thechallengeistokeepcustomersinformedaboutwhatothersarebuying.
3.Entersmart-carttechnology.InMrUsmani'ssupermarketeveryproducthasaradiofrequencyidentificationtag，asortofbarcodethatusesradiowavestotransmitinformation，andeverytrolleyhasascannerthatreadsthisinformationandrelaysittoacentralcomputer.Asacustomerwalkspastashelfofgoods，ascreenontheshelftellshimhowmanypeoplecurrentlyintheshophavechosenthatparticularproduct.Ifthenumberishigh，heismorelikelytoselectittoo.
4.MrUsmani's“swarm-moves”modelappealstosupermarketsbecauseitincreasessaleswithouttheneedtogivepeoplediscounts.Anditgivesshoppersthesatisfactionofknowingthattheyboughtthe“right”product—thatis，theoneeveryoneelsebought.Themodelhasnotyetbeentestedwidelyintherealworld，mainlybecauseradiofrequencyidentificationtechnologyisnewandhasonlybeeninstalledexperimentallyinsomesupermarkets.ButMrUsmanisaysthatbothWal-MartinAmericaandTescoinBritainareinterestedinhiswork，andtestingwillgetunderwayinthespring.
5.Anotherrecentstudyonthepowerofsocialinfluenceindicatesthatsalescould，indeed，beboostedinthisway.MatthewSalganikofColumbiaUniversityinNewYorkandhiscolleagueshavedescribedcreatinganartificialmusicmarketinwhichsome14,000peopledownloadedpreviouslyunknownsongs.Theresearchersfoundthatwhenpeoplecouldseethesongsrankedbyhowmanytimestheyhadbeendownloaded，theyfollowedthecrowd.Whenthesongswerenotorderedbyrank，butthenumberoftimestheyhadbeendownloadedwasdisplayed，theeffectofsocialinfluencewasstilltherebutwaslesspronounced.Peoplethusfollowtheherdwhenitiseasyforthemtodoso.
6.InJapanachainofconvenienceshopscalledRanKingRanQueenhasbeenorderingitsproductsaccordingtosalesdatafromdepartmentstoresandresearchcompanies.Theshopssellonlythemostpopularitemsineachproductcategory，andtherankingsareupdatedweekly.Icosystem，acompanyinCambridge，Massachusetts，alsoaimstoexploitknowledgeofsocialnetworkingtoimprovesales.
7.Andthepsychologythatworksinphysicalstoresisjustaspotentontheinternet.OnlineretailerssuchasAmazonareadeptattellingshopperswhichproductsarepopularwithlike-mindedconsumers.Evenintheprivacyofyourhome，youcanstillbepartoftheswarm.
Questions1-6
Completethesentencesbelowwithwordstakenfromthereadingpassage.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.
1.Shopownersrealizethatthesmellof_______________canincreasesalesoffoodproducts.
2.Inshops，productsshelvedatamorevisiblelevelsellbettereveniftheyaremore_______________.
3.AccordingtoMr.Usmani，withtheuseof“swarmintelligence”phenomenon，anewmethodcanbeappliedtoencourage_______________.
4.Onthewaytoeverydayitemsatthebackofthestore，shoppersmightbetemptedtobuy_______________.
5.Ifthenumberofbuyersshownonthe_______________ishigh，othercustomerstendtofollowthem.
6.Usingthe“swarm-moves”model，shopownersdonothavetogivecustomers_______________toincreasesales.
Thelocalgovernmentwill_____morecollegesformorestudentstoreceivehighereducation.
SellingDigitalMusicwithoutCopy-protectionMakesSense
A. Itwasuncharacteristicallylow-keyfortheindustry’sgreatestshowman.ButtheessaypublishedthisweekbySteveJobs,thebossofApple,onhisfirm’swebsiteundertheunassumingtitle“ThoughtsonMusic”hasnonethelessprovokedavigorousdebateaboutthefutureofdigitalmusic,whichAppledominateswithitsiPodmusic-playerandiTunesmusic-store.Atissueis“digitalrightsmanagement”(DRM)—thetechnologyguardingdownloadedmusicagainsttheft.SincethereisnocommonstandardforDRM,italsohastheside-effectthatsongspurchasedforonetypeofmusic-playermaynotworkonanother.Apple’sDRMsystem,calledFairPlay,isthemostwidespread.SoitcameasasurprisewhenMr.JobscalledforDRMfordigitalmusictobeabolished.
B. ThisisachangeoftackforApple.IthascomeunderfirefromEuropeanregulatorswhoclaimthatitsrefusaltolicenseFairPlaytootherfirmshas“lockedin”customers.SincemusicfromtheiTunesstorecannotbeplayedonnon-iPodmusic-players(atleastnotwithoutalotoffiddling),anyiTunesbuyerwillbedeterredfromswitchingtoadevicemadebyarivalfirm,suchasSonyorMicrosoft.WhenFrenchlawmakersdraftedabilllastyearcompellingAppletoopenupFairPlaytorivals,thecompanywarnedof“state-sponsoredpiracy”.OnlyDRM,itimplied,couldkeepthepiratesatbay.
C. ThisweekMr.JobsgaveanotherexplanationforhisformerdefenceofDRM:therecordcompaniesmadehimdoit.TheywouldmaketheirmusicavailabletotheiTunesstoreonlyifAppleagreedtoprotectitusingDRM.TheycanstillwithdrawtheircataloguesiftheDRMsystemiscompromised.ApplecannotlicenseFairPlaytoothers,saysMrJobs,becauseitwoulddependonthemtoproducesecurityfixespromptly.AllDRMdoesisrestrictconsumerchoiceandprovideabarriertoentry,saysMrJobs;withoutittherewouldbefarmorestoresandplayers,andfarmoreinnovation.So,hesuggests,whynotdoawaywithDRMandsellmusicunprotected?“Thisisclearlythebestalternativeforconsumers,”hedeclares,“andApplewouldembraceitinaheartbeat.”
D. Whythesuddenchangeofheart?MrJobsseemschieflyconcernedwithgettingEurope’sregulatorsoffhisback.RatherthancomplainingtoAppleaboutitsuseofDRM,hesuggests,“thoseunhappywiththecurrentsituationshouldredirecttheirenergiestowardspersuadingthemusiccompaniestoselltheirmusicDRM-free.”Twoandahalfofthefourbigrecordcompanies,hehelpfullypointsout,areEuropean-owned.MrJobsalsohopestopainthimselfasaconsumerchampion.AppleresentsaccusationsthatithasbecometheMicrosoftofdigitalmusic.
E. Applecanaffordtoembraceopencompetitioninmusicplayersandonlinestores.Consumerswouldgravitatetothebestplayerandthebeststore,andatthemomentthatstillmeansApple’s.MrJobsisevidentlyunfazedbyrivalstotheiPod.Sinceonly3%ofthemusicinatypicaliTuneslibraryisprotected,mostofitcanalreadybeusedonotherplayerstoday,henotes.(AndeventheprotectedtrackscanbeburnedontoaCDandthenre-ripped.)SoApple’sdominanceevidentlydependsfarmoreonbrandingandeaseofusethanDRM-related“lockin”.
F. ThemusicgiantsaretryingDRM-freedownloads.Lotsofsmallerlabelsalreadysellmusicthatway.Havingseenwhichwaythewindisblowing,MrJobsnowwantstobeseennotasDRM’sdefender,butasaconsumerchampionwhohelpedinitsdownfall.Wouldn’titleadtoasurgeinpiracy?No,becausemostmusicisstillsoldunprotectedonCDs,peoplewishingtostealmusicalreadycandoso.Indeed,scrappingDRMwouldprobablyincreaseonline-musicsalesbyreducingconfusionandincompatibility.Withtheleadingonlinestore,Applewouldbenefitmost.MrJobs’sargument,inshort,istransparentlyself-serving.Italsohappenstoberight.
NotestoReadingPassage1
1.low-key:
抑制的，受约束的，屈服的
2.showman:
开展览会的人,出风头的人物
3.unassuming:
谦逊的,不夸耀的,不装腔作势的
4.iPod：
(苹果公司出产的)音乐播放器
5.iTunesstore：
(苹果公司出产的)在线音乐商店
6.getoffperson’sback:
不再找某人的麻烦，摆脱某人的纠缠
7.gravitate:
受吸引，倾向于
8.unfazed:
不再担忧，不被打扰
Questions1-7
DothefollowingstatemetsreflecttheclaimsofthewriterinReadingPassage1?
WriteyouranswerinBoxes1-7onyouranswersheet.
TRUEifthestatementrefletstheclaimsofthewriter
FALSEifthestatementcontradictstheclaimsofthewriter
NOTGIVENifitisimpossbiletosaywhatthewriterthinksaboutthis
1.AppleenjoysacontrollingpositionindigitalmusicmarketwithitsiPodmusic-playerandiTunesmusic-store.
2.DRMisagovernmentdecreeissuedwithapurposetoprotectdownloadedmusicfromtheftbyconsumers.
3.LackofstandardizationinDRMmakessongsboughtforonekindofmusicplayermaynotfunctiononanother.
4.ApplehasbeencriticizedbyEuropeanregulatorssinceithasrefusedtograntalicenseFairPlaytootherfirms.
5.Allmusiccanbeeasilyplayedonnon-iPodmusicdevicesfromSonyorMicrosoftwithouttoomuchfiddling.
6.AppledependsfarmoreonDRMratherthanbrandingforitsdominanceofthedigitalmusicdevices.
7.IfDRMwascancelled,Sonywouldcertainlydominatetheinternationaldigitalmusicmarket.
Questions8-10
ChoosetheappropriatelettersA-Dandwritetheminboxes8-10onyouranswesheet.
8.WhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutMr.Jobs’ideaofDRMisNOTTRUE?
A.DRMplacesrestrictionsonconsumer’choiceofdigitalmusicproductsavailable.
B.DRMcomplesiTunesbuyerstoswitchtoadevicemadebySonyorMicrosoft.
C.DRMconstitutesabarrierforpotentialconsumerstoenterdigitalmusicmarkets.
D.DRMhindersdevelopmentofmorestoresandplayersandtechnicalinnovation.
9.Theword“unfazed”inline3ofparagraphE,means___________.
A.refused
B.welcomed
C.notbothered
D.notwellreceived
10.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUEifDRMwasscapped?
A.Sonywouldgainthemostprofit.
B.Morecustomerswouldbe“lockedin”.
C.Asuddenincreaseinpiracywouldoccur.
D.Online-musicsaleswouldprobablydecrease.
Questions11-14
Completethenotesbelow.
ChooseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSfromReadingPassage1foreachanswer.
Writeyouranswersinboxes11-14onyouranswersheet.
Mr.SteveJobs,thebossofApple,explainsthereasonwhyheusedtodefendDRM,sayingthatthecompanywasforcedtodoso:therecordcompanieswouldmaketheirmusicaccessibleto…11...onlyiftheyagreedtoprotectitusingDRM;theycanstill…12…iftheDRMsystemiscompromised.HealsoprovidesthereasonwhyAppledidnotlicenseFairPlaytoothers:thecompanyreliesonthemto…13….ButnowhechangeshismindwithapossibleexpectationthatEurope’sregulatorswouldnottroublehimanymoreinthefuture.Heproposesthatthosewhoareunsatisfactorywiththecurrentsituationindigitalmusicmarketshould…14…towardspersuadethemusiccompaniestoselltheirmusicDRM-free.
