Endless playing of songs like All I want for Christmas in shops during the festive season doesn’t just drive us mad —the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.

While repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers’ spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact.

“Background music, or “Muzak”,can be used by marketers to impose cultures ---such as the commercialization of Christmas--- onto consumers and influence their behaviour,” experts said.

Dr. Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said, “Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy. In other words, this is an attempt to control your shopping habits in a way that you might hardly be aware of.”

“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears.”

Dr. Bradshaw and Prof Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour.

It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore spend more time examining the shelves, for example.

Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers.

“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways,” Dr. Bradshaw said.

Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honor of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s.

1.According to Dr. Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?

①their mood               ②their income

③their sense of time         ④ the sort of products they buy

A.①②③    B.①③④    C.②③④   D.①②④

2. Shopkeepers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to ___________.

A. let customers spend more time shopping

B. make customers and sales assistants relaxed

C. let customers enjoy the beautiful music

D. help customers find what they really want

3.What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?

A. Classical music     B. Popular modern songs.

C. Folk songs.        D. Jazz music.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Music makes happy Christmas

B. Christmas “Muzak”

C. How to make Christmas music?

D. Christmas music makes us spend more

Just ten years ago, I sat across the desk from a doctor with a serious look. “Yes,” he said, “there is a serious injury in the left lung…” I listened, too  21  to speak, as he continued, “You’ll have to  22  work at once and go to bed. Later on, we’ll see.” He gave no definite promise of recovery.

Feeling like a man who has suddenly been placed under  23  of death. In the next three days, I   24  my affairs; then I went home, got into bed, and set my watch to tick off not the minutes,   25  the months. Two and a half years and many crashed hopes later, I left my bed and began the long  26  back. It was another year before I made it.

I speak of this experience because these years that passed so  27  taught me what to believe and what to  28  . They said to me: Take time,   29  time takes you. I realize now that this world I’m living in is not my oyster（牡蛎）to be opened but my opportunity to be  30  . To me, each day is such a   31  gift. The sun comes up and presents me with 24 brand new, wonderful hours—not to pass, but to  32  .

I’ve learned to  33  those little but all-important things I never thought I had the time to notice before: the play of light on  34  water, the music of the wind in my favorite pine tree. I seem now to see and hear and feel with some of the recovered  35   of childhood. I recall the touch of the springy earth under my feet the day I first stepped upon it after the years in bed. It was like  36  one’s citizenship in a world one had nearly lost.   37  ,I sit back and say to myself, let me make a   38  of this moment I’m living right now. All this, I owe to that long time spent on the deadlines of life. Wiser people come to this awareness  39  having to acquire it the hard way. But I wasn’t wise enough. I’m   40  now, a little, and happier.

21．A．frightened B．embarrassed     C．shocked    D．confused

22．A．pick up     B．give up     C．take up     D．keep up

23．A．sentence   B．shadow     C．pressure    D．trial

24．A．figured out      B．looked after     C．cleared up D．concentrated on

25．A．or     B．and   C．nor    D．but

26．A．jump B．walk  C．rush  D．climb

27．A．quickly     B．slowly      C．quietly      D．easily

28．A．expect      B．desire       C．obtain       D．value

29．A．before      B．after  C．until  D．when

30．A．picked      B．accepted   C．grasped     D．quitted

31．A．precious   B．potential   C．pleasant    D．permanent

32．A．spend       B．fill    C．employ     D．kill

33．A．observe    B．appreciate C．ignore      D．respect

34．A．falling      B．rolling      C．running    D．pouring

35．A．ignorance B．absence     C．carelessness      D．freshness

36．A．regaining  B．requiring  C．rebuilding D．recovering

37．A．Regularly B．Immediately     C．Frequently       D．Continuously

38．A．copy B．note  C．study D．summary

39．A．beyond     B．by     C．without     D．through

40．A．better       B．stronger    C．wiser D．healthier

阅读理解

Dear Li Ming,

　　Hi, my name is Brianne. I am a friend of Jenny's. Jenny tells me you are thinking about starting guitar lessons. She suggested that I write to you because I have taken many kinds of music lessons. I am happy to talk to you about my favourite topic:music.

　　I am sending the CD of my favourite singer. I hope you enjoy it. I listen to this music every day on the radio and I thought you might like it, too. Bryan Adams is very popular here. Have you ever heard of him? He's great! How about in China? When I take the school bus each day, I like to bring my “Discman” so that I can listen to music while I am going to school. It is important that students be happy on the bus, don't you think? I love many kinds of music and I think music is very important in life.　　Music has been a part of my life since I was young. When I was only four, I started taking violin lessons. We had many music parties and concerts. Then as I got older, I play the piano, and eventually joined the band at school and started playing the saxophone. That's when I learned to appreciate jazz music. Now,even though I like listening to popular music, I also love playing music.

　　Once I learned to play sax, and fell in love with jazz music, I wanted to sing. So now I am taking guitar lessons. I absolutely love it! It's easier to sing when you have a guitar to keep you “on key”. I'm surprised at how easy it is. I recommend you start your lessons right away and I'm sure that you will learn very quickly. Someday maybe we will be able to play together. Wouldn't that be fun?

　　Lately, I've been thinking about how important music is. In Canada we sometimes say, “Music is the language of the soul.” I think this is true because when I play music, I can experience emotions and express parts of myself that I can't really talk about in words. Do you know what I mean, Li Ming? Have you ever had this experience? Whether I'm feeling down, or having the best time, music always makes the day better.

　　Actually, I can think of one day, years ago, when music didn't make my day better. I was playing in a piano concert with three of my friends. We were in this fancy hall with a baby grand piano on the stage and two judges sitting in the audience. I was terrified! It was the first time I had to know my song by memory. My first friend went up and played her song; the audience clapped and she returned to her seat. She had played beautifully. My second friend also played well. Then the judges called my name. I had butterflies in my stomach and a lump in my throat as I slowly walked up to the stage. I began to play.

　　About halfway through the song, I completely forgot the notes! I stopped playing, and then started again at the beginning, but when I got to the same place, I forgot the notes again. This time I stopped and looked up at the audience and saw one of the judges slowly walking up to the stage to bring me the music book. I have never been so embar-rassed in all my life! By the way, I didn't win the competition.

　　Whenever I remember this story, I laugh. It doesn't seem so tragic now. Don't let it scare you. Most of my memories of music are good ones, and I don't ever want to stop playing instruments and listening to good music. Pop music, classical music, jazz or even country music, I enjoy them all.

　　So, Li Ming, I strongly recommend that you take the guitar lessons. Please let me know how it turns out. I hope you enjoy this gift of music. I would like to know what you think about music. What kind of music do you listen to?

Your new friend,

Brianne

(1)When Brianne says “when I play music, I can... express parts of myself that I can't really talk about in words,” it means “_____”.

[　　]

A．words are powerless in expressing oneself

B．music is sometimes more expressive and powerful than words

C．I'm a poor writer but a good musician

D．I can't express myself in words but can express myself by playing music

(2)Brianne is a friend of Jenny's. Why did she write a letter to Li Ming?

[　　]

A．She wanted to make friends with her.

B．She wanted to teach her guitar.

C．She wanted to make some suggestions on music lessons.

D．She wanted to think highly of music.

(3)Which of the following statements is TRUE?

[　　]

A．Brianne is a music fan.

B．Brianne doesn't want Li Ming to take the guitar lessons.

C．Music makes Brianne any day better.

D．Brianne gave Li Ming some advice on the guitar lessons.

(4)Why didn't Brianne win the competition?

[　　]

A．She didn't practise a lot.

B．She was too nervous to remember the notes.

C．She didn't know the judges.