Text 4

　　Ever since Muzak started serenading patrons of hotels and restaurants in the 1930s, piped-in music has been part of the consumer experience. Without the throb of a synthesiser or a guitar’s twang, shoppers would sense something missing as they tried on jeans or filled up trolleys. Special- ists like Mood Media, which bought Muzak in 2011, devise audio programmes to influence the feel of shops and cater to customers’ tastes. The idea is to entertain, and thereby prolong the time shop- pers spend in stores, says Claude Nahon, the firm’s international chief. Music by famous artists works better than the generic stuff that people associate with Muzak. The embarrassing brand name was dropped in 2013.

　　Online shopping is an under-explored area of merchandising musicology. A new study commis- sioned by eBay, a shopping website, aims to correct that. Some 1,900 participants were asked to simulate online shopping while listening to different sounds. Some results were unsurprising. The noise of roadworks and crying babies soured shoppers’ views of the products on offer. Chirruping birds encouraged sales of barbecues but not blenders or board games.

　　Sounds associated with quality and luxury seemed to be hazardous for shoppers’ wallets. The study found classical music and restaurant buzz caused them to overestimate the quality of goods on offer and to pay more than they should. That backs up earlier research which found that shoppers ex- posed to classical music in a wine store bought more expensive bottles than those hearing pop.

　　EBay wants consumers to avoid such unhealthy influences when shopping online. It has blend- ed birdsong, dreamy music and the sound of a rolling train—thought to be pleasant but not overly se- ductive—to help them buy more sensibly. Retailers could presumably counter by turning up the Chopin. “Classical music does seem to be the way to go” if your only interest is the narrow one of squeezing as much money as possible from your clientele, says the study’s author, Patrick Fagan, a lecturer at Goldsmiths, part of the University of London.

　　Few trad itional shops are likely to use that tactic. H&M, a clothes retailer, airs “trendy, up-tempo” music from new artists, while Nespresso’s coffee boutiques go for “l(fā)ounge-y” sounds, says Mr. Nahon. Grocery stores, with a broad following, play top 40 hits. The tempo tends to be slower in the mornings, when shoppers are sparser and older, and becomes more quick and lively as the day goes on.

　　36. The brand name Muzak was dropped in 2013 because it _______ .

　　[A] was outdated

　　[B] was bought by Mood Media in 2011

　　[C] was often associated with generic music

　　[D] entertained customers better

　　37. The sound of _______may increase sales of board games_______ .

　　[A] roadworks

　　[B] crying babies

　　[C] chirruping birds

　　[D] classic music

　　38. The word “hazardous” (Para. 3) probably means_______ .

　　[A] safe [B] dangerous

　　[C] helpful [D] lucky

　　39. The sound which helps customers buy more sensibly_______ .

　　[A] belongs to classical music

　　[B] includes the sound of a rolling train

　　[C] sounds noisy and unpleasant

　　[D] is overly seductive

　　40. It can be inferred that a fashion shop should play________to attract customers.

　　[A] trendy and up-tempo music

　　[B] “l(fā)ounge-y” music

　　[C] slow and tender music

　　[D] quick and lively music

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