Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. 【小题1】 (record) background music first found its way into factories, shops and restaurants in the U. S. But it soon 【小题2】 (spread) to other parts of the world. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to music.
To begin with, background music was intended simply 【小题3】 (create) a comfortable atmosphere, Nowadays, however, it’s become a big business. Dr. Ronald Milliman, an American marketing expert, has shown that music can increase sales or factory production by as much as a third.
But, it has to be light music. A fast one has no effect at all 【小题4】 sales. Slow music can increase sales by 38%. This is probably 【小题5】 shoppers slow down and have more opportunities to look for the things they like to buy. Yet, slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, 【小题6】 reduced sales. So restaurant owners might be advised to play up-tempo music to keep the customers 【小题7】 (move).
