首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
We blast the upbeat tunes for parties and workouts at the gym, and we save the low-key ballads for romantic or pensive moments.
We blast the upbeat tunes for parties and workouts at the gym, and we save the low-key ballads for romantic or pensive moments.
admin
2014-06-25
20
问题
We blast the upbeat tunes for parties and workouts at the gym, and we save the low-key ballads for romantic or pensive moments. It’s hardly a new idea that music is intertwined with our emotions. But how have our favorites changed over the decades, and what do these changes say about America’s shifting emotional landscape?
Music is a form of naturalistic data that, much like popular television and sales of consumer goods, scientists can sample for insight into our minds and values. Researchers E. Glenn Schellenberg and Christian von Scheve set out to examine songs popular in America during the last five decades, hoping to learn how emotional cues in music, such as tempo(slow to fast)and mode(major or minor key), have changed since 1960.
The most striking finding is the change in key. Songs composed in a major key tend to sound warm and high-spirited, whereas songs in a minor key can sound darker and more melancholic. Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complicated. It’s important to note, though, that although older songs were frequently in a major key, this didn’t necessarily mean the lyrics were cheerful.
America’s popular songs have also become slower and longer. Even more interesting, perhaps, is that our current favorites are more likely to be emotionally ambiguous, such as sad-sounding songs being fast or happy-sounding songs being slow.
Perhaps, the two researchers suggest, today’s listeners are more musically sophisticated. Other researchers in the past have linked music preferences to personality traits, such as a preference for sadder music being tied to more empathy, openness to experience, and less human interactions. Schellenberg and von Scheve also suggest that artists may employ minor keys and compose slower songs to give them an air of maturity. After all, it’s children’s music that is usually happy.
Another possible explanation for the changes in popular music is that the more contemporary music reflects the hardships and tragedies that our society has endured. However, Schellenberg and von Scheve believe that the steady increase in duration and decrease in tempo that doesn’t support the idea of growing difficulties fully because it would mean our problems have increased steadily over the last fifty years. Perhaps popular songs have become more complex over time because Americans are becoming more diverse and individualized in their musical tastes.
Though we can only speculate on the specific causes of this evolution in music, we can still view society’s preferences as a metric of the public consciousness. Maybe the reason South Korean tapper PSY’s infectious "Gangnam Style" went viral in 2012 is because we needed a little light-heartedness and a dose of fun in the face of disturbing world events beyond our immediate control. Schellenberg and von Scheve’s initial observations have only opened the door to inquiries on the link between emotion and music consumption. Perhaps someday we’ll learn more of the secrets behind the music we love and the times we live in.
Paragraphs 3 and 4 show that today’s popular songs tend to feature______.
选项
A、brightness and simplicity
B、darkness and pessimism
C、indifference and casualness
D、intricacy and irregularity
答案
D
解析
第三段指出,现在的音乐已经由明快转向了复杂(complicated),第四段进一步指出,现在的流行音乐从情感上更加微妙复杂(emotionally ambiguous),悲伤的歌曲节奏也可以很快,欢快的曲子节奏也可以很慢。可见,现在的音乐较为复杂、无规律,[D]选项正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/QUK4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Untilthelate1940swhentelevisionbeganfindingitswayintoAmericanhomes,companiesreliedmainlyonprintandradiotopr
GenerationY—thegroupofAmericanscurrentlyintheirlateteenstoearly30s—getscalledalotofnames.Personalfinanceadvi
GenerationY—thegroupofAmericanscurrentlyintheirlateteenstoearly30s—getscalledalotofnames.Personalfinanceadvi
Antibiotics,beforetheybecameusedasdrugs,werenaturalproducts.Anewfindingprovidesthefirstdirect【C1】______thatanti
Antibiotics,beforetheybecameusedasdrugs,werenaturalproducts.Anewfindingprovidesthefirstdirect【C1】______thatanti
Thenumberofthecompaniesthatwereestablishedin2002isaboutThereasonwhyagoodbusinessplanisimportantisthatit
AyoungmanchoosingacarisnotedtosuggestthatThe"prestigeCollection"businessofHertzis
随机试题
A.阴离子型表面活性剂B.阳离子表面活性剂C.非离子型表面活性剂D.两性离子型表面活性剂E.上述均不对有起昙现象的是
A.法律性B.有效性C.技术性D.经济性E.稳定性药师应对处方进行审核,按照医师处方调配药品,体现了处方的()。
案情:某年1月,张某不慎遗失其背包,内有其名贵钻石项链一条。李某拾得后,按照背包内的名片所示积极寻找失主,与张某取得了联系,将钻石项链归还给了张某。同年5月,张某与赵某结婚。张某、赵某合计开设一家书吧,书吧办理工商登记注明的个体工商户开办人为张某。
GPS技术在地籍平面控制测量中的应用优势主要在于()。
根据流动性的不同,我国目前把货币供应量分为三个层次,其中M2包括()三部分。
中国银行系统从事的外汇转贷业务,如上级行借入外汇资金后转给下级行贷给国内用户的,在下级行,以其向借款方收取的全部利息收入减去支付给境外的借款利息支出后的余额为营业额。()
材料一:抢占经济科技制高点,关系到国家竞争力和民族的未来。物联网有望成为我国抢占新一代信息技术前沿的桥头堡,成为我国经济进一步发展的新引擎。我国政府必须抓住这一历史性机遇,及早谋划,有所作为。材料二:当前,物联网发展在研发水平、行业标准、人才队伍
下列关于法律原则的表述哪一项是错误的?()
台湾自古以来就是中国领土不可分割的一部分,下列有关台湾地理的论述,不正确的是:
A、“我”没有忘记这件事B、“我”完全忘了开会的事C、这件事用不着别人提醒D、这件事不是你提醒“我”的B
最新回复
(
0
)