A
(2020·昆明摸底调研)A study of 500，000 songs released(发行) in the UK between 1985 and 2015 showed that pop music had decreased in happiness and increased in sadness.
In a report published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers at the University of California examined hundreds of thousands of songs and classified them by their mood. “‘Happiness’ is going down, ‘sadness’ is going up, and at the same time, the songs are becoming more ‘danceable’ and more ‘partylike’，” coauthor Natalia L．Komarova told The Associated Press.
The study found songs in 2014 like Stay with Me by Sam Smith, Whispers by Passenger and Unmissable by Gorgon City have a “low happiness” trend. However, tracks from 1984 like Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen, Would I Lie to You? by Eurythmics and Freedom by Wham! had a “high happiness” trend. “The public seems to prefer happier songs, even though more and more unhappy songs are being released each year，” the researchers wrote.
Apart from the emotional trends, researchers discovered that dances and pop were the most successful styles of music and that there was a “clear downward” trend, with the popularity of rock beginning in the early 2000s. “So it looks like, while the overall mood is becoming less happy, people seem to want to forget it all and dance，” Komarova wrote in an email.
It was also found that the “maleness” of songs—the frequency of male singers in popular music—had decreased during the last 30 years. “Successful songs are characterised by a larger percentage of female artists compared to all songs，” they wrote.
This discovery appears at a time when the conversation around sex equality in the music industry is at its height, with more male artists and songwriters.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了流行音乐表达的情绪的变化趋势。
1．The researchers examined lots of songs to ________．
A．find songs for dances and parties
B．choose songs for a journal
C．release more songs
D．know better about songs
D 解析：推理判断题。本文第二段介绍了加州大学的研究者们调查了成千上万的歌曲并把它们按情绪分类，紧接着得出歌曲分类的结果，可见他们调查歌曲的目的是想对歌曲有更多的了解，故选D。A、C两项曲解文意；B项无中生有。
2．Whose music style tends to bring you more happiness?
A．Natalia L．Komarova’s.
B．Sam Smith’s.
C．Gorgon City’s.
D．Bruce Springsteen’s.
D 解析：细节理解题。根据第三段中的“However, tracks from 1984 like Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen...had a ‘high happiness’ trend.”可知D项正确。Natalia L．Komarova为报道的合著者，而非歌手；Sam Smith、Gorgon City所演唱的歌曲有让人开心感降低的趋势，故排除。
3．What do we know about songs over the past three decades?
A．Rock became popular in the early 2000s.
B．Fewer unhappy songs came to light every year.
C．Male singers were better at performing pop music.
D．Female artists were less skilled in writing songs.
A 解析：细节理解题。根据第四段中的“with the popularity of rock beginning in the early 2000s”可知，摇滚乐在21世纪初开始流行，故A项正确。其余三个选项的内容均与文意不符。
4．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．Pop Music Is Getting Sadder
B．Music Calls for Sex Equality
C．Pop Music Has a Long History
D．Music Industry Is Going Down
A 解析：标题归纳题。根据本文首段总述及后续段落的描述可知，全文重点介绍了流行音乐正变得越来越伤感，故选A项。B项仅是本文中提到的一个细节；C项不是本文的重点；D项扩大外延，属过度概括，故排除。
