Question 23 is based on the recording you have just heard.

听力原文 

    (22) [Why do old people dislike new music?] As I’ve grown older, I often hear people my age say things like, “They just don’t make good music like they used to.” Why does this happen? Luckily, psychology can give us some insights into this puzzle. Musical tastes begin to crystallize as early as age 13 or 14. By the time we’re in our early 20s, these tastes get locked into place pretty firmly.

    (23) [In fact, studies have found that by the time we turn 33, most of us have stopped listening to new music.] Meanwhile, popular songs released when you’re in your early teens are likely to remain quite popular among your age group for the rest of your life. There could be a biological explanation for this. As there’s evidence that the brain’s ability to make subtle distinctions between different chords, rhythms, and melodies deteriorates with age, so to older people, newer, less familiar songs might all sound the same.

    (22) [But there’re maybe some simpler reasons for older people’s aversion to new music.] (24) [One of the most researched laws of social psychology is something called the “mere exposure effect”, which in essence means that the more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it.] This happens with people we know, the advertisements we see, and the songs we listen to. When you’re in your early teens, you probably spend a fair amount of time listening to music or watching music videos. Your favorite songs and artists become familiar, comforting parts of your routine. For many people over 30, job and family obligations increase. So there’s less time to spend discovering new music. Instead, many will simply listen to old familiar favorites from that period of their lives when they had more free time.

    Of course, those teen years weren’t necessarily carefree. They’re famously confusing, which is why so many TV shows and movies revolve around high school turmoil. Psychology research has shown that (25) [the emotions that we experience as teens seem more intense than those that come later. And we also know that intense emotions are associated with stronger memories and preferences. Both of these might explain why the songs we listen to during this period become so memorable and beloved.] So there’s nothing wrong with your parents because they don’t like your music. Rather, it’s all part of the natural order of things.

23. What have studies found about most people by the time they turn 33?（研究发现，大多数人到33岁时会怎样？）

解析：D。根据选项，预判题目可能与人们对音乐的反应有关。录音前半部分提到，研究发现，在33岁以后，大多数人已经不会再去听新音乐了。D项与此内容相符，其中的no longer listen to new music是对录音中stopped listening to new music的同义替换，故正确答案为D。

错项排除：A项利用录音中出现的songs released when you’re in your early teens设置干扰，但此处说的是，在你十几岁时发行的流行歌曲，很可能会在你的同龄人中流行一辈子，A项与此内容相悖，故排除。B项和C项分别利用录音中出现的make subtle distinctions和all sound the same设置干扰，但录音中说的是大脑对不同和弦、节奏和旋律进行细微区分的能力会随着年龄的增长而下降，所以对老年人来说，那些不熟悉的新歌听起来可能都一样，并不是说所有音乐听起来都一样，而且录音中也没有明确指出人在33岁时到底能不能区分出音乐的细微差别，故排除B、C两项。