A
As you move out of your teens and into your 20s and 30s, your musical tastes start to solidify and you likely quit keeping up with popular music. Now, research has found the average age at which your music library is unlikely to change: 33.
The study’s author reached this conclusion by analyzing data on US Spotify users and comparing it to artist popularity data from music intelligence company The Echo Nest.
To determine the age at which we stop seeking out new tunes, the author gathered selfreported age data from Spotify and looked at users’ “Taste Profiles”, which tracks how many times listeners have streamed individual artists. These artists were then matched to their popularity rank on The Echo Nest.
The average teen listens almost only to music among the Billboard, the 200 highestranking albums in the country, but this music represents a smaller part of their streaming as they age. In their teens, they listen to a lot of the same music, over and over again. Frank T. McAndrew, a professor of psychology at Knox College, explains that’s the “mere exposure effect” at work, and it basically means, the more we’re exposed to something, the more we like it.
There are many reasons why a person may stop streaming the current top musical hits, and the author looked into one by identifying Spotify listeners with large amounts of children’s music and nursery rhymes in their libraries. In other words, when users may have become parents.
But the study concludes with some good news for parents: “If you’re getting older and can’t find yourself staying as relevant as you used to, have no fear — just wait for your kids to become teenagers, and you’ll get exposed to all the popular music of the day once again!”
语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要向我们讲述了研究发现当你从十几岁步入二三十岁时,你的音乐品味开始固定,你可能不再紧跟流行音乐。
1.What happens after teens grow older?
A.They quit listening to music.
B.Their interest in music fades.
C.They change their music libraries.
D.Their musical tastes become stable.
解析:选D 细节理解题。根据第一段第一句可知,当你从十几岁到二三十岁的时候,你的音乐品味开始固化,你可能会跟不上流行音乐。故选D。
2.How was the research done?
A.By interview some people.
B.By analyzing data.
C.By observing some phenomena.
D.By tracking popularity.
解析:选B 细节理解题。根据第二段和第三段可知,这项研究的作者分析美国Spotify用户的数据信息,然后把这些数据与来自The Echo Nest这家音乐智能公司的音乐流行数据做比对。故选B。
3.How do teens develop their musical tastes?
A.They listen to what they like repeatedly.
B.They act like their favorite popular stars.
C.They experience different styles of music.
D.They like highranking music worldwide.
解析:选A 细节理解题。根据第四段的 “In their teens, they listen to a lot of the same music, over and over again.”可知,在他们十几岁的时候,他们经常听同样的音乐,一遍又一遍。故选A。
4.What’s the good news for parents in the last paragraph?
A.Parents will regain their faith in music.
B.Parents will influence their teens in music.
C.Parents will hear their favorite music again.
D.Parents will enjoy the music for teens again.
解析:选D 推理判断题。根据最后一段的“ ... just wait for your kids to become teenagers,and you’ll get exposed to all the popular music of the day once again!”可知,只要等你的孩子变成青少年,你就会再次接触到今天所有的流行音乐!故选D。