Question 18 is based on the passage you have just heard.

听力原文

        (16) [The golden rule is a moral principle, which states that you should treat others the way you want to be treated yourself.] For example, if you want people to treat you with respect, you should treat them with respect. Different people tend to be exposed to different forms of the golden rule, based on factors such as the religion in their society. However, all forms of the golden rule revolve around the same concept. (16) [Namely, they help you treat others better by using the way you yourself would want to be treated as a guide of how to behave.] (17) [A notable criticism of the golden rule is that its application can lead to undesirable outcomes] when it conflicts with laws and ethical principles. For example, if someone breaks the law, the golden rule would suggest that we should let them go, because we would not want to be punished ourselves. However, this issue with the golden rule can be dealt with in a general manner, (16) [by viewing this principle as one of several principles that we use to guide our behavior as individuals and as a society.] Specifically, (18) [in the example described above, most individuals and societies choose to place laws and ethical principles above the golden rule. This means that they strive to implement the golden rule whenever possible, as long as it doesn’t clash with a more important concept.]

18. What does the example of someone breaking the law serve to show?

解析：B。作者在录音中间部分举出有人违法的例子，指出黄金法则在与法律和道德相冲突时出现的问题，在录音后半部分进行了总结，即大多数个体和群体选择了将法律和道德原则置于黄金法则之上。这意味着，只要不与更重要的概念相冲突，人们还是会尽可能地遵循黄金法则。也就是说，在有人违法这个例子中，想要传达的信息是黄金法则需要让位给法律和道德原则，因为后者更加重要。B项与此内容相符，其中的more important principles对应录音中的laws and ethical principles，give way to对应place above，故B项为正确答案。

错项排除：A项在录音中有所提及，但并不是例子想要论证的主题，故排除。有人违法一例的重点在于违反法律，而不是没有遵守黄金法则，故C项排除。D项中的first step和responsible citizen在录音中未提及，故排除。