Question 9 is based on the passage you have just heard.

听力原文

    Weather is a constant force in our lives, but there’s little marketing research on how it affects businesses. (9) [Now, a new study reveals how sunny and snowy conditions influence consumer behavior. Those weather conditions trigger consumers to mentally visualize using products associated with the respective weather. This leads to consumers placing a higher value on those products.] That is, they’re willing to pay more money for them. But the correlation is only found with products related to being outside.

    How does this work? Researchers give the example of a beach towel. On a sunny day, consumers who see that product are not just looking at the towel itself. They are likely imagining themselves lying on the towel in the sun. (10) [This mental picture of using the towel increases the value of the product in the consumers’ mind.]

    Researchers put forward the following hypothesis to explain their findings. They think the mental picture works in sunshine and snow because these weather conditions have a positive association with outside activities. The effect is not seen with rainy weather. Researchers assert this is because there aren’t many activities that are enabled by rain. Most products associated with rain like umbrellas are only used for protection from the weather and not for any activities.

   Researchers believe that companies that sell a wide array of products online can benefit most from the insights this study provides. (11) [Online sellers often use complex mathematical formulas to determine what products to feature and how to price these products. Incorporating more data about weather would allow them to make better decisions.] This could bolster sales.

9. What do we learn about the findings of the new study?（我们可以从新研究的结论中了解到什么？）

解析：C。录音开头提到，现在有一项新的研究揭示了晴天和雪天对消费者行为的影响。这两种天气会促使消费者在心中设想使用与对应天气相关商品的情景，并会导致消费者对这些商品的价值认知变高。C项内容与录音一致，其中Weather conditions为原词复现，influence consumers’ buying behavior对应录音中的influence consumer behavior，故C项为正确答案。

错项排除：录音中提到，能够促使消费者在心中设想使用与天气相关商品的天气状况（Those weather conditions）是指前面提到的晴天或雪天，A项的in different weather（在不同的天气时）和visualize their activities（想象他们从事的活动），意思过于宽泛，无法替代录音中具体的内容，故A项错误。录音中只是提到特定天气会让消费者联想到自己使用与该天气相关的商品，不等同于说好天气就可以激发消费者的购买欲，故B项排除。录音中只是说在某些天气状况下，消费者对相关商品的价值认知会变高（increases the value of the product in the consumers’ mind），但并不是说消费者的心理状况（mental states）会随着商品价格的变化（the prices of goods）而变化，故D项排除。