Question 10 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.

10. What does the passage say may increase the value of products for consumers?（文章中指出，什么会提高商品在消费者心中的价值？）

解析：D。录音中间举了沙滩浴巾的例子来证明在晴天和雪天时，消费者会在心中设想使用相关户外用品的情景：消费者在晴天看到沙滩浴巾时，不仅仅会看到商品本身，还会想象自己躺在浴巾上晒太阳的情景，录音中接着指出，这幅心理图像提高了浴巾在消费者心中的价值。D项符合录音内容，Mental visualization对应录音中的This mental picture，故D项正确。

错项排除：录音中没有提到积极的消费对消费者心目中商品价值的影响，故A项排除。B项利用录音中出现的correlation（关联性）设置干扰，指代的是某些天气和人们购买活动的相关性，但未提及这种相关性是否是直接的，且相关性引起商品在消费者心中价值上升这种说法过于模糊，故B项排除。录音中提到的提高商品价值的原因是心理上所想象的画面（This mental picture），是消费者在想象自己使用商品，C项“个人的联想”（Individual association）太过宽泛，故排除。