Question 17 is based on the recording you have just heard.

听力原文

    Psychology research has tended to portray solitude as a negative experience. Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1990s suggested that people felt less happy when alone as compared to being with others. However, a new paper shows an alternative view of solitude, one in which solitude can be positive.

    Let’s start by looking at the earlier research. It had a couple of shortcomings. First, it measured emotion on a scale from positive to negative, overlooking the possibility that the positive and negative emotions can fluctuate independently. (16) [Also, it categorized emotions as simply positive or negative.] It didn’t consider that emotions arouse us to different degrees and that both positive and negative emotions can arouse us a lot or little. That is, whether positive or negative, emotions can be either high arousal or low arousal. High arousal emotions include excitement on the positive side or anger on the negative side, while low arousal ones include feeling calm on the positive side or lonely on the negative.

    This new research attempted to overcome these shortcomings. Researchers began with a simple study: they asked participants to spend fifteen minutes sitting alone without engaging in any activity and measured how this solitude influenced their emotional state. (17) [This experiment specifically aimed to determine the effect of solitude on high arousal emotions.] It looked at positive emotions such as being excited or interested, and negative emotions, including being scared or distressed.

    The results were clear. (17) [After fifteen minutes of solitude, the participants showed reductions in both types of emotion.] A second study measured the effects of solitude on low arousal emotions. These included both positive and negative emotions such as feeling calm, relaxed, sad or lonely. (18) [That experiment found that all of these emotions were increased by time alone.] Thus, it seems past depictions of solitude were wrong. It doesn’t have a simple emotional effect that can be characterized as good or bad. Rather, it changes the intensity of our inner experience. (18) [It amplifies quieter emotions, but it diminishes the intensity of stronger feelings.] It’s worth clarifying that these findings relate to relatively brief periods of solitude. This is distinct from prolonged loneliness. Research has demonstrated that the latter is correlated with an assortment of negative physical and psychological effects.

    How can people benefit from being alone? The findings here suggest that people can use solitude to regulate their emotions. Solitude can help us become quiet after excitement, calm after an angry episode, or simply feel at peace.

17. What do we learn about the results of the new research?（我们从新研究的结果中能了解到什么？）

解析：D。录音中间介绍了新研究的目标：确定独处对高唤醒情绪的影响，并对积极的情绪（如兴奋或感兴趣）和消极的情绪（如害怕或愁苦）进行观察。随后又提到了研究结果：独处15分钟后，参与者的这两种情绪都有所缓解。D项中的high-arousal emotions就是录音中提到的both types of emotion中的一种，a reductive effect对应录音中的showed reductions，故D项为正确答案。

错项排除：录音中没有对独自坐着，不做任何事情作出主观评价，故A项排除。录音中提到长期孤独（prolonged loneliness）与一系列负面的生理和心理影响密切相关，并不是说任何形式的独处（solitude）对参与者都有负面的心理影响，故B项排除。录音中也没有提到参与者焦躁不安（restless），故C项排除。