Question 18 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.

18. What did the second experiment in the new research find about solitude?（新研究的第二项实验得出了关于独处的什么结论？）

解析：C。录音后半部分讲到，实验发现，所有这些低唤醒情绪都只随着独处时间的增加而增长。C项与此内容一致，其中的helped increase对应录音中的were increased，故C项正确。

错项排除：录音中提到，第二项实验研究的是独处对低唤醒情绪的影响，并发现所有这些情绪都会随着独处时间的增加而增长，它会改变我们体验的强度。这是对独处的客观描述，A项与此相悖，故排除。录音结尾部分提到，长期孤独会导致一系列负面的生理和心理影响，但也提到短暂的独处有助于人们调节情绪，并没有提到独处时一定会悲伤，故B项排除。录音只是说长时间孤独与一系列负面影响相关，这并不等同于任何形式的独处（solitude）都会加剧负面情绪，D项利用intensify、negative和emotions进行干扰，属于细节拼凑，应排除。