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Recording One
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In last week's lecture, we discussed reasons why people forget things.
在上周的课上，我们讨论了人们健忘的原因。
This week, we will discuss a surprising reason why we might remember some things: anxiety.
本周，我们将会讨论我们可以记住一些事情的令人惊讶的原因：焦虑。
Think about something as simple as buying a coffee.
想想买一杯咖啡这样简单的事情。
That may not seem like an experience that would make a deep impression on your memory.
这似乎不是一个会给你的记忆留下深刻印象的经历。
But anxiety could change that.
但焦虑可能会改变这一现象。
In fact, a new study suggests that people with higher anxiety levels might remember certain information better than people with lower anxiety levels.
事实上，一项新的研究表明，焦虑程度较高的人可能比焦虑程度较低的人更容易记住某些信息。
That's because higher levels of anxiety may make people more susceptible to negative feelings.
这是因为更高程度的焦虑可能会使人们更容易受到负面情绪的影响。
Putting them in a more negative state of mind, that in turn, may make them able to better remember some events.
让他们处于更消极的心态反而可能会让他们更好地记住一些事件。
Let's take a closer look at that new study now.
现在让我们来仔细看看这项新研究。
In the study, the researchers started by giving 80 undergraduate students an anxiety test.
在这项研究中，研究人员首先对80名本科生进行了焦虑测试。
The test measured the participants' anxiety levels over the proceeding two weeks.
这项测试对参与者在接下来两周内的焦虑水平进行了测量。
Then, to test memory, the participants were shown a series of neutral words one at a time.
接着，为了测试记忆力，研究人员向参与者展示了一系列中性词，一次一个词。
Some of the words were printed onto photos of negative scenes, meaning images that could affect their emotions negatively, such as a photo of a car accident, or a cemetery.
其中一些词被印在负面场景的照片上，这些照片可能会对他们的情绪产生负面影响，比如车祸或墓地的照片。
The rest of the words were printed onto photos of neutral scenes, such as a photo of a lake or trees.
其余的词被印在中性场景的照片上，比如湖泊或树木的照片。
Neutral words included words like table or desk that don't elicit emotion.
中性词包括table或desk等不会激发情感的词。
Later, the participants were asked to think back to the words they were shown earlier, which caused them to reenter either a negative or neutral mindset.
随后，实验要求参与者回想他们之前看到的词，这会导致参与者重新进入消极或中立的心态。
The participants were then presented with another set of neutral words, and their memory of these new words was tested.
然后，研究人员向参与者展示了另一组中性词汇，并测试了他们对这些新词的记忆。
The researchers found that the new words presented to people in a negative mindset were better remembered by people with higher levels of anxiety than those with lower levels of anxiety.
研究人员发现，焦虑程度较高的人比焦虑程度较低的人更容易记住消极心态下的新词。
In other words, when highly anxious individuals took in otherwise emotionally neutral information that was presented to them, it became colored by their negative mindset, making them remember the information better.
换言之，当高度焦虑的人接受呈现给他们的情绪中性信息时，这些中性信息会被他们的消极心态所影响，使他们更好地记住这些中性信息。
But these same effects were not seen in people with low levels of anxiety.
但在焦虑程度低的人群中没有发现同样的效果。
Previous studies have found that extreme levels of anxiety such as those experienced by people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder can be quite detrimental to memory and cognitive performance.
先前的研究也发现，极端程度的焦虑，如那些被诊断患有焦虑症的人所经历的那种焦虑，可能会对记忆和认知表现造成相当不利的影响。
But the highly anxious people in this study represent individuals who are managing their anxiety and for whom anxiety is not a serious problem.
但在这项研究中，高度焦虑的人指的是那些正在控制自己焦虑，且焦虑对他们来说不是一个严重问题的人。
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
请根据你刚听到的录音回答问题16到问题18。
Q16. What does the speaker say the new study suggests?
问题16：说话人说这项新研究表明了什么?
Q17. What did researchers do first in the new study?
问题17：在这项新研究中，研究人员首先做了什么?
Q18. What do we learn from previous studies about anxiety?
问题18：我们从先前关于焦虑的研究中了解到了什么?
