四级真题2023年12月第二套 Passage One
四级真题2023年12月第二套 Passage One


①Having a rival can keep you committed to achieving your goals and enhance your overall performance. But before you go out and find an entrepreneur to outcompete, it’s important to understand and avoid the traps that often come with rivalry. After all, competitive rivalry can also hinder effective decision-making and increase your willingness to take risks, behaviors that can ultimately hurt your venture’s success.

②Finding someone you’re committed to outcompeting can be a great way to stay focused on your goals and push your venture to the next level. But when you’re intently focused on outperforming your rivals, you may begin to develop a “win-at-all-costs” mentality that causes you to ignore how you achieve success. One group of researchers, for example, examined the link between rivalry and unethical behavior. They found that when people compete against their rivals, they are more willing to behave unethically to win. But such behavior may stain your reputation and strain relationships important to your success. One way to avoid this trap is to stop and reflect on what’s important. While outperforming your rivals may provide short-term benefits, the loss of your integrity will have long-term consequences.
③One reason having a rival can enhance your venture’s performance is that it creates a level of excitement that drives you to work harder. But this eagerness to win may also hurt your venture’s success, particularly when it causes you to make impulsive, insensible decisions. But it’s possible to avoid such costly mistakes by making a habit of engaging in critical thinking, such as considering opposing viewpoints and conducting cost-benefit analyses, especially for those decisions that are complex and can determine the future of your venture.
④The sense of eagerness that comes with having a rival can not only cause you to make poorer decisions, but it can also lead you to take greater risks that put your venture in peril. One way you can overcome the risk-inducing effects of rivalry that stand to endanger your venture’s success is to remain attentive to your emotional state and actively monitor how such feelings are affecting your decision-making.

1.1. How can competitive rivalry benefit entrepreneurs according to the passage?

A By enabling them to outcompete other entrepreneurs.

B By enabling them to make their venture a success.

C By helping them to reach long-term goals.

D By helping them to stay goal-oriented.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的 rivalry和 benefit 定位到首段第一句。定位句指出,拥有竞争对手可以使你专注于实现你的目标并提高你的整体表现力。由此可知,竞争性较量帮助企业家保持目标导向,故答案为 D。

2.2. What is one of the traps entrepreneurs may often fall into when competing with rivals?

A They may adopt strategies that are bound to ruin their venture.

B They may resort to unethical means to outperform their rivals.

C They may be too eager to succeed while ignoring the huge labor cost.

D They may be intently focused on winning at the current market level.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。由题干中的 the traps 和 competing withrivals定位到第二段第四句。定位句提到,他们发现，当人们与竞争对手竞争时,更愿意采取不道德的行为来取胜。由此可知，企业家们可能经常陷人采取不道德手段来胜过对手的陷阱,故答案为B。

3.3. What are entrepreneurs advised to do to avoid traps that often accompany rivalry?

A Deliberate on what really matters.

B Prioritize reaping immediate benefits.

C Estimate the long-term consequences.

D Reflect on what successes are achievable.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的 avoid traps和accompanyrivalry 定位到第二段倒数第二句。定位句指出,避开这个陷阱的方法之一是停下来并且反思什么是重要的。选项中的 Deliberate on what really matters 是对原文中 reflect on what's important 的同义替换,故答案为 A。

4.4. How can entrepreneurs avoid making impulsive and insensible decisions?

A By engaging themselves in critical reasoning.

B By developing a habit of keeping their integrity.

C By criticizing themselves for previous poor performances.

D By refraining from being too excited about their successes.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的impulsive and insensibledecisions 定位到第三段第三句。定位句提到,但是,只要养成批判性思维的习惯,就有可能避免这类代价高昂的错误,比如考虑相反的观点和进行成本效益分析，尤其是对于那些复杂的、能够决定你的事业未来的决策。由此可见，企业家可以通过自己进行批判性的推理,从而避免做出冲动、没觉察到的决策,故答案为 A。

5.5. How can entrepreneurs overcome the risk-inducing effects of rivalry?

A By paying close attention to their current performance.

B By taking steps that stand to endanger their rivals’ success.

C By monitoring how their decision-making impacts their mentality.

D By keeping their emotions in check to avoid making poor decisions.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。由题干中的 risk-inducing effects of rivalry定位到最后一段第二句。定位句指出,要克服竞争带来的危及企业成功的风险，方法之一是时刻专注于自己的情绪状态,并积极关注这样的情绪是如何影响你的决策的。由此可见，企业家通过控制情绪来避免做出糟糕的决定,故答案为D。