四级真题2023年12月第三套 Passage Two
四级真题2023年12月第三套 Passage Two


①People in business often make decisions based on their own personal feelings or instincts. It is quite horrifying to see people being guided by some unknown force. But how wise is it, really, to let your instincts drive your decisions?

②In the decision-making process, relying on instincts only makes sense when you have a vast experience to support you. Simply “feeling” that something is right or should be done is highly subjective and can drown you.
③On the other hand, there is a more rational approach to making decisions. Data and analysis have long been associated with informed decisions. These reduce the likelihood of errors and increase the chances of success. Big, systematic data is mostly the foundation of most of our decisions, personal and business alike. But with its extreme usability comes a complication: what do you do if you strongly feel something should not be done, even if the data insists that it should?
④This seemingly easy question is what drives the need to understand the relationship between instincts and data in the decision-making process. Without making things complicated, the solution to this dilemma is using data and instincts in conjunction to arrive at the best possible decisions.
⑤Instinctive decisions are always backed by previous experiences or information, which acknowledges that instinctive decisions have worked in the past. Decisions are not about making the choice and braving the consequences because you want to blindly trust your instincts. They are about combining your inner wisdom with the knowledge of systematic data to make the best decisions.
⑥Sometimes, rational analysis and data are impractical to be employed in certain situations. Absence of definitive criteria, and time and resource constraints, and novel situations are instances which limit the practicality of data. The only feasible option is to rely on what your instincts tell you. In these situations, instincts can help you make effective and quick decisions. Combining instinctive and rational analysis produces well-rounded decisions. It reduces the chances of making mistakes, and has increasingly become a favorite approach to decision- making among leaders of today.

1.1.What does the author say businesspeople often do?

A Strive to make sense of some unknown forces.

B Avoid being driven by their own feelings.

C Draw on a vast wealth of past experience.

D Rely on instincts in decision-making.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的 businesspeople 定位到首段第一句。定位句指出，做生意的人通常会基于个人感受或直觉做出决策,故答案为 D。

2.2.What should we take into account in order to make informed decisions?

A The likelihood of errors.

B Systematic data and analysis.

C The complexity of circumstances.

D Personal feelings and business strategies.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。由题干中的 informed decisions定位到第三段第二句。定位句提到,长期以来,数据和分析一直与知情决策联系在一起。由此可知，想要做出知情决策,数据和分析是必不可少的,故答案为 B。

3.3.What should people do in a decision-making process if instincts disagree with data?

A Resolve the dilemma with previous experience.

B Figure out which of the two is more reliable.

C Combine the two together.

D Prioritize instincts over data.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。由题干中的decision-making processinstincts 和 data定位到第四段。第三段末句提出了一个问题:“如果你强烈认为某件事情不应该做,而数据坚持认为应该做，你该怎么办?”也就是题干所说的,直觉和数据出现分歧。第四段紧接着对这个问题做出了回答。第四段第二句指出,在不把事情复杂化的前提下,解决这一难题的办法就是将数据和直觉结合起来使用,从而做出最佳决策，因此答案为 C。

4.4.What should we do when facing various factors that limit the practicality of data?

A Make a rational and systematic analysis.

B Explore the most feasible options.

C Resort to our inner wisdom.

D Apply definitive criteria.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。由题干中的 limit the practicality of data定位到第六段第二、三句。定位句提到,缺乏明确的标准、时间和资源的限制以及新情况都限制了数据的实用性。唯一可行的选择就是相信你的直觉，C)选项提及的“内在智慧”和定位句中的“直觉”含义近似，故答案为 C。

5.5.What does it take for decisions to become the best according to the author?

A Applying instincts and data in conjunction.

B Assessing all factors when making a choice.

C Recalling what has actually worked in the past.

D Refraining from trusting instincts arbitrarily.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据题文同序原则定位到最后一段。最后一段第一句指出,将直觉和理性的分析相结合，可以做出全面的决策。结合上文也可以发现,作者一直在强调将直觉和数据结合起来可以做出最佳决策,故答案为A。