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

Recording One

听力原文

        (16) [Working for a new venture comes with a lot of risks]—there is instability, unclear responsibilities and the need to be a master of all trades. But the primary benefit is usually the passion and excitement associated with playing a role in a promising new company. The person to thank for that passion and excitement is almost always the entrepreneur. There’s something about the founder’s energy and enthusiasm that infects the rest of the team. The willingness to take risks may inspire others to be more courageous. The optimism and positivity may motivate people to focus less on trivial and unimportant matters. The celebration of milestones may prompt staff to be more grateful about their own accomplishments and privileges.

       What becomes set in the firm’s culture is a contagious collection of affirmative and positive emotions, which are usually shared among the team. Science has already done a good job of proving the results that follow. (17) [These include better processes, greater team cohesion, reduced conflict and sharp alertness.] But what is yet to be demonstrated is whether the founder’s passion leads to increased team performance. This was recently tested in research, which analyzed the teams of 73 new companies across a range of industries such as IT, medicine and energy. The CEOs were consulted once again years after the initial analysis, and most shared their firm’s performance reports so that their success could be more objectively measured.

        Entrepreneurial teams generally progress through three phases. The first is inventing a product or service, the second is founding the venture to sell that product or service, and the third is developing the firm so it continues to grow. The researchers discovered that when the team is passionate about the third phase—developing the firm—there’s a clear link to performance. But the first phase—a passion for invention—is not a reliable indicator that the firm will still be open for business a few years later. Likewise, the second—a passion for finding the venture—doesn’t necessarily translate into great success. The solution to great team performance stems from a willingness to recruit others who could direct their passion towards the third phase of entrepreneurialism—developing the business. 

       Employing more staff can in itself be a risk for an entrepreneur, as is paying them big dollars to attract them. (18) [On many occasions, the entrepreneurs reported not paying themselves a wage at all initially in order to cover salaries and expenses.]

17. What has science demonstrated regarding the positive culture of a new venture?（关于一个新企业的积极文化，科学证明了什么？）

解析：C。录音中提到，科学证明了积极的企业文化能够带来的结果，其中就包括了减少冲突，C项中的reduces conflict对应录音中的reduced conflict，故C项正确。

错项排除：录音中表示，积极的企业文化所带来的结果包括更好的流程、更强的团队凝聚力、更少的冲突和更敏锐的警觉性。A、B、D三项利用录音中出现的相关词developing the business、willingness和invention进行干扰，但这几处指的并不是业务迅速扩张、激发牺牲意愿和鼓励创新，故均可排除。