Question 18 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.]

18. What does the speaker say about entrepreneurs at the initial stage of a new venture?（关于创业初期的创业者，讲话者说了些什么？）

解析：B。录音结尾提到，多数情况下，企业家表示，最初为了支付员工工资和公司开支，自己根本没有工资。由此可知，企业家在创业初期往往没有工资，B项中的often work without any pay是对录音中not paying themselves a wage at all的同义替换，故B项正确。

错项排除：关于创业初期的情况，录音中只提到企业家在创业初期往往没有工资，并没有说到他们是否不切实际或理想主义，也没有提到是否有人愿意投资，故排除其余三项。