Creativity is hard to describe. On the one hand, we know people make creative breakthroughs when they have persistence(坚持). On the other hand, most of us give up when we get stuck on a problem, believing that our creativity gets weaker over time.

In fact, research shows that the longer we stick to a single problem or task, the more creative we get. One key reason for this is the “series order effect(效应).” That is to say, each later creative idea is always better than the previous(之前的) one.

Some business companies fail to understand this point. Silicon Valley(硅谷) prizes youth over experience, believing that “people under 35 are those who make changes happen” while “people over 45 cannot create new ideas.” But many businessmen succeed in their 40s and beyond because they have repeatedly failed. The creators of the top highest-growth new companies are, in fact, around 45 years old.

Scientific talents show a similar feature. Scientists usually do their best work near age 40. Nobel Prize winners and inventors also do much of their best work from their late 30s to mid-40s. Early success is great because it’s unusual, but the best way to achieve a breakthrough is to get stuck and get unstuck over and over again.

The “series order effect” works not just at the personal level but also at the level of companies and markets. Different from the belief in business that you have to be first, many of the most successful companies are those that have gone through early failures. For example, Google succeeded after twenty-two failures. Success can come when you have tried two, three, or even twenty-two times. Novelty(原创能力) is overvalued.

Persistence, however, is undervalued(低估). So, the next time you’re stuck, remember: “You’re more creative than you think you are.”

1.1. Which of the examples goes against the writer’s point of view(观点)?

A Silicon Valley.

B The creators of the top highest-growth new companies.

C Scientific talents like Nobel Prize winners.

D Google.

解析：选A。A.推理判断题。作者的核心观点是坚持比年龄更能催生创造力，反对 “年龄越大创造力越弱” 的看法。A 选项硅谷：主张 “35 岁以下推动变革，45 岁以上无创新力”，与作者观点完全相反，符合题意。B 选项顶尖新创企业创始人：年龄约 45 岁，印证了 “年长者也能创新” 的观点，支持作者。C 选项诺贝尔奖得主等科研人才：在 30 多岁末至 40 多岁中期出成果，支持作者观点。D 选项谷歌：历经 22 次失败后成功，体现坚持的价值，支持作者观点。

2.2. What can we know about the “series order effect” from the 5th paragraph?

A It doesn’t work for big businesses.

B It proves novelty is unnecessary.

C It shows the importance of a good beginning.

D It explains why failure is common and acceptable.

解析：选D。D.细节理解题。定位第五段，“序列顺序效应” 适用于企业，且文中提到许多成功企业都经历过早期失败，谷歌的例子也印证了 “多次尝试后才会成功”。A 选项 “对大企业无效”：与原文 “适用于企业层面” 矛盾。B 选项 “证明原创能力没必要”：原文是 “原创能力被过分高估”，并非 “没必要”。C 选项 “体现良好开端的重要性”：第五段反驳了 “抢占先机” 的观点，未提及 “良好开端”。D 选项 “解释了为何失败是普遍且可接受的”：该效应表明坚持尝试、经历失败才能带来更好的结果，失败是成功的必经之路，表述正确。

3.3. What is the main idea of this article?

A Creativity is hard to describe.

B Creativity becomes weaker as time goes.

C Creativity is undervalued.

D Creativity comes from persistence.

解析：选D。D.主旨大意题。文章开篇引出 “坚持与创造力” 的关联，中间通过 “序列顺序效应”、企业案例、科研人才案例论证 “坚持能提升创造力”，结尾再次强调坚持的价值。A 选项 “创造力难以描述”：仅为文章开头的引子，并非主旨。B 选项 “创造力随时间减弱”：是作者反驳的错误观点。C 选项 “创造力被低估”：原文是 “坚持被低估”，属于偷换概念。D 选项 “创造力源于坚持”：准确概括全文核心论点。