13. In general, a professional athlete is offered a million-dollar contract only if he or she has just completed an unusually successful season. However, a study shows that an athlete signing such a contract usually suffers a decline in performance the following season. This study supports the theory that a million-dollar contract tends to weaken an athlete’s desire to excel by diminishing his or her economic incentive.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn above? (A) On the average, athletes whose contracts call for relatively small salaries with possible bonuses for outstanding achievement perform better than other athletes.
(B) Athletes are generally offered million-dollar contracts mainly because of the increased ticket sales and other revenues they generate.
(C) Many professional athletes have careers marked by year-to-year fluctuations in their overall levels of performance.
(D) On the average, higher-salaried athletes tend to have longer and more successful professional careers than do lower-salaried athletes.（A）
(E) Six of the ten leading batters in the National League this season signed million-dollar contracts during the off-season.
结论是
This study supports the theory that a million-dollar contract tends to weaken an athlete’s desire to excel by diminishing his or her economic incentive.
