Fearful that rapidly modernizing Korean 【rivals】 will intrude on its foreign and domestic markets, Japan has fought to keep the Koreans from appropriating its technologies.
A、competitors
B、representatives
C、negotiators
D、dealers
【正确答案】：A
【名师解析】:选项A "competitors" 是正确答案。在这个句子中，"rivals" 指的是与日本在经济和技术领域竞争的国家或实体。"competitors" 意味着在商业或技术方面与日本竞争的对手，这与 "rivals" 的含义相符。其他选项 "representatives"（代表）、"negotiators"（谈判者）和 "dealers"（经销商）都不符合句子的语境，因为它们不直接表达与日本在技术和市场方面竞争的关系。
