Decision-thinking is not unlike. It often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. The mental process（过程） is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse, business and life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors（因素）, as best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.
49．The subject discussed in this text is _________.
A．the process of reaching decisions
B．the difference between poker and chess.
C．the secret of making good business plans
D．the value of information in winning games
50．An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
A．rules B．luck C．time D．ideas
51．Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse"?
A．Quite right. B．True enough.
C．Most unlikely. D．Just the opposite.
52．In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
A．put perfect information before imperfect information
B．accept the existence of unknown factors
C．regard business as a game of chess
D．mix known and unknown factors
For years, my family has vacationed in the same Florida town. In fact, we just returned home after spending a week of spring break there with our three sons.
Many nights, we take the same scenic drive to dinner at a favorite restaurant. As we travel along Gulf Shore Boulevard, we admire a combination of small beach apartments, swanky high-rises and spectacular homes.
A few years ago, we noticed that whenever we drive this particular route, there are always two men sitting in front of the same third-floor window of a low-rise apartment building that overlooks the road. All that is visible from the road are their two silhouettes. Even during off-peak months, they’ve always been there. Over the years, we’ve had great fun speculating about who they are, whether they’re having a drink, and if so, what they fancy, where they’re from, and what they might be discussing. Our guesses have become a modern form of car bingo. Widowers? Retirees? Partners? We’ve run through the gamut of possibilities.
Eventually, I started beeping the horn as we passed. We’d wave. Our new friends would do likewise. There was something comforting in seeing them. In a world of constant change, it has been nice to look up and see that they are there, just as we remember from our last visit. And then last spring, we drove by and they were missing. The apartment was dark. No one was visible in the window. Strangely, we drove by and they were missing The apartment was dark. No one was visible in the window. Strangely, we grew worried about two people we’d never even met. Where did they go? A new round of the guessing game began.
On our last trip at Christmastime, we were relieved to see them once again. We were driving past about 6 p.m., and there they were at cocktail hour. I told my wife that I suspected they were gin drinkers and said we should buy them a bottle. She said that if I bought it, she’d deliver it. I said, “Tomorrow.”Driving along the scenic route, the author’s family were to.
| A．meet their friends there | B．visit the Florida town |
| C．appreciate a place of interest | D．have supper together |
Why did the author blow the horn?
| A．It was a pleasure for them to see the two men again. |
| B．It was his habit while driving along the special route. |
| C．It was an agreement between him and the two men. |
| D．It was for the sake of safety while driving. |
Which of the following can best describe the family?
| A．generous and sensitive | B．curious and kind |
| C．helpful and brave | D．friendly and hurnorous |
Which of the following will best continue this passage?
| A．The two men’s favorite drinks. |
| B．The two men’s beach apartments |
| C．The reason of the two men’s absence |
| D．The author’s next visit to the town |
Dr. Wiseman started the “laugh lab” project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humor. Participants are invited to log on the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favorite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
Their project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world’s funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researchers want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between male’s and female’s sense of humor. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long interested psychologists (心理学家) and philosophers (哲学家). Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves.
By December 2001 over 10,000 jokes had been submitted (公认的). This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humor, for example.
“Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humor,” said Dr Wiseman. “Males use humor to appear superior (高傲的，有优越感的) to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play.”
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humor. The British enjoy what is usually called “toilet humor”. But the French like their jokes short and sharp, “You’re a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $ 500?” “Yes. What’s the second question?”
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humor. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don’t know, but let’s say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief (安慰). Computers already seem like they can do everything. But at least they should leave the funny things to us.The scientist started the “laugh lab” project ________.
| A．to find the funniest joke in European countries |
| B．to know what funny people are from different nations and cultures |
| C．to find out the differences between the male’s and female’s sense of humor |
| D．to get more personal details about participants |
The writer gave the examples of the British, the French and the Germans_____.
| A．to show that the French people have a better sense of humor |
| B．to prove the British people have a sense of “toilet humor” |
| C．to show people from different nations have different senses of humor |
| D．to prove that the Germans have no sense of humor |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．The jokes by computer are less funny than those by humans. |
| B．The Germans cannot find the submitted jokes amusing. |
| C．Males are better at word play compared with women. |
| D．Females like to use humor to show that they are superior. |
·Put sunscreen (防晒油) on before going out in the sun.
·Take it with you.
·Use it
— after a swim.
— every hour or so while playing outdoors.
— if you get sweaty.
·Cover up when the sun is overhead
— 10 a.m.—2 p.m..
— especially at lunch time.
·Get your suntan (晒黑) gradually and not too much.
·Controlled exposure (暴露) to sunshine helps avoid skin cancer.
Ask your chemist to recommend a suitable sunscreen.
Queensland Cancer Fund
P. O. Box
Spring Hill, QLD.4000
Phone (07) 8397077
Provided for community awareness by the Queensland CancerThis passage is most likely to be ______.
| A．an article from a student text book |
| B．a direction from a bottle of medicine |
| C．a suggestion from a chemist |
| D．an advertisement from a newspaper |
Which statement is TRUE?
| A．You should frequently put on sunscreen while playing outdoors. |
| B．You’ll never have skin cancer with controlled exposure. |
| C．You mustn’t stay outside from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| D．The more you get sunshine, the better your health will be. |
According to the passage we can see that Queensland Cancer Fund wants to _____.
| A．sell sunscreen, shirt and hat |
| B．help people guard against skin cancer |
| C．encourage people to play in the sun |
| D．make money out of sunscreen |
If you want a sunscreen, you should ask _____ for advice.
| A．the seller | B．the advertiser |
| C．your doctor | D．your parents |
Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he has sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.
Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health. Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline（界限）state between health and disease.
According to the investigation by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.
Symptoms include a lack of energy,depression,slow reactions,insomnia,anger,and poor memory.Other symptoms include shortness of breath,sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health,according to some medical experts,is to from good liwing habits,alternate work and rest,exercise regularly,and take park in open air activities.
As for meals,people are advised to eat less salt and sugar.They should also eat more fresh vegetables,fruits,fish because they are rich in nutritional elements—vitamins and other elements that are important to the body.Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract. They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health.According to this passage, which of the following is true?
| A．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should stay at home and keep silent. |
| B．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should go to see a doctor and buy some medicine. |
| C．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should have yourself examined in foreign countries. |
| D．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should find out the reasons and relax yourself. |
It may be easy for middle-aged people to get sub-healthy because _________.
| A．they have used up their energy |
| B．they have lost their living hopes |
| C．they have more pressure in life and work |
| D．they begin to get older |
The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is that you should ________.
| A．work hard | B．sleep more |
| C．form good living habits | D．take more medicine |
The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．arrange by turns | B．cause to take place |
| C．keep oneself busy with | D．get tired of |
Father of TV
Invention of television began in 1922 in Rigby, Idaho, the hometown of Philo Farnsworth. At the age of 16, Philo was a very shy boy. Only his science teacher, Justin Tolman, realized that Philo was a special person.
One day after school Mr. Tolman found Philo in the classroom. The boy was making drawings on the chalkboard.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Tolman asked with interest, “What are these drawings?”
“I want to invent things,” Philo answered, “and these are the drawings of one of my first inventions. I have an idea for a way of sending pictures through the air. Please, just let me tell you about it. You are the only person who can understand what I have done.” In the school library Philo had read about a man who had worked on an idea for television, but had failed. Philo was sure that his own idea was better and that he could succeed.
Mr. Tolman was not sure and asked Philo many questions about the drawings. Giving facts and figures, Philo answered every question.
In 1926, Philo sent his drawings to Washington, along with a letter asking for the patent rights on television. Since then, television has become an important business all over the world.When he lived in his hometown, Philo was _______.
| A．quite different from others | B．an active boy |
| C．an inventor | D．a hard-working boy |
When Philo said “You are the only person who can understand what I have done.” In Paragraph 4, his mood was ________.
| A．discouraged | B．trusting | C．guilty | D．hopeless |
It took Philo ____ to invent the television.
| A．2 years | B．6 years | C．4 years | D．8 years |
When Mr. Tolman saw Philo’s drawing, he _______.
| A．did not believe it was Philo’s invention |
| B．believed Philo could succeed |
| C．believed Philo was a special person |
| D．did not believe Philo could succeed |