My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments, first as assistant district lawyer and then as a judge. My dad knows rubbish rhetoric when he hears it.
One of his favorite phrases is: “If you don’t have anything smart to say, then don’t say it at all.” Yet, for all of his legal training and life experience, he can’t help but keep talking about the Mega Millions jackpot.
We all know the odds(几率)of winning the jackpot this evening with one ticket are extraordinarily low ... 1 in 175, 711, 536, to be exact. Still, people go out and buy hundreds of tickets with the hopes of becoming wealthier beyond their dreams. Why? There are two possible explanations for this “irrationality”(不理智).
One idea is that the way we calculate odds in our heads has nothing to do with mathematical odds in the traditional sense. We don’t go to the mathematical odds table and say, “Well, this would be a terrible investment. I think I’m better off putting my money in the bank!” Rather, it has everything with the ability to picture an event happening.
My father, for instance, watches the news every night and sees people winning the lottery(彩票). Therefore, he thinks the chance of him winning the lottery is much higher than they actually are.
The second thought is that the expected effect of playing cannot be represented merely by the odds. My father and, I’m sure, others get a thrill from the mere idea of winning. He loves imagining what it would be like to actually win and losing doesn’t really affect him. Sure, he’s disappointed, but it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” When you combine the utility of thinking you can win with the utility of actually winning (no matter how small the chance of that occurring), it’s worth it for many people to spend the one dollar on a ticket.
My analysis is that both factors are at play in taking a chance on the lottery. My father and others really do underestimate the odds of winning, but the thrill of participation is not denied by a realistic assessment of the odds. Still, I would probably put my finger on the scale for the first explanation.
All told, a review of the odds of other events happening confirms that there just aren’t many events that occur with less frequency than your winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Look at the graph below, you may understand some:
In many ways, it’s like the lottery, something that features often on television and about which people fantasize, but that rarely happens.
So, when you watch, along with my Pa, to see if your lucky number is drawn this evening, keep in mind three things: that your number almost certainly won’t come up; that you are still going to have fun; and that, finally, a lot of other things are more likely to happen—but getting eaten by a shark isn’t one of them. It can be learned from the article that ________.
| A．the Mega Millions jackpot is the last lottery to win in the world |
| B．a judge in that country can’t talk about lottery because it is illegal |
| C．the writer doesn’t buy lottery, for he never hopes to become rich |
| D．In spite of little possibility, a lot of people spend money on lottery |
The function of the graph is to ________.
| A．show chances that those things take place are fewer |
| B．support the writer’s arguments on the lottery tickets |
| C．indicate no one can win the Mega Millions jackpot |
| D．say shark attack death will seldom happen this year |
Which of the following do you think the writer would probably agree with?
| A．If one has mathematical odds, he can win the prize more easily. |
| B．Only those who have irrationality buy hundreds of lottery tickets. |
| C．The Mega Millions jackpot is very popular in the writer’s country. |
| D．Winning lottery is a shortcut to achieve the dream of being rich. |
The underlined phrase “at play” in the 7th paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．effective | B．ridiculous | C．contradictory | D．astonishing |
What do you think is the best title?
| A．The Popular Mega Millions Jackpot | B．Lottery is Merely a Trick |
| C．Mega Million is Like a Shark Attack | D．Be rich, Buy Lottery Soon |
It is easy for some people to learn a second language．However, others have difficulty in learning a new language．What can you do to help yourself learn a second language, such as English？
1.Feel positive about learning English．_Be patient．You do not have to understand everything all at once．It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new．We can learn from our mistakes．In other words, do not worry about making mistakes.
2.Practice your English．For example, write a diary every day．You will form a habit of writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English．In addition, you must speak English every day．You can practice with your classmates outside class.
3.You can write this in your journal．After each class, think about what you did．Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it．It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements．
| A．Go over the points you have learned. |
| B．Keep a record of your language learning. |
| C．Don’t give up when you meet some difficulty. |
| D．If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. |
E．Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving.
F．In these ways, you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.
G．There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The most important day Helen Keller remembered in all her life was the one on which her teacher, Anne Sullivan, came to her．It was three months before she was seven years old．
On the afternoon of that day, Helen knew that something was happening．She went outside and waited at the door of the house．She could feel the sun on her face and she could touch the leaves of the plants．Then she felt someone walking towards her．She thought it was her mother and she went to her and held her close．This was the teacher who had come to teach all things to her and, above all, to love her．
The next morning, the teacher took her into her room and gave her a doll．When Helen was playing with it, Miss．Sullivan slowly spelled the word “d－o－l－l” onto her hand．Helen learnt a lot of words like this．After the teacher had been with her for several weeks, Helen understood that everything had a name．
One day Helen didn’t understand the difference between “mug” and “water”．She became angry and threw the doll on the floor．In her quiet, dark world she didn’t feel sorry for doing it．Then her teacher took her out into the warm sunshine．They walked down to the well where someone was drawing water．Her teacher put her hand under the water and spelled the word “w－a－t－e－r” at the same time in her other hand．Suddenly, Helen felt an understanding．She knew then that “w－a－t－e－r” was the wonderful cool something flowing over her hand．That living word awakened her spirit, gave it light, hope, fun and set it free!How was the girl different from other children？
| A．She didn’t know how to play games． |
| B．She was angry all the time． |
| C．She couldn’t speak． |
| D．She was deaf and blind． |
Helen learnt new words when ______．
| A．she went to the well |
| B．Miss．Sullivan spelled them on her hand |
| C．the teacher gave her a doll |
| D．she knew the difference between two words |
What can the reader learn from the passage？
| A．How to spell different words and understand their meanings． |
| B．The way to feel sorry for doing something wrong． |
| C．The idea of how to describe things and make them feel real． |
| D．When someone is drawing water, we should go to feel it． |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old．We lived about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界)．My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides．We drove down a nice long road．My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up．I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
When we arrived, there were not monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found．I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun．When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks．However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember．It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family．I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time．Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again．He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this．I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?
| A．In Canada |
| B．In the central US |
| C．Near the Canadian border |
| D．In Parc Safari |
During the trip, the author ________.
| A．saw a monkey |
| B．fed some monkeys |
| C．was angry with the giraffes |
| D．had been in close contact with the camels |
What does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．uncomfortable |
| B．excited |
| C．tired |
| D．surprised |
What does the author intend to do?
| A．To have a holiday abroad with his parents. |
| B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo. |
| C．To revisit the place he went to at seven. |
| D．To have a family trip in his own country. |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school．It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well．To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are．Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year．And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins．Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school．This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports．Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school．If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc．These clubs allow students from different grades．By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申请)．The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.
| A．unhappy |
| B．nervous |
| C．lonely |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans. |
| C．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
| D．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．By the end of the last year in the middle school. |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To describe high school life． |
| B．To give advice to new high school students． |
| C．To teach useful experience． |
| D．To introduce new schools. |
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok．This is our first trip to Thailand(泰国)．All the different smells make us want to try the food．We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight．The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean．We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting．We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables．Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai．We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring．We visited a small village in the mountains．The village people here love the quiet life--no computers or phones．They are the kindest people I have ever met．They always smile and say “hello”．Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness．I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.The diaries above show the writer’s _____ days in Thailand.
| A．3 |
| B．7 |
| C．15 |
| D．30 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand. |
| B．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand. |
| C．Chiang Rai is a boring city in the mountains. |
| D．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus. |
The people in the village _____.
| A．are friendly to others |
| B．like to speak English |
| C．are very weak |
| D．hope to live in the cities |
What is the best title for the whole diary?
| A．My First Travel |
| B．The Outside World |
| C．Traveling in Thailand |
| D．A Country on the Train |