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(幾率)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.
小題1:It can be learned from the article that ________.
A．the Mega Millions jackpot is the last lottery to win in the world
B．a(chǎn) 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
小題2: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
小題3: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.
小題4:The underlined phrase “at play” in the 7th paragraph most probably means ________.
A．effectiveB．ridiculousC．contradictoryD．a(chǎn)stonishing
小題5:What do you think is the best title?
A．The Popular Mega Millions JackpotB．Lottery is Merely a Trick
C．Mega Million is Like a Shark AttackD．Be rich, Buy Lottery Soon

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:C
小題4:A
小題5:C
文章講述的是彩票的流行和彩票中獎(jiǎng)幾率雖然很低，但是很多人還是愿意買。
小題1:推理判斷題，根據(jù)第三段可知，雖然中獎(jiǎng)的幾率非常低，但是還有很多人去買。
小題2:該表格是為了說明作者的觀點(diǎn)而放置的。
小題3:推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容可知，這種彩票在作者的國(guó)家非常的流行，包括他父親在內(nèi)的很多人都去買。
小題4:猜測(cè)詞義題，根據(jù)兩種解釋的內(nèi)容可知，是很有效的，因?yàn)樗母赣H就很愿意去買。
小題5:主旨大意題。文章講述的Mega Million 中獎(jiǎng)的幾率低，類似于被鯊魚襲擊的幾率。
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

After 21 years of marriage，my wife wanted me to take another woman，my widowed mother, out to dinner and a movie．Due to the  31  of my work and my three children，I visited her only  32  ．That night I called inviting her to go out．Though a bit   33 ，she accepted it happily．
That Friday after work，I drove over to  34  her up．On reaching her house，I noticed that she seemed to be nervous about our 35 ．Wearing the dress she had worn to    36   her last wedding anniversary，she smiled like an angel．
We went to a  37  that，although not elegant，was very comfortable．After we sat down，I    38  my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me．A smile was on her lips．“I used to have to   39  the menu when you were smal1，”she said．“Then it’s time you relaxed and let me return the   40  ，”I responded．During the dinner，we had such a   41  conversation-all about each other’s life—that we 42 the movie．When back home, she said, “Pity we didn’t see the film．Yet I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me   43  you．” I agreed．
A few days later，Mother died of a massive heart attack．It   44  so suddenly that I had no  45  to do anything for her．some time later，I   46  an envelope of a copy of a restaurant receipt from where mother and I had   47  ．An attached note said，“I paid this   48   in advance．I wasn‘t sure whether I could be there；but nevertheless，I paid for two—one for you and the other for your wife．You’ll never know   49   that night meant for me．I love you, son．”
At that moment．I understood the importance of giving our loved ones the time they   50   because these things can never be put off till “some other time”．
小題1:
A．hopesB．plansC．demandsD．promises
小題2:
A．occasionallyB．frequentlyC．casuallyD．immediately
小題3:
A．depressedB．embarrassedC．surprisedD．discouraged
小題4:
A．putB．callC．cheerD．pick
小題5:
A．tripB．dateC．filmD．ride
小題6:
A．congratulateB．celebrateC．a(chǎn)nnounceD．welcome
小題7:
A．cinemaB．restaurantC．hotelD．theatre
小題8:
A．focusedB．cleanedC．1iftedD．opened
小題9:
A．readB．printC．writeD．hand
小題10:
A．taskB．effortC．prizeD．favor
小題11:
A．complexB．urgentC．humorousD．pleasant
小題12:
A．discussedB．a(chǎn)rrangedC．missedD．delayed
小題13:
A．inviteB．informC．noticeD．remember
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)ppearedB．happenedC．seemedD．proved
小題15:
A．courageB．beliefC．chanceD．permission
小題16:
A．receivedB．deliveredC．postedD．rejected
小題17:
A．1ivedB．dinedC．workedD．rested
小題18:
A．menuB．billC．1etterD．ticket
小題19:
A．whoB．howC．whyD．what
小題20:
A．trustB．moveC．deserveD．share

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Last weekend, my kids along with few other kids from the neighborhood volunteered to help me wash my car. My 10-year-old daughter came up with the idea of   36 other people’s cars as well. It was pretty    37   outside and I had no plans to   38   being in the bright sun. She    39   wanted to give lemonade（檸檬汽水）to passers-by for free. I had seen little kids   40   and sell fresh lemonade for a small cost but not free. Although I felt    41  , I decided to help her.
  42   she asked me, “What if we    43   this a smile car wash?” I couldn’t hold back my tears and    44   her and the other kids to go outside the house and come up with    45    ideas. While I kept myself busy in drying the car, the gang walked up to me with a（n）  46  with beautiful images of smiles. They had “Free Car Wash” written on it and the    47    of their exercise was “smile”. It was pretty neat to see a team of kids ranging 5-11 years with the   48 to do something for others.
All that seemed  49  and came right from their heart. Nothing seemed to 50    to them: their playtime, the heat outside—they just wanted to   51 others and do something nice in the community!
I helped them make some fresh lemonade and brought out some additional   52   to help clean cars. Passers-by were    53    and one even shouted back to them saying “God Bless You, my kids…” One of them even tried giving them 5 dollars, which they refused. A pretty heartwarming  54  !
I feel blessed by being    55   by such wonderful and loving souls.
小題1:
A．dryingB．washingC．repairingD．decorating
小題2:
A．quietB．dirtyC．differentD．hot
小題3:
A．continueB．a(chǎn)voidC．suggestD．practise
小題4:
A．thereforeB．furtherC．a(chǎn)lreadyD．hardly
小題5:
A．chooseB．serveC．buyD．enjoy
小題6:
A．confusedB．worriedC．popularD．difficult
小題7:
A．FinallyB．SimplyC．LuckilyD．Then
小題8:
A．showB．leaveC．makeD．order
小題9:
A．challengedB．encouragedC．invitedD．expected
小題10:
A．creativeB．readyC．changedD．familiar
小題11:
A．boardB．pictureC．ideaD．car
小題12:
A．purposeB．troubleC．secretD．theme
小題13:
A．needB．imaginationC．dutyD．sense
小題14:
A．importantB．disappointingC．hopefulD．natural
小題15:
A．matterB．meanC．belongD．refer
小題16:
A．relaxB．tryC．smileD．help
小題17:
A．foodB．moneyC．ragsD．fruit
小題18:
A．interestedB．a(chǎn)mazedC．boredD．frightened
小題19:
A．storyB．sceneryC．sceneD．view
小題20:
A．surroundedB．understoodC．refusedD．supported

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

A high school history teacher once told me, "If you make one close friend in school, you will be the most fortunate. A true friend is someone who stays with you for life."_36__ teaches that he was right. Good friendship is just not easily_37__.
It is possible that we simply do not stay in one place long enough for a _38_ friendship to  39   . However, there can be   40   disagreement on the need for each of us to think carefully about the kind of friendship we want.
To most of us, friendships are considered very important, but we need to be clear in our __41_ the kinds of friendship we want. Are they to be close or _42 at arm's length? Do we want to   43  ourselves or do we want to walk on the surface? For some people , many friendships on the surface are __44_ enough-- and that's all right. But on some points, we need to    45  that our expectations are the same as our friends' expectations. The sharing  46  experience   47  our tears as well as our dark dreams is the surest way to deepen friendships. But it   48  be undertaken slowly and carried on only if there are   49  of interest and action in return.
What are some of the _50__ of friendship? The greatest is the attraction to expect too much time or too soon. Deep relationships  51    time. Another "major difficulty" is the selfishness to  think one "possesses" the other, including his time and attention. Similarly, friendships   52    actions in return . In   53  words, you must give as much as you take. Finally there is a question of taking care of . Unless you spend   54   time together , talking on the phone, writing letters, doing things together, friendships will die  55  .
小題1:
A．ExperienceB．PracticeC．KnowledgeD．Success
小題2:
A．understoodB．realizedC．formedD．produced
小題3:
A．commonB．trueC．shortD．whole
小題4:
A．design B．intendC．developD．a(chǎn)ppear
小題5:
A．noneB．noC．a(chǎn)nyD．some
小題6:
A．heartsB．thoughtsC．mindsD．a(chǎn)ctions
小題7:
A．remainedB．keptC．leftD．stayed
小題8:
A．ownB．oweC．shareD．spare
小題9:
A．thatB．veryC．notD．quite
小題10:
A．make sureB．rememberC．expectD．check out
小題11:
A．socialB．personalC．goodD．ordinary
小題12:
A．includingB．to includeC．includesD．included
小題13:
A．mustB．needC．will D．can
小題14:
A．marks B．sights C．scenes D．signs
小題15:
A．differencesB．difficultiesC．a(chǎn)dvantagesD．types
小題16:
A．cost B．spend C．a(chǎn)sk D．take
小題17:
A．depend B．request C．require D．suggest
小題18:
A．some B．many C．different D．other
小題19:
A．less B．comfortable C．reasonableD．a(chǎn) lot
小題20:
A．for B．a(chǎn)way C．out D．from

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Eye See You
    Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. -- Jonathan Swift
I walked into a wild third-grade classroom. Music was playing _36_, children were under tables applying make-up, kids were throwing a football indoors, and students were _37_ wherever they could find _38_. I was a mid-year _39_. The previous _40_ said he could no longer manage these children and _41_  without notice during the holiday break.
As soon as I walked in the room, I realized why he _42_. I sat down _43_  in my chair and began reading their _44_ softly. After each name, I _45_, asking God to help me understand that child. I then nailed a _46_ to the wall next to the chalkboard and began _47_ my name and a reading assignment on the board. I then asked each child to come to me, and tell me their names and what they wanted to learn. It was a _48_ task, because only two children there wanted to learn something! Rules were _49_, boundaries established, parents contacted. But the mirror saved the day -- no, the year! Unbeknownst(不知的) to the children, the mirror allowed me to see their every _50_ while I was writing on the board. They soon became _51_ as to how I knew who was misbehaving while I was writing on the board. When one student finally asked me, I told him I had a special teacher’s eye in the back of my head that my hair _52_. At first they did not believe me. _53_ they did begin to exhibit better behavior, especially while I wrote on the board, thinking I had magical _54_. I never told them differently. Why _55_ a good thing?
小題1:
A．softlyB．clearlyC．loudlyD．peacefully
小題2:
A．speakingB．laughingC．standingD．dancing
小題3:
A．spaceB．musicC．partnerD．joke
小題4:
A．representativeB．replacementC．referenceD．reward
小題5:
A．teacherB．headmasterC．directorD．leader
小題6:
A．retiredB．remainedC．resignedD．returned
小題7:
A．wentB．cameC．leftD．disappeared
小題8:
A．a(chǎn)ngrilyB．restlesslyC．indifferentlyD．quietly
小題9:
A．namesB．facesC．figuresD．minds
小題10:
A．preparedB．prayedC．protectedD．preferred
小題11:
A．boardB．mirrorC．crossD．picture
小題12:
A．notingB．copyingC．writingD．drawing
小題13:
A．difficultB．differentC．distantD．direct
小題14:
A．datedB．writtenC．workedD．set
小題15:
A．makeB．moveC．matterD．mind
小題16:
A．pleasedB．puzzledC．knownD．worried
小題17:
A．coveredB．hookedC．hungD．displayed
小題18:
A．SoB．HoweverC．AndD．But
小題19:
A．viewB．sceneC．eyesD．vision
小題20:
A．mix upB．bring upC．mess upD．burn up

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Peanuts to This

Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice：flip (擲) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quite! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
小題1:What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
A．Controversial.B．Ridiculous.
C．Boring.D．Puzzling.
小題2:Why was the author confused about the task?
A．He was unfamiliar with American history.
B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin.
C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction.
D．He was new at the school.
小題3:The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means _______.
A．a(chǎn)nnoyedB．a(chǎn)shamed
C．readyD．eager
小題4:In the end, the author turned things around _______.
A．by redoing his task
B．through his own efforts
C．with the help of his grandfather
D．under the guidance of his headmaster

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labour and said: “Today, I want you to go out and earn something, failing which you won’t have your meals tonight.”
He went crying straight to his mother. Her heart melted at her son’s eyes. She gave him a gold coin. When the father asked his son what he had earned, the son presented him the gold coin. The father asked him to throw it into a well.
The next day, he asked his son to earn something. This time he went crying to his sister who gave him a coin. When he showed it to his father he again asked him to throw it in a well. Then the father asked him to earn more money.
This time since there was no one to help him, the son was forced to go to the market. One shopkeeper told him he would pay him two coins if he carried his trunk to his house. He did so and sweated plenty. As he returned home he was asked to do the same. The son almost cried out. He could not imagine throwing his hard-earned money like this. He cried, “My entire body is aching. You are asking me to throw the money into the well.”
At this moment, the businessman told him one feels the pain only when the fruits of hard labour are wasted. On the earlier two occasions he was helped and therefore had no pain in throwing the coins into the well. The son had now realized the value of hard work. He promised never to be lazy and to safely keep the father’s wealth. The father handed over the keys of his shop to the son and promised to guide him through the rest of the life.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE?
A．At first the son was hard-working and responsible.
B．The father taught his son a lesson in a good way.
C．The father didn’t like his son at all.
D．The businessman was a little lazy.
小題2:According to the passage, the father wanted his son to realize ______.
A．the importance of helping others
B．the importance of money
C．the value of hard labour
D．the value of money
小題3:It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A．the mother was very generous
B．the sister was very warm-hearted
C．the father was very strict
D．the shopkeeper was very cruel
小題4:According to the last paragraph, we can guess the boy was likely to ______.
A．look for a good job
B．use up his father’s wealth
C．become a successful guide
D．follow his father’s career

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


A man and his girlfriend got married. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a proposal, "I read in a magazine about how we can   36  our marriage. Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit   37  with the other. Then, we can talk about how we can   38  them together and make our lives happier together."
The husband   39 . So each of them went to a(n)   40  room and thought about the things that annoyed them about the other for the rest of the day.
The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their   41 .
"I'll start," offered the wife. She   42  her list. It had many items on it, enough to fill 3 pages. After the wife had read all three pages to her husband,   43  the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect the   44  that you are. I don't want you to   45  anything for me."
The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his   46  of her, turned her head and wept.
In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don't really have to go   47  for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time seeking the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us, and see the wonderful things before us?
小題1:
A．enrichB．strengthen C．lengthen D．deepen
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)nnoying B．surprisingC．satisfying D．inspiring
小題3:
A．fix B．doC．find D．set
小題4:
A．smiled B．refused C．a(chǎn)greed D．hesitated
小題5:
A．spareB．separate C．empty D．special
小題6:
A．dishes B．magazines C．livesD．lists
小題7:
A．put awayB．handed in C．took outD．wrote down
小題8:
A．disappointedlyB．unluckily C．bitterlyD．quietly
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)ppearanceB．wayC．situationD．position
小題10:
A．changeB．a(chǎn)cceptC．decideD．drop
小題11:
A．a(chǎn)dvice B．warningC．a(chǎn)cceptance D．pride
小題12:
A．leaving B．waiting C．a(chǎn)sking D．looking

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


“Confidence” is probably one of the most noticeable traits (品質(zhì)) in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue—this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive.
Being confident for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches. (The course I'm teaching here is Public speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program.
小題1:To compete with American students it's very important to     .
A．be quite confident
B．be polite and friendly
C．have more discussions with them
D．understand what they think about
小題2:A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who     .
A．gives a silly or simple answer
B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class
C．shows no interest in the course
D．is considered to have no opinion of his own
小題3:The author is most likely to feel embarrassed if       .
A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said
B．the students bargain with him
C．he pretends to know what he doesn't
D．he has to give a speech
小題4:We learn from the second paragraph that       .
A．we should also remain modest in America
B．modesty doesn't help you much in America
C．Americans also like modest people
D．modesty can help you through an American graduate program
小題5:What can we infer from the passage?
A．American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher.
B．The writer teaches in Europe for a living.
C．Students are encouraged to present simple questions.
D．One’s ignorance will give away in time.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案