1 . On March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the “wisdom of crowds” effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.
This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors aren’t always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won’t cancel each other out. In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people’s estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people’s errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down.
What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?
A.The methods of estimation. | B.The underlying logic of the effect. |
C.The causes of people’s errors. | D.The design of Galton’s experiment. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The world may be more clearly explained through children’s play. |
B.Studying babies’ play may lead to a better understanding of science. |
C.Children may have greater ability to figure out things than scientists. |
D.One’s drive for scientific research may become stronger as he grows. |
The first paragraph is mainly about ___________.
A.the way to improve one’s face-recognition skills |
B.the fact that some people have face-recognition problems |
C.the simple process of the brain to recognize others’ faces |
D.the importance of face recognition in human communication |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The effects of story-telling on children. |
B.The limitations of the earlier research. |
C.The methods used in earlier studies. |
D.The major breakthroughs achieved so far. |
5 . Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel badly about asking for help when they need it.
What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.What key American values are. |
B.Why Americans refuse to ask for help. |
C.Asking for help is a sign of strength. |
D.Americans are responsible for their life. |
6 . We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are enough doing homework, playing sports, making friends, seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much la than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or, if you can, contribute little money to a cause. Whatever you do, don’t be a bystander. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?
What does the author stress in Paragraph 5?
A.Learning more and contributing more to a cause. |
B.Rising above self and acting to help others. |
C.Working hard to get a bigger opportunity. |
D.Trying your best to help the poor. |
7 . Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about concerning emotional intelligence?
A.Its appeal to the public. |
B.Expectations for future studies. |
C.Its practical application. |
D.Scientists with new perspectives. |
8 . Kate Wilson, a 16-year-old girl from England, holds up a book and smiles. “This is Day One of my reading The Little Prince,” she says. Then the video jumps forward. “And now”, she sighs deeply, her face covered with tears, “I end up crying so much that I have to change my shirt”.
This is BookTok, a collection of TikTok book-related videos on the short video platform. It has been an official reading community since April 2020. Bookworms gather on the platform to share their reading experiences by editing a video carefully at the length of less than 3 minutes. They “play”, “read” and “recommend” their favorite books, or recommend treasure writers who have never been discovered. It may sound like a simplified way to talk about books, but the most appealing point is that they can visually record videos to share the feelings of reading moment, and arouse a strong emotion, which written reviews cannot express instantly. So BookTok offers book lovers special reading experiences.
It has also driven a wave of old book sales in the market. A list of bestsellers from 20 years ago has been dug out, which most readers have never heard of. In fact, many of the books like It Ends With Us should not have been forgotten. On Amazon, BookTok is so influential that it has been added into the titles of books themselves. For instance, the novel It Ends With Us: BookTok made me buy it! is now riding high in the top 100. Under its influence, old titles were returning to the bestseller charts. Therefore, BookTok is devoted to bringing these classic books back.
Eventually, a great book finds its faithful readers. Thanks to BookTok, not only can more original works be appreciated, but the authors can attach more importance to literary creation. It is BookTok that offers such books “a second lease of life”.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
A.The importance of reading. | B.The influence of great books. |
C.An example of using BookTok. | D.A story of a teenager booklover. |
A.Users can apply editing skills. |
B.Bookworms can gather regularly. |
C.It can give instant book reviews visually. |
D.Users can share reading experiences freely. |
A.BookTok is added into their titles. |
B.Book publishers find a new market. |
C.They' re recommended by the treasure writers. |
D.BookTok brings them back to people’s attention. |
A.Classics Back to Life | B.Young People 's Favorites |
C.A New Market for BookTok | D.A Platform for Visual Reading |
(以下是B种题型)
5. Where does Kate share her feeling of reading The Little Prince?
6. How do the bookworms share their reading experiences on BookTok?
7. What benefit does BookTok bring to the novel It Ends With Us?
8. Why do we say BookTok offers books “a second lease of life”?
9 . Guy Bryant never intended to be a father figure. But over the past 12 years, he’s housed more than 50 foster kids in his Brooklyn apartment.
For decades, Bryant, 61, worked with teens aging out of New York’s child welfare system. His job was to find services that would make the transition (过渡) to living on their own easier. But he felt that what he could accomplish at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services office wasn’t enough. So in 2007, he decided to become a foster parent.
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The shift of teens’ life. |
B.An introduction of Bryant’s task. |
C.Bryant’s challenge as a foster parent. |
D.The reason for Bryant’s being a foster parent. |
10 . Now Trump and his team will have to face many difficult things. They’ll have to work to bring the country together after a divisive campaign that upset millions of Americans. Throughout the country, millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to make ends meet. The new president must also address international issues. They include the war on terrorism and the refugee crisis. Still, Trump says he sees a bright future ahead.“Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential,” he told his supporters.
What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.The problems with America. |
B.The challenges Trump will face. |
C.Trump’s ideas about his future work. |
D.The decisions Trump will have to make. |