1 . Ariel Procaccia has thought a lot about how to cut a cake over the last 15 years. As the father of three children, he knows how hard it is to divide a birthday cake to everyone’s satisfaction. But it’s also because Procaccia’s work focuses on exploring the mathematical rules for dividing stuff up fairly. One way to do that is to think abstractly about dessert.
For decades, researchers have been asking the seemingly simple question of how to cut a cake fairly. The answer reaches far beyond birthday parties. A mathematical problem at its heart, cake cutting connects strict reasoning to real-world issues of fairness, and so attracts not only mathematicians, but also social scientists, economists and more. “It’s a very elegant model in which you can distill what fairness really is, and reason about it,” Procaccia says.
The simplest approach is called the “divider-chooser” method, where one person cuts the cake into two equal pieces in his view, and the other person picks first. Each receives a piece that they feel is as valuable as the other’s. But when personal preferences are taken into account, even the easiest rule becomes complicated. Suppose Alice and Bob are to divide a cake, and Alice knows Bob prefers chocolate, she may knowingly divide the cake unequally so the smaller piece contains more chocolate. Then Bob will choose according to his preference, and Alice will get the larger piece. Both of them are satisfied with what they get, but the meaning of fairness changes in this situation.
The cake is a symbol for any divisible good. When cake-cutting principles are employed to settle disagreements, they are potentially helping the world find solutions. Procaccia has used fair division algorithms (算法) to model food distribution. Social scientist Haris Aziz is exploring situations ranging from how to divide up daily tasks to how to best schedule doctors’ shifts in hospitals.
Even after decades of investigation, cake cutting isn’t like a simple jigsaw puzzle (拼图) with a well-defined solution. Instead, over time, it has evolved into a kind of mathematical sandbox, a constructive playground that brings together abstract proofs and easy applications. The more researchers explore it, the more there is to explore.
1. What does the underlined word “distill” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Get the essence of. | B．Find the opposite of. |
| C．Keep the focus on. | D．Reduce the impact on. |
| A．Its standard is stable. | B．It prevents unequal division. |
| C．Its concept is complex. | D．It dominates personal preferences. |
| A．The application of its rules. | B．The details of its process. |
| C．The problems it produces. | D．The harmony it symbolizes. |
| A．Who benefits most from fairness? |
| B．How has fairness changed over time? |
| C．What method works best in cake-cutting? |
| D．Why are researchers so interested in cake-cutting? |
2 . Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in a row. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows stream (流播) directly to their television at their convenience.
This behavior is nothing new. In fact, binge-watching has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode.
However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back (一集接一集地), almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and 25% have neglected their household chores (家务活). Next we’ll be missing work!
Bingeing has other connections — binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist (抗拒) watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?
The countless number of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning, then it becomes a problem. So, what’s the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”
1. How did the writer develop the first paragraph?| A．By giving a definition. | B．By telling a story. |
| C．By listing some examples. | D．By analyzing the cause and effect. |
| A．For convenience. | B．At the same time. |
| C．In detail. | D．Free of charge. |
| A．people can’t control their feelings | B．people can’t resist the temptation of Bingeing |
| C．people have no patience to do work | D．people are addicted to waiting for a new episode |
| A．To keep online media from stopping functioning. |
| B．To enjoy entertainment as much as possible. |
| C．To learn life lessons from the episodes. |
| D．To watch episodes in a moderate way. |
1. How many times did train fares go up in one year?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. |
| A．Twenty minutes. | B．Thirty minutes. | C．Forty minutes. |
| A．Riding it in the rain. | B．Away from the traffic jam. | C．Saving money. |
| A．Once a week. | B．Twice a week. | C．Every day. |
1. How many people are involved in the game?
| A．About 8. | B．About 10. | C．About 20. |
| A．A person from his or her own team. |
| B．A person from the opposite team. |
| C．Anyone in this game. |
| A．Call out a name. | B．Pass an imaginary ball. | C．Think for a while. |
| A．A person on the team gets the ball. |
| B．The opposite team makes wrong passes. |
| C．Only two passes are made in the team. |
1. Why did the stranger turn back to his hotel?
| A．Because he had no money to buy a ticket. |
| B．Because he wanted to have lunch. |
| C．Because it was late and there were no buses passing by. |
| A．He didn’t know where the hotel was. |
| B．He didn’t understand what the stranger said. |
| C．He didn’t want to take the money from the stranger. |
| A．The policeman was kind but didn’t understand the stranger. |
| B．The policeman told the stranger where to take a train. |
| C．The policeman knew what the stranger really meant. |
| A．The stranger got close to the hotel where he stayed. |
| B．The stranger got to the hotel with the policeman’s help. |
| C．The stranger found he was much farther away from the hotel. |
1. Why did the father send his youngest son to a temple?
| A．The boy didn’t study well. |
| B．His other sons didn’t like the boy. |
| C．The boy had no interest in farming. |
| A．Don’t go into large open spaces at night. |
| B．Don’t stay at small spaces during the day. |
| C．Don’t go into dark spaces at night. |
| A．There were many cats inside it. |
| B．Its walls were really dirty. |
| C．It was completely empty. |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Grateful. | C．Relaxed. |
1. When does the woman want to fly to Paris?
| A．On July 5. | B．On July 15. | C．On July 20. |
| A．For a school trip. | B．For a business trip. | C．For a family trip. |
| A．$ 4,500. | B．$ 4,000. | C．$ 3,600. |
1. Who are Susan Rabin and Anna Ford?
| A．The most popular film stars. |
| B．The best actresses. |
| C．Women news announcers. |
| A．This year. | B．Last year. | C．Three years ago. |
| A．The two most famous faces in Britain today belong to two women. |
| B．Most news announcers in Britain are women. |
| C．Anna reads ten o’clock news on BBC television. |
| A．People like news announcers. |
| B．The number of viewers of the program increased a lot. |
| C．Their programs are very interesting. |
1. What will the man do first?
| A．Drive fast. | B．Stop his car. | C．Turn right. |
| A．Drivers have to stop. | B．It is dangerous. | C．Schools are nearby. |
| A．A trainee. | B．A coach. | C．A police officer. |
1. Whom does London Teenagers’ Help raise donations (捐赠) for?
| A．Children. | B．Women. | C．Old people. |
| A．At least 242. | B．About 5, 000. | C．Around 18, 600. |
| A．Food. | B．Clothes. | C．Water. |
| A．By writing letters. | B．By going to the office directly. | C．By phone or through the Internet. |
