1. What’s the talk mainly about?
A.The development of the bicycle. |
B.The materials of making the bicycle. |
C.The process of the bicycle’s becoming popular. |
A.The bicycle couldn’t change directions. |
B.The wheels of the bicycle weren’t well fixed. |
C.The rider’s feet couldn’t leave the ground. |
A.In 1817. | B.In 1839. | C.In 1869. |
A.Bicycles first had rubber tires. |
B.The “safety bicycle” appeared. |
C.Bicycles could run faster. |
2 . 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.
But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.
In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn’t the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they “shared arguments and reasoned together”. Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain, the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.
1. 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. |
A.the crowds were relatively small | B.there were occasional underestimates |
C.individuals did not communicate | D.estimates were not fully independent |
A.The size of the groups. | B.The dominant members. |
C.The discussion process. | D.The individual estimates. |
A.Unclear. | B.Dismissive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Approving. |
I was invited to a cookout on an old friend’s farm in western Washington. I parked my car outside the farm and walked past a milking house which had apparently not been used in many years. A noise at a window caught my attention, so I entered it. It was a hummingbird (蜂鸟), desperately trying to escape. She was covered in spider-webs (蛛网) and was barely able to move her wings. She ceased her struggle the instant I picked her up.
With the bird in my cupped hand, I looked around to see how she had gotten in. The broken window glass was the likely answer. I stuffed a piece of cloth into the hole and took her outside, closing the door securely behind me.
When I opened my hand, the bird did not fly away; she sat looking at me with her bright eyes. I removed the sticky spider-webs that covered her head and wings. Still, she made no attempt to fly. Perhaps she had been struggling against the window too long and was too tired? Or too thirsty?
As I carried her up the blackberry-lined path toward my car where I kept a water bottle, she began to move. I stopped, and she soon took wing but did not immediately fly away.
Hovering (悬停), she approached within six inches of my face. For a very long moment, this tiny creature looked into my eyes, turning her head from side to side. Then she flew quickly out of sight.
During the cookout, I told my hosts about the hummingbird incident. They promised to fix the window. As I was departing, my friends walked me to my car. I was standing by the car when a hummingbird flew to the center of our group and began hovering. She turned from person to person until she came to me. She again looked directly into my eyes, then let out a squeaking call and was gone. For a moment, all were speechless. Then someone said, “She must have come to say goodbye.”
注意:1. 续写词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
A few weeks later, I went to the farm again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was just about to leave when the hummingbird appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Ugh, chicken rolls again? I hate chicken rolls!” Matt yelled. “I’m not eating this.” Matt’s mom and dad looked at each other. Matt’s outbursts had been happening at least once a week all summer long.
“You know what, Matt? We re going to let you take over dinnertime from now on. You can pick the meals and cook them, as long as they’re healthy,” Mom said.
“Good, we’re going to eat good food every night!” Matt answered.
The next day, Dad sat down with Matt to make the meal plan so he could go grocery shopping. Matt had already been thinking about his favorite dinners. “We’re going to have beef tonight, and spaghetti tomorrow, and macaroni (通心粉) and cheese the next day,” Matt started.
“Woah, hold on now,” Dad said. “What else are we going to have with the beef? We need to have at least one vegetable with each meal, and usually we have another side to go with it.”
“Oh, yeah. Um, we can have corn with the beef,” Matt said.
“Sophia does not like corn,” said Dad.
“Well, it’s my choice, so I’m going to make corn,” Matt replied.
“OK, but she might complain at dinner tonight. Are you ready for that?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, whatever,” Matt answered.
Matt and his dad spent the next hour figuring out the whole week’s meals and side dishes. It was a lot more work than Matt expected, and almost every time he picked something out, his dad would tell him that someone in the family wouldn’t like it. It was very frustrating. “This is impossible!” Matt said.
“Yes, it is hard. Your mother and I try very hard to make everyone happy, but everyone has different tastes, and sometimes, we just can’t please everyone.”
“Fine, we’ll have to just go with this plan this week. Next week I’ll try to make everyone happy,” replied Matt.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When finishing grocery shopping, it was time for Matt to make his first meal.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Two hours had passed by before the dishes were ready on the table.
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5 . How to Feel Connected
It's easy to feel disconnected from what is going on around you in today's fast-paced world.
Consider why you feel disconnected. Knowing what is making you feel disconnected can help you choose the best ways to address it.
Interact with people in person. Technology is a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you need to spend time with other people in person.
Your loved ones could feel shy, so you may never know how to improve your relationship unless you ask the right questions. Asking them to open the doors can give you some insight on what you can do. Learning this information can help to strengthen your bond.
Show your commitment to them. Simply showing up and being there for your loved ones says a lot about how much you value your relationships. Putting in the time shows them that you are committed and want to stay connected.
Show appreciation. A simple “thank you” goes a very long way. Unfortunately, it is something that people who are close often take for granted. Telling someone you appreciate their time, love, and efforts can strengthen your bond and help you to become more connected.
A.Ask others what they need from you. |
B.Sometimes you can feel isolated and distant from the ones you love. |
C.Be brave to express your love. |
D.Reach out to people to schedule a time to get together. |
E.Attending family events, or simply visiting someone once a week can help to strengthen your relationship and keep it strong. |
F.Targeting your efforts toward those issues allows you to close that distance more effectively. |
G.You can have a gift delivered to friends on special occasions. |