Try this little test. A man dressed completely in black is sitting at a bar in a country pub. He is drinking one whisky after another. After three hours, the man in black leaves the pub and walks drunkenly down a small country road. There are no lights, and there is no moon. A car without headlights approaches. The driver notices the man, however, and is able to brake in time to avoid an accident. How could the driver see the man in black? Think about this.

The reason we can get stuck with this – and other problems in life—is that we make assumptions. If we assume that the man in black is out for an evening drink, then the problem is a hard one to solve.

The dictionary describes an assumption as something we take for granted or suppose to be true. Assumptions are essential to logical thinking and decision-making, but what happens if they are false?

Sometimes false assumptions can lead to disaster. On 8 January 1989, a British Midland Airways Boeing took off from Heathrow for Belfast. The number-two (right) engine, which had caused trouble on the previous flight, had been cleared. Twenty minutes after take-off, the plane began to shake violently. The flight recorder later showed what had happened. The captain asked the co-pilot what the problem was. “It’s the f-ing right engine again!” he replied. The captain ordered No.2 engine to be shut down, and the lefthand (No.1) engine to be turned on for an emergency landing. The 737 crashed on the edge of the M1 motorway. The cause of the crash? The captain and copilot made a false assumption and shut down the wrong engine. Of the 118 passengers, 39 died and 74 suffered serious injury.

The more risky or the more expensive the decision, the more important it is to check assumptions. There is a nice way to remember the importance of assumption checking. Look at the letters in the word ASSUME, and note that taking things for granted can make an ASS(傻瓜) of U and ME.

57. What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?

  A. To provide background information of the topic.

  B. To attract readers attention to the topic.

  C. To use an example to support the topic.

  D. To offer basic knowledge of the topic.

58. The main purpose of the passage is to remind the readers _________.

  A. of the importance of making assumptions

  B. of the danger of making assumptions

  C. to make assumptions before dealing with problems

  D. to check assumptions before dealing with problems

59. The best title for this passage may probably be __________.

  A. Assumptions Lead To Disaster

  B. Ways of Avoiding False Assumption

  C. When Things Are Not as They First Seem

  D. Assumptions and Decision-making

60. The most probable reason that the driver can see the man in black is that       .

  A. there were bright stars in the sky when the accident happened.

  B. the driver had very good eyesight.

  C. the accident happened where the lights were bright.

  D. the accident happened during the afternoon, in daylight.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2015屆安徽省六安市高一上學(xué)期期中考試英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:其他題

閱讀下面短文,根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在表格中的空白處填入恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。注意:每個(gè)空格只填一個(gè)單詞。

Whenever we meet with difficulty or failure, teachers, parents or others often say to us or perhaps we say to ourselves, “Never give up.” These can be encouraging words and words of determination. A person who believes in himself will keep trying to reach his goal no matter how many times he fails. In my opinion , the quality of determination to succeed is an important one to have. Therefore, I believe that we should never give up.

One reason is that if we give up too easily, we will rarely achieve anything. It is not unusual for us to fail in our first attempt at something new, so we should not feel disappointed and should try again. Besides, if we always give up when we fail , we will not be able to develop new skills and grow.

Another reason we should never give up is that we can learn from our mistakes so that we can not make the same ones. If we do not try again, the lesson we have learned is wasted.

Finally, we should never give up because as we work to reach our goals, we develop confidence, and this confidence can help us succeed in other areas of our lives. If we never challenge ourselves, we will begin to doubt our abilities.

In short, it is important that we do not give up when working for our goals. Whether we succeed in the end or not , we will learn something , and what we learn will help us to become better and more confident. Furthermore, if we give up , we have no chance of attaining our goals any more , but if we keep making great efforts, there is always a chance that we will succeed one day.

Topic: Never Give UP

Possible meanings and the author’s opinions

l The words “ Never give up” can   1.  others or oneself and express one’s determination.

l A person who wants to be   2.  should have the quality . So we should never give up.

 3. 

l If we give up too easily, maybe we will achieve  4. , so when we fail in our first attempt at something new, we should not disappoint ourselves but try again.

l Always giving up means that we will not be able to            5. any progress.

l Never giving up will make us learn from the mistakes we’ve made   6.  and learn the lesson so as not to make the same mistakes.

l To reach our goals and develop the confidence which can help us   7.  ourselves, we must not give up but challenge ourselves.

 8. 

l If you give up, you will have no   9.  of reaching your goals.

  10. give up and you will attain your goals sooner or      later.

 

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2012-2013學(xué)年山東省兗州市高三9月入學(xué)診斷檢測(cè)英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:其他題

閱讀下面短文,并根據(jù)短文后的要求回答問(wèn)題(請(qǐng)注意問(wèn)題后的字?jǐn)?shù)要求)。

[l]Fear and pain are two of the most useful things that human beings and animals have, if they are properly used. If fire did not hurt when it burnt, children would play with it until their hands were burnt away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear didn’t, a child would burn himself again and again, because fear would not warn himself to keep away from the fire that had burnt himself before. A really fearless soldier is not a good soldier because he will soon be killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which human beings and animals might soon die out.

[2] In our first sentence we suggested that fear should be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. Even in your house you are not absolutely safe: A plane may crash on your house, or you may get cancer!

[3] The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but to use fear as your servant and guide instead. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.

[4] In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you. Fear warns you, then you jump out of the way, and all is well.

[5] In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to ___________. For example, you can’t prevent a plane crashing onto your house. In this case, fear is no longer of any use, and you have to try to overcome it.

1.What is mainly talked about in this passage? (no more than 15 words)

_________________________________________________________________________

2.How does the author support his idea in Paragraph 2? (no more than 5 words)

_________________________________________________________________________

3.Why does the author say that a fearless soldier is not a good soldier? (no more than 15 words)

_________________________________________________________________________

4.What benefit can we get from “fear” according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)

__________________________________________________________________________

5.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)

__________________________________________________________________________

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2010年江西省高二下學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)卷 題型:其他題

請(qǐng)認(rèn)真閱讀下面對(duì)話,并根據(jù)各題所給首字母的提示,寫出一個(gè)英語(yǔ)單詞的完整、正確形式,使對(duì)話通順。

M=Mary

T=Tom

M:  Hi, I'm going door to door tonight to tell people about the Student Action Union.

T:  I think I read something in the (76)n       last week.

M:  Yeah, we are trying to (77) p       and preserve some of the open spaces on campus.

T:  You are the group that's (78) a    against the extension of the parking lot next to Darwin Hall,

    right?

M:  That's us. We just feel it is important to save some of the (79) n       beauty of the campus.

    Some of those trees are hundreds of years old.

T:  It's a pretty (80) p       . My friends and I had picnics over there by the stream.

M:  We are going to (81) o     a demonstration on Thursday afternoon.

T:  Well, I have a class on Thursday afternoon.

M: But maybe you could (82) s     this appeal letter. We are going to hand it in to the administration

    to demonstrate how the students feel about this.

T:  Sure, let me get a pen.

M:  I have a pen right here. And let me (83) l        you this little book about the Student Action

    Union. Maybe you could come to some of our meetings. We get (84) t     once a month.

T:  Yeah, I'd like to know more about your group. Let me know (85) w      the next meeting is and I

    will try to be there.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2013屆福建省福州八縣(市高一下學(xué)期期中聯(lián)考英語(yǔ)題 題型:單詞拼寫

閱讀下面短文,根據(jù)以下提示:1)漢語(yǔ)提示,2)首字母提示,3)語(yǔ)境提示,在每個(gè)空格內(nèi)填入一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)挠⒄Z(yǔ)單詞,并將該詞完整地寫在右邊相對(duì)應(yīng)的橫線上。所填單詞要求意義準(zhǔn)確,拼寫正確。

Women are playing a much more important part in society today.       

Now women are working         teachers, scientists and even leaders.        1.       

We have to admit the fact that almost all jobs          used to be done by  2.       

men are done perfectly well today by women. Women are no longer l         

3.      

down upon in society. With these c______ in their social role, women’s      4.      

position in the family has been          (改善)as well. It is hard to find the   

5.      

wife is busy while the husband is sitting in an armchair, w         TV.     6.       

In spite of all these changes, a great n         of men still guard their   7.       

rights. They t        of women as incapable creatures. Sometimes few        8.       

women are allowed to a           important meetings. This is the            9.       

problem we should try to          (解決)now.   

10.       _

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:期末題 題型:閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
     Some 30 million Americans suffer from insomnia. Here, our expert panel provides you with four different
solutions for getting some rest:
Neil B. Kavey, MD,
Director, Sleep
Disorders Center,
New York Presby-
terian Hospital
The sleep specialist. Try behavior changes
and proper use of medication. At night, keep
away from bright light. In the morning, open
the shades and go out for a walk, to tell your
brain, "This is, the beginning of the day."
You can try OTC sleep aids, but if you suffer
for more than three weeks, see a doctor.
Drugs are safe when used properly, and better
than the consequences of not sleeping.
Cerald Lemole,
MD Associate
Medical Director,
Christiana Care
Center for Heart
and Vascular Heal-
th, Wilmington,
Delaware.
The alternative source. Stress often plays a
role in insomnia, so try to change your reaction
to it. Don't exercise or eat at the end of the day,
and avoid or limit caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
Enjoying a warm bath can help. Also, try taking
l,000 mg of calcium (鈣) (it may calm your
muscles and nerves, helping you sleep ).
Lisa Derosimo,
MD, Owner, The
Weight and
Wellness Center,
Jupiter, Florida
The nutritionist. Go to bed and get up at the same
time daily. Keep your room dark and quiet, and
remove distractions (no working in bed). Have a
cup of herbal (草藥) tea, such as chamomile (甘菊),
to relax your body. And remember, people who eat
a healthy diet of whole grains, fruits and vege-tables,
and low-fat protein feel better and sleep better.
Sandra McLanah-
an, MD, Medical
Director, Integral
Health Center, Buckingham,
Virginia
The mind/body pro. Lying in bed, starting from your
legs and moving up to your head, tense your muscles
one at a time, then release. Your body will feel more
relaxed, like a rubber band after it's been stretched.
And try alternate-nostril (鼻孔交換的) breathing. Exhale
(呼氣) through one nostril, using your fingers to close
the opposite nostril. Breathe in and out; then switch
back and forth.
1. What does the underlined word"insomnia" in the second paragraph mean?
A. Late stay.
B. Sleeplessness.
C. Tiredness.
D. Breath trouble.
2. Who thinks medicine is an important factor in keeping a good sleep?
A. Kavey
B. Lemole.
C. Derosimo.
D. McLanahan.
3. According to Lisa Derosimo, what results in a good sleep?
A. Having a balanced diet.
B. Keeping your sleeping-room bright.
C. Taking enough medicine.
D. Having some fish in the evening.
4. From the passage we can infer that altemate-nostril breathing is a good way to _____.
A. breath deeply
B. build your body
C. exercise your nose
D. relax yourself
5. Gerald Lemole and Sandra McLanahan share the idea about the way of _____ to have a good sleep.
A. diet
B. relaxation
C. medicine
D. taking calcium

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案