1、 Reading in DepthPassage 1 Passage 2Passage 3 Passage 4Passage 5 Passage 6Passage 7 Passage 8Passage 9 Passage 10Skimming and ScanningPassage 1 Passage 2Passage 3 Passage 4Passage 5 Passage 6Passage 1 Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:People tend to be more impressed by evidence th
2、at seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are prophetic（预言的） because a few have come true; they neglect or fail to notice the many that have not.Consider also the belief that “the phone always rings when Im in the shower.” If it does ring while you are in the shower
3、, the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesnt ring, that nonevent probably wont even register（留下印象） .People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths “happen in threes.”
4、Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. If three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their “happening together” is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end p
5、oints reinforce such beliefs.We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use criteria t
6、hat work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, “Everybody ranks himself high in qualities he values: careful drivers give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy,” This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.Perhaps
7、 the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious（谨慎的） in drawing conclusions. The “evidence” of everyday life is sometimes misleading.1. In the first paragraph the author states that _. A) dreams cannot be said to be prophetic even though a few have come true.B) dreams are prophetic b
8、ecause some of them did come true.C) dreams may come true if clearly remembered.D) dreams and reality are closely related.2. By “things like” “happen in threes” (Para.3), the author indicates that people believe _.A) personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.B) personal misfortunes, pla
9、ne crashes, and deaths usually happen together.C) misfortunes tend to occur according to certain patterns.D) misfortunes will never occur more than three times to a person in his lifetime.3. The word “courtesy” (Para.4) probably means _.A) good mannersB) appropriate speechC) friendly relationsD) sat
10、isfactory service4. What can be inferred from the passage?A) Happenings that go unnoticed deserve more attention.B) In a series of misfortunes the third one is usually the most serious.C) People tend to make use of evidence that supports their own beliefs.D) Believers of misfortunes happening in threes are cautious in interpreting events.
