Unit 7 The Art of Smart Guessing 练习答案

Unit 7

The Art of Smart Guessing

Consolidation Activities

I. Text Comprehension

1. Decide which of the following best states the author's purpose.

A. To introduce an effective method of interviewing candidates.

B. To decide on a new quiz to find out how resourceful a thinker might be.

C. To provide an access to gaining necessary information.

D. To recommend a creative model of thinking in decision-making.

Key: [ D ]

2. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.

1). The author asked the readers to pay close attention to the method to be used in

solving the quiz question. [ T ]

2). The best way to know the number of "phone stores" in the United States is to go

to the local library to do statistical research. [ F ]

3). To illustrate the smart guessing approach, the author has cited all together seven

examples. [ F ]

4). The law of averages is partly responsible for the accuracy of our guesswork

because our assumptions at the two extremes usually balance out. [ T ]

3. Answer the following questions.

1). Refer to Paragraph 1. The author, on the one hand, intended to find out how intelligent the interviewee might be; on the other hand, he was tired of the cliché? in questioning candidates during interviews.

2). Refer to Paragraphs 4 and 5. The best solution is to risk an approximation since there isn't enough information for you to come up with an exactly correct answer.

3). Refer to Paragraph 6. It means a great deal for business or creativity as we frequently need to make decisions when full information does not exist.

4). Refer to Paragraph 9. They call them Fermi problems, named after Enrico Fermi, a Nobel Prize winner. He used such problems to teach his students how to make an approximation when relevant information is inadequate.

5). Refer to Paragraphs 16 and 17. It looked like a mushroom cloud. He had followed a

smart way, watching unpopped popcorn kernels in the microwave oven, to approximate the hot spots for cooking instead of using scientifically sophisticated testing equipment. 6). In decision-making, when the necessary relevant information is not available, guessing becomes inevitable. Smart guessing, i.e. guessing based on approximations is recommended in such circumstances, and it may often, if not always, prove to be effective and fruitful.

4. Explain in your own words the following sentences taken from the text. 1). Did you get so tied up in these complex math figures that you were unable to give the "exactly right" answer?

2). Did you focus all your attention on the two most important problems, and then make an estimation which may not be exactly right?

3). Your mistakes will often average out, i.e. the extremely high estimations and the extremely low estimations which you make will eventually become equal in amount, value, or effect.

4). The black cloth absorbed the heat of the sun most. So, it sank so deep below that the sunrays could not reach it.

II. Writing Strategies

This text is a typical piece of exposition developed by exemplification. The title, The Art of Smart Guessing, points out the theme of the text. The introduction, which presents the background of the text, is very appealing to the readers. In the body of the text, a Fermi problem is defined and illustrated with specific examples. The examples are provided to show what a Fermi problem is, to tell us how it can be solved, and to suggest the significance of the art of smart guessing. It is worth noting that the conclusion echoes the beginning, contributing to the formation of the organic unity of the essay. The writer has incorporated descriptions, anecdotes, opinions, and facts into a highly individual expository essay.

The two questions below are worthy of our attention:

(1) In what way is the introduction connected with the conclusion?

In the beginning a one-question quiz is described, in which an interesting question is asked, and in the conclusion its answer is offered, with the smart guessing process presented. Thus, the beginning and the conclusion are naturally connected with each other.

(2) In the body of the essay the author gives some typical examples to illustrate a Fermi problem. How many examples are presented? What do you think of the examples?

Altogether, four examples are provided to explain a Fermi problem. They are very typical examples that best illustrate what a Fermi problem is.

III. Language Work

1. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.

1). Did you make a completely wild guess…

→ a simply groundless prediction far from being correct

2). Did you get too bogged down in the details trying to come up with the "exactly right" answer?

→ stumped or baffled; work out

3). Or did you zero in on the two most important problems?

→ come to concentrate on and deal with

4). To answer the question, he recommended breaking it down into smaller, more manageable questions.

→dividing it into

5). Because of the law of averages, your mistakes will frequently balance out.

→be of little importance in terms of number

2. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in their appropriate forms and note the difference of meaning between them.

hazard venture

1). I would hazard a guess that they will do well in the next election.

2). After a casual chat about the local famine, the woman ventured to answer our cautious questions.

3). Patrolling the US border with Mexico is as far as he has ventured into geopolitics.

4). He could not believe that, had the Englishman known how much he was at risk, he would have hazarded his grandson.

conventional traditional

1). When most subscribed to the conventional wisdom that soccer is a minor sport in America, the victory had a real impact on the whole population.

2). The secretary of defense argued that conventional weapons will soon be the least of our worries as weapons of mass destruction have found their way into the hands of

individuals.

3). These two parties, which are traditional rivals, describe the election as a war between "neo-liberalism" and "communism".

4). The local people are still very traditional in many ways, refusing to send their daughters to school.

contain include

1). Transport is not included but can be arranged.

2). The envelope contained a typed, unsigned letter demanding one million in cash.

3). The dead included six people attending a religious ceremony.

4). Seemingly inconsequential details can sometimes contain significant clues.

guess suppose

1). Suppose someone gave you an egg and asked you to describe what exactly was inside.

2). Ask the children to guess what is in each container by dipping their hands in.

3). The author's intention is to keep everyone guessing until the bitter end.

4). Everyone was supposed to dance with the bride and pin money on her dress.

3. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase taken from the box, using its appropriate form.

resourceful hazard intensity outlet merchandise estimate trench kernel visual quiz nautical approximate

1). This figure is five times the original estimate.

2). They have no way to dispose of the hazardous waste they produce.

3). Britain is intensifying its efforts to secure the release of three British hostages.

4). Translation must always be a process of approximation and compromise.

5). There's a sizzling summer of soccer ahead —we're kicking it off with a series of cracking quizzes.

6). Turning that vision into a reality is not easy.

7). I don't envisage I will take an executive role, but rather become a consultant on merchandise and marketing.

8). Surely it is economic nonsense to deplete the world of natural resources.

4. Make a sentence of your own for each of the given words with meanings other than those used in the text. You may change the part of speech of these words.

1). wild

As the Super Girls came on stage they went wild.

2). elegant

→ The article impressed me with its elegant simplicity.

3). raise

→ All funds raised will be used for children with leukaemia.

4). figure

→ Janet was a natural blonde with a good figure.

5). stroke

→ It didn't rain, which turned out to be a stroke of luck.

6). kernel

→ The kernel of that message is that peace is a source of advantage for the poor.

5. Combine each pair of simple sentences into a complex sentence, using proper subordinators.

1). My wife was mowing the lawn. I was trying to listen to music.

→ While my wife was mowing the lawn, I was trying to listen to music.

2). The weather remains fine. I see no reason why the village fete should not be a success. → If / Provided that the weather remains fine, I see no reason why the village fete should not be a success.

3). He lost his cell-phone somewhere. The lecture hall might be the place.

→ The lecture hall might be the place where he lost his cell-phone.

4). The travelers were trapped in the cave. One of them has already been brought out.

→ One of the travelers who was trapped in the cave has already been brought out. 5). He was lying. That is quite obvious.

→ It is quite obvious that he was lying.

6). An Australian friend is coming to see me. I made his acquaintance in Sydney last year.

→ An Australian friend whose acquaintance I made in Sydney last year is coming to see me.

7). Sickness kept him away from school. He didn't get the prize.

→ He didn't get the prize because sickness kept him away from school.

8). You promise to come back in time. You shall not go to the party tonight.

→ You shall not go to the party tonight unless you promise to come back in time. 9). Lucy spoke English fast. I couldn't understand her.

→ I couldn't understand Lucy because she spoke English too fast.

10). His wife waited up. He came home.

→ His wife waited up until he came home.

5. Put a word in each blank that is appropriate for the context.

When Britain’s great Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, was y oung, he (1) attended a public school called Harrow. He was not a good student, and as a matter of fact, (2) had he not been the son of a famous leader, he probably would have been thrown out of the school for his (3) offences. However, he (4) completed his work at Harrow, went on to the university, and then had a successful (5) career in the British Army, touring both Africa and India. He later was elected prime minister and brought great courage to Britain through his speeches and other work during the (6) dark days of World War II.

Toward the very (7) end of his period as prime minister, he was invited to address the young boys at his old school, Harrow. However, in announcing the coming of their great leader, the headmaster said, “Young gentlemen, the gr eatest (8) speaker of out time, our prime minister, will be here in a few days to address you, and you should obey whatever sound (9) advice he may give you at that time.”

The great day arrived, and the prime minister (10) appeared at Harrow. After being introduced, Sir Winston Churchill stood up ― all five feet, five inches and 107 kilos of him! He gave this short but moving speech: “Young men, never give up. Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never, never!”

IV. Translation

1. Translating Sentences

1). 不要让自己陷入没完没了的考试准备之中。(bog down)

→ Don't let yourself get bogged down in endless exam preparation.

2). 我小心地把花放在靠窗的地方，这样它可以得到充足的阳光。(position)

→ I carefully positioned the flower near the window so that it could get plenty of sunlight.

3). 没人能猜出这场纠纷何时会结束。(hazard a guesstimate)

→ No one would hazard a guesstimate of when the dispute would come to an end.

4). 这个月开销很大，不过下个月我们会有更多的进账，所以这阶段的收支会平衡得很好的。(balance out)

→ It seems a lot to spend this month, but we will get in a lot more next month, so it'll balance out over the period.

5). 他足智多谋，富有创意，令人惊叹，对我的事业举足轻重。(resourceful)

→ He is amazingly incomparably inventive and resourceful, and plays a major role in my career.

6). 乐队调试好音准后，指挥走上了舞台。(tune up)

→ After the orchestra had tuned up the conductor walked up onto the stage.

7). 现代军用飞机使用计算机瞄准目标。(zero in)

→ Modern military aircraft use computers to zero in on their targets.

8). 她想出了一个绝妙的主意来劝说老板给她双份工资。(come up with)

→ She's come up with a brilliant idea to persuade her boss to double her income.

2. Translating Passage

Translate the following into English.

使自己摆脱某些教条的好办法之一是了解自己生活圈子以外人们所持的观点。你要是觉得人们和报纸失却常理，颠倒是非，甚至邪恶，这时你就得提醒自己，在他们眼里你没有什么两样。这么思考双方都可能是对的，却不可能都是错的。这样的反思可以给人一个警觉。

想像力丰富的人可以设想自己跟一个不同见解的人进行辩论，这不失为一个好办法。相比真正的辩论，这样做有一个好处，也仅有一个好处，那就是它不受时空的限制。

参考译文：

A good way of ridding yourself of certain kinds of dogmatism is to become aware of opinions held in social circles different from your own. If the people and the newspaper seem mad, perverse, and wicked, remind yourself that you seem so to them. In this opinion both parties may be right, but they cannot both be wrong. This reflection should generate a certain caution.

For those who have enough psychological imagination, it is a good plan to imagine an argument with a person having a different bias. This has one advantage, and only one, as compared with actual conversation with opponents; this one advantage is that the method is not subject to the same limitations of time and space.

VI. Writing

Write an essay of about 400 words on the following topic.

ON THE PROS AND CONS OF CELL PHONES

In the first paragraph of your writing you should present your thesis statement. Then in each of the paragraphs that follow, focus on one of them for elaboration. In the final paragraph, summarize what you have written and re-assert your opinion.

The transitional devices in listed in Unit 6 can be used to introduce the pros and the following can introduce the cons:

1. more serious, even worse, to make matters worse; and

2. most serious of all, worst of all.

Between the pros and the cons, it is necessary to add one or two transitional sentences. You would probably find the sentences below useful:

1. However, every coin has two sides. While we are discussing the merits of ..., we

cannot forget its/their demerits.

2. Now, let's look at the reverse side of the coin.

3. But merits usually go hand in hand with demerits.

Further Enchantment

II. Text II

EDUCATION

E.B. White

III. Text Comprehension

1. Answer the following multiple-choice questions:

1). Which of the following quotations from the text can best justify the author’s first comment on his son’s teacher in the country school, i.e. a third-grade scholar?

A.The incident of being kicked in the shins by another boy.

B.Relief of himself in the washroom.

C.The large number of peers.

D.The Christmas performance.

Key: [ D ]

2). The teacher does many things in the country school EXCEPT ______.

A. designing the kids’ school uniforms

B. abusing the kids that fail to behave themselves

C. doing the cleaning of the school

D. enjoying the kids’ trust and friendship

Key: [ B ]

3). The word scholar is used time and again in the text. Besides referring to the teacher in the phrase a third-grade scholar, it is used to refer to ______.

A. the other teacher of the school

B. the author himself

C. the author’s son

D. somebody not specified

Key: [ C ]

4). According to the author’s description, which of the following didn’t the school bus do?

A. Waiting for the pupils at bus stops.

B. Running very fast.

C. Arriving at the bus stop on time.

D. Picking up the pupils on the way to school.

Key: [ A ]

5). Of the following four words, which can best substitute the underlined word in the sentence “We got his laconic report ‘All right’”?

A. happy

B. merry

C. brief

D. indifferent

Key : [ C ]

2. Questions for Discussion

1). In the country school, what are the duties of the teacher outside class?

She has a variety of duties in addition to her teaching responsibilities. She manages to function quietly and effectively as a guardian of their health, their clothes, and their habits. She supervises lunchrooms, playgrounds, and study sessions. She even cooks for the children. She remains concerned with the feelings and individual progress of each student.

2). How does the author use humor to narrate his son's school experiences?

Much of the humor in the passage comes from the author's narration of his son's school experiences. He stretches the truth to make his narrative larger and funnier than life normally is. For example, he calls his son "Christmas angel" and his teachers "Wise Men". He compares the school bus to a huge creature "opening its mouth and sucking the boy in".

3). What serious point about education does the author make in this story?

Our self-concepts are often defined through our school experiences, both positive and negative. During the years that young people spend in school, teachers are among the most important people in their lives. They teach them attitudes, habits, and values that help shape their character and remain with them throughout their life.

4). In the author's opinion, what are some characteristics of a good teacher?

Teachers' skills and attitudes influence everything that happens in their classrooms. Good teachers know their subjects and understand the material that they are teaching. They present lessons in creative ways, helping students of different ability levels and learning styles master the material. They like students and get satisfaction from helping them succeed. Good teachers make learning enjoyable for all their students.

5). How does the author communicate a general message about education?

The essay contains interesting insights and is written in a casual, sometimes humorous style. He recalls fondly the teacher in the country school who inspires his son because of her dedication to her students and their subject matter. He narrates the school experiences of his son through the eyes of the boy. He also shares with us his observations as an adult who has come to understand those events. The author employs several rhetorical devices for contrast and emphasis, including metaphor, patterns of imagery, and symbolism.