In offering Michael Jackson ticket holders the choice to take a refund or receive their unusable tickets as souvenirs, AEG have introduced music fans to one of the most unmanageable problems in the mathematical sciences. If nearly everybody takes the refund then the tickets, designed by the King of Pop himself, will become collectors' items and worth a fortune. However, if ail 750,000 fans take their tickets then they will all hold worthless bits of fancy paper.

The choice facing fans is similar to the El Farol bar problem, which has been the subject of hundreds of academic papers and inspired a whole field： minority game theory. That is, if you

reason that every Michael Jackson fan will take a refund then you should take the ticket , but

they will reason in the same way and there will be a flood of souvenirs, so you should ask for

your money back, but then…

So, with the benefit of the hundreds of academic papers from scientists around the world, what should a Times reader who holds a ticket do? The research tells us that, if you assume everybody else will use the same strategy as you, then the best you can do is to throw a dice(骰子）：deciding whether or not to keep the ticket according to a probability determined by demand for tickets and price. However, working out the probability is tough and most fans, without the benefit of minority game theory, won't be tossing a dice.

There is one huge factor in the Michael Jackson problem which isn't in the standard El Farol bar problem. Hype (炒作）• If the owners of the El Farol bar distributed fliers (传单） announcing it was going to be quiet next week，then it would be a safe bet to stay at home with a glass of wine. So my advice would be to read the newspapers and decide what to do on the basis of the experts' advice. If all the articles you read say the tickets will be collectors' items then ask for a refund，and if they all accuse AEG of cheating crazy fans then take the ticket. It was, after ail，designed by Michael Jackson.

67.  In the Para 1，the underlined part “ the King of Pop” refers to  ______     .

A. El Farol                                                  B. Michael Jackson

C. A ticket holder                                        D. A souvenir keeper

68.  The burning problem Michael Jackson ticket holders have to deal with is ______.

A. what advice to take                                  B. how to get their money back

C. how to deal with the tickets                      D. how to make a fortune

69.  It isn't said but implied that “ minority game theory” is a theory about ______

A. people's reasoning                                   B. Jackson's strategy

C. experts' advice                                        D. minority's bet

70.  What the writer advises the ticket holders to do is ______.

A. to throw a dice                                        B. to follow the experts

C. to read the newspaper                              D. to take the ticket

A yoga master made a shocking statement that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life. Lincoln delivered a proclamation setting up Thanksgiving as an American holiday in 1863. Research throws light on a possible Hindu (印度的）origin for the American celebration of Thanksgiving.

"The holiday of Thanksgiving has a Hindu origin," says Richard Salva, author of a book on the reincarnation (转世）of Abraham Lincoln entitled Soul Journey ： From Lincoln to Lindbergh which is based on a statement by the great master of yoga, Paramhamsa Yogananda， who declared that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life, and that he was reborn as the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh.

”During my search for signs of a past-life yoga practice," SaIva said, “I noticed that President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays as national days of prayer, fasting (禁食），and thanksgiving. This was interesting, because Thursday is considered a holy day — a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection — among Hindus, who call it ‘guru day，. ”

“ Lincoln also set aside time on Thursdays to grieve for his son，Willie, who died in Washington. Clearly, Hiursdays had a spiritual significance in Lincoln's mind. ”

In his book, Richard Salva presents more than 500 connections between Lincoln₉

lindergh, and the ancient spiritual science of yoga. The connections run through every aspect

of the human condition and provide convincing evidence that Lincoln had had a Hindu past life.

More than one out of every five Americans today believes in reincarnation—yet few are

aware of how past-life pattenis affect them. Soul Journey tries to fill this gap, by offering a

substitute experience of reincarnation. Through clear and persuasive similarities between the

lives of Lincoln and Lindbergh, the book discovers how the hidden laws of fate and

reincarnation impact the events of his or her daily life. It addresses other issues, such as the

secret spiritual history of America's greatest president, including his past life as a Himalayan

yogi; the hidden clues that reveal past lives； the greatness he achieved； and the spiritual

principles behind the yoga postures that millions now practice.

63.  Based on Richard Salva's view, ______

A. Hindus started the holiday of Thanksgiving

B. the Americans copied Thanksgiving from Hindus

C. Thanksgiving had Hindus roots

D. Charles Lindbergh had been a Himalayan yogi

64.  We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ______.

A. in India Thursday is a religious day

B. in India all the prayers are done on Thursday

C. Abraham Lincoln was once a famous pilot

D. Paramhamsa Yogananda once taught Lincoln yoga

65.  It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A.  the book discovers the laws of fate and reincarnation

B. yoga is closely connected with religion

C. the book gives a scientific description of Lincoln's spiritual life

D. Lincoln and Lindbergh must have influenced each other a lot

66.  When it came to the comparison between Lincoln and Lindbergh，the author held a ______

attitude.

A. neutral                  B. doubtful                 C. negative                  D. positive

Seen from space the Earth is covered in a blue mantle. It is a planet on which the «

continents are dwarfed (相形见绌）by the oceans surrounding them and the vastness of the marine area.

An astonishing 80 percent of all the life on Earth is to be found hidden beneath the waves and this vast global ocean pulses around our world driving the natural forces which keep life on our planet.

The oceans provide necessary sources of protein, energy, minerals and other products of use the world over and the rolling of the sea across the planet creates over half our oxygen, drives weather systems and natural flows of energy and nutrients around the world, transports water masses many times greater than all the rivers on land combined and keeps the Earth habitable.

Without the global ocean there would be no life on Earth.

It is seriously worrying, then, that we are damaging the oceans on a scale that is unimagnalbe  to most people.

We now know that human activity can have serious influences on the vital forces working - on our planet. We have fundamentally changed our global climate and are just beginning to understand the consequences of that .As yet largely unseen，but just as serious，are the influences we are having on ihe oceans. A healthy ocean has diverse ecosystems and strong and healthy habitats. the actual state of our oceans is a far cry from this natural level.

A large quantity of human pressures are being exerted both directly and indirectly on ocean ecosystems the world over. Consequently ecosystems are collapsing as marine speciesare driven towards extinction and ocean habitats are destroyed. With the decrease and removement of their diversity , ocean ecosystems are losing their natural recovery.

59.  The 2nd and the 3rd paragraphs are given mainly to describe  ______.

A. what the oceans look like                         B. what the oceans are made up of

C. what live in the oceans                             D. what functions the oceans have

60.  The oceans provide all the following except ______

A. various marine creatures                          B. rich living resources

C. all natural forces                                     D. comfortable habitats for man

61.  Man has not yet realized ______

A. that he has done harm to the oceans B. that he has done harm to the planet C. that he has benefited from the oceans D. that he has benefited from the planet

62.  The best title for this passage should be ______

A. Protecting our planet                                B. Defending our oceans

C. Making good use of our oceans                D. A glimpse of the oceans

Body image is a person's opinions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her own body and physical appearance. Having a positive body image means feeling pretty satisfied with the way you look，appreciating your body for its capabilities and accepting its imperfections. Body image is part of someone's total self-image. So how a guy feels about his body can affect how he feels about himself.

Recognize your strengths. Different physical qualities and body types are good for different things — and sometimes the things you did well as a kid can change during puberty (青春期）.What does your body do well? Maybe your speed, flexibility, strength, or coordination leads you to excel at a certain sport. Or perhaps you have some non-sports skills. Just exploring talents that you feel good about can help your self-respect and how you think of yourself.

A good body doesn't always translate into athletic success. Too often, the way guys see their body image is closely associated with their performance on a sports field or in the gym. But what if you don't like team sports or you got cut from a team you really wanted to make?

If you don't like team sports，find another form of physical activity that gets you going. This will help you stay in shape and help you to appreciate the skills you may not have realized you had in a team environment.

If you like team sports but didn't make a particular team，use this as an opportunity to discover what you're good at, not to regret what you aren't best at.

Look into starting a strength training program. Exercise can help you look good and feel good about yourself. Good builds don't just happen — they take hard work, regular workouts, and a healthy diet. There's no need to work out too much. A healthy routine can be as simple as exercising 20 minutes to 1 hour three days a week. Another benefit of working out properly is that it can cheer up yourself ——lifting weights can lift your spirits.

Don't harm your body, respect it! To help improve your view of your body, take care of it. Treating yourself well over time results in a healthier，stronger body ——and that contributes to a better body image. Practicing good living habits — regular showering ； taking care of your teeth, hair, and skin； wearing clean clothes, etc.——also can help you build a positive body image.

Be yourself. Your body is just one part of who you are — along with your talent for comedy, a quick wit, or all the other things that make you unique. Your talents, skills, and beliefs are just as much a part of you as the cover they come in. So try not to let minor imperfections take over.

55.  The HM)st important point of body image lies in it that ijt is closely associated with ______

A. one's physical appearance                         B. one's athletic achievements

C. one's body abilities                                   D. one's self-confidence

56.  Witch of die following statements is true?

A.  One's abilities developed in his childhood will stay on all one's life.

B.  A good body is certain to lead to a good sport performance.

C.  A good body image results mainly from extreme workouts.

D. Exploring non-sports talents matters equally as sports skills in building self-respect.

57.  It can be inferred from the passage that ______

A.  lifting weights is the best sport in lifting one's spirits

B.  keeping good living habits does good to body image

C.  one should try not to let minor imperfection take over

D. any activity out of. team sports can lead to one's discovery of one's potential skills

58.  This passage mainly deals with ______

A. what body image is                                  B. why body image is important

C. how body image should be improved      D. what makes up body image

Rafting the GRAND CANYON Welcomes You!

For an exciting, fun and challenging white water tours, Rafting the GRAND CANYON is here to help you plan the right tour for you. Whether you want to travel for two days or ten, hike in or not ’ go on an oar raft or motorized trip，we will help you find the trip that meets your needs.

For those who will be vacationing on the off-season a trip on the Native American Red River rafting is available year around or a one-day trip is available on the Colorado River from

Diamond Creek to Pierce Ferry ( about three hours from Las Vegas). .

Most of the trips depart from Lees Ferry, Arizona ( approximately 2 - 1/2 hours from the south rim of the Grand Canyon). We offer partial trips which allow you to get on or off at Phantom Ranch located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim. Requiring a hike in or out, with proper planning the horse ride up or down is also an option. Most trips occur between April and October.

Since all rafting on the Colorado requires a permit，planning and reserving your trip requires reservations well in advance. Please let us know when you would like to go and we will contact all the river concessionaires (特许权获得者)to help you find the best trip for you.

For planning your trip, questions, concerns or to make your reservations, please email or call the toll free number below. Since these trips are limited we highly recommend you make your reservations months in advance.

To talk to a live person call us toll free：

1-800-222-6966

or 702-655-6060

If you have any questions regarding a trip, please CLICK HERE to fill out our form. This will speed up the process of getting you accurate information regarding your trip.

If you would like to send us an email other than about an up-coming trip you can contact us at info@ raftingthegrandcanyon. com.

We look forward to helping you plan your trip ！ (Please NO Travel Agents)

51.  If you don't want to take an all-distance trip, you can start at _____.

A. Diamond Creek                                       B. Lees Ferry

C. Phantom Ranch                                       D. Pierce Ferry

52.  On the trip on the Grand Canyon, you are not recommended to enjoy _____ •

A. oar raft rowing                                        B. traveling on foot

C. animal riding                                           D. swimming entertainment

53.  At which time of the following is an off-season trip on the Grand Canyon?

A. June.                     B. February.               C. October.                 D. September.

54.  Rafting the Grand Canyon doesn't suggest the reader contact them in the way of _____.

A. calling at it in person                                B. filling a form

C. sending an email                                      D. making a call

When I was 17 , I read a quote that went something like： “If you live each day as if it was your last，someday you'll most certainly be right. ” It made a( n) 31 _____ on me，and since then，for the past 33 years，I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself： ‘‘ If today were the 32 _____ day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a 33 _____ , I know I need to change something.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost 34 _____ a type of cancer that is incurable，and that I should 35 _____ to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs 36 _____ , which is doctor's code for preparing to die.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy (活组织检查)，it 37 _____ to be a very rare form of cancer that is 38 _____ with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to 39 _____ don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the 40 _____ we all share. No one has ever 41 _____ it. And that is as it should be, because 42 _____ is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It 43 _____ _____ out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you， 44 _____ someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so 45 _____ , but it is quite 46 _____

Your 47 _____ is limited，so don't waste it 48 _____ _ someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner 49 _____ . And most important, have the courage to 50 _____ your heart and intuition (官觉)?

31. A. decision　　　　　 B.　　　 impression　 C. attraction　　　　　　　 D. difference

 In order not to get disturbed，I spent three hours locked in my study，_____ the next day's interview.

A. in anxiety for   B. in preparation for   C. in exchange for   D. in answer for

 Since the United States of America is a multicultural country, you’ll find it easy to _____the life there within a couple of months.

A. put up with             B. get along with C. team up with                  D. fit in with

 Despite the fact that his words often fail to _____ when he sings, Jay Zhou enjoys a very large number of admires in the mainland.

A. get through            B. get out                   C. get across               D. get over

 With time and patience, you'll  _____ come to realize that the Southern American football is different from the European football in many ways.

A. sensitively             B. immediately            C. automatically           D. gradually