Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language. Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon, great, little. What do these words mean?Such verbal expression is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value just because it allows us to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.
We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people mean by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance, a subject is told “There are many trees in the park” and is asked to say what number the word many mean to him. Or a child is invited to take “some” sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give “some” sweets to another child.
First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression “is certain to” (rain, or be elected) signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; “is likely to”, about a 60 percent chance; “probably will” about 55 percent.
Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression. Thus, if we tell a subject to take “a few” or “ a lot of” glass balls from a box, he will take more if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number. But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.
Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.
【小题1】 What’s the right attitude towards the words like probably, many, soon?

Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language，Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon,great,little.What do these words mean? 

Such verbal imprecision is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value Just because it allows uw to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.

We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people meari by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance,a subject is told "There are many trees in the park" and is asked to say what number the word may mean to him. Or a child is invited to take "some" sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give

“some" sweets to another child.

First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression is certain to( rain,or be elected)signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; is likely to, about a 60 percent chance; probably will, about 55 percent.

Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression.Thus, if we tell a subject to take "a few" or“a lot of" glass balls from a box, he will take me if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number, But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.

Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls, he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.

51. What's the right attitude towards the words like probably, any and soon ?

A. They are inaccurate and we should avoid them.

B. They are necessary since we cannot be always precise.

C. They should be criticized because there are too many of them.

D. Their value is not yet clear since we don't know their meaning.

52. Why do we do experiments with the words many and some?

A. To prove that people are insensitive to these words.

B. To prove that the words dominate our everyday speech.

C. To find out how the meanings vary with age and contexts.

D. To find out whether the words can mean a precise quantity.

53. Which of the following expressions means a larger chance in weather broadcast?

A. Possible.   B. Probable.   C. Be likely to.  D. Be certain to.

54. Which of the following is similar to the underlined word signifies in its meaning?

A. makes    B. means     C. predicts    D. indicates

55. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Uncertainty in the Language Use.

B. How to Use Language in an Uncertain Way

C.Uncertain Words and their Use in Specific Contexts

D. Experiments on Relationship between Uncertainty and Language Use

A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He asked his father, “Why does my apple turn brown?” his father answered, “When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple’s molecular structure and results in a brownish color.” The boy asked, “ Daddy, what are you talking about?”
I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right.
The problem is that I don’t always have the answer I need. Nobody else seems to have them, either. So I go on making mistakes and think that I’ll never get it right.
Often I didn’t know what to do. I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved. Then I realized that I don’t HAVE TO always get it right. I don’t have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on.
Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, “ No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now. That would be pretty hard to do when you’re waiting for all the answers first.”
So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what should you do next? Forgive yourself and try again. You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right.
【小题1】 In the beginning, the author tells the story of a boy and his father to ____.

Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language，Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon,great,little.What do these words mean? 
Such verbal imprecision is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value Just because it allows uw to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.
We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people meari by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance,a subject is told "There are many trees in the park" and is asked to say what number the word may mean to him. Or a child is invited to take "some" sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give
“some" sweets to another child.
First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression is certain to( rain,or be elected)signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; is likely to, about a 60 percent chance; probably will, about 55 percent.
Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression.Thus, if we tell a subject to take "a few" or“a lot of" glass balls from a box, he will take me if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number, But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.
Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls, he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.
51. What's the right attitude towards the words like probably, any and soon ?
A. They are inaccurate and we should avoid them.
B. They are necessary since we cannot be always precise.
C. They should be criticized because there are too many of them.
D. Their value is not yet clear since we don't know their meaning.
52. Why do we do experiments with the words many and some?
A. To prove that people are insensitive to these words.
B. To prove that the words dominate our everyday speech.
C. To find out how the meanings vary with age and contexts.
D. To find out whether the words can mean a precise quantity.
53. Which of the following expressions means a larger chance in weather broadcast?
A. Possible.   B. Probable.   C. Be likely to.  D. Be certain to.
54. Which of the following is similar to the underlined word signifies in its meaning?
A. makes    B. means     C. predicts    D. indicates
55. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Uncertainty in the Language Use.
B. How to Use Language in an Uncertain Way
C.Uncertain Words and their Use in Specific Contexts
D. Experiments on Relationship between Uncertainty and Language Use

I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it．

1．Look up English to Elvish．

2．Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context in Tolkien’s language dictionary．

3．Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc．

       You cannot leave out any of these steps．If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors．Why you have to do step 2:

       Languages never match up one- to-one．English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems．And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally．You have to understand the meaning behind each word．

       In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced．Find the best one you can．

       Consider the word “fair”．We tend to use it to mean “just”．Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”．In Elvish, these are two entirely different words．So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one．

       Consider the nightmare of He left the bar．Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages．

       And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together．You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere．Sometimes you need “me” or “my”．There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules．

       It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”．A dictionary is a tool, a resource．but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product．They are raw materials．

The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to         ．

       A．consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages

       B．finding out the true meaning in context

       C．ignoring the rules of grammar

       D．leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions

According to the author, you have to do step 2 because         ．

       A．you have to understand the meaning behind each word

       B．Elvish and English are quite different in forms

       C．there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms

       D．Elvish has some words which are hard to find

Grammar is also very important because it         ．

       A．helps fit the words together   B．takes a while to learn a language

       C．is a rule to obey       D．is often forgotten in translating

In the last paragraph, the author shows         ．

       A．his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right

       B．his puzzle to the questionable translation

       C．the importance of the correct use of dictionaries

       D．the mistaken entries in the dictionaries

The passage is mainly about how to         ．

       A．learn a foreign language with a dictionary

       B．avoid errors when looking up a dictionary

       C．understand the meaning of a strange word

       D．use a dictionary to translate between languages