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People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are known ahead of time 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 I'm in the shower. "If it does ring while you do it , the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that thing probably won't even be remembered.
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." 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 points 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 that 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 the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious 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 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,Line 2),the author indicates that people believe_____.
A. personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.
B. personal misfortunes, plane 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,Line 6)probably means_____.
A. good manners B. appropriate speech
C. friendly relations. D. satisfactory service.
4.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.
5.It can be concluded from the passage that_____.
A. there is some truth even in the wildest dreams.
B. one should take notice of other people's merits.
C. there is no order or pattern in world events.
D. we should not base our conclusions on accidental evidence.