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
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