Each year Ben is glad when school is closed on Martin Luther King Jr. DayBen knows that this day honors an important manbut Ben does not feel connected to himHoweverthe small-world theory (理论) connects Ben to Dr. KingBen's mom 0 has a close friendAmy1).Amy’s uncleMark2),once met and spoke to John Carter3),the son of President Jimmy Carter4).Jimmy Carter knew Dr. King 5). In a wayBen is only “five people away” from Martin Luther King Jr

 The small-world theory says that everyone in the world is connected through a short chain (链条)of people they knowAnother name of this chain is degrees of separationEach degree is a step that separates a person from someone he or she does not knowThere are zero degrees of separation between a person and the people he or she knows directlyThis means that there are zero degrees between Ben and his momThere is one degree of separation when just one person separates someone from a person he or she does not knowBen knows his mombut he hasn't met her close friend AmyThereforeBen is one degree away from AmyAs the chain continuesAmy's uncleMarkis two degreesJohn Carter is three degreesand his father is four degreesDr. King is five degrees away from BenThe theory says that there are no more than six degrees of separation between any two people in the world

The small-world theory has a lot to do with mathThe theory assumes(假定)that each person knows 100 people. Each one of those 100 people knows 50 different peopleEach of those 50 people knows another 50 peopleand so onWhen someone continues the calculation to six degreesit is like this100 × 50 × 50 × 50 × 50 × 50 = 31.25 × 109This number is greater than 31 billiona billion = a thousand million).There are over 6 billion people in the worldThese numbers show it is possible that six degrees of separation could include everyone in the world

Does the small-world theory work? No one has ever proved itMaybe the theory just invites people to think a little more about their places in the world.

1Ben is two degrees away from                

AJimmy Carter          BJohn Carter             CAmy                       DMark

2What is the meaning of "degrees of separation" in Paragraph 2?

AThe chain to connect people                            BThe relations between people

CThe steps of knowing strangers                DThe separation between strangers

3What is the small-world theory mainly about?

AHow far Ben is away from Dr. King          BHow many people one can get to know

CHow people are connected in the world     DHow the degrees of separation are set up

4We can learn from the article that                  

Athe small-world theory works

Bmore research is needed to prove the theory

Csix degrees are needed to know the strangers

Dthe writer's purpose is to help people find out their places

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