Question

“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organization decision making. For years March( possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.

He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning :“Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.” The problem is that learning from experience involves（涉及）serious complications（复杂化），ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.

In one interesting part of book，for example，he turns a double eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. He says “The more accurately（精确的）reality is presented，the less understandable the story，and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”

Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher. March is also a poet, and his gift shines though in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding；Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life.

1.According to the text, James March is ____________. 

A. a poet who uses experience in his writing

B. a teacher who teachers story writing in university

C. a researcher who studies the way humans think and act

D. a professor who helps organizations make important decisions

2. According to James March, experience ______________. 

A. is overvalued         

B. is easy to explain

C. should be actively sought

D. should be inactively sought

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?  

A. Experience makes stories more accurate.

B. Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth.

C. The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning.

D. Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described.

4.What’s the purpose of this text?  

A. To introduce a book.                B. To describe a researcher.

C. To explain experiential learning.       D. To discuss organizational decision making.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.A

【解析】

【要点综述】文章介绍了James March所著的一本名为The Ambiguities of Experience书。本书针对人们生活中过分依赖经验这一现象作了分析实际上是告诫人们不可高估经验的作用。

1.C 细节理解题。根据首段“For years March( possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act,”可知。

2.A 推理判断题。根据首段第一句及第2段“The problem is that learning from experience involves（涉及）serious complications（复杂化），...”可得知March认为人们高估了经验的作用。

3.B细节理解题。根据第3段“The more accurately（精确的）reality is presented，the less understandable the story，and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”可判断正确答案为B。

4.A 推理判断题。此题判断作者的写作意图。从首段最末一句“he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.”及末段“Though the book is short, it is demanding；Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons.”可推断出本文是介绍March所著的这本书。