Have you ever wondered what our future is like?Practically all people _1_ a desire to predict their future _2_.Most people seem inclined to _3_ this task using causal reasoning.First we _4_ recognize that future circumstances are _5_ caused or conditioned by present ones.We learn that getting an education will _6_ how much money we earn later and that swimming beyond the reef may bring an unhappy _7_ with a shark.Second,people also learn that such _8_ of cause and effect are probabilistic in nature.That is,the effects occur more often when the causes occur than when the causes are _9_, but not always.Thus,students learn that studying hard _10_ good grades in most instances,but not every time.Science makes these concepts of causality and probability more _11_ and provides techniques for dealing _12_ then more accurately than does causal human inquiry.In looking at ordinary human inquiry,we need to _13_ between prediction and understanding.Often,even if we dont understand why,we are willing to act _14_ the basis of a demonstrated predictive ability. Whatever the primitive drives _15_ motivate human beings,satisfying them depends heavily on the ability to_16_future circumstances.The attempt to predict is often played in a _17_ of knowledge and understanding.If you can understand why certain regular patterns _18_,you can predict better than if you simply observe those patterns.Thus, human inquiry aims _19_ answering both what and why question,and we pursue these _20_ by observing and figuring out.
1. exhibit exaggerate examine exceed
2. contexts circumstances inspections intuitions
3.underestimate undermine undertake undergo
4. specially particularly always generally
5. somehow somebody someone something
6. enact affect reflect inflect
7. meeting occurrence encounter contact
8. patterns designs arrangementspictures
9. disappointde absent inadequate absolute
10.creates produces loses protects
11.obscure indistinct explicit explosive
12.for at in with
13.distinguish distinct distort distract
14.at on to under
15.why how that where
16.predict produce pretend precede
17.content contact contest context
18.happen occur occupy incur
19.at on to beyond
20.purposes ambitions drives goals
答案与解析：
1.A
词义辨析 exhibit 展出，表现 ,exaggerate 夸张 ,exceed 超越，胜过 原句意为：实际上，人们会对未来的生活怀有(展示出)一定的愿望。
2.B
词义辨析 context 上下文 ，circumstance 环境 ，inspection 检查，视察 ，intuition 直觉
3.C
词义辨析 underestimate 低估 ,undermine 破坏 ，undertake 承担，担任 ,undergo 经历，遭受 。undertake a task为常见搭配，意为 开始进行一项任务
4.D
词义辨析 选项C、D看似均可，但always显得有些武断。
5.A
篇章逻辑 somehow 不知何故，以某种方式
6.B 词义辨析 enact 制定法律，颁布 ，inflect 弯曲
7.C
词义辨析 encounter指没有事先计划的、未料到的、短暂的相遇
8.A
词义辨析 pattern模式，式样;design设计，图案;第一段中提到过人们习惯用因果关系去推断，这是一种思考模式。
9.B
词义辨析 absent缺少的，不在的;inadequate不充分的;根据文中意思应选一个与occur意思相反的词。
10.B
词义辨析 create创造 produce产生，得到。原句意为学生知道努力学习在大多数情况下会得到高的分数。
11.C
词义辨析 obscure朦胧的，模糊的;indistinct不清楚的;explicit外在的，清楚地;explosive爆炸的;原句意为：科学使因果性和可能性的观念变的更加清楚
12.D
短语搭配 deal in经营 eg:He deals in a small shop. deal with处理，安排
13.A
词义辨析 distinguish区别，辨别;distinct清楚地，明显的;distort扭曲，歪曲;distract转移。distinguish between为常用搭配，意为 区别...和...
14.B
短语搭配 on the basis of以...为基础
15.C
语法结构 drive在此为名词，意为 动力 ，空格后部分是对drive进行修饰，故选关系代词that引导定语从句。
16.A
词义辨析 predict预言;pretend假装;precede在...之前
17.D
词义辨析 content内容;contact接触;contest争论，竞赛;context上下in the context of意为 在...情况下
18.B
词义辨析 occur发生，出现;occupy占用，占领;incur招致
19.A
短语搭配 aim at瞄准，针对
20.D
词义辨析 purpose目的，以图;ambition野心;drive推动力;goal目的，目标。