My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments,

My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments, first as assistant district lawyer and then as a judge. My dad knows rubbish rhetoric when he hears it.
One of his favorite phrases is: “If you don’t have anything smart to say, then don’t say it at all.” Yet, for all of his legal training and life experience, he can’t help but keep talking about the Mega Millions jackpot.
We all know the odds(几率)of winning the jackpot this evening with one ticket are extraordinarily low ... 1 in 175, 711, 536, to be exact. Still, people go out and buy hundreds of tickets with the hopes of being wealthier beyond their dreams. Why? There are two possible explanations for this “irrationality”(不理智).
One idea is that the way we calculate odds in our heads has nothing to do with mathematical odds in the traditional sense. We don’t go to the mathematical odds table and say, “Well, this would be a terrible investment. I think I’m better off putting my money in the bank!” Rather, it has everything with the ability to picture an event happening.
My father, for instance, watches the news every night and sees people winning the lottery(彩票). Therefore, he thinks the chance of him winning the lottery is much higher than they actually are.
The second thought is that the expected effect of playing cannot be represented merely by the odds. My father and, I’m sure, others get a thrill from the mere idea of winning. He loves imagining what it would be like to actually win and losing doesn’t really affect him. Sure, he’s disappointed, but it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” When you bine the utility of thinking you can win with the utility of actually winning (no matter how small the chance of that occurring), it’s worth it for many people to spend the one dollar on a ticket.
My analysis is that both factors are at play in taking a chance on the lottery. My father and others really do underestimate the odds of winning, but the thrill of participation is not denied by a realistic assessment of the odds. Still, I would probably put my finger on the scale for the first explanation.
All told, a review of the odds of other events happening confirms that there just aren’t many events that occur with less frequency than your winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Look at the graph below, you may understand some:

In many ways, it’s like the lottery, something that features often on television and about which people fantasize, but that rarely happens.
So, when you watch, along with my Pa, to see if your lucky number is drawn this evening, keep in mind three things: that your number almost certainly won’t e up; that you are still going to have fun; and that, finally, a lot of other things are more likely to happen—but getting eaten by a shark isn’t one of them.
【小题1】It can be learned from the article that     .A．the Mega Millions jackpot is the last lottery to win in the worldB．a judge in that country can’t talk about lottery because it is illegalC．the writer doesn’t buy lottery, for he never hopes to bee richD．In spite of little possibility, a lot of people spend money on lottery【小题2】The function of the graph is to     .A．show chances that those things take place are fewerB．support the writer’s arguments on the lottery ticketsC．indicate no one can win the Mega Millions jackpotD．say shark attack death will seldom happen this year【小题3】Which of the following do you think the writer would probably agree with?A．If one has mathematical odds, he can win the prize more easily.B．Only those who have irrationality buy hundreds of lottery tickets.C．The Mega Millions jackpot is very popular in the writer’s country.D．Winning lottery is a shortcut to achieve the dream of being rich.【小题4】The underlined phrase “at play” in the 7th paragraph most probably means     .A．effectiveB．ridiculousC．contradictoryD．astonishing【小题5】What do you think is the best title?A．The Popular Mega Millions JackpotB．Lottery is Merely a TrickC．Mega Million is Like a Shark AttackD．Be rich, Buy Lottery SoonD