Who should take out the garbage? Who gets to pick what to watch on TV? To make a decision, some people play rock, paper, scissors.

“It is a special sport,” Wyatt Baldwin said. He is president of the World Rock Paper Scissors Association. Baldwin is skilled at the game. He once had a 43-game winning streak. The secret to his success? “Look for patterns in your opponent’s(对手) moves,” Baldwin says.

People have been playing rock, paper, scissors for a long time. The game was probably played in China about 2,000 years ago. Today, people play it all over. In Indonesia, it’s known as semut, orang, gajah. This means “ant, person, elephant.” The Japanese version of the game is called janken. People in Singapore play bird, stone, water. Some cultures use different hand symbols. But the idea of the game is the same worldwide. You face off against an opponent. Each player “throws” one of three hand symbols. You win, lose, or tie.

Many people think rock, paper, scissors is all luck. Your chances of winning or losing seem the same. But the game is not completely random(随机的). All serious rock, paper, scissors players know this. A 2014 study in China found two key patterns in the way people play. Winners tend to repeat their winning hand symbols. But losers tend to go from rock to paper to scissors.

So what’s the best way to win a game of rock, paper, scissors? Expert players think about their next move. They also think about what their opponent’s next move might be. “There are lots of different strategies that are always running through my mind,” Baldwin says. In order to get good at the game, he recommends practicing. 

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1.Why does the author ask the questions in Paragraph 1?

A To express his doubts.

B To present different ideas.

C To describe the lifestyle of plants.

D To introduce the point for discussion.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句“To make a decision, some people play rock, paper, scissors.”以及下文内容可知，作者提出这两个问题是为了引出即将讨论的话题。故选D。

2.How does Baldwin keep winning in the special sport?

A By being president of a world association.

B By observing his opponent’s next move.

C By always repeating his winning hand symbols.

D By throwing one of three hand symbols randomly.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段的“‘Look for patterns in your opponent’s moves,’ Baldwin says.”可知，他在这个游戏中一直赢的秘诀在于观察对手的下一步行为。故选B。

3.What is true about the game of rock, paper, scissors?

A People in Indonesia started to play it first.

B People worldwide use the same hand symbols.

C The chances of winning or losing the game are 50-50.

D Expert players use different strategies to win the game.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据最后一段的“There are lots of different strategies that are always running through my mind”可知，内行玩家会使用多种策略来赢得游戏。故选D。

4.What’s the purpose of the text?

A To voice opinions.

B To offer advice.

C To show some facts.

D To spread love and joy.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。本文主要描述了“石头剪子布”这种游戏的相关事实情况。故选C。