( C ) The development of human civilization nearly entails how the notion of statistics has
evolved and been put into practice. Around two thousand years ago, a census 28 by
Caesar Augustus became part of the greatest story ever told. Questionable 29 it may
seem to the people at present, the census could be considered unprecedented in the history of
statistics. Now it is the census taker that does the traveling in the fond hope that a 30
population will stay long enough to gain a thorough sampling. 31 the completion of
census taking, methods of gathering, recording and evaluating information have been
innovated a great deal over the centuries. And while it was the modest purpose of Rome to
obtain a simple head count as an adequate basis for 32 taxes, now batteries of
complicated statistical series 33 governmental agencies and private organizations are
eagerly scanned and interpreted by sages and seers to get a clue to future events. 34 our
more immediate concern, the reliability of present-day economic forecasting, there are
considerable differences of opinion. Some people talked about newfangled computers and
high-falutin mathematical systems in terms of excitement and endearment. However, others
pointed to the deplorable record of highly esteemed forecasts and forecasters. The president
of the American Statistical Association cautioned that “high powered statistical methods are
usually in order 35 the facts are crude and inadequate, the exact contrary of what crude
and inadequate statisticians assume.”
【題組】32. (A) coercing (B) levying (C) lauding (D) hoaxing