請依下文回答第 11 題至第 15 題:
Do you often feel that “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong”? If yes, then you are living under the
influence of Murphy’s Law.
Many people interpret this law as a pessimistic view of life. 11 the theory is a message of hope, a
call to excellence. In 1949, the US Air Force was running a test to study the human tolerance for G-forces
during rapid deceleration. Engineer Edward A. Murphy designed a special harness that had 16 sensors, each
of which could be installed in two ways. At the end of one crucial experiment, it was found that the sensors
provided a zero reading. Murphy’s assistant had installed all of them 12 , with each sensor wired
backwards. In a voice like thunder, the 13 engineer complained, “If there are two or more ways to do
something and one of those results in a catastrophe, then someone will do it that way!” This is the original
form of Murphy’s Law. Later Murphy 14 the sensors so that they could be installed in only one way.
As Murphy’s Law spread across the world, it was taken as a principle 15 pessimism. Murphy was
unhappy with this misinterpretation. The optimistic law aims to crystallize a principle: one should always
assume the worst scenario when designing objects and minimize human error.
【題組】14 (A)abandoned (B)criticized (C)endorsed (D)redesigned