Chapter 5 Part 2 Chapters 10, 11 and 12

Our House Mrs. Sea's House The other students in our school are stupid, but I wouldn't mean to call them stupid, even though they are.I would say they have a learning disability, or they have special needs.But it's stupid to say that because everyone has a learning disability, whether it's learning to speak French or understanding the theory of relativity.And everyone has his or her own special needs, like my father who has to carry artificial sweeteners in his coffee so he doesn't get fat; You will have a headache.Although these people all have special needs, they are not considered "persons with special needs."

But Sharon said we had to use that adjective because people used to say that the kids at school were crazy, crippled, bastards, and those were bad words.But there are also boring ones. Sometimes when students from other schools see us get off the school bus on the road, they will shout loudly: "Special needs! Special needs!" Scammed and I have my swiss army knife in my hand, if they kill me for beating me up, that's self-defense and I'm not going to jail. I'm here to prove that I'm not stupid.I'm going to sit my A-level maths exam next month and I'm sure I'll get an A.No one in our school has ever taken the A-level appraisal test in mathematics. The principal Mrs. Ge refused to let me take the test at first, saying that they did not have the equipment to allow us to take the A-level test. But my father was very angry and he argued with Mrs. Ge. .Mrs. Ge said they didn't want to give me special treatment, otherwise everyone would demand special treatment and I would set a precedent.Besides, when I'm eighteen I can take my A-level maths exam anytime.

I sat in her office with my father when Mrs. Gerrard said this, and my father said, "Christopher has heard enough of this nonsense, you stop talking nonsense, my God, this is what he is really good at. subject." Then Mrs. Ge said that she would discuss this matter with her father another day, but my father asked her if she wanted to say something that would embarrass me in person, and she said no, so my father said, "Then say it now." So she said, if I want to take the A-level maths test, I must have a school staff in a separate room to invigilate the test for me, and my father said he would pay this person fifty pounds for overtime, so it was settled .The principal said she needed a little time to think about it.A week later, she called home and told my father that I could take the exam and that Pastor Pi would be the so-called proctor.

After I finish the A-level maths accreditation exam, I will continue to take the A-level maths aptitude exam and the physics accreditation exam, and then I can go to university.The town of Swindon we live in doesn't have a university, it's a small town so we have to move to another city that has a university because I don't want to live alone or with other students.But that's not a problem, because my father also wants to move to another city, and sometimes he'll say things like, "We gotta move out of this little place, boy." And sometimes he'll say, "Swindon is the world's most Rotten place."

One day in the future, after I get a math or physics, or a double degree in math and physics, I can find a job and make a lot of money, and then I can hire someone to take care of me, cook for me, and help me. I'm washing clothes.Or I'll find a girl to marry me and be my wife, who will take care of me and keep me company, and I won't be all alone. 71 I used to think that my mother and father might get divorced because they often quarreled and sometimes even hated each other.It's all because of the stress of caring for a child with "behavior problems" like me.But I don't have so many problems now, because I'm older, I can make my own decisions, and I can also do things independently, such as going out to the small shop at the intersection to buy things.

Here are some of my "behavioral problems": A. Not talking to people for a long time. {4} B. Not eating or drinking for a long time. {5} C. Does not like being touched physically. D. Screams loudly when angry or confused. E. Does not like to be in a small space with people. F. Breaks things when angry or confused. G. will moan. H. Does not like yellow or brown things, refuses to touch yellow or brown things. I. If someone touches my toothbrush, I refuse to use it. J. If different foods touch each other, I will refuse to eat. K. can't see that people are angry with me.

L. can't laugh. M. would say things that others would consider rude. {6} N. will do stupid things. {7} O. can hit people. P. hates France. Q. Steal my mother's car. {8} R. I lose my temper when someone moves furniture. {9} These things sometimes made my mother and father so angry that they would yell at me or at each other.Sometimes the father would say, "Christopher, if you're not good, I swear I'll beat you up." Or the mother would say, "My God, Christopher, I want to send you to kindergarten. ’ or: ‘I’m going to an early grave with your anger.’ 73 {4}I once went five weeks without speaking to anyone.

{5}When I was six, my mother used to make me drink strawberry-flavored diet meals from a graduated jar so we could race to see how fast I could drink a quarter-liter. {6} People say to always tell the truth, but that's not necessarily true, because you can't tell an old man that they're old, and you can't tell a man that he smells weird, or tell an adult that he just farted .You can't even say "I don't like you" to people, unless that person treats you very badly. {7} Folly is like dumping a whole jar of peanut butter on the kitchen table, then scraping it with a knife and spreading it all over the table.Or burn something on a gas stove and see what happens, like burning my shoes or aluminum foil or granulated sugar.

{8}I only did it once, and that was when I borrowed my mother's car keys while she was on the bus into town.I hadn't driven a car before that, I was eight years and five months old, so I drove my car into a wall.The car is gone now because the mother is dead. {9} Moving kitchen chairs and tables doesn't matter because that's not the same.But if someone removes the sofa and chairs in the living room or dining room, I get dizzy and nauseous.My mother moves the furniture every time she vacuums, so I have a special plan that lists all the furniture and measures where I can put it back afterward so I can feel comfortable.But since my mother died, my father has never used a vacuum cleaner, so the world is peaceful.Mrs. Xi used the vacuum cleaner once, but I kept moaning, and she couldn't help but yelled at her father, and she never used the vacuum cleaner again.

When I got home, my father was sitting at the kitchen table, already making dinner.He was wearing a lumberjack jacket, and his dinner was baked beans and broccoli and two slices of ham, all spread out on a plate so they wouldn't get dirty. He said, "Where have you been?" I said, "I'm going outside." This is a so-called white lie.A white lie isn't a lie, it's when you don't tell the whole truth.In other words, everything we say is a white lie because, for example, when someone asks you "What are you doing today?" and you say "I'm going to draw with Mrs. Draw," but you didn't say "I'm going to eat lunch, I'm going to the bathroom, I'm going to go home after school, I'm going to play with Toby, I'm going to have dinner, I'm going to play on the computer, I'm going to bed." And the reason I tell white lies is because my father doesn't want me to be a detective.

Father said, "Mrs. Xi called just now." I started with my baked beans and broccoli with two slices of ham. The father asked again: "What are you doing sneaking around in other people's garden?" I said, "I'm a detective looking into who killed Wellington." The father replied, "How many times have I told you, Christopher?" The baked beans and broccoli and ham were cold but I didn't mind, I'm a slow eater so my food was almost always cold. Father said, "I told you not to meddle in other people's business." I said, "I think Mr. Xi may have killed Wellington." Father said nothing. I said, "He's my number one suspect because I think maybe Wellington was killed on purpose to upset Mrs Shear, and murders are usually committed by acquaintances..." My father slammed his fist on the table so hard that his plates, knives and forks jumped up, and my ham jumped up and hit the broccoli, which made me unable to eat the broccoli and ham. Then he said loudly, "Don't mention that person's name in my house." I asked: "Why?" "That man is a bad man," he said. I said, "Does that mean he might have killed Wellington?" Father buried his head in his palms and said, "My God." I could see my father was mad at me, so I said, "I know you told me not to mind other people's business, but Mrs. Sean is our friend." "Not anymore," said the father. I asked: "Why?" The father said, "Well, Christopher, I will say it again, and for the last time, and I will not say it again. Look at me when I talk to you, Christopher, look at me, you must not Go ask Mrs. Xi who killed that dog, you can no longer ask anyone who killed that dog, you can no longer step into other people's gardens, you must immediately stop this ridiculous and boring detective game. " I was silent. Father said, "I want your promise, Christopher, you know what I mean when I say I want your promise." I don't know how to make a promise.All you can say is that you won't do it again, and then you really can never do it again, because that would turn your promise into a lie.I said, "I know." Father said: "Promise me that you will never do these things again, promise me that you will give up this ridiculous game immediately, okay?" I said, "I promise." 79 I think I will make a very good astronaut. You have to be smart to be a good astronaut, and I'm smart.It is also necessary to know how the machinery works, and I am very good at that.And it had to be able to be alone in a tiny space capsule, hundreds of thousands of miles away from the surface of the earth, without panic, claustrophobia, homesickness, or psychosis.I've always liked small spaces, as long as no one else is there it's fine.Sometimes when I want to be alone, I hide in the airy cupboard of the bathroom, close the door by the boiler, and sit in there thinking for hours, and it makes me feel very peaceful. I can be a solo astronaut, or have my own space capsule where no one else can come in. And there can't be anything yellow or brown in the capsule. I would talk to the people in Space Mission Control, but it would be via radio and TV screens, so they weren't really strangers, it was like they were playing a video game. I don't get homesick either, because I'm surrounded by things I like, machines, computers, outer space.I can look out the small window of the space capsule and know that there is no one around me hundreds of thousands of miles away.I sometimes lie on the grass on summer nights and look at the sky and dream.I'll cover the sides of my cheeks with my hands so I can't see fences and chimneys and clothes hangers and I can pretend I'm in space. As far as the eye can see, there are stars on all sides. These stars are the places where the constituent molecules of life were formed billions of years ago. For example, the iron contained in human blood that can prevent anemia was formed on the planet. I'd be happier if I could take Toby with me to space, maybe they'd agree, because they sometimes take animals into space for experiments, so if I could come up with an experiment that would use the mouse without harming it , I can get them to let me take Toby with me. Even if they won't let me take Toby, I'm still going because it's a "dream come true". 83 When I arrived at school the next day, I told Sharon that my father forbade me to continue being a detective, which meant the book was over.I showed her the articles I had written, including the floor plan of the universe and street maps and prime numbers.She said it doesn't matter.She said the book was well written, and I should be proud of myself for being able to write a book, although it is short, but there are some short but well-written books in the history of literature, as Conrad said Written by "Heart of Darkness". But I say it's not a complete book because it doesn't have a complete ending, because I haven't found out who killed Wellington, so the killer is still at large. She said it was like real life, not all murders are solved and not all killers are brought to justice, like Jack the Ripper. I said I didn't like that the murderer was getting away with it, I said I didn't like that the man who killed Wellington might live nearby and I might meet him on my evening walks.This is possible because the perpetrators are usually acquaintances of the victims. Then I said: "Father said I can't mention Mr. Xi's name at home, saying that he is a bad person, maybe he is the one who killed Wellington." She said, "Maybe it's just that your father doesn't like Mr. Xi very much." I asked: "Why?" She said, "I don't know, Christopher, I don't know, because I don't know Mr. Xi." I said, "Mr. Xi was married to Mrs. Xi before, and then he left her. It's like a divorce. But I don't know if they are really divorced." Sharon said, "Mrs. Xi is your friend, isn't she? You and your father's friend. So, maybe your father hates Mr. Xi because he left Mrs. Xi because Mr. Xi did something wrong to your friend." doing." I said, "But my father said that Mrs. Xi is no longer a friend of our family." Sharon said, "I'm sorry, Christopher, I wish I could answer all your questions, but unfortunately I can't." At this time the school bell rang. The next day I saw four yellow cars in a row on my way to school, making the day a bad day, so I skipped lunch and spent the day hiding in the corner of my room reading my A-level maths textbook. The third day was the same, I saw four yellow cars in a row on my way to school, so it was also a bad day, I didn't talk to anyone, I sat in the corner of the library all afternoon, moaning with my head against the wall, it would be Makes me feel calm and safe.On the fourth day of school I kept my eyes shut until I got out of the car, which was allowed because I had two bad days in a row. But this is not the end of the book, because five days later I saw five red cars in a row, and it was an auspicious day, and I knew something unusual was about to happen.Nothing out of the ordinary happened at school, so I knew there would be after school.When I got home, I went down to the shop down our street and bought some fruit candy bars and a caramel bar out of my pocket money. After I bought the long strips of fruit candy and milk candy, I turned around and saw Mrs. Asia, the old lady who lives in No. 39, and she was also in the store, but she didn't wear jeans anymore, she was wearing a dress like ordinary old ladies , She smells like cooking. She said, "What happened to you that day?" I said: "When?" She said, "You were gone when I came out, and I had to eat the biscuits by myself." I said, "I'm leaving." "I think so," she said. I said, "I thought you were going to call the police." She said, "Why should I call the police?" I said, "Because I was listening to other people's affairs, my father said that I should not investigate who killed Wellington, and the police also warned me that if I caused trouble again, this warning would make my crime more serious." Then the Indian woman behind the counter said to Mrs. Asia Pacific, "Do you want anything?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said she wanted a pint of milk and a box of Jaffa cakes, and I left the shop. I came out of the store and saw Mrs.'s dachshund sitting on the sidewalk in his tartan coat, Mrs. Mrs.'s leash tied to the drainpipe by the door.I've always liked dogs, so I bent over to say hello to her dog.It licks my hand, its tongue is thick and wet, it likes the smell of my pants and keeps smelling me. After a while Mrs. Asia came out and said, "It's called Ivor." I was silent. Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "You're shy, aren't you, Christopher?" I said, "I can't talk to you." She said: "Don't worry, I won't tell the police, I won't tell your father, because chatting is not a bad thing, chatting is a kind behavior, isn't it?" I said, "I can't chat." She said, "Do you like computers?" I said, "Yes, I like computers, and I have a computer in my room." "I know, sometimes I look out the window and I can see you sitting in your room typing on your computer," she said. With that, she undid Ivor's belt from the drainpipe. I don't want to talk because I don't want to get in trouble. Then I thought that today is an auspicious day, and nothing special has happened so far. Maybe talking to Mrs. Yatai is a special thing.It occurred to me that she might tell me something about Wellington or Mr. Shee before I had to speak, so that my promise would not be broken. So I said, "I love math, I love taking care of Toby, I love outer space, and I love being alone." She said, "I think you must be good at math, huh?" I said, "Yeah, I'm going to take my A-level maths exam next month and I'm going to get an A." Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Really? A-level math test?" I replied: "Yes, I will not lie." She said: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I'm just afraid that I didn't hear clearly, I sometimes have a little hard of hearing." I said, "I remember, you told me that." Then I added, "I was the first in my school to take the A-level maths exam because it was a special education school." "You're great, I hope you get an A," she said. I said, "I will." She added, "Another thing I know is that your favorite color is not yellow." I said, "No, and it's not brown either, my favorite colors are red and metallic." At this time, Evora pooped all over the floor. Mrs. Asia Pacific picked up the dog poop with a plastic bag on her hand, then turned the plastic bag over and tied a knot, so that the dog poop was sealed inside, and her hands were also Not touching poop. Then I made some inferences, and I deduced that my father just made me commit to five things, and these five things were: 1. Do not mention Mr. Xi's name at home. 2. Don't ask Mrs. Xi who killed the dog. 3. Do not ask anyone who killed the dog. 4. Do not step into other people's gardens. 5. Stop this boring detective game. But inquiring about Mr. Xi is not within these few promises, not to mention being a detective has to take risks, and today is an auspicious day, which means that today is a good day for taking risks, so I said: "Do you know Mr. Xi? "Sounds like a conversation. Mrs. Asia-Pacific said: "It doesn't count as acquaintance. No, I mean, I know him only to say hello and say a few words on the way, but I don't know much about him. I think he works in a bank. National Westminster Bank." I said: "Father said he was a bad person, do you know why he said that about him? Is Mr. Xi a bad person?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Why are you asking about Mr. Xi, Christopher?" I was silent because I couldn't investigate Wellington's murder, but that was the main reason why I asked Mr. Xie. At this time, Mrs. Asia Pacific said: "Is it related to Wellington?" I nodded, so it wouldn't count as an investigation. Mrs. Asia Pacific said nothing. She walked to a small red box on a pole by the park gate and threw Ivor's poop into the box.A brown thing inside a red thing made a strange feeling in my head, so I didn't dare to look at it.Then she walks up to me. She took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps it's best not to talk about these things, Christopher." I asked: "Why?" She said, "Because," she paused, and decided to put it another way: "Because maybe your father was right, and you shouldn't go around asking about it." I asked: "Why?" "Because he's obviously going to be upset," she said. I said, "Why is he sad?" She took another deep breath and said, "Because... because I think you know why your father doesn't like Mr. Xi so much." I asked her, "Because Mr. Xi killed my mother?" Mrs. Yatai said, "Kill her?" I said, "Yes, did he kill his mother?" Mrs. Yatai said, "No, no, of course he didn't kill your mother." I said, "But did he stress her so she died of a heart attack?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "I really don't know what you're talking about, Christopher." I said, "Or did he hurt her and end up in the hospital?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Is she in the hospital?" I said, "Yeah, it wasn't serious at first, but she had a heart attack in the hospital." Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Oh, my God." I said, "And then she died." Mrs. Asia Pacific said again, "Oh my God," and then said, "Oh, Christopher, I'm so, so sorry, I didn't even know about it." Then I asked her, "Why did you say 'I think you know why your father dislikes Mr. Xi'?" Mrs. Asia Pacific covered her mouth with one hand and said, "Oh, yes." But she didn't answer my question. So I ask again, because in murder mystery detective stories, if someone doesn't want to answer questions, it's probably because they're trying to keep a secret, or trying to protect someone from getting him into trouble, which means that the questions are The answer is the most crucial point in the whole case, so the detective must put pressure on this person. But Mrs. Asia Pacific still did not answer, instead, she asked me questions.She said, "So you don't know?" I said, "Know what?" She replied, "Christopher, maybe I shouldn't have told you that." Then, "Maybe we should go for a walk in the park. This is not the place to talk about things like that." I got nervous when I heard that, I don't know Mrs. Asia, I just know that she is an old lady and she likes dogs, but she is a stranger after all, and I have never entered the park by myself, because the park is a dangerous place, often Someone hid behind a public toilet in a corner of the park and injected drugs.I want to go home, I want to go back to my room to feed Toby and do math problems. But on the other hand I was excited because I thought she was going to tell me some secret, maybe about who killed Wellington, or about Mr. Xie.If she really told me the secret, perhaps I could collect more evidence against him, or else exclude him from my investigation list. Therefore, because this day is an auspicious day, I decided to get rid of my inner fears and go for a walk in the park with Mrs. Ya. When we entered the park, Mrs. Asia and the Pacific stopped and said, "What I am going to say to you now, you must promise not to tell your father that I said it." I asked: "Why?" She said: "I shouldn't have said it, but if I don't make it clear, you will keep guessing and even go to ask your father. I just don't want you to ask him, because I don't want you to make him sad , so I want to explain why I said these words. But before I explain, you must first promise me that you will not tell anyone that I told you these words." I asked: "Why?" She said, "Christopher, please, trust me." I said, "I promise." Because if Mrs. Asia told me who killed Wellington, or told me that Mr. Xi did kill his mother, I could still report it to the police, because if someone commits a crime and you know the truth, you can broken promises. Mrs. Asia Pacific said: "Before your mother passed away, she was a good friend with Mr. Xi." I said, "I know." She said, "No, Christopher, I don't think you know, I mean, they're very good friends, very very good friends." I thought about it and said, "You mean they did the sex thing?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Yes, Christopher, that's what I meant." Then she was silent for about thirty seconds. She went on to say, "Christopher, I really didn't mean to say things that would upset you, but I wanted to explain why I said them because I thought you knew. That's why your father thinks Mr. Xi is a bad guy." The reason is why he doesn't want you to mention Mr. Xi to others, because it will bring back unpleasant memories for him." I said, "Is this why Mr. Xi left Mrs. Xi, because he married Mrs. Xi and then had sex with someone else?" Mrs. Asia Pacific said, "Yes, I think so." Then she said, "I'm sorry, Christopher, I'm really sorry." I said, "I think I should go." She said, "Are you all right, Christopher?" I said, "I'm afraid to be in the park with you because you're a stranger." "I'm not a stranger, Christopher, I'm a friend," she said. I said, "I'm going home." She said: "If you want to talk about it, you can come to me anytime, just come to my house and knock on the door." I said, "OK." She said, "Christopher?" I said: "What's the matter?" She said, "You won't tell your father about our conversation, will you?" I said, "No, I promise you." She said: "You go back and remember my words at all times." So I went home. Mr. Jia said that I like mathematics because it brings me a sense of security.He said I like math because it means solving problems.These questions are difficult and interesting, and there is always a clear answer in the end.But he thinks mathematics is not like real life, because in real life there is no clear answer at the end, and I know what he means, because he said so. But this is because Mr. Jia does not understand numbers. There is a famous story called "The Monty Hall Problem" which I include in this book because it illustrates my point of view. There is a "Grand View Magazine" (Parade) in the United States that once opened a column called "Marilyn Answers Questions" (Ask Marilyn), written by Marilyn vos Savant (Marilyn vos Savant). The person with the highest IQ in the Hall of Fame of Records, she answers math questions from readers in her column.In September 1990, Craig F. Whitaker, a reader in Columbia, Maryland, wrote a book asking such a question (but I am not quoting directly, I simplified it for everyone to understand ): You enter a TV game show that offers a car as a prize.The show host first shows you three doors, and says that there is a car inside one door, and goats inside the other two doors.He wants you to pick a door.You choose, but the door doesn't open.The host opens one of the two doors you didn't pick, and inside it is a goat (because he knows what's behind the door), and then he says you have one last chance to change your mind before that door opens, and you can Get a car or be a goat.At this point he asks you if you want to change your mind and change to another door that is not open.What should you do? Marilyn replied that you should change your mind and choose the last door, because the probability of picking the car is two-thirds. But if you're intuitive, you'd think the odds are half-and-half, because you'd think there's a fifty-fifty-percent chance that there's a car behind the door. Despite Marilyn's careful interpretation, many people wrote to magazines saying she was wrong.Ninety-two percent of the submissions she received said she was wrong, including many mathematicians and scientists.Here's what they say: I am deeply concerned about the lack of mathematical understanding among the general public, and please set the record straight by admitting your mistakes. Dr. Rob Shax, George Mason University There are enough math illiterates in this country that we don't need the highest IQ in the world to spread the word.Shame to death! Dr. Scott Smith at the University of Florida has had at least three mathematicians correct it, and it's shocking that you still can't face up to your mistakes. Kent Ford, Dickinson State University, I believe you will receive many letters from high school and college students, urging you to keep a few addresses, which may be useful in your column in the future. Dr. W. Rob Smith, Georgia State University You are dead wrong... How many angry mathematicians would it take to change your mind? If Dr. E. Ray Bober of Georgetown University gets these PhDs wrong, then the country is in big trouble. Dr. Alfred Harman of the US Army Research Center Yet Marilyn Chavant is right, and here are two ways to prove it. First, you can do this mathematically: Use X, Y, Z to represent the three doors, and Cx to represent the car is inside the X door (the following analogy) Let Hx represent the result after the host opens door X (the following analogy) Suppose you choose door X, then the possibility of getting a car after you change your mind (represented by P) can be calculated by the following formula: P(Hz^Cy)+P(Hy^Cz) =P(Cy)?P(Hz Cy)+P(Cz)?P(HyCz) =(1/3?1)+(1/3?1)=2/3 Another way is to draw a diagram of all possibilities: so, if you change your mind, you have a two-in-three chance of getting the car.If you stand your ground, you have only one in three chances of getting the car. This shows that human intuition is sometimes wrong.People usually make decisions by intuition in life, but logic can help you get the right answer. It also shows that Mr. Jia is wrong and that the numbers are sometimes complicated and not at all clear.This is why I like "The Three-Door Problem". 101 You have to pick a door You pick a door with a goat in the back You pick a door with a car in the back Maintain your original proposal Change your mind Maintain your original proposal Change your mind Get a sheep Get a car Get a Sheep Get a Car Get a Sheep 103 Many things are mysterious, but that doesn't mean they don't have answers, just because scientists haven't figured them out yet. For example, some people believe that ghosts return to the world after death.Uncle Terry once said that he once saw a ghost in a shoe store in a shopping center in Northampton. He went downstairs, but found that the basement was empty, and there was no door. He told the story to the female clerk at the cashier upstairs, and they said that the ghost was named Tucker, a Franciscan monk who lived in a monastery, and that the shopping center was the site of the monastery hundreds of years ago, so it happened. It will be named "Greyfriars Shopping Center". Everyone is already familiar with it and is not afraid at all. One day in the future, scientists will definitely find out the reason for the formation of ghosts, just like they discovered electricity and solved the mystery of lightning. Maybe the reason for the formation of ghosts is related to the human brain or the earth's magnetic field, or another new energy At that time, ghosts are no longer a mystery, but as common as electricity, rainbows, and non-stick pans. Sometimes, however, mysterious things are not mysterious at all, and here is an example of that. We have a small pond in our school with many frogs, we can use them to learn how to treat animals with kindness and respect, because some students are very cruel to animals, they think it is fun to smash earthworms or throw stones at cats . Some years there are many frogs in the pond, and some years there are few. If you draw a graph showing the number of frogs in the pond, it will be like this (but this graph is a so-called "hypothetical graph", in other words its numbers are not correct. number, it's just an icon.) If you observe carefully, you will find that the winters of 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1997 were very cold, or else a heron came and ate the frog (Occasionally a heron would appear to try to eat a frog, but the pond was covered with barbed wire to stop it.). Sometimes it has nothing to do with cold winters or cats or herons, it's purely mathematical. Here is the formula for the number of animals: N new = λ (N old) (1-N old) In this formula, N represents the density of the number of animals.When N is equal to one, the number of animals is the largest.When N is equal to zero, the number of animals is also equal to zero. Nnew is the number of animals in one year and Nold is the number of animals in the previous year. λ is the so-called constant. When λ is less than one, the number of animals gradually decreases to zero.When λ is between one and three, the number of animals will gradually increase, and finally remain stable as shown in the icon (this is also a hypothetical icon): When λ is between 2 and 3.57, the number of animals will show a cycle like this: When λ is between 3 and 3.57, the number of animals shows this cycle: but when λ is greater than 3.57, the number of animals shows the chaos shown in the first diagram. 这个公式是由罗伯?梅（Robert May）、乔治?欧斯特（Grorge Oster）与吉姆?约克（Jim Yorke）共同发现的。这显示有时事情因过于复杂，很难预测下一步会如何，其实它们只是遵循简单的规则而已。 同时它也说明了，不管是青蛙也好，蚯蚓也好，或人类也好，有时也会毫无理由的消亡，因为数字就是这么一回事。 《巴斯克维的猎犬》是我最喜欢的一本书。 在这本书中，神探福尔摩斯与华生医生认识了来访的得文郡乡绅莫地摩医生。莫地摩医生的好友查理?巴斯克维爵士因为心脏病去世，莫地摩医生怀疑他可能是被吓死的。他还带来一卷古老的卷轴，上面叙述着“巴斯克维的诅咒”。 卷轴内说，查理?巴斯克维爵士有个祖先叫雨果?巴斯克维爵士，是个狂野不羁的无神论者，他曾经企图染指佃农之女，但是被她逃脱了，于是他一路追赶，他有一帮和他一样邪恶淫荡的朋友则紧随在后。 当他们赶上他时，发现佃农之女已经气绝身亡，他们同时看到一头巨大的黑色野兽，形状酷似猎犬，可是比他们见过的任何猎犬体型更大，正在撕扯雨果?巴斯克维爵士的喉咙。当天晚上其中一个朋友就吓死了，另外两个终其一生都在疯狂状态。 莫地摩怀疑查理?巴斯克维爵士有可能也是被这只“巴斯克维的猎犬”给吓死，他担心他好友的独子也是惟一继承人亨利?巴斯克维爵士一旦住进得文郡的巴斯克维庄园后也会遭到不测。 因此福尔摩斯请华生医生陪同亨利?巴斯克维和莫地摩医生一起前往得文郡的巴斯克维庄园，华生医生还有一个任务，就是设法找出谁杀了查理?巴斯克维爵士。福尔摩斯说他会留在伦敦，事实上，他私底下也去了得文郡，秘密展开调查。 福尔摩斯查出查理?巴斯克维爵士是被他的邻居史戴普顿谋杀的。史戴普顿平日喜欢搜集蝴蝶标本，他同时也是巴斯克维家族的远亲，但他家境贫穷，所以他又阴谋杀害亨利?巴斯克维，企图借此继承他们家的庄园。 为了达成目的，史戴普顿从伦敦买了一条体型巨大的猎犬，将它全身涂满磷使它在黑暗中发光，就是这条猎犬把查理?巴斯克维爵士吓死的。福尔摩斯与华生医生和苏格兰警场的莱斯特雷探员联手将猎犬逮捕，福尔摩斯与华生医生还把狗射杀了，它是这个故事中被牺牲的两条狗之一。其实这是不对的，因为这一切错不在狗。至于主嫌史戴普顿则逃入偏僻的格林潘沼泽，最后被泥沼淹没而死。 这个故事有几个地方我不满意，其中之一是那个古老的卷轴，因为它是用古文书写的，很不容易看懂，譬如： 是则了知，逝者如斯，未来可追，庸人自扰，吾人期期不可，务以为殷鉴。 有时原作者亚瑟?柯南道尔爵士会这样形容书中的角色： 那张脸隐约透露出错误的信息，有点粗糙的表情，有点冷酷无情的眼神，嘴唇却有点松弛，破坏了它的完美。 我不懂怎样才是“有点冷酷无情的眼神”，我对表情也没兴趣。 但有时不懂字面的意义也很有趣，因为可以查字典。 我喜欢《巴斯克维的猎犬》是因为它是个侦探故事，换句话说，故事中有破案的线索，也有一些诱使你转移注意力的蛛丝马迹。 它的破案线索如下： 一、亨利?巴斯克维爵士住在伦敦的旅馆时，他的一双靴子不见了———这说明了有人把它偷去给“巴斯克维的猎犬”闻，好叫猎犬循着气味去追逐他。换句话说，“巴斯克维的猎犬”不是超自然的幽灵，而是一条如假包换的狗。 二、史戴普顿是惟一知道如何穿过格林潘沼泽的人，他叫华生医生不要进入沼泽地区，以策安全———这说明了他把某个东西藏在格林潘沼泽内，不希望别人看到。 三、史戴普顿太太劝华生医生“立即返回伦敦”———这是因为她误以为华生医生是亨利?巴斯克维爵士，她知道她的丈夫阴谋杀害他。 会诱使人转移注意力的蛛丝马迹有： 一、福尔摩斯与华生在伦敦时，被一个披着斗蓬、蓄着黑胡子的人跟踪———这令人误以为那个人是巴斯克维庄园的管家巴瑞摩，因为他是惟一蓄着黑胡子的人，其实跟踪福尔摩斯与华生的人，正是戴假胡子的史戴普顿。 二、诺丁山的杀人犯赛尔登———这是一个从附近的监狱逃出的囚犯，警方在邻近的荒野地区追缉他，这个蛛丝马迹令人误以为他和这个故事有关，因为他是个逃犯，事实上他和这个案子一点关系也没有。 三、站在突岩上的人———这是华生医生于黑夜中在荒原看到的人影，但是认不出那个人是谁，读者看了会误以为是凶手，其实那个人是秘密前往得文郡私下展开调查的福尔摩斯。 我喜欢《巴斯克维的猎犬》的另一个原因是我喜欢福尔摩斯，我觉得如果我能成为一个侦探，他就是我所仰望的目标。他非常聪明，解开了许多疑云，他还说： 这个世界到处是显而易见的东西，但不仔细观察的人是看不见的。 但他看见了，我也看见了。书中还说： 福尔摩斯具有非凡的专注力。 这一点也和我一样，因为假如我非常专注在某件事上，比如做数学练习题，或阅读有关阿波罗太空任务或大白鲨的书籍时，我都不会注意到其它事，连父亲叫我吃饭我都听不见。这也是我很会下棋的原因，因为我能专注在棋盘上，和我对奕的人不久便分心了，要么抓抓鼻子，要么望着窗外，然后他们便下错棋，这时我就赢了。 华生医生也这样评论福尔摩斯： ……他的心……忙着把这些不寻常但显然毫无关连的小地方，组合成适当的计划。 我写这本书的目的也是打算这样做。 同时福尔摩斯不相信超自然力，凡是上帝、神话故事、地狱、鬼魅，以及诅咒等怪力乱神之事，他一概不信。 最后，我要以两件有关福尔摩斯的有趣事实来结束这一章。 一、在早期的福尔摩斯探案中，作者从来没有把福尔摩斯装扮成戴猎鹿人帽的神探，但影片和漫画中常常把他打扮成那样。猎鹿人帽是原著的插画家悉尼?沛吉自作主张画上去的。 二、在早期的福尔摩斯探案中，福尔摩斯从来没有说过：“基本上，亲爱的华生。”只有电影和电视上的福尔摩斯才有这句口头禅。