Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1．For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D．For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
Think out-of-the-box
British physician, author, inventor, and consultant Edward de Bono has had a major impact on the way we think and particularly in the field of creativity．He coined the phrase 'lateral thinking' (水平思考) which involves approaching problems from diverse, unexpected angles and from different perspectives．Dr．de Bono meant to differentiate lateral thinking—in which you push the mind to make sudden turns- from vertical thinking, which is logical and sequential thinking.
Lateral thinking can be learned, and Dr．de Bono has created several techniques to help you apply lateral thinking to problem solving and idea generation．Some of these are the following: think of as many different alternatives for solving a problem as you possibly can; challenge any assumptions you may have about your problem; and insert random elements which will encourage you to look at the problem from a different and unexpected perspective.
Challenge your assumptions
Assumptions are mental shortcuts: we assume that a situation we're facing is like other situations we've encountered before, and that what worked then will work once again．In fact, the more experienced we are in a particular area, the more likely we are Io bring lots of baggage to the problem, which can inhibit us from finding novel and creative solutions.
In order to challenge your assumptions, write down all of the dominant ideas that apply to a particular situation and then deliberately challenge them．List all of the assumptions that you're and next to each one write a counter-assumption—not necessarily its negation, but its opposite.
Once you drop preconceived notions you're more likely to find better solutions．One approach—suggested by Jurgen Wolff on his blog Time to Write is to pretend that you're a Martian(火星人) that has just landed on earth and is seeing things on this planet for the first time．This would put you in a position of questioning everything, seeing your problem or situation with completely fresh eyes, and taking nothing for granted.
introduce random elements
Selecting a random element that has absolutely no connection to the problem at hand provides an unexpected entry point to the problem so that you can face it from a unique angle．I've mentioned using a random word as an initial stimulus on this blog before．De Bono explains that the brain is so good at connections that it will find a way to connect the random word to the problem at hand, no matter how remote the word may seem.
Take a word from a random word generator—or open the dictionary to a random page and select a word— extract its underlying principles, and then apply them to your problem．Be careful not to discard a specific word because you simply conclude that it's of no use and then getting another word instead．If you do this you're probably just looking for a word that would neatly fit the problem you're trying to solve．Instead of a word, you can also use a picture as the random element or even an object.
In addition, the random element that you introduce can be a 'false rule'．Basically, you take a rule, quote, idea or suggestion from somewhere else and apply it to your own situation.
How does applying the 'false rule' to your problem make you see it differently? What new elements does it introduce? How does it shift your perc