I prefer Lynne Truss’s phraseology: I am a grammar “sticker”. And, like Truss – author of Eats, shoots & Leaves – I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.
Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have “zero tolerance”. She thinks that people who mix up basic grammar “deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked (砍) up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave”, while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.
Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a compulsory grammar test. If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.
Of course, we write for a living. iFixit.com is the world’s largest online repair manual (指南), and Dozuki helps companies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.
But grammar is relevant for all companies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the Internet. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between “their” “there” and “they’re”.
Good grammar makes good business sense – and not just when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers.
Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing – like stocking shelves or labeling parts. It is the same with programmers. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.
1.The author agrees with Lynne Truss in that ________.
A. grammar mistakes can’t be tolerated
B. books on grammar make people stupid
C. people need to learn basic grammar
D. grammar mistakes are absolutely unavoidable
2.What’s the author’s “zero tolerance” approach to these job seekers who mix up basic grammar?
A. They should be left out for a job.
B. They have to correct their mistakes.
C. They aren’t qualified for their jobs.
D. They must be severely punished.
3.Which of the following is TRUE of iFixit and Dozuki?
A. Only one of them has a compulsory grammar test.
B. They are companies where one learns grammar.
C. Grammar is quite important for their existence.
D. They depend on grammar correction for a living.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A. Companies giving grammar tests may have no good business sense.
B. Grammar becomes unimportant as language is constantly changing.
C. A “zero tolerance” approach to grammar errors might seem a little unfair.
D. People who pay attention to writing may pay attention to other things.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
I prefer Lynne Truss’s phraseology: I am a grammar “sticker”. And, like Truss – author of Eats, shoots & Leaves – I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.
Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have “zero tolerance”. She thinks that people who mix up basic grammar “deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked (砍) up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave”, while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.
Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a compulsory grammar test. If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.
Of course, we write for a living. iFixit.com is the world’s largest online repair manual (指南), and Dozuki helps companies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.
But grammar is relevant for all companies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the Internet. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between “their” “there” and “they’re”.
Good grammar makes good business sense – and not just when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers.
Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing – like stocking shelves or labeling parts. It is the same with programmers. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.
1.The author agrees with Lynne Truss in that ________.
A. grammar mistakes can’t be tolerated
B. books on grammar make people stupid
C. people need to learn basic grammar
D. grammar mistakes are absolutely unavoidable
2.What’s the author’s “zero tolerance” approach to these job seekers who mix up basic grammar?
A. They should be left out for a job.
B. They have to correct their mistakes.
C. They aren’t qualified for their jobs.
D. They must be severely punished.
3.Which of the following is TRUE of iFixit and Dozuki?
A. Only one of them has a compulsory grammar test.
B. They are companies where one learns grammar.
C. Grammar is quite important for their existence.
D. They depend on grammar correction for a living.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A. Companies giving grammar tests may have no good business sense.
B. Grammar becomes unimportant as language is constantly changing.
C. A “zero tolerance” approach to grammar errors might seem a little unfair.
D. People who pay attention to writing may pay attention to other things.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
---Would you please repeat the grammar rules again?
---Of course, but I am sure that you _______ to me carefully, as I have told you twice already.
A. don’t listen B. wouldn’t listen
C. weren’t listening D. aren’t listening
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I am not particular about laptops, but________, I prefer IBM to Sony.
A. in short B. in brief C. in general D. in a word
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
As I was leaving to meet Lynne,my roommate told me that I’d better take some money,but I didn’t listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I’d been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said,“Oh!I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate,please?” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money,but he couldn’t hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home.
Now,I think it’s funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs(习俗) are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country,you have to learn about their customs,too.
1.Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.
A.close to each other B.entirely different C.quite the same D.very similar
2.The writer’s roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.
A.invite Lynne to dinner B.pay for the table
C.share the cost of the meal D.pay for the restaurant
3.The writer and Lynne________.
A.shared a successful dinner B.had a talk for three hours
C.traveled to Saudi Arabia together D.enjoyed their meal without talking
4.Why didn’t Lynne pay the check for the writer?
A.Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check.
B.Because she didn’t have the meal.
C.Because she wanted to embarrass the writer.
D.Because she didn’t have enough money with her.
5.The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.
A.was embarrassed when he couldn’t pay his breakfast
B.would not listen to him when he left the house
C.telephoned him to bring some books to him
D.hadn’t told Lynne the truth
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It's such a happylooking library, painted yellow, decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it's pedestrianfriendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach Country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It's a library built with love.
A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That's what we're going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin, now a 10thgrader, didn't see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he'd built years earlier for daughter Abbie's toy horses, and made a door of glass.
After adding the library's final touches(装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they'd already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids' favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stayathome mom.
Since then, the collection keeps replenishing(补充) itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project's best payoff, says Peter, are the thankyou notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”
1.In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”?
A.It owns a yellow roof.
B.It stands near a sidewalk.
C.It protects book lovers from the sun.
D.It uses palmtree stickers as decorations.
2.Janey got the idea to build a library from ________.
A.a visit to Brian Williams
B.a spring break with her family
C.a book sent by one of her neighbors
D.a report on a Wisconsinbased organization
3.The library was built ________.
A.by a ship supply company
B.on the basis of toy horses
C.like a mailbox
D.with glass
4.What can we infer from the signboard?
A.It was made by a user of the library.
B.It marked a final touch to the library.
C.It aimed at making the library last long.
D.It indicated the library was a family property.
5.The passage tells us that the users ________.
A.donate books to the library
B.get paid to collect books for the library
C.receive thankyou notes for using the library
D.visit the library over 5 times on average daily
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(2013·高考湖南卷,C)It’s such a happylooking library,painted yellow,decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven,it’s pedestrianfriendly,too,waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach County Estates,along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago,shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization,a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available,she announced to her family of four,“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin,now a 10thgrader,didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox.But Janey insisted,and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses,and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点),the family hung a signboard on the front,instructing users to“take a book,return a book,”and making the Henriksen library,now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world,the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read,a mix of science fiction,reference titles,novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them,keep in mind that you might not see it again,”said Janey,a stayathome mom.
Since then,the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself,thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff,says Peter,are the thankyou notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”
1.In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”?
A.It owns a yellow roof.
B.It stands near a sidewalk.
C.It protects book lovers from the sun.
D.It uses palmtree stickers as decorations.
2.Janey got the idea to build a library from________.
A.a visit to Brian Williams
B.a spring break with her family
C.a book sent by one of her neighbors
D.a report on a Wisconsinbased organization
3.The library was built________.
A.by a ship supply company
B.on the basis of toy horses
C.like a mailbox
D.with glass
4.What can we infer about the signboard?
A.It was made by a user of the library.
B.It marked a final touch to the library.
C.It aimed at making the library last long.
D.It indicated the library was a family property.
5.The passage tells us that the users________.
A.donate books to the library
B.get paid to collect books for the library
C.receive thankyou notes for using the library
D.visit the library over 5 times on average daily
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker(贴画) for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said.
Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study. Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You’re a great vegetable taster”, did not work as well.
The study found that when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes. The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables—either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas—in laboratory taste tests, the study said.
Researchers randomly assigned (分派) 173 families to one of these groups. In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable. A second group of parents used verbal praise. The third group, where Parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”.
Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day for 12 days. Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables—and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience. The turnaround(转机) also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once-disliked vegetable three months later.
Why didn’t the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents’ words may have seemed “insincere” to their children.
1.The purpose of writing the passage is .
A. to show the procedure of an experiment on children’s diet
B. to introduce a practical method of making children eat vegetables
C. to explain why children hate to eat vegetables
D. to present a proper way of verbal praise to parents
2.The underlined word “backfire” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A. shoot from behind the back
B. make a fire in the backyard
C. produce an unexpected result
D. achieve what was planned
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Most children are born to dislike carrots or celery.
B. Children in the sticker group will never lose interest in eating vegetables.
C. Oral praise works quite well in encouraging children to eat vegetables.
D. It remains a question whether rewarding is a good way to get children to eat vegetables.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Children like rewards, not verbal praise.
B. Parents should give up verbal praise.
C. Children are difficult to inspire.
D. Parents should praise their children in a sincere tone.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker(贴画) for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said.
Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study. Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You’re a great vegetable taster”, did not work as well.
The study found that when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes. The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables—either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas—in laboratory taste tests, the study said.
Researchers randomly assigned (分派) 173 families to one of these groups. In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable. A second group of parents used verbal praise. The third group, where Parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”.
Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day for 12 days. Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables—and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience. The turnaround(转机) also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once-disliked vegetable three months later.
Why didn’t the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents’ words may have seemed “insincere” to their children.
1.The purpose of writing the passage is _______ .
A. to explain why children hate to eat vegetables
B. to present a proper way of verbal praise to parents
C. to show the procedure of an experiment on children’s diet
D. to introduce a practical method of making children eat vegetables
2.The underlined word “backfire” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A. produce an unexpected result
B. shoot from behind the back
C. make a fire in the backyard
D. achieve what was planned
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Most children are born to dislike carrots or celery.
C. Oral praise works quite well in encouraging children to eat vegetables.
B. Children in the sticker group will never lose interest in eating vegetables.
D. It remains a question whether rewarding is a good way to get children to eat vegetables.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Children are difficult to inspire.
B. Parents should give up verbal praise.
C. Parents should praise their children in a sincere tone.
D. Children like rewards, not verbal praise.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said.
Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study. Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You’re a great vegetable taster,” did not work as well.
The study found t hat when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes. The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables-either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas-in laboratory taste tests, the study said.
Researchers randomly assigned(分派)173 families to one of these groups. In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable. A second group of parents used verbal praise. The third group, where parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”.
Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day of 12 days, Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables-and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience. The turnaround also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once disliked vegetable three months later.
Why didn’t the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents’ words may have seemed “insincere” to their children.
1.The purpose of writing the passage is________.
A.to introduce a practical method of making children eat vegetables
B.to show the procedure of an experiment on children’s diet
C.to explain why children hate to eat vegetables
D.to present a proper way of vernal praise to parents
2.The underlined word “backfire” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.
A.shoot from behind the back
B.make a lire in the hackyard
C.produce an unexpected result
D.achieve what was planned
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.Most children are born to dislike carrots or celery.
B.It remains a question whether rewarding is a good way to get children to eat vegetables.
C.Oral praise wokrs quite well in encouraging children to eat vegetables.
D.Children in the sticker group will never lose interest in eating vegetables.
4.How did the researchers get their conclusion from the experiment?
A.By comparison. B.By asking questions.
C.By giving examples, D.By discussion.
5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Children like rewards, not verbal praise.
B.Parents should praise their children in a sincere tone.
C.Children are difficult to inspire.
D.Parents should give up verbal praise.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.
Since then, the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.” (317 words)
1.In what way is the library “pedestrian-friendly”?
A.It owns a yellow roof. B.It stands near a sidewalk.
C.It protects book lovers from the sun. D.It uses palm-tree stickers as decorations.
2.Janey got the idea to build a library from __________.
A.a visit to Brian Williams B.a spring break with her family
C.a book sent by one of her neighbors D.a report on a Wisconsin-based organization
3.The library was built __________.
A.by a ship supply company B.on the basis of toy horses
C.like a mailbox D.with glass
4.What can we infer about the signboard?
A.It was made by a user of the library. B.It marked a final touch to the library.
C.It aimed at making the library last long. D.It indicated the library was a family property.
5.The passage tells us that the users __________.
A.donate books to the library
B.get paid to collect books for the library
C.receive thank-you notes for using the library
D.visit the library over 5 times on average daily
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析