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.
Christmas, Easter and birthday parties can be difficult times for grandmothers and parents as they rush around trying to arrange the perfect celebration or making everyone as happy as possible! What’s better than a birthday party that makes your grandchild smile throughout or a celebration that impresses relatives and close friends?
That is why Granny Look has supplied in this section, one of the most comprehensive guides to making these special occasions that happen perhaps once a year a real success.
From a selection of Advent calendars to party planning or Christmas-stocking fillers we have all the possibilities covered so that your children and grandchildren will really have a memorable time with attractive gifts and original ideas.
Bring that festive spirit to all those traditional days, and ensure you are always ready for any possibility. Granny Look’s extensive links are bound to make every special occasion an entirely different experience from the year before and allow everyone to feel entertained and content.
CHRISTMAS-STOCKING FILLERS
Look no further! Granny Look helps the family to prepare in time for FATHER CHRISTMAS. Give SANTACLAUS some ideas. He can fill all the children’s Christmas-stockings with goodies! Unique Christmas gifts for children –– stocking fillers.
A Granny Look favorite!
ADVENT CALENDARS
All children love the build-up to CHRISTMAS! What is better than choosing one of Granny Look’s selection of Advent Calendars! Here you will find a list of websites to buy traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at Christmas time.
A Granny Look favorite!
BIRTHDAYS
LOOKING for a SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFT? Explore Granny Look’s selection of PRESENTS, PARTYPLANNING, PARTY TOYS and PARTY GAMES for your Children and Grandchildren’s BIRTHDAYS.
Plan and organize the KIDDIE’S PARTIES ahead of time!!
Don’t forget the PERSONALISED INVITATIONS!
CHRISTMAS
LOOK and BOOK now!! Granny Look’s selection of CHRISTMAS GIFTS for children.
Some guides to “What’s on in your area”… for the kids, PANTOS, SHOWS, THEATRES… at Christmas time!
UNIQUE Christmas gifts for Children. Spend QUALITY TIME with your Children’s Children this FESTIVE SEASON (圣诞节期间)!
1.If you want to send some invitations to your daughter’s classmates, where will you search for the information?
A. At Christmas.B. At Birthdays.
C. At Advent Calendars.D. At Christmas–stocking fillers.
2.According to the passage, we can infer _______.
A. you can only get special ideas for Christmas, Easter and birthday parties
B. in Granny Look you can buy many traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at
Christmas time
C. there is no personalized invitation in Granny Look for you to select
D. Granny Look provides a wide range of links for people to prepare for special occasions
3.From the text, we know that “Granny Look” is ______.
A. a website that helps you to prepare for special occasions
B. a company that sells all sorts of products on the Internet
C. a person who guides you to make your yearly celebration a real success
D. a magazine that helps the family to prepare for special occasions
Two new studies suggest that modern running shoes could increase the risk of injuries to runners.
One study involved sixty-eight healthy young women and men who ran at least twenty-four kilometers a week. The runners were observed on a treadmill machine (跑步机). Sometimes they wore running shoes. Other times they ran barefoot (赤脚).
Researchers from the JKM Technologies company in Virginia, the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado did the study.
They found that running shoes create more stress that could damage knees, hips and ankle joints than running barefoot. They observed that the effect was even greater than the effect reported earlier for walking in high heels.
The study appeared in the official scientific journal of The American Academy of Physical Medicine.
The other study appeared in the journal Nature. It compared runners in the United States and Kenya. The researchers were from Harvard University in Massachusetts, Moi University in Kenya and the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
They divided the runners into three groups. One group had always run shoeless. Another group had always run with shoes. And the third group had changed to shoeless running.
Runners who wear shoes usually come down heel first. That puts great force on the back of the foot. But the study found that barefoot runners generally land on the front or middle of their foot. That way they ease into their landing and avoid striking their heel.
Harvard’s Daniel Lieberman led the study. He says the way most running shoes are designed may explain why those who wear them land on their heels. The heel of the shoe is bigger and heavier than other parts of the shoe, so it would seem more likely to come down first. Also, the heel generally has thick material under it to soften landings.
But the researchers do not suggest that runners immediately start running barefoot. They say it takes some training. And there can be risks, like running when your feet are too cold to feel if you get injured.
The study was partly supported by Vibram, which makes a kind of footwear that it says is like running barefoot. The findings have gotten a lot of attention. But the researchers say there are many problems in the way the press has reported in their paper. So they have tried to explain their findings on a Harvard Website.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Walking in high heels could cause less serious effects than running barefoot.
B. Two new discoveries encourage people to run in high heels.
C. Running in shoes is partly good to runners.
D. Two new studies prove running without shoes is beneficial to runners in most cases.
2.Which part of our body could be injured if we run in running shoes?
A. Toes.B. Hips.C. Feet.D. Legs.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The way that we run by landing on the front or middle of our foot could avoid damaging our heel.
B. We should start running barefoot in no time.
C. Running in modern running shoes could cause more serious effects than running in high heels.
D. We won’t be injured if we run barefoot.
4.What is the writer’s attitude towards the use of the modern running shoes?
A. Persuasive.B. Negative. C. Objective.D. Supportive.
“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.” –– Jeff Bezos.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I’d been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but ultimately (最后), I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.
1.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
A. His dream of being an inventor.
B. The support of his wife.
C. The greatly increasing usage of the Internet.
D. Millions of exciting titles.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
A. The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.
B. He would be very excited if he tried it out.
C. He would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try.
D. The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him.
3.We can know from the passage that _______.
A. the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author
B. the author wanted someone else to try the idea
C. the author might not regret if he failed the idea
D. the author might go back to his boss if he failed
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Cleverness and KindnessB. The Starting of Amazon
C. Following My PassionD. We Are What We Choose
There is probably no field of human activity in which our values and lifestyles are shown more clearly and strongly than they are in the clothes that we choose to wear.The dress of an individual is a kind of “sign language” that communicates a set of information and is usually the basis on which immediate impressions are formed.Traditionally,a concern for clothes was considered to be an affair of females,while men took pride in the fact that they were completely lacking in clothes consciousness(意识).
This type of American culture is by degrees changing as man dress takes on greater variety and color.Even as early as 1955,a researcher in Michigan said that men attached rather high importance to the value of clothing in daily life. White collar workers in particular viewed dress as a symbol(象征)of ability,which could be used to impress or influence others,especially in the work situation.The white collar worker was described as extremely concerned about the impression his clothing made on his superiors(上司).Although blue collar workers were less aware(察觉到的)that they might be judged on the basis of their clothing,they recognized that any difference from the accepted pattern of dress would be made fun of by fellow workers.
Since that time,of course,the patterns have changed:the typical office worker may now be wearing the blue shirt,and the laborer a white shirt;but the importance of dress has not become less.Other researchers in recent years have helped to prove its importance in the lives of individuals at various age levels and in different social and economic status groups(阶层).
1.The passage tells us that _______.
A.our values and lifestyles are in no field of human activity
B.the clothes that we choose to wear have something to do with our values and lifestyles
C.our values and lifestyles are from the sign language
D.the clothes we choose to wear depend on a set of information and immediate impression
2.Traditionally,people usually thought that _______.
A.men cared very much for clothes
B.women were concerned greatly about what they wore while men didn’t
C.both men and women paid great attention to their clothes
D.neither men nor women showed interest in clothes
3.Blue collar workers pay attention to their clothes because _______.
A.they are concerned about the impression their clothes make on their superiors
B.they know very clearly that people will judge them on the basis of their clothing
C.they want to impress and influence others
D.they don’t want to be laughed at
4.Which of the following can best explain the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?
A.Men thought the value of clothing in daily life was very important.
B.Men didn’t pay attention to the importance of the value of clothing in daily life.
C.Men thought little of the importance of the value of clothing in daily life.
D.Men were concerned little about the value of clothing in daily life.
5.The passage mainly suggests that _______.
A.now men pay more attention to their clothes than women do
B.women always like beautiful dresses
C.people have paid more and more attention to the importance of dress
D.American culture is changing greatly
When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungey lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.
It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.
Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally – admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.
1.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is
A. not very high. B. high.
C. contemptuous. D. critical.
2.The main idea of this passage is
A. vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law.
B. people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence.
C. to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports.
D. people are bloodthirsty in sports.
3.That the author mentions the old Romans is
A. To compare the old Romans with today’s people.
B. to give an example.
C. to show human beings in the past know nothing better.
D. to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty.
4..How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?
A. Three. B. Five.
C. Six. D. Seven.
5.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is
A. that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve our selves.
B. that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law.
C. that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system.
D. to show law is the main instrument of social change.
Vocabulary
relish 从……获得乐处，享受
orgy 狂欢，放纵
arena 竞技场，活动或斗争的场所
blood-thirsty 残忍的，嗜血的
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏
bull-fight 斗牛
batter 猛击，连续地猛打/捶，乱打
pulp 成纸浆，成软块
burst into flames 突然燃烧起来/着火
grim 令人窒息的，简陋的
coop up 把……关起来
难句译注
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏。这是一种十六、十七世纪流行于英国的游戏――驱狗去咬绑着的熊，很残忍，后被禁止。
…two men batter each other to pulp in the boxing ring.
【结构简析】batter one to pulp = beat one to a pulp 狠揍某人，打瘫某人
【参考译文】两个人在拳击场内彼此狠揍，知道一个人被打倒在地，爬不起来。
…unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames.
【参考译文】眼见一辆或多辆赛车相互撞击，突然烧起来而无动于衷。
A world heavy weight championship match is front page news.
【参考译文】世界重量级冠军赛总是头版头条新闻。
写作方法与文章大意
作者采取先对比、后分析的写作手法。先是今人和古罗马人对暴虐体育上对此两者都欣赏。后者坦率成人“欣赏暴力体育”，前者施以各种接口、实际都是嗜血成性者。第二段进一步剖析今人欣赏暴虐体育的种种实例，最后指出改善“暴虐”的根本嗜为改善法律采取积极的步骤，法律才能施以巨大的文明影响，否则人类很难改变。
