Question

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.

 

Answer 1

1.A

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：文章強調了基礎語法知識的重要性。作者的公司以寫作為生，作者非常看重求職者的語法基礎，他不會給不懂語法的人工作的機會。

1.根據(jù)第一段“And, like Truss... I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes”可知，作者不能容忍語法錯誤，故選A。

2.根據(jù)第二段“while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.”可知，作者認為，不應該給那些犯基礎語法錯誤的人工作機會，即使他們在其它方面能夠勝任工作，pass over不考慮（給某人工作機會），故選A。

3.根據(jù)第三段“If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.”和第四段“Of course, we write for a living. ...So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.”可知，這兩個公司都是靠寫東西為生的，因此，對語法知識要求格外嚴格，故選C。

4.根據(jù)最后一段“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... Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.”可知，語法知識也能反映出一個人其它方面的能力，認為語法知識不重要的人，也會認為其它事情不重要。故選D。

考點：社會類短文閱讀