To err is human. To blame（責備） the other guy is even more human.

Common sense is not all that common.

Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

These three popular misquotes（戲謔的引語）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.

Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”

And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推論）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

1.Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

A．A secretary works to a timetable.

B．A company’s next move follows a good plan.

C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company.

2.What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?

A．A good excuse is the same as honesty.

B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse.

D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea.

3.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．A Mirror of Human Nature

B．To Blame or to Forgive

C．A Mark of Maturity

D．Truth or Excuse

 

【答案】

1.D

2.C

3.A

【解析】本人主要講述的是人性的鏡子，人本身會犯錯誤，卻更愿意指責別人的錯。

1.細節(jié)判斷題。引言后第二段最后一句話可知：一個人負責公司的全部工作屬于非常識。

2.推理判斷題。從全文最后一句話直接得到答案“追求真理比尋找理由更為重要” 

3.主旨大意題。從全文和引言后第一段倒數(shù)第二句可知文章標題：人性的鏡子。 

引言后第一段第三句可知：批評別人的錯誤 

 

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科目：初中英語 來源：2012屆北京市石景山區(qū)中考二模英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

To err is human. To blame（責備） the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes（戲謔的引語）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推論）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

A．A secretary works to a timetable.
B．A company’s next move follows a good plan.
C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.
D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company.
【小題2】What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?
A．A good excuse is the same as honesty.
B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.
C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse.
D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea.
【小題3】What would be the best title for this passage?
A．A Mirror of Human Nature
B．To Blame or to Forgive
C．A Mark of Maturity
D．Truth or Excuse

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“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
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【小題1】The woman was angry because__________.

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D．Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing
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A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do
B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl
C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl
【小題3】The woman left the office without saying anything because__________.
A．she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket
B．she was so angry that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young man
C．she was moved by Harry’s kindness
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Having returned from her round trip (往返旅程), the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes (應給予) me￡12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office, “you sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”

Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, madam,” he said politely, “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”

The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”

“Yes,” She answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”

“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”

“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.” Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”

“Err, well…” the woman looked at the child. “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”

“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs… let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”

The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.

1.The woman was angry because__________.

A．she couldn’t use the ticket for her round trip

B．she had to return home a day earlier than she had planned

C．she spent more money than she had expected

D．Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing

2.Harry started talking to the little girl__________.

A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do

B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl

C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice

D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl

3.The woman left the office without saying anything because__________.

A．she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket

B．she was so angry that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young man

C．she was moved by Harry’s kindness

D．she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insisted

 

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To err is human. To blame（責備） the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes（戲謔的引語）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推論）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

  1. 1.

    Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

    1. A.
      A secretary works to a timetable.
    2. B.
      A company’s next move follows a good plan.
    3. C.
      A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.
    4. D.
      A man tries to manage everything in a large company.
  2. 2.

    What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?

    1. A.
      A good excuse is the same as honesty.
    2. B.
      Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.
    3. C.
      Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse.
    4. D.
      Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea.
  3. 3.

    What would be the best title for this passage?

    1. A.
      A Mirror of Human Nature
    2. B.
      To Blame or to Forgive
    3. C.
      A Mark of Maturity
    4. D.
      Truth or Excuse

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