题目内容
There’s no shortage of writing advice telling you to keep your writing simple —to use simple language. However, why do so many people continue to ignore that good advice?
A conversation around the theme of simplicity(简明) gets me thinking about this question. Why are people so fond of words that are hard to read?
A study looked into the way word choice changes the judgment we make about someone’s intelligence. Students were asked to rate the intelligence of writers based on essays that they’d written, and choose books suitable for graduate study. The results? The simpler the essay, the more likely it was the author would be rated as intelligent, and recommended for going to the graduate school.
The author of the study (Daniel Oppenheimer) concludes:
"The experts are likely right: write clearly and simply if you can, and you’ll be more likely to be thought of as intelligent."
So why is it so hard to put the writing advice into practice? In the same article Oppenheimer mentions that:
86% of students at Stanford admitted using complicated language in their essays to make their work sound more intelligent. Some of the possible reasons include:
●Desire to prove your topic is complicated by using complicated words.
●Fear of being regarded as lacking education.
●Natural desire to copy the language patterns of others.
●Little encouragement to use 'ordinary’words.
●Lack of time to 'translate’the complicated words used around you into everyday words.
●Longer words keep subjects impersonal(客观的) —reducing potential for personal criticism and attack.
●It’s the way people above you write —so you think it’s the ladder to success.
What about you? Can you see any hidden benefits of using long words? Have you ever found yourself changing a simple word for a longer one to achieve a particular effect?
36. Why do many people like to use longer words?
a. They think of longer words as a sign of intelligence.
b. Lack of instructions on writing skills.
c. They think longer words reduce potential for personal criticism.
d. Lack of time to transform complicated words into simple ones.
A. acd B. abc C. bcd D. abd
37. What can you learn from the text about the study?
A. It suggests that longer words are the ladder to success.
B. It shows that using plain language is more acceptable.
C. It proves that it is students’duty to choose books for graduate school.
D. It proves that schools always consider students’opinions.
38. When writing, according to the text, Oppenheimer encourages people to ______.
A. copy the language patterns of others B. choose complicated topics
C. use complicated words D. use plain language
39. This text is probably from ______.
A. a health magazine B. a magazine about language
C. a science report D. a lecture on intelligence
36-39 ABDB
应用题天天练四川大学出版社系列答案To get an extra 14 years of life, don’t smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in a proper amount. That is according to a study published this Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine Journal.
After tracking more than 20,000 people aged 45-79 years in the United Kingdom from about 1993-2007, Kay-Tee, Khaw of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues found that people who adopted these four healthy habits lived an average of 14 years longer than those who didn’t.
“We’ve known for a long time that these behaviors are good things to do, but we’ve not seen this benefit before, ” said Susan Jebb, head of Nutrition and Health at Britain’s Medical Research Council. “The benefit was also seen regardless of whether or not people were fat and what social class they came from.”
Study participants（参与者）scored a point each for not smoking, regular physical activity, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and moderate alcohol intake．
Public health experts said they hoped the study would inspire governments to introduce policies helping people to adopt these changes．But because the study only observed people rather than testing specific changes, it would be impossible to conclude that people who suddenly adopted these healthy behaviors would surely gain 14 years．
“We can't say that any person could gain 14 years by doing these things, ”said Dr．Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization．“The 14 years is an average across the population of what's theoretically（理论上地）possible．”
“Most people know that things like a good diet matter and that smoking isn't good for them, ”Susan Jebb said．“We need to work on providing people with much more practical support to help them change．”
1.Which of the following DOESN'T belong to the four healthy habits?
A．Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day．
B．Do proper exercise in the morning every day．
C．Drinking alcohol in the proper amount every day．
D．Having a cigarette before going to bed every day．
2.We can learn from the passage that ．
A．Susan Jebb did not take part in the study．
B．the study observed people as well as tested specific changes．
C．there's no need for people under 45 to adopt these good habits．
D．only those from first class can benefit from these healthy behaviors．
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．All the people are well aware of the harm of their bad habits．
B．People aged 45 to 70 have bad habits in the United Kingdom．
C．Governments should take measures to help people change their bad habits．
D．People have adopted the four healthy habits after knowing they're good．
4.What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Smoking and Drinking Cuts You 14 Years
B．How to Live a Much Healthier Life
C．Healthy Habits May Give Extra 14 Years
D．How to Make Your Life Longer Than Others
Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt that Napoleon was a major influence. The French had used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand rivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic traveled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift to the right. A driver would sit on the rear (后面的) left horse in order to wave his whip with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they traveled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908; the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the western world’s few remaining holdouts. Several Asian countries, including Japan, use the left as well — thought many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.
1.Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?
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A．They had used the right-hand since the 18th century. |
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B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right. |
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C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country. |
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D．Hitler ordered them to go to against their left-hand tradition. |
2.Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is ______.
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A．Austria |
B．England |
C．Japan |
D．Australia |
3.Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left _______.
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A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S. |
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B．so that passengers could get off conveniently |
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C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect |
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D．though many countries were strongly against that |
4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
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A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right. |
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B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays. |
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C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970. |
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D．All the Asian nations use the left at present. |
5.What would be the best title for this passage?
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A．Who made the great contributions to the shift of traffic directions? |
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B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation? |
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C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left? |
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D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of the road? |