Question

To err is human. To blame 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（戏谑的引语）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 having made a mistake. They naturally look for someone else who could be responsible 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.

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 organizations, 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（直接推论）to that：if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

1.According to the passage, which of following seems the most human?

A. To search for truth.

B. To achieve one’s ideal.

C. To make fun of others’ mistakes．

D. To criticize others for one’s own error.

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

A. A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company.

B. A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

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

D. A lawyer acts on fine judgments.

3.What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

A. Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy.

B. Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C. A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty.

D. Bitter truth is better than a good excuse.

4.What would be the best title for his passage?

A. A Mirror of Human Nature

B. To Blame or to Forgive

C. A Mark of Maturity

D. Truth or Excuse

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：作者从责备还是宽恕，常识还是非常识，真理还是借口三方面来体现人性的镜子

1.D推理判断题。从引言后第一段倒数第三句话说“关于人性的起初说法是犯错是人，宽恕是神。这种说法映射出神应该宽恕别人的错误。而我们人正好相反，而是推卸责任，批评别人的错误。然而，对所犯的错事负责任就是成熟的标志。所以D项是正确答案

2.A推理判断题。倒数第二段倒数第二句话说靠常识似乎对于一个大的组织并不适合，因为有太多的事情要处理以至于一个人不可能负责全部工作。所以A项 “一个人负责一个大公司的全部工作属于非常识” 。B项从“Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm”得出。C项和D项从“Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. ”得出选A

3.D推理判断题。从最后一段最后一句话if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth? 如果好的借口是重要的，即使它是不诚实的，那么真理的地位又在哪里？作者用了一个反问说明追求真理比寻找理由更为重要。得出D项是正确答案；C项一个好的借口和诚实一样的有价值 是错的；从what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art?认为编一个好的理由就是在创造一件艺术品，这样的社会怎么了？作者用了一个反问来对找理由的否认，可以推出A和B项错。选D。

4.A 主旨大意题。从全文来看，作者用三个引言导出人性这个话题，从责备还是宽恕，常识还是非常识，真理还是借口三方面来体现人性。所以选A“人性的镜子”; B 项和D项只是第二段和最后一段的段落大意，不能代表全文。C项是第二段的一个细节。选A。

考点：人生百味类阅读。