Question

To be successful in any aspect of life, you need to know when to use the carrot or the stick.

Here are a few tips to help you decide whether it’s better to use the carrot or the stick.

With the kids

The carrot

When it comes to raising a kid, the carrot or the stick dilemma is quickly disappearing as too many parents take the carrot approach to the extreme. In child raising, the carrot should never be materialistic things. If you want to ask for good behavior with a reward, it should be with something that can’t be bought, say, trust. The stick Nowadays, no one likes to use the stick any more, or in my father’s case, the belt. I’m not overlooking child abuse, if you ever want to call it that, but I am encouraging parents to toughen up a bit. You don’t want your kid to test your limits only to find out he can get away with it. If you want to raise a kid, raise the hand and let him know it comes down on the second offense.

At the office

The carrot

People need encouragement and motivation to perform well. However, the carrot only really works well with employees who have already proved themselves. If you’ve got someone who can’t show up at the office before noon, the promise of a raise isn’t going to do much. On the contrary, if there’s a guy with a good work moral, he’ll thrive (grow stronger) when you add a promotion to the picture.

The stick

When considering the carrot or the stick in the office, remember that, overall, the stick is the more practical method in the office. A wise man, who just happened to be an Italian, once said “It’s best to be both loved and feared.” It’s nice to have everyone love you, but running a business isn’t like running a family. You need to have the stick constantly raised.

With the wife

The carrot

When it comes to marriage, always use the carrot. I’ve had a lovely marriage for many years, and I’ve always stuck to the carrot approach.

Sometimes you catch more flies with honey, and sometimes it’s the crack of a whip(鞭子) that gets the horse moving. Try not to use too many sticks at home; the carrot is much more fun.

1.What is the best title of this passage?

A. The Carrot or the Stick?

B. The Introduction to the Carrot and the Stick

C. Tips in the Daily Life

D. The Advantages of the Carrot and the Stick

2.In kids raising, the author prefers ________.

A. the carrot approach

B. the stick approach

C. both the carrot approach and the stick approach

D. neither the carrot approach nor the stick approach

3.Which do you think is the best to be a good boss at the office?

A. Always using carrots.

B. Eating a lot of carrots.

C. Being both loved and feared.

D. Using too many sticks.

4.Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The author often gives more carrots to his wife to eat at home.

B. The carrot is much more fun when it comes to marriage.

C. On different occasions, the carrot or the stick is effective.

D. You need the stick to get your horses to move faster occasionally.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：对于孩子、办公室员工和妻子，我们应该用“胡萝卜”还是“大棒”呢？本文给出了作者自己的看法。

1.题。对于孩子、办公室员工和妻子，我们应该用“胡萝卜”还是“大棒”呢？B项“关于胡萝卜和大棒的介绍”以及D项“胡萝卜和大棒的优点”均不合题意。C项“日常生活的建议”显然不对。故答案为A项。

2. 细节理解题。从文中“I'm not overlooking child abuse...encouraging parents to toughen up a bit”可知，作者更喜欢用“大棒政策”来教育孩子，故选B项。

3. 细节理解题。作者引用一位意大利人的话说明：让你的下属敬畏和感到关爱才是最好的老板，故选C项。

4. 推理判断题。文章的最后一句是说：维持好的婚姻关系，丈夫要会哄妻子，而不是说作者在卧室里经常给他妻子吃胡萝卜，故选A项。

考点：考查日常生活类阅读