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

According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

       A．Doing things his own way．

       B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

       C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

       D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T 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．

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．

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

【小題1】B

【小題2】A

【小題3】D

【小題4】A

解析:

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