I prefer Lynne Truss’s phraseology: I am a grammar “sticker”. And, like Truss – author of Eats, shoots & Leaves – I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.
Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have “zero tolerance”. She thinks that people who mix up basic grammar “deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked (砍) up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave”, while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.
Everyone who applies for a position at either of my panies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a pulsory grammar test. If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.
Of course, we write for a living. iFixit. is the world’s largest online repair manual (指南), and Dozuki helps panies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.
But grammar is relevant for all panies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the Internet. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between “their” “there” and “they’re”.
Good grammar makes good business sense – and not just when it es to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers.
Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something pletely unrelated to writing – like stocking shelves or labeling parts. It is the same with programmers. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.
【小题1】The author agrees with Lynne Truss in that .A．grammar mistakes can’t be toleratedB．books on grammar make people stupidC．people need to learn basic grammarD．grammar mistakes are absolutely unavoidable【小题2】What’s the author’s “zero tolerance” approach to these job seekers who mix up basic grammar?A．They should be left out for a job. B．They have to correct their mistakes.C．They aren’t qualified for their jobs.D．They must be severely punished.【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE of iFixit and Dozuki?A．Only one of them has a pulsory grammar test. B．They are panies where one learns grammar. C．Grammar is quite important for their existence.D．They depend on grammar correction for a living.【小题4】What can we learn from the text? A．Companies giving grammar tests may have no good business sense.B．Grammar bees unimportant as language is constantly changing.C．A “zero tolerance” approach to grammar errors might seem a little unfair.D．People who pay attention to writing may pay attention to other things.A
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(答案→)A
解析：文章强调了基础语法知识的重要性。作者的公司以写作为生，作者非常看重求职者的语法基础，他不会给不懂语法的人工作的机会。
【小题1】根据第一段“And, like Truss... I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes”可知，作者不能容忍语法错误，故选A。
【小题2】根据第二段“while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.”可知，作者认为，不应该给那些犯基础语法错误的人工作机会，即使他们在其它方面能够胜任工作，pass over不考虑（给某人工作机会），故选A。
【小题3】根据第三段“If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.”和第四段“Of course, we write for a living. ...So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.”可知，这两个公司都是靠写东西为生的，因此，对语法知识要求格外严格，故选C。
【小题4】根据最后一段“Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something pletely unrelated to writing... Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.”可知，语法知识也能反映出一个人其它方面的能力，认为语法知识不重要的人，也会认为其它事情不重要。故选D。