Many people write to newspaper and magazines to express their opinions. Letters to the editor must carry the writer’s full name, address and telephone number, although the information is not necessary for publication. This requirement to provide personal particulars is a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say. When a writer wants his voice heard, he needs to claim ownership of his voice. Responsibility is the name of the game.
“People today prefer living together to putting their signatures on a marriage certificate because they refuse to accept responsibility for the relationship,” said social worker Ken Yip, “and this is what is causing a lot of family problems.” When we sign a paper, for example, a business contract or a bank document, the signature is a seal of consent, an agreement to take the matter seriously. Most governments and many organizations will not process written plaints if they do not bear the writer’s signature. The absence of a signature, they explain, tells us that the writer cannot be too serious and therefore does not deserve a reply.
There are people who wish to remain anonymous（匿名的）for various reasons. Multi-billionaire Mr. King donates generously to charity several times a year. He gives simply because he wants to help but not for the publicity his donations may bring, and he does not want his good deeds to make news. In other cases, people insist on anonymity because they are afraid of the consequences of revealing their identity. Crime witnesses may be willing to assist the police, but most are unwilling to give their names when reporting a crime.
Name or no name? The answer is very personal and lies in how much we want to get involved. We all have a name. It is a matter if responsibility to use it when we make a statement, a claim or an accusation. We all want to honour our own name, and it is only by stamping our expression of an opinion with our own name that we honour what we say.
【小题1】What does the writer mean by saying “Responsibility is the name of the game”? A．Writers need to provide their personal information in the game. B．Publication must bear the writer’s full name, address and phone number. C．Writers should be responsible for their names. D．Names are required to indicate writers’ responsibility for what they say.【小题2】The second paragraph suggests that a paper without a signature may . A．help to end a relationship B．not get a reply C．be accepted all the same D．bee a family problem【小题3】Some people don’t want their names known because they are . A．hesitant to make a donationB．unwilling to draw public attention C．afraid of an accusationD．ready for involvement【小题4】The passage is mainly about . A．honour and writersB．identity and signature C．signature and responsibilityD．anonymity and signatureD
网友回答
(答案→)D
解析：
【小题1】推理判断。根据第一段中的…is a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say可判断D正确的。
【小题2】推理判断。第二段后半部分提到很多政府和组织不受理没有签名的投诉，并解释说上诉人不太严肃。
【小题3】推理判断。根据第三段是提到慈善匿名捐款的事例可知他们不想暴露在广众之下。
【小题4】主旨大意。根据第一段话中的内容可知签名意味着为自己的话负责，又根据第二段和第四段的内容可以判断本文的中心话题是：签名与责任。