We've all heard the old saying,“Sticks and stones can break my bones,but words can never hurt me.” Don't you believe it?Words are powerful,and they can hurt—a lot. In fact,if you're not careful,you can even hurt yourself,by using the wrong word in your writing.
Recently a friend sent me a copy of an e-mail she received from the customer service department of her credit card company,after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the e-mail,one line jumped out at me:“In lieu of good customer service...”
Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service?I doubt it. More likely,what the customer service department meant to say was,“Because good customer service is important to us...” followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer.
So why didn't the writer say that?I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase “in lieu of”,thought it sounded more interesting than saying “because”,and so used it—without bothering to check the true meaning.
Have you ever done that?Try to impress others with a big word,only to find out you've used the word incorrectly?It's just the opposite effect,isn't it?You may impress people all right,but it's not the impression you were going for.
When you write,remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say,but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it.
1.What's the writer's purpose in giving the saying?
A.To amuse the reader. B.To persuade the reader.
C.To support a conclusion. D.To lead to the topic.
2.What does the phrase “in lieu of” most probably mean?
A.Because of B.In honour of C.Instead of D.In favour of
3.According to the writer,the customer service department ______.
A.didn't prefer to use familiar words to attract customers
B.didn't express what they really meant
C.didn't need to offer their customers extra reward points
D.succeeded in impressing their customers
科目:高中英语 来源:2010年河南省许昌市六校高二下学期期末考试英语卷 题型:完型填空
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We recently treated our new-adult son and his girlfriend to a seafood feast, near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Our server, a grandmotherly woman skilled in the art of___36_____, flew around the ___37_____juggling dishes and drinks while treating customers as individuals. She remembered their ____38_____tastes likes and dislikes –all of which she’d learned after only the briefest ____39_____.
At the end of the meal, she presented the bill, and then went to____40_____ the growing crowd of other dinners. My husband ___41____with a credit card, added her___42____, and we were off.
“Mr. Goldsmith!” our waitress ran out of the dining room waving a receipt at him, “Thank you.”
He looked at her as though he didn’t __43_____. We’ve all seen that universal___44___ of confusion—eyebrows drawn together and head cocked to one side
“What did you give her?” I asked in a stage whisper, ____45___if he had done something __46___ or made a calculation error.
“Wow, Dad,” our son said, ___47___like an awestruck 10 –year-old. “I’ve never seen a waitress ____48____anyone out of the restaurant to say ‘thank you’ for the tip.
“She gave us great service. I just thought she deserved a little bump __49_____ what I usually give.”
It wasn’t until later, when I accidentally heard our ___50____retelling the story of the ___51___waitress, that I realized she had given my family something___52___ a “thank you”. She showed our son the importance of ___53_____hard work and the rewarding sound of “thank you”. Her show of thanks helped a dad earn a bit more ___54___from a loving son. And it reminded me just why I ___55____this thoughtful, caring man.
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查看答案和解析>> 科目:高中英语 来源:福建省厦门市2010届高三下学期3月月考 题型:阅读理解
查看答案和解析>> 科目:高中英语 来源:2015届江苏省高一下学期期中考试英语卷(解析版) 题型:其他题 Do you know why some people are always healthy? If you study all the healthy people in the world, you’ll begin to notice some behaviors many of them share in common. For example, healthy people tend to live an active lifestyle. Exercise is usually a main part of their lives. They spend less time in front of a TV, and more time out and in achieving things and living life. Being on your feet all day and sitting in front of a computer can mean a loss or gain of hundreds of calories a day. Healthy people surround themselves with other healthy people. We are highly influenced by the people closest to us. Surrounding yourself with healthy people tends to make you healthy by association. Not only are you inspired by your healthy friends, but there’s also a sense of social pressure to be healthy yourself when you’re around them. Who says social pressure has to be a bad thing? Does your job make you feel bad? Healthy people have a job that makes them happy. We’ve all heard the saying that if you do a job you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your lives. Happiness and health are highly related. Healthy people tend to be happy. Not only do healthy people tend to like their jobs, but they tend to live for them. They look forward to getting up every day and living their lives to the fullest. People with self-confidence look healthy. Healthy people have confidence in themselves. They don’t worry about what other people think. They surround themselves with positive people, and they go about their days as if they can achieve anything. Healthy people like smiling. Try smiling at everyone and not only do you get a smile back, but it makes you feel good about yourself. You’ve just made someone’s day better. Healthy people understand the link between happiness and health, and they tend to walk around with smiles on their faces, or laughter in their hearts. Healthy people don’t wait for problems to come to them — they go after problems. Regular checkups(检查) are the normal things for healthy people. People who live long and healthy lives catch problems before they become so big that they destroy their lives. They discover them early and then take action to prevent them from happening again in the future. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? How many of these habits fall into your life? What other habits of healthy people have you noticed?
查看答案和解析>> 科目:高中英语 来源:2011黑龙江哈九中高三第三次模拟英语试题 题型:完型填空 Not too long after I had begun to drive as a teenager, someone pulled out of a parking lot onto the road in front of me. I reacted 36 and pulled up very close behind her--- just to show my irritation(怒气) and let her know she didn't "just 37 with that!" We've all been there with 38 incidents and reactions. My mother was with me, and told me to turn into the 39 parking lot. Safely there, she asked me why I 40 that lady had pulled out in front of me purposely. 41 rude, power play--- I guessed. Mom said that maybe she had just had some bad 42 , maybe she was late picking up her child and was distracted(分心). Think of all the 43 of why someone does something like that. It's usually not on purpose--- but what I do as a reaction is on purpose. She always said that I 44 to think about the other side before I 45 . Usually the reaction causes more of a 46 . I am in my fifties now, and to this day, that has always 47 my head whenever those 48 happen. I've 49 my children the same thing. We often see and hear about "road rage." No matter to what 50 that "rage" is taken, my children will say something like, "They need Grandma's words!" As adults, I don't see them react as most of us do 51 their first reaction is always anger and irritation --- they 52 it and 53 what the other person's problem might be. Even if the other driver really might be 54 or doing a "power play," no more 55 reactions will occur because of their irritation.
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