Dear Editor,
I have been reading your newspaper, the Hometown Gazette, for the past two years, ever since I moved to Smithville. We moved here from New York City, so I am accustomed to reading excellent newspapers such as the New York Times. In fact, we still have the Times delivered on Sundays. The entire family enjoys reading the recipes (食谱) in the magazine, as well as the Styles section.
The Times is great, but the Gazette is another story. I’ve never read an article that doesn’t contain at least three or four spelling or grammatical errors. For instance, in last week’s issue, you misspelled the word “secretary,” used a singular verb with a plural noun, and used “it’s” as a possessive (所有格). And that was just in the lead story! In case you never went to a primary school, “it’s” means “it is.” It’s not a possessive adjective!
It’s a pity that this tiny little hick (乡下的，老土的) town has only one newspaper, because I’d like to have an alternative to the rag you publish. I find it hard to believe your news stories. If you can’t spell correctly, how can you get your facts right?
I’ve been meaning to get this off my chest for some time. Please cancel my subscription (订阅). And buy yourself a dictionary.
Sincerely,
Jane Z.Jones
1．Which phrase from the passage shows the writer’s prejudice (偏见)?
A．a possessive adjective B．three or four spelling or grammatical errors
C．tiny little hick town D．reading the recipes in the magazine
2．The author’s tone in this passage can best be described as __________.
A．happy B．angry
C．sympathetic D．humorous
3．Which statement in the following is a FACT?
A．It’s a pity this tiny little hick town is not fit to live in.
B．The Times is great, but the Gazette brings us nothing good.
C．We still have the Times delivered on Sundays.
D．You never went to a primary school.
4．The underlined phrase in the last paragraph means that ________.
A．The writer wants to express his dissatisfaction with the newspaper
B．The writer wants to see a doctor for there is something wrong with his chest
C．The writer wants to put an end to talking about the newspaper
D．The writer thinks the poor newspaper has damaged his health