摘要：Not all great writers are great spellers. If you want to be published, it's vital to submit a perfect, professionally presented ma

Not all great writers are great spellers. If you want to be published, it's vital to submit a perfect, professionally presented manuscript (原稿). ____36____ No editor is likely to tolerate a writer who does not take the trouble to spell words correctly.

I keep two reference books close-by on my desk: dictionary and thesaurus (同义词词典). I don't trust my laptop's spellchecker. ____37____ Of course, these days there are plenty of online dictionaries and thesauruses, but I'm old-fashioned enough to prefer a hard cover and pages I can leaf through with my fingers. I use the Concise Oxford Dictionary and the Collins Thesaurus.

____38____ It should give you a precise definition of each word, thus differentiating it from other words whose meanings are similar, but not identical. It will also usually show how the word is pronounced.

In addition, I have an old two-volume copy of the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, picked up a few years ago in a bookshop sale for just 99 pence. Of course, with its 2,672 pages, it's not exactly short. It contains around 163,000 words, plus word combinations and idiomatic phrases. ____39____ However, if I need to check the origin of a word or to look up examples of its usage, there's nothing better.

For well over a hundred years the most influential English dictionary was Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language published in 1755. "To make dictionaries is dull (乏味) work," wrote Johnson, illustrating one definition of "dull". ____40____ A few minutes spent casting your eye over a page or two can be a rewarding experience.

A. I don't often use this dictionary.

B. It takes no account of the context.

C. But I still don't want to replace them.

D. But a dictionary can be a pleasure to read.

E. Of course, a dictionary is not only for spelling.

F. That means good grammar and no spelling mistakes.

G. Dictionaries don't always give you enough information.

原文翻译

并不是所有伟大的作家都擅长拼写。如果你想发表论文，提交一份完美的、专业的手稿是至关重要的。____36____任何编辑都不会容忍一个不愿花功夫拼写正确单词的作者。

我桌上放着两本参考书：字典和词典。我不相信我笔记本电脑的拼写检查器。____37____当然，现在有很多在线词典和同义词库，但我是一个守旧的人，更喜欢精装的书和能用手指翻阅的书页。我用简明牛津词典和柯林斯同义词词典。

____38____它应该给你一个每个单词精确的定义，从而区分它与其他单词的意思相似，但不相同。它通常还会显示单词的发音。

此外，我还有一册两卷本的《牛津短词典》，几年前在一家书店买的，只卖99便士。当然，2672页的篇幅并不算短。它包含大约163,000个单词，加上单词组合和习语短语。____39____然而，如果我需要检查一个单词的来源或查找其用法的例子，没有什么比这更好的了。

一百多年来，最有影响力的英语词典是1755年出版的塞缪尔·约翰逊的《英语词典》。“编字典是一件无聊的工作，”约翰逊在解释“无聊”的一个定义时写道。____40____花几分钟时间浏览一两页会是一种有益的体验。

A.我不经常用这本字典。

B.它不考虑上下文。

C.但我还是不想换。

D.但是字典读起来是一种乐趣。

E.当然，字典不仅仅是用来拼写的。F.这意味着语法正确，没有拼写错误。

G.字典并不总是能给你足够的信息。

【答案】36. F 37. B 38. E 39. A 40. D

【解析】

【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了作者使用英语词典的经验和心得以及从中获得的乐趣。

【36题详解】

上文“If you want to be published, it’s vital to submit a perfect, professionally presented manuscript(如果你想发表，提交一份完美的、专业的手稿是至关重要的)”提到了完美的、专业的手稿的重要性，手稿中不能有语法和拼写错误是专业的手稿的要求之一。F选项“That means good grammar and no spelling mistakes.(这意味着语法正确，没有拼写错误。)”是对手稿要求的进一步解释说明，符合题意。故选F项。

【37题详解】

上文“I don’t trust my laptop’s spellchecker.(我不相信我笔记本电脑的拼写检查器。)”提到了作者不相信电脑的拼写检查器;下文“Of course, these days there are plenty of online dictionaries and thesauruses, but I’m old-fashioned enough to prefer a hard cover and pages I can leaf through with my fingers.(当然，现在有很多在线词典和同义词库，但我是一个守旧的人，更喜欢精装的书和能用手指翻阅的书页。)”提到了作者更喜欢实体书和能用手指翻阅的书页，说明电子设备可能不会考虑上下文，所以B选项“It takes no account of the context.(它不考虑上下文。)”解释了上文的原因，具有承上启下的作用。故选B项。

【38题详解】

下文“It should give you a precise definition of each word, thus differentiating it from other words whose meanings are similar, but not identical. It will also usually show how the word is pronounced.(它应该给出每个单词的精确定义，从而将其与其他含义相似但不相同的单词区分开来。它通常还会显示单词的发音。)”提到了字典的功能，E选项“Of course, a dictionary is not only for spelling.(当然，字典不仅仅是用来拼写的。)”提到了字典的部分功能，能引起下文内容。故选E项。

【39题详解】

下文“However, if I need to check the origin of a word or to look up examples of its usage, there’s nothing better.(然而，如果我需要检查一个单词的来源或查找其用法的例子，没有什么比这更好的了。)”提到了字典的使用情况，A选项“I don’t often use this dictionary.(我不经常用这本字典。)”是对字典使用频率的说明，与下文构成转折关系。故选A项。

【40题详解】

上文“ “To make dictionaries is dull (乏味) work, ” wrote Johnson, illustrating one definition of ”dull".(约翰逊在解释“dull”的一个定义时写道：“编字典是件无聊的工作(乏味)。”)”提到了编写字典是件乏味的工作，下文“A few minutes spent casting your eye over a page or two can be a rewarding experience.(花几分钟的时间浏览一两页是一种有益的体验。)”提到浏览字典也是一种阅读的乐趣，D选项“But a dictionary can be a pleasure to read.(但是一本字典读起来是一种乐趣。)”是作者对字典的评价，与上文的“乏味”形成对比，与上文构成转折关系。故选D项。

来源：九九教育