阅读理解
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 email 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 email,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. It can be inferred that the writer's friend _____.
A. was the manager of the customer service department
B. was the customer of the credit card company
C. emailed a company to complain
D. used a phrase incorrectly
3. What does the phrase "in lieu of" most probably mean?
A. Because of.
B. In honour of.
C. Instead of.
D. In favour of.
4. 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
