Saying “thank you” is probably the first thing most of us learn to do in a foreign language. After all, we’re brought up to be polite, and it is important to make a good impression upon other people — especially across national divides.
So, what exactly are you supposed to say when “thank you” is only the 20th most popular way to express gratitude? According to a recent survey, 19 other ways of expressing appreciation finished ahead of “thank you” in a poll of 3,000 people.
Pollsters(民测调查员) found almost half of those asked preferred the more informal “cheers”, while others liked to use such expressions as “ta”, “great” and “nice one”.
So, just what is the appropriate form of words to express your thanks?
Fortunately, the clue is in the language itself. “Cheers”, despite its popularity, is considered an informal way to say thank you — and this is a definite clue as to when you can best use it.
For instance, when going for a drink with friends, a smile and a “cheers” by way of thanks is not only appropriate to the situation, it is also culturally accurate.
“Ta”, originated from the Danish word “tak”, was the second-most popular expression of thanks, and is also commonly used in informal situations, along with phrases such as “nice one”, and “brilliant”. Interestingly, one word that didn’t make it into the top 20 was “thanks”, Thank you is shorter, more informal cousin.
“Thanks” can be useful, as it is able to bridge the divide between the formality of “thank you” and the downright relaxed “cheers”.
Certain words can double as an expression of thanks as well as delight. Again, the words themselves offer the clue as to when best to use them.
For example, words like “awesome”, “brilliant” and “you star” featured highly in the new poll and they can hint at both your pleasure at someone’s action, as well as serving to express your thanks. If you are on the receiving end of a “new” thank you, you can respond with a simple “no problem”, or “sure”.
Of course, in certain circumstances, a simple wave, nod or smile may be appropriate. For instance, if a car driver slows down to let you cross the road, simply raising your hand in acknowledgement is enough to show that you appreciate the driver’s consideration.
Sometimes, formality is necessary, and “thank you” is still the best choice in such situations. But students should not worry about when exactly to use certain expressions.
Many people in Western countries are worried that good manners are in decline. People are tired of seeing their acts of kindness and service pass without comment. So don’t think your “thank you” is clumsy or awkwardly formal. The chances are, if you said “thank you”, you made someone’s day. You star.We can tell from the results of the poll that __________.
| A．people are unconcerned about politeness nowadays. |
| B．“thank you” remains the best expression of gratitude. |
| C．there is a variety of expressions of appreciation. |
| D．there are more formal expressions than informal ones. |
According to the passage, which is an appropriate response to “awesome” or “brilliant”?
| A．Thanks. | B．Sure. | C．Nice one. | D．Cheers. . |
In the last paragraph the author encourages people to .
| A．show their gratitude to others. |
| B．behave themselves well. |
| C．continue their acts of kindness. |
| D．stop worrying about bad manners. |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of this passage?
| A．How to Appear More Polite. |
| B．Ways to Show Gratitude. |
| C．Never hesitate to Say “Thank You”. |
| D．Good Manners in Decline! |
Everything in China is negotiable, so goes the saying, reminding foreign travelers to be on guard and avoid being overcharged. Foreign tourists are often advised to learn some bargaining skills so that they can avoid paying high prices. Generally speaking, bargaining is an art and an important part of people’s life in China.
But the younger generation is gradually losing interest and the ability to negotiate a better deal. With fatter wallets, young people who never experienced war or shortages seldom bother to spend 10 minutes at a roadside shop cutting the price of a cell phone cover by 1 yuan. Saving for a rainy day and making good use of every penny---values held dear by older generations---no longer seem necessary. Naturally, bargaining is out, in an increasingly rich society. In this sense, bargaining is a product of poverty.
But in many countries, where residents’ incomes are much lower than those in China, bargaining is not popular at all. I can still remember my failed bargaining attempts in Africa and Indonesia, where vendor(小贩) looked at me in surprise when I sought something at half the price. They shook their heads and stopped the negotiation. Latter I was told by friends who had been staying there for years that bargaining was not part of local commercial culture.
During the years when the planned economy changed into the market economy, it was difficult for ordinary buyers to get a full picture of the product prices at a time when travel was inconvenient, and information spread slowly, adding to the information asymmetry(不对称). Afraid of being overcharged by vendors, buyers turned to the old wisdom of bargaining whenever and wherever they could.
Nowadays, the popularity of e-commerce has improved pricing transparence(透明) to the extreme. With the click of a mouse, all kinds of information on a product can be found, with users’ comments helping new consumers make decisions. With such transparency, overpricing becomes less frequent and bargaining is not a necessity for shoppers. In this sense, reduced bargaining activity can be seen as a sign of China’s progress toward a more mature economy.Bargaining is a skill to _______.
| A．buy high-quality products | B．communicate with foreigners |
| C．avoid paying too much | D．increase sales |
In China, the younger generation is losing interest in bargaining as a result of _______.
| A．rising incomes |
| B．an increasing number of products |
| C．the value of saving for a raining day |
| D．their fear of losing face |
What can we infer from the author’s experiences in Africa and Indonesia?
| A．Bargaining is always popular in poor countries. |
| B．Vendors there are impolite to foreign travelers. |
| C．It’s not avoidable to go abroad without bargaining skills. |
| D．Bargaining is not necessarily related to incomes. |
In terms of price and product information, buyers in China used to ____.
| A．be kept in the dark | B．know better than seller |
| C．show no concern | D．be well-informed |
What’s the main theme of this passage?
| A．Give buyers some tips about how to bargain. |
| B．Bargaining is disappearing with the development of society. |
| C．Make good use of every penny. |
| D．The younger generation is good at bargaining. |
Imagine this: You’re working on a school paper on your laptop. Your screen is full of open programs, including documents, Web pages and MSN chat.
Suddenly, a friend sends you a link to a video and demands that you watch it. He says it’s about cats, it’s funny and you’re going to love it. But you can’t help thinking, “I don’t have time for this right now.” You start to feel even more stressed out than you already did about your paper. While you don’t want to disappoint your friend, you need to keep working.
This is a common dilemma in an age of multitasking.
I often find that my focus is so easily distracted that when I need to work I become quite annoyed in response to these types of links. At the same time, when they’re from good friends, I can’t just ignore them. Usually, I say something like “Cool, I’ll look at it later.” But this often disappoints the other person, creating an awkward break in the conversation. Other times, I’ll just say “OK”, wait a while and then send a second message saying “That was great!” While this approach is simpler that ignoring the other person, it seems ridiculous to life to avoid making a social faux pas(失礼).
The problem is that new technologies offer a good many new possibilities, both positive and negative. On the one hand, the Internet connects you to millions of people whom you can make friends with and learn from. On the other hand, it offers just as many ways to waste time.
When you’re signed on to MSN chat, the other person can’t see that you have three papers to finish before the end of the week---so you better believe they’re going to send you a video of monkeys dancing to music.
Online chat is convenient, but the advantage of face-to-face communication is that you can see exactly what other people are doing.
If they are really good friends, you should feel blessed to give them your full attention without worrying about what’s going on in that other window or program.Why does the author feel annoyed when he receives a link to a video from a friend of his?
| A．Because his friend wants to distract him from his work. |
| B．Because he cannot concentrate on his work. |
| C．Because the video is too boring. |
| D．Because the video has something to do with his work. |
What will the author do to respond to his friend’s request for watching the video?
| A．He will do as his friend asks. \ |
| B．He will put it off or tell a white lie. |
| C．He will ignore his friend’s disappointment. |
| D．He will delete the link of the video. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．There is an embarrassing pause or silence. |
| B．The author has broken the ice. |
| C．His friend intends to end their friendship. |
| D．They need a good rest after the conversation. |
Compared with online chat, face-to-face communication allows people _______.
| A．to communicate with each other more conveniently |
| B．to watch a video of a monkey dancing to music |
| C．to better understand what other people are working on |
| D．to hide something secret from other people |
Which of the following statements does the author probably agree with?
| A．Share an interesting video with your friend whether he/she is busy or not. |
| B．Neglect the links sent by your friend while working. |
| C．New technologies always bring us pressure rather than convenience. |
| D．It is a dilemma whether to disappoint your friend or stop working. |
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. Some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could have stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. But I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a great writer, but you might not know it until you write that English paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an inventor, but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.
I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. But the circumstances of your life---what you look like, where you come form, how much money you have---none of these is an excuses for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.
I know that sometimes you get that sense form TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work---that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t lose every subject that you study. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed in everything the first time you try. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who have had the most failure. J. K. Rowling’s first Harry potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.
So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.This passage is a speech of _________.
| A．graduation ceremony | B．back-to-school day |
| C．campaign | D．educational reform |
The second paragraph mainly talks about the role that education plays in ____.
| A．getting high scores | B．passing the tests |
| C．discovering one’s own talents | D．getting on well with others |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．All people can become famous overnight. |
| B．You will be a great writer as long as you write English papers. |
| C．Whatever the circumstances, you should focus on study. |
| D．Every homework assignment is related to your life at this moment. |
The author uses the example of J. K. Rowling to show that ________.
| A．sometimes failures are unavoidable on the way to success |
| B．she is good at writing science fiction |
| C．Harry Potter is the best seller in the world |
| D．the publication of Harry Potter went smoothly |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To tell students to be successful is hard. |
| B．To inspire students to have a proper attitude to education. |
| C．To ask students to do their projects for science class. |
| D．To encourage students to become a reality TV star. |
The world has a fast growing population and people need more land for houses, factories, highways, and so on. The farmland is decreasing with each passing day. How to meet the need of feeding the growing population? One way is to introduce some high-output gene into a crop to enable it to produce more. Biologists over the years have discovered genes which can raise output of the crops, resist pests, improve taste, etc.
However, in many western countries there is widespread concern over the safety of“Genetically Modified”(GM) (转基因) foods, because they think there may be serious problems of environment, health, safety, morality and so on.
As a scientist I must admit GM foods involve great risks to humans. In fact in Europe they’re called “Frankenstein foods” by many. Frankenstein is a character in a novel. He was a very clever scientist. He created a monster（怪物）, which eventually killed him.
Soybeans can be made into many foods. However, it’s hard to trace them. Therefore, it’s very important we have to make sure the soybean, if genetically modified, is free from any poisonous matter harmful to human beings. For this we need very good testing. We do have some testing on some animals, but no completely satisfactory testing has ever been made so far. They’re entirely new, and their problems are entirely unknown. It takes time to develop persuasive tests to know whether they’re harmful to us or not.
We may not be able to tell what may happen if we take GM foods. Some of them may be resistant to antibiotics (抗生素). Then many of the medicines we have today will have no effect on people eating GM foods.
A more likely case is the GM foods may contain genes some people are allergic to.
GM products have already come into our lives but most people even know nothing about it.
At least we have to be clear about what we are eating. The China Consumers Association is calling for labeling (标注) on GM foods so that consumers will know before they buy them.The chief purpose of developing GM foods is to_______.
| A．feed the fast growing population |
| B．make the foods much cheaper |
| C．make the foods much tastier |
| D．kill pests on the crops |
From the passage we can infer that _____.
| A．many Europeans reject GM foods |
| B．GM foods are very popular in Europe |
| C．Frankenstein foods can make people clever |
| D．Frankenstein was a scientist creating GM foods |
The underlined phrase “trace them” in Paragraph 4 probably means“”.
| A．find their market | B．raise their quality |
| C．find their origins | D．enjoy their taste |
Which of the following is TRUE about GM foods?
| A．The testing shows GM soybean foods are free from poisonous matter. |
| B．Sometimes consumers can hardly tell GM soybeans from natural ones. |
| C．GM foods prove to be safe to humans after some testing on animals. |
| D．GM foods problems have been known after testing on animals. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．GM foods make antibiotics fail to function properly. |
| B．People eating GM foods will suffer from food allergies. |
| C．As GM foods are safe at present, they’re certainly safe later on. |
| D．People should be informed of which foods are GM foods. |
So many of us hold on to little complaints that may have come from an argument, a misunderstanding, the way we were raised, or some other painful event. Stubbornly, we wait for someone else to reach out to us—believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship.
A friend of mine, recently told me that she hadn’t spoken to her son in almost three years. She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn’t speak to him again unless he called first. When I suggested that she be the one to reach out, she said, “I can’t do that. He’s the one who should apologize.” After a little gentle encouragement, however, she did decide to be the first one to reach out. To her amazement, her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own. As is usually the case when someone takes the chance and reaches out, everyone wins.
Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn “small stuff（问题）” into really “big stuff” in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not. If you want to be a more peaceful person you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy. The way to be happy is to let go, and reach out. Let other people be right. This doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Everything will be fine. You’ll experience the peace of letting go, as well as the joy of letting others be right.
You’ll also notice that, as you reach out and let others be “right,” they will become less defensive and more loving toward you. They might even reach back. But, if for some reason they don’t, that’s okay too. You’ll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world, and certainly you’ll be more peaceful yourself.The underlined word “rekindle” in Paragraph 1 probably means “______”.
| A．recover | B．develop | C．accept | D．replace |
In the author’s opinion, we hold on to our anger often because we think ______.
| A．we can turn small issues into big ones |
| B．our positions are higher than others |
| C．our own opinions matter most |
| D．others will be less defensive |
The best thing to do after a quarrel is to_________.
| A．let go of our own rights |
| B．realize that you are wrong |
| C．expect others to give in |
| D．apologize to others first |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Be Peaceful | B．Reach Out and Give |
| C．Small and Big Stuff | D．Enjoy Your Friendship |