‘How are you?’is a nice question.It's a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other.But‘How are you?’is also a very unusual question.It's a question that often doesn't have an answer.
When a person meet a friend on the street and asks‘How are you?’, the person doesn't really expects to hear an answer such as‘I really don't know what's wrong with me.’The person who asks‘How are you?’expects to hear the answer‘Fine’even if the other person isn't! The reason is that‘How are you?’isn't really a question, and‘Fine.’isn't really an answer.They are simply ways of greeting people and saying‘Hello.’
Sometimes, people also don't say exactly what they mean.For example, when someone asks‘Do you agree?’, the other might be thinking‘No, I disagree.I think you're wrong.’But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say,‘I'm not so sure.’It's a nice way to say that you don't agree with someone.
People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish conversation with other people.For example, many conversations over the phone end when one person says,‘I've got to go now.’Often, the person who want to hang up gives an excuse:‘Someone's at the door.’‘I've got to put the groceries away.’‘Something is burning on the stove!’The excuse might be real, or it might not be.Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn't want to talk any more, but it isn't very polite to say that.The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person's feelings.
Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an opinion, or ending a conversation people often don't say exactly what they are thinking.It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's all part of the game of language!
(1)
When a person in the United States asks,‘How are you?’ he or she expects to hear‘________.’
[ ]
A.
Fine
B.
Hello
C.
I don't know
D.
No answer
(2)
When a person wants to disagree with somebody, it is very polite to say ________.
[ ]
A.
You're wrong.I disagree
B.
I'm not so sure
C.
I'm sure I disagree
D.
I'm sure you're wrong
(3)
A polite way to end a conversation on the phone is to say‘________.’
[ ]
A.
You have to go now
B.
I want to hang up
C.
I have to go now
D.
I don't want to talk to you any longer
(4)
When a person says‘I've got to go now.Someone is at the door,’the person may be ________.
[ ]
A.
giving an excuse
B.
hurting someone's feeling
C.
talking to a person at the door
D.
getting into someone's way
(5)
One of the rules of the game of language is probably‘________.’
[ ]
A.
Always say what you mean
B.
Don't disagree with people
C.
Be polite
D.
Say exactly what you are thinking
完形填空
I stood in the doorway, watching my older brother carefully putting clothes into his bag.I coughed uneasily.Finally 1 that I was there, Rocky turned toward me with a sad smile.
“I'm leaving tomorrow,”he said.
“I know.”My 2 was almost a whisper(低声).I was angry at myself for being so weak, but I wasn't about to cry.
“My 3 is early, so there is still 4 time to come to the airport,”he said.Seeing the sad look on my face, he quickly added, “I promise I won't leave without saying goodbye.”
I tried to say 5 , but didn't.It's always better to keep quiet if you're about to cry.“You promised you wouldn't cry,”he said to me, thinking that I was close to 6 .
I remember the day he taught me how to ride a bike. 7 I thought he was always right behind me, holding the seat to keep me from 8 .I was happy with this, but he knew he couldn't hold me up all my life.He told me that one day he would have to go.
His coughing stopped my thinking.What was left to say? How could I say 9 to the person who taught me everything?
The next morning I 10 , looked at my alarm clock, and realized he had left hours ago.We never even said goodbye.
Goodbye, Rocky! Although he may have been many miles away, I knew he heard me, even if it was only an answer in his heart.
(1)
[ ]
A.
forgetting
B.
realizing
C.
watching
D.
learning
(2)
[ ]
A.
voice
B.
sound
C.
noise
D.
word
(3)
[ ]
A.
ship
B.
flight
C.
train
D.
bus
(4)
[ ]
A.
enough
B.
little
C.
no
D.
busy
(5)
[ ]
A.
anything
B.
everything
C.
something
D.
nothing
(6)
[ ]
A.
tears
B.
smiles
C.
words
D.
sadness
(7)
[ ]
A.
At last
B.
From now on
C.
At first
D.
So far
(8)
[ ]
A.
riding
B.
running
C.
walking
D.
falling
(9)
[ ]
A.
goodbye
B.
hello
C.
yes
D.
sorry
(10)
[ ]
A.
gave up
B.
stood up
C.
looked up
D.
woke up
阅读理解
Two sisters are playing games on the bank of a river.They are playing happily.One of them is Jenny, and the other is Rose.While they are running to the foot of a hill, they see a big brown bear standing before them.They are much frightened, and they run away at once.
“Please don't run! I won't eat you.I am a man, not a bear.I'm friendly,”the bear says.The two girls are looking at the bear.The bear stands up, his hair all falls there, a young man stands, he is tall, and has good looks.“It's lucky for me to meet you, you can save me,”says he.
“Who are you? How can we save you?”
“I'm Scoff.My father and mother don't know I'm a bear now.They are looking for me all the time.They don't know where I am.I see them often, but I cannot talk to them.Let me tell you something about me.”
“I was a prince,”the young man says.“One day, I played on the bank of the river, and old woman came, she said something and threw a brown coat at me.The old woman turned me into a brown bear.She said, ‘Only when you meet two girls on the bank of the river, and one of them is willing to be your wife, you can be a man again.’Today, it's my luck to meet you here.If one of you is willing to be my wife, you can save me.”The two sisters' faces turn red.The younger sister says,“I think I can save you, I would like to be your wife.”The prince says,“Thank goodness! Thank you very much.From now on, we are brother and sisters, the old woman cannot do anything to me.Let's go home, my father and mother will be very happy to see us.”
The prince takes the two sisters to his home.The prince becomes the king, they are very happy.
(1)
The two sisters see ________ in front of them at the foot of a hill.
[ ]
A.
a brown bear
B.
a nice prince
C.
a young man
D.
an old woman
(2)
The old woman makes ________ into a brown bear.
[ ]
A.
Jenny
B.
Rose
C.
the young man
D.
all of them
(3)
________ will be happy to see his son.
[ ]
A.
The young man
B.
The young man's parents
C.
The young man's mother
D.
The prince
(4)
Which is NOT true?
[ ]
A.
The two girls and the brown bear are good friends.