Millions of British people have ditched the traditional “thank you” and replaced it with the less formal “cheers”, according to a survey.

Although the average person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to throw in a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.

One in 20 now say “nice one” instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”. “Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common phrases to use, as was “much appreciated”.

One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly wouldn’t say “thank you” if they were in a bad mood.

Most people declared that saying “thank you” was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say “thank you” to a person’s face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should — on at least two occasions every day.

It seems our friends and family get the brunt (压力) of our bad manners with half admitting they’re not good at thanking those closest to them — many justifying (为……辩解) the lack of thanks because their family “already know I’m grateful”.

When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people. A thank you email is also popular, while a quarter turn to social networks to express gratitude. A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake. A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note — but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they bothered to send one.

It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude they feel they should receive. 

1.Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _____.

A.when they are in good mood              B.completely out of habit

C.when they feel truly grateful               D.purely out of politeness

2.The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “_____”.

A.abandoned        B.used             C.shared            D.grasped

3.It can be learned from the passage that _____.

A.different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable

B.people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays

C.a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people

D.people in a bad mood never say “thank you”

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.

B.About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should.

C.Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude.

D.Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.

 

Bali is an Indonesia island that is rich in indigenous (本土的) culture.A lot of people say that Balinese culture is unique and that the people of Bali have always been contented with the "now".If you ask a Balinese person what heaven is like, the probable answer will be "just like Bali".This only goes to show that most Balinese people are happy to be where they are and never worry.

One factor that contributes to this laidback lifestyle is the culture of close family ties in Bali.In the Balinese culture, support is always available.Balinese extended families are so tightly knit that all members usually reside in the same complex.

Balinese culture is based on a form of this religion, which is called "Hindu Darma".This religion reached the island during the eleventh century.Most of the family customs and

traditions as well as community lifestyles of the Balinese people are influenced by this.The religious influence even expands widely into the arts, which makes Bali distinct from the rest of Indonesia.

         In spite of the fact that tourists flood to the island every year, Balinese people have managed to conserve their culture.Almost every native of Bali is an artist in some form or another.Parents and villagers have passed on their skills to their children, who all seem to have inclinations (爱好) either to music, dance, painting, and decor.

         Another remarkable mark of the Balinese culture is the series of ceremonies and rituals known as the Manusa Yadnya.This marks the different stages of Balinese life.Cremation (火葬) is very popular on this island—and unlike in the West, death is a joyous and colorful event for the Balinese.

1.What do we know about Balinese according to the first two paragraphs?

         A.They lead a very relaxing but unwealthy life.

         B.They live in large families and are close to each other.

         C.Their family members are distributed in different places.

         D.Their extended families live too close together to get along well.

2.Bali is distinguished from the rest of Indonesia by _____.

         A.people's tight family relationship

         B.the family customs and traditions

         C.people's great affection for religion

         D.the influence of Hinduism on their culture

3.The underlined word "conserve" in Para.4 can be best replaced by "_____".

         A.preserve        B.spread      C.form         D.expand

4.When a person dies in Bali, it is a common practice to _____.

         A.express deep sorrow at his death

         B.celebrate the death like a great event

         C.sing and dance joyfully in his honor

         D.remember what he did in his lifetime

5.What is the text mainly about?

         A.Balinese religion.                  B.The lifestyle of Balinese.

         C.Balinese culture.                           D.The tourism in Bali.

 

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