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.

1.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.

2.According to the passage, which is an appropriate response to “awesome” or “brilliant”?

A.Thanks.           B.Sure.             C.Nice one.          D.Cheers. .

3.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.

4.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!

 

Girls can easily get sad. If your friend is feeling blue and calls you, what will you do? Here are some tips on how you can make her smile again.

Listen to her. When people feel sad, they often have the feeling of needing to be heard. So, listen carefully to what she is saying and do nothing else. Your friend will surely thank you for being the shoulder she can cry on.

Once you are done with listening, you can offer some advice or remain silent and let her feel everything and let it all out by crying. As a friend, you might think you should give her some advice. But if you have no idea about what to say, just remain silent and be there for her.

In order to be able to help your friend in need, don’t be sad for yourself. How can you help your friend when you are also feeling down?

A hug can make a difference in the word. It makes you feel warm and special. A hug makes you feel safe. So give your friend a hug when she needs it the most.

Spend more time with your friend who wants to be happy. Do things together like washing dishes, cleaning, or going out for fun. The more time you spend together, the stronger your friendship will become.

Sometimes, it is much better that you avoid a crying friend in your life. But by doing so, you are also keeping your friend at a distance and will make her wonder if you are her true friend. If you are there when she needs you, your friendship will be much stronger.

1.The writer wrote this passage mainly to tell us_______.

A.why girls can easily get sad.

B.what to do when we are sad.

C.how to make new friends with girls.

D.how to make a sad female friend happy again.

2.According to Paragraph 2, when a female friend is sad, what should we do?

A.We should ask her why she feels sad.

B.We should say something nice to her.

C.We should spend time listening to her.

D.We should give her some good advice.

3.We can learn from the passage that______.

E.       Hugging a sad friend can make you feel warm and special.

F.       Your sad friend may feel much better if you also sad.

G.      It’s not a good idea to be silent facing a sad friend.

H.      Giving a hug to a sad friend is very helpful.

4.In paragraph 6, the writer mainly suggests that we_____.

I.         spend more time with your friend.

J.        help our friends with their housework

K.      spend time with our friends everyday

L.       ask our friends to take part in activities

 

When I wandered along a path through woods in the countryside, a small water pool came into my sight ahead. I changed my direction and took the part of the path that wasn’t covered by water or mud to go around it. When I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked by something several times! It was from somewhere totally unexpected. I was surprised as well as unhurt. The attacker stopped attacking me when I backed up a foot. I couldn’t help laughing when I looked down and found I was being attacked by a butterfly!  

Curiously, I took a step forward to see clearly. My attacker dashed towards me again. He rushed towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but failed. For a second time, I took a stop backwards when the attacker paused. I didn’t know what to do. After all, it’s just uncommon that one is attacked by a butterfly. I stepped back to look the situation over. My attacker moved back to land on the ground. That’s when I discovered why the attacker was kept charging me. He had a mate and she was dying.

Sitting tenderly close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could do nothing but admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had attacked me for his mate’s sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was much larger than he. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life. I shouldn’t have been careless enough to step on her. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mates’ safety seemed admirable. I was moved and rewarded him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool, leaving them undisturbed. He had truly earned those moments to be with his dear mate.

Since then, I’ve always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge barriers facing me.

1.Why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?

A.To get close to a butterfly.

B.To avoid getting his shoes dirty.

C.To escape a sudden attack.

D.To look over the bad situation.

2.What made the man feel funny?

A.Making the attacker pause.

B.Being stepped on by his mate.

C.Being attacked by a butterfly.

D.Discovering the energetic butterfly.

3.From this experience the man learned _____.

A.people should protect butterflies

B.how he should deal with attacks

C.people should show sympathy to the weak

D.what he should do when faced with trouble

4.Which of the following word can best describe the butterfly?

A.Brave

B.Amusing.

C.Careless.

D.Strong.

 

Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.

This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.

Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.

The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.

“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing,” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.

When our minds run out of working memory, these off-topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.

“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read,” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.

People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.

The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.

1.The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

A. handle  B. search  C. understand  D. distribute

2.What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?

A. People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.

B. On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.

C. Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.

D. Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.

3.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Mind drifts are always positive.

B. Daydreaming is good for the mind.

C. Creative moments come with working memory.

D. The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.

 

Years ago, a cigarette commercial asked if you were smoking more, but enjoying it less. That describes the way many of us live today. We are doing more, but enjoying it less. And when that doesn’t work, we compound the problem. In our frantic search for satisfaction, we try stuffing still more into our days, never realizing that we are taking the wrong approach.

The truth is simple; so simple it is hard to believe. Satisfaction lies with less, not with more. Yet, we pursue the myth that this thing, or that activity, will somehow provide the satisfaction we so desperately seek.

Arthur Lindman, in his devastating book, “The Harried Leisure Class,” described the futility of pursuing more. His research focused on what people did with their leisure time. He found that as income rose, people bought more things to occupy their leisure time. But, ironically, the more things they bought, the less they valued any one of them. Carried to an extreme, he predicted massive boredom in the midst of tremendous variety. That was more than twenty years ago, and his prediction seems more accurate every year.

Lindman, of course, is not the first to discover this. The writer of Ecclesiastes expressed the same thought thousands of years ago. It is better, he wrote, to have less, but enjoy it more.

If you would like to enjoy life more, I challenge you to experiment with me. How could you simplify your life? What could you drop? What could you do without? What could you stop pursuing? What few things could you concentrate on?

The more I learn, the more I realize that fullness of life does not depend on things. The more I give up, the more I seem to gain. But words will never convince you. You must try it for yourself.

1.Arthur Lindman predicted twenty years ago that ______.

A. more things brought more value   B. the more people had, the less they valued them

C. people didn’t like to pursue more  D. massive boredom came from less variety

2.What does the article suggest to make our life happier?

A. To enjoy more things.            B. To buy more things.

C. To sell things we do not need.     D. To get rid of useless things.

3.The passage is probably written to ___________.

A. introduce Arthur Lindman and his book       B. tell the readers what is satisfaction

C. introduce how to simplify people’s life       D. persuade people to simplify their life

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网