Thanksgiving is an important festival in North America. We interviewed several students from the US and Canada. Here is what they have told us about their Thanksgiving experiences.
Josie from New York, USA
“In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year at the end of November. It is to remember the first group of people from Europe to live in America. When they first arrived, they found the environment strange. But they learned to survive after some native American friends showed them how to grow and find food. Thanksgiving is meant to be a traditional celebration.”
Todd from California, USA
“Thanksgiving is the first day of Christmas shopping. That means we have four weeks to buy Christmas presents for our families and friends. For me and my friends, the most important part of the festival is the big football game on TV. The match is watched by millions of people all over America. Thanksgiving is seen as an exciting day for football!”
Ian from Saskatoon, Canada
In Canada, Thanksgiving is held on the 2nd Monday in October. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, many people go to church. Thanks is given for all the good things that happened to them during the year. I always give thanks for the nice big turkey I’m going to have at the family dinner! Like all festivals, Thanksgiving is about food!
Katie from Maritimes, Canada
On Thanksgiving Day, we have dinner with all our cousins, aunts and uncles. It is always very busy. Sometimes we have two Thanksgiving dinners because we go to both our grandparents’ houses. The dinner is usually attended by more than twenty people at each house! My mother and my aunts do all the cooking but the washing-up is done by me and my cousins. And that’s not an easy job! But I don’t mind because Thanksgiving is meant to be a time to give thanks.
【小题1】People in the USA and Canada ____________.

A.all have the same opinion of Thanksgiving
B.have different opinions of Thanksgiving
C.feel that Thanksgiving is about food
D.have no interest in Thanksgiving
【小题2】Which of the people interviewed feels that Thanksgiving is all about football?
A.IanB.JosieC.ToddD.Katie
【小题3】Where does the person who thinks that Thanksgiving is a traditional celebration come from?
A.New YorkB.CaliforniaC.SaskatoonD.Maritimes
【小题4】For what reasons do people give thanks at Thanksgiving?
A.All the good things that have happened
B.Presents, a big turkey
C.Grandparents, food
D.Football, traditions

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!

 

Brian arrived at the San Francisco airport two hours before the flight to Paris. He was wearing three shirts, a jacket, two pairs of socks, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of jeans. He was carrying one small backpack, which was very full, but he didn’t have any other luggage. Brian needed to meet a man named Tony before he checked in for his flight. He found Tony near the Air France counter. Tony gave him a round-trip ticket and a small package. 

 “Give this package to Jean-Paul at the airport in Paris. He will have a sign with your name on it. I think you can find him easily, “Tony said.” You don’t have any luggage, right?”

 “Only this backpack,” Brian answered. “You said I could bring one carry-on bag.”

 “That’s right, one carry-on bag is fine. Have a good trip.”

 “Thanks.”

Is Brian a criminal(犯罪)? Not at all. He is an air courier. And he paid only $110 for the round-trip ticket to Paris. Air couriers get cheap airline tickets because they take important packages and papers to foreign countries. Businesses sometimes need to get packages and papers to people in foreign countries by the next day. Often, the only way they can do this is to use an air-courier company. It is not cheap for a business to send a package with an air courier, but it is quick. 

Every year about 80, 000 people worldwide travel as air couriers. The number of tickets for courier travel is growing by about 10 percent a year. However, air-courier travel isn’t for everyone. But if you have very little money, can be flexible(灵活的)about your travel plans, and don’t mind wearing the same clothes for a week, it can be a great way to take a vacation!

1.Why was Brian wearing so many clothes for his travel?

A. Because they were the uniform for air couriers.  

B. Because that made him easier to be recognized. 

C. Because his backpack had no room for his clothes. 

D. because he did not have any luggage with him. 

2.An air courier is a person who         .

A. manages a business company in foreign countries

B. organizes international flights for tourists.

C. travels around the world with cheap tickets.

D. delivers papers and packages to foreign countries.

3.Businesses choose the air-courier service because       

A. it costs less     B. it is flexible     C. it saves time     D. it grows fast

4. The author of the text mainly      ..

A. describes the activities of a law-breaker          B. suggests an ideal way to travel             

C. argues against the air-courier travel              D. tells us about a developing business  

 

Just Help the Next Person

The only highway to go to work that we had to drive was closed down due to an accident on the bridge. A truck had hit the bridge and made it 36 for any traffic to go over it. So in order to get to 37 I had to go a number of miles out of my way.

Not being that 38 with this road and not knowing 39 all the pot holes in the road were, I topped a hill and right in my path was a big pot hole. I felt and heard the familiar sound of a flat tire. I 40 as far to the right as possible and stopped. I tried several times to change the tire, but 41 .

There I sat out in the country and no way to 42 with anybody. Just then, I looked in my rear view mirror and a 43 was pulling out of a pasture behind me. I was 44 and scared at the same time.

I was struggling to get the 45 out when this man in the pickup pulled in behind me. He got out to introduce himself and 46 to help me. When he got the spare out we discovered that the spare is also 47 . He told me he would take the tire and have it 48 and call my husband.

We got the tire fixed 49 he took me back to my car. My husband was there 50 us when we got back. The kind stranger stayed there and helped my husband 51 the tire. After they finished we 52 thanked him and offered to pay him for his 53 .

I will never forget his words, " your thanks is 54 enough pay and I just hope if this ever happens to my wife or daughter someone will be so 55 as to help them."

1. A. busy        B. narrow       C. fearful       D. unsafe

2. A. school      B. city          C. work        D. shop

3. A. satisfied    B. involved       C. identified     D. familiar

4. A. where      B. what          C. when         D. which 

5. A. placed      B. rode          C. pulled        D. managed

6. A. failed      B. abandoned      C. passed       D. dropped

7. A. catch up    B. get in touch     C. have to do    D. put up

8. A. truck       B. pickup        C. car          D. bike

9. A. excited     B. relieved       C. determined    D. nervous

10.A. car        B. wheel         C. spare         D. trunk

11.A. refused     B. offered        C. pretended     D. promised

12.A. flat        B. damaged       C. invisible      D. lost

13.A. sold       B. painted        C. packed        D. fixed

14.A. but        B. so            C. and           D. though

15.A. listening to  B. worrying about  C. waiting on    D. searching for

16.A. break      B. change         C. clean         D. repair

17.A. both       B. all            C. neither        D. everyone

18.A. imagination  B. trouble       C. diligence      D. patience

19.A. more than   B. less than      C. rather than     D. better than

20.A. polite      B. active         C. kind          D. wise

 

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