During the meal, you should be careful not to leave a spoon in a soup bowl, a coffee cup or other dish. The coffee spoon should be on the saucer(碟子), and the soup spoon should be on the plate under the bowl. When you are having soup, make as little noise as you can and use the side of your spoon, not the front. Do not pick up your soup bowl to drink the last drops of your soup from the bottom of the bowl.

Very often, there are only one main course and a salad, followed by something sweet. If you haven’t had enough, say“Oh, it’s delicious. ”and ask for some more chicken, steak, or whatever you have just had. The hostess will be very happy that you like her cooking and will give you more. But if you follow the Chinese way of being polite and say, “No, thank you. ”when the hostess offers you more, you may starve later. Americans will never force you to eat more. Yet it is not polite to keep silent and not to talk to the person next to you. It is good manners to use your silverware(银餐具) carefully so that they don’t make any noise. When the coffee comes, drink it from your cup. The coffee spoon should be put on the saucer while you are drinking. And smoking, of course, is rarely seen at a dinner table. Well, when the meal is finished, the guests put their napkins on the table and stand up. The men help the ladies move their chairs.

After the dinner, the guests usually stay for an hour or two, and then they would say, “Well, I’m afraid I must get going now. ”The host and hostess would, of course, ask everyone to stay longer. “What? Already? Won’t you have some more coffee?  ”The guests might say, “I’d love to, but I have to be up early tomorrow. Thank you for a most enjoyable evening. Good night. ”

If you stay overnight or for the weekend, it is nice to send a thank-you note to the host or hostess the following day, very often with a small gift such as a box of chocolates or some flowers as a sign of thanks for their hospitality(好客).

Questions:

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. To make the hostess happy, you should ask for more food even if you are full.

B. During the dinner, you’d better make as little noise as possible.

C. It’s polite to leave a spoon in a soup bowl.

D. Never talk with people at table.

2. What does the underlined word ‘course’ mean?

A. A series of lessons.

B. Any of the separate parts of a meal.

C. A moment in time.

D. Direction or the routine.

3. The passage implies that______.

A. Chinese customs are similar to American ones

B. if you are polite, the hostess will make you eat more food

C. different nations have different customs

D. Chinese are more hospitable(好客的) than Americans

Table manners in the USA

During the meal, you should be careful not to leave a spoon in a soup bowl, a coffee cup or other dish. The coffee spoon should be on the saucer(碟子), and the soup spoon should be on the plate under the bowl. When you are having soup, make as little noise as you can and use the side of your spoon, not the front. Do not pick up your soup bowl to drink the last drops of your soup from the bottom of the bowl.

Very often, there are only one main course and a salad, followed by something sweet. If you haven’t had enough, say“Oh, it’s delicious. ”and ask for some more chicken, steak, or whatever you have just had. The hostess will be very happy that you like her cooking and will give you more. But if you follow the Chinese way of being polite and say, “No, thank you. ”when the hostess offers you more, you may starve later. Americans will never force you to eat more. Yet it is not polite to keep silent and not to talk to the person next to you. It is good manners to use your silverware(银餐具) carefully so that they don’t make any noise. When the coffee comes, drink it from your cup. The coffee spoon should be put on the saucer while you are drinking. And smoking, of course, is rarely seen at a dinner table. Well, when the meal is finished, the guests put their napkins on the table and stand up. The men help the ladies move their chairs.

After the dinner, the guests usually stay for an hour or two, and then they would say, “Well, I’m afraid I must get going now. ”The host and hostess would, of course, ask everyone to stay longer. “What? Already? Won’t you have some more coffee?  ”The guests might say, “I’d love to, but I have to be up early tomorrow. Thank you for a most enjoyable evening. Good night. ”

If you stay overnight or for the weekend, it is nice to send a thank-you note to the host or hostess the following day, very often with a small gift such as a box of chocolates or some flowers as a sign of thanks for their hospitality(好客).

Questions:

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. To make the hostess happy, you should ask for more food even if you are full.

B. During the dinner, you’d better make as little noise as possible.

C. It’s polite to leave a spoon in a soup bowl.

D. Never talk with people at table.

2. What does the underlined word ‘course’ mean?

A. A series of lessons.

B. Any of the separate parts of a meal.

C. A moment in time.

D. Direction or the routine.

3. The passage implies that______.

A. Chinese customs are similar to American ones

B. if you are polite, the hostess will make you eat more food

C. different nations have different customs

D. Chinese are more hospitable(好客的) than Americans