Good phone manners are important both at work and at home. If you want to leave a good impression, talking in a polite way is always the most important thing to do. Here are some common practices that will make you sound polite.

When you answer the phone

Most companies and people would like to answer the phone by saying “You’ve reached the John Smith Company” or “Hello, this is John Smith” when they pick up the phone. Unless you are asked to answer the phone in a special way, choose a way that’s comfortable for you and polite to others. Just remember not to make the person on the other end feel uncomfortable.

If you need to take messages

　 If you answer for someone who is busy or for someone who is not around, you should always offer to take a message. This can be as simple as saying “I’m sorry. He’s busy at the moment. May I take a message?” If the person who is calling asks you to help out instead, but you don’t know how to solve the problem, it is always polite to say, “I’m sorry I don’t know, but I’d be happy to pass the message on to John.”

If you have to interrupt others

　 If you need to use the phone or talk to someone who is on the phone, you should wait until he finishes his phone conversation. However, if it’s so urgent that you can’t wait anymore, you can say “Excuse me, may I talk to you for a second?” or “I’m sorry, but I need to make an urgent call. Do you mind if I use the phone?”

1. From the passage we can learn that ______________ is the most important thing to leave a good impression when talking on the phone.

A. speaking slowly　　　　 B. giving as much information as possible

C. speaking politely 　　　 D. making yourself feel comfortable

2. When answering the phone, most companies like to _____________ as soon as they pick up the phone.

A. let the caller know who he or she has reached　　　 B. ask the caller’s name

C. wait for the caller to introduce himself or herself　　 D. ask what the caller is calling for

3. The underlined word “urgent” means “_________________”.

A. making you feel proud 　B. very strange

C. very difficult 　　　　　 D. needing to be done at once

4. The passage is written mainly to __________________.

A. teach some good communication skills　　　　 B. teach some good phone manners

C. show the importance of good phone manners　 D. tell people good manners are important

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

Admit you don’t know.

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

Use associations.

Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce you’re your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.

How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

 A. They will be moved.                     B. They will be annoyed.

 C. They will be delighted.                 D. They will be discouraged.

If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

A. tell him the truth                       B. tell him a white lie

C. ask him for pity                         D. ask others to help you

When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

A. all their names                          B. a couple of names first

C. just their last names                    D. as many names as possible

What does the text mainly tell us?

A. Tips on an important social skill.         B. Importance of attending parties.

C. How to make use of associations.          D. How to recite and repeat names.

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.
Recite and repeat in conversation.
When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.
Ask the other person to recite and repeat.
You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.
Admit you don’t know.
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”
Use associations.
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair." To reinforce(加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.
【小题1】How many ways to remember names are mentioned in this text?

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

Admit you don’t know.

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

Use associations.

Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair." To reinforce(加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.

1.How many ways to remember names are mentioned in this text?

2.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

3.If you can't remember someone's name, you may ________

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

Admit you don’t know.

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

Use associations.

Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce you’re your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.

1.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

A. They will be moved.                   B. They will be annoyed.

C. They will be delighted.                 D. They will be discouraged.

2.If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

A. tell him the truth                       B. tell him a white lie

C. ask him for pity                        D. ask others to help you

3.When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

A. all their names                        B. a couple of names first

C. just their last names                    D. as many names as possible

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

A. Tips on an important social skill.         B. Importance of attending parties.

C. How to make use of associations.         D. How to recite and repeat names.