We all know that the British people love their manners. They are part of their national identity (特性), as well as having fish and chips and complaining about the weather. Recently I read online that they said “sorry” up to eight times a day.
After some research I have not been able to find any specific reasons why they are like this. I suppose, for centuries, manners, including how they behave at table and talk to other people have been one of the differences between the lower and upper classes and those manners show their social classes. Britain has traditionally been a quite conservative (保守的) country. There are many articles suggesting that their seemingly polite attitude of always saying “please” and “thank you” is quite false because it is impossible for a person to always feel that he or she wants to thank someone or say “please”.
Maybe it is for this reason that people are going one of two ways:they are too polite and hold back their feelings or they are not polite at all and express their true feelings directly. Some British people are tired of pretending that they are always happy and having to please others. But sometimes because they feel they have to be polite, they are prevented from saying what they truly think.
1.What don't the British people often do?
A. Eat fish and chips. B. Have no quite good manners.
C. Be polite to others. D. Talk about the weather.
2.What do the British people say up to eight times every day?
A. Hello. B. Thank you. C. I don't know. D. Sorry.
3.What does the writer think are the reasons why the British people are so polite?
①The upper classes should have good manners.
②They have learned much about politeness at school.
③They like to hold back their true feelings.
④They are not honest at all.
A. ①② B. ③④ C. ①③ D. ②④
4.What does the underlined word “pretending” mean in Chinese?
A. 打算 B. 假装 C. 想象 D. 体验
5.What is the best title of this passage?
A. British people are too polite B. British people should not be so polite
C. How to learn the British manners D. It's time to change our manners
Newspaper Carrier Day happens on September 4 to celebrate Barney Flaherty and all past and present newspaper carriers.
Every day,thousands of newspaper carriers get up early and carry newspapers around the streets. They deliver(递送)our newspapers before we wake up but few people think about their hard work. In the USA,10-year-old Barney Flaherty became the first newspaper boy. He started working for The New York Sun on September 10,1833.Today,many young people make their pocket money by delivering newspapers.
Perhaps millions of people have been a newspaper deliverer. Delivering newspapers used to be a part-time(兼职的)job for the children aged(……岁的)between 13 and 16.But now many adults often deliver newspapers by car. It has become dangerous for children to be on the streets alone before six in the morning. The newspaper carriers in the world are paid differently. For example,the newspaper carriers in Britain can make about $25 every day. And they usually work seven days a week. When you see your newspapers next time,think about the persons who delivered them.
1.Barney Flaherty,the first newspaper boy in the USA was born in ________.
A. 1843 B. 1833 C. 1823 D. 1820
2.Who used to deliver newspapers as a part-time worker?
A. The young people under the age of 16. B. The children between the ages of 13 and 16.
C. The people of all ages. D. The children over the age of 10.
3.How do adults usually deliver newspapers now?
A. By bike. B. On foot. C. By bus. D. By car.
4.How much money can a newspaper carrier make every week in Britain?
A. About $175. B. About $125. C. About $100. D. About $25.
5.From the passage,we can know that ________.
A. all the newspaper earners in the world are boys aged between 13 and 16
B. it isn't safe for children to walk on the streets alone before 6:00 a.m.
C. newspaper carriers must have all kinds of skills besides driving
D. the writer used to deliver newspapers on foot
Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang (俚语)? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
Dave’s ESL Café
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test your self. You c an also post questions and answers onto the help center.
About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English.
The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms (习语). You can also find different cultural facts.
Perso nal English Portal (门户网站) on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
1.If you want to do English exercises and test yourself, you can go to .
A. About.com B. YouTube
C. Dave’s ESL Cafe D. the Classroom by Voice of America
2.You can at the help center on the website Dave’s ESL Cafe.
A. watch videos and pictures
B. listen to news and music
C. watch movies and matches
D. read questions and answers
3.About.com often sends e-mails to its visitors to help them .
A. get relaxed B. have fun
C. become famous D. learn English
4.The underlined word “definition” means “ ” in Chinese.
A. 来源 B. 释义
C. 意图 D. 背景
5.From Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English, you can find .
A. cultural information B. online libraries
C. interesting news D. many storybooks
In some provinces of Canada,people celebrate Family Day on the second Monday of February. It is a holiday that gives families the chance(机会)to ______together.
On Family Day,many people plan and take part in(参加)activities such as visiting art museums,watching movies,playing games and holding parties,with their families. Some communities(社区)plan special public _______too.
______ the weather is usually very cold in February,some people _______choose to stay at home. Hot chocolate and freshly made cookies are the most popular snacks for
___.Other people use the long weekend as a chance to take a short winter break,or to travel to visit friends.
On Family Day,most people have a day off work or school. Many stores and supermarkets are _______,but post offices may be open. Buses run ______their usual timetables(时刻表).
Family Day was first ______in Alberta,Canada in 1990.It was held to show the importance of family and home that were important to people in Alberta. Later,Family Day was ______to other provinces,such as Ontario and Saskatchewan. British Columbia celebrated Family Day as a(n) _______for the first time in 2013.One of the reasons for introducing Family Day was that there were no holidays from New Year's Day to Good Friday(受难节).It was such a long time.
1.A. work B. discuss C. exercise D. stay
2.A. events B. secrets C. memories D. interests
3.A. So B. Because C. But D. Although
4.A. never B. just C. ever D. still
5.A. her B. him C. us D. them
6.A. enough B. open C. closed D. free
7.A. thanks to B. because of C. instead of D. according to
8.A. held B. controlled C. studied D. borrowed
9.A. created B. continued C. introduced D. admired
10.A. success B. holiday C. weekend D. invention
---- Could you tell me where the bookstore is?
----- ____________? I didn’t hear clearly.
A. How are you ? B. Yes, please C. Pardon D. Excuse me
—Can you tell the difference between these two pictures?
—Difference? Oh, no. They look quite .
A. similar B. different
C. strange D. Interesting