The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry(洗衣房) ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English.
No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples:
“I'm sorry to bother you...” Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries."
“Can you help me with this?” Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons."
“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations(预定) for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room."
“I understand it's not your fault...” Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday."
“Excuse me, but I understood that...” Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars." Then give them an opportunity to do the right thing.
1.What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To give an introduction of life abroad.
B. To give suggestions on how to learn English.
C. To offer advice on giving complaints in English.
D. To offer guides to those who travel around the world.
2.According to the passage, if we meet an unfair situation, we’d better .
A. state our complaints politely
B. go for the police immediately
C. use indirect language to hurt people
D. fight against the one who is responsible
3.Why should we start a complaint with polite phrases?
A. Because the situation is never serious.
B. Because the listener may not speak English.
C. Because it can help solve the problem more easily.
D. Because we should be always in good manners abroad.
4.Several effective complaints in English are mentioned above EXCEPT .
A. “Can you help me with this?”
B. “I understand it's not your fault.”
C. “Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!”
D. “I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.”
Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities（设施） to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining mom from 8 to 9:30 a.m.. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m., if you place an order for it by telephone. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch: 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Telephone:48752
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day. Phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephone:48759
Telephone
To make a telephone call, dial 0 for Reception and Laundry (洗衣店), and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths(电话亭)near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Shop
The hotel shop is open for souvenirs（纪念品）, gifts and toiletries（化妆品）from 9 a.m. to 5:30p.m.
Telephone:48687
Laundry
We have a laundry on the premises（附属）and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to phone the laundrymen to collect them.
Telephone:48867
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.. The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies（货币）.
1.The announcement(通知) mainly gives us information about ________.
A.facilities in the hotel
B.providing passengers all kinds of service
C.the ways of serving
D.carrying out the promise of the hotel
2.The card in a bedroom of the hotel is announced that ___________.
A.you should keep silence when walking past the room
B.the passenger of the room is taking a rest
C.the waiters mustn’t enter the room
D.any visitors won’t bother the hotel guest
3.You have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m., and want a snack(快餐), What should you do ?
A.Go to the hotel shop.B.Go to the hotel bar.
C.Give a message to the waiter.D.Phone Reception
Mr. Baker lived in an old and low house. His wife was blind in both eyes and the two children were very young. All his family often went hungry(挨饿.) He had nothing but a small piece of field. One autumn he grew some wheat in his field. He hoped it would do well because all family would depend on it. The whole winter it often snowed. And the next spring the wheat was doing well. Mr. Baker was happy. One day Mr. Baker went to watch his wheat. To his surprise, a lot of crops were eaten up by a horse. He became angry but could not find out whose horse had eaten them. He thought the horse would go there again. So he decided to stay in his field and tried to catch the horse.
A few days later a yellow horse came in his field again and began to eat the wheat. Mr. Baker ran after it quickly, with a stick in his hand. But the beast ran much faster than he. He tried his best, but could not catch up with it. The next morning, when Mr. Baker was working in his field, he saw the yellow horse pulling carriage on the road. He picked up a stick at once, ran closer to the horse and began to beat it up.
The driver was surprised and stopped him. He asked, “Why are you beating my horse?”
“It has nothing to do with you, ” Mr. Baker said angrily. “The beast knows why I’m beating him!”
1.What was Mr. Baker?
A. A driver B. A doctor C. A keeper D. A farmer
2.Why was Mr. Baker happy at first?
A. Because wheat was doing well.
B. Because he would soon get a good harvest.
C. Because he found out the beast that ate up his wheat.
D. Because his family would not grow any more wheat.
3.Mr. Baker tried his best to catch the horse to ____________.
A. sell it for some money
B. beat it up(痛打)
C. make it work for him
D. find out the owner of the horse
4.Which of the following is true?
A. The horse knew that it had done wrong.
B. The horse had nothing to do with the driver.
C. The horse knew whose wheat it had eaten up.
D. The horse belonged to the driver.
I take the train to work every morning from a train station near my house. I can get to the station quite because there is a short cut(捷径)to the station. But in the summer, it can get quite smelly because of all the . So I always try to through it. Today I was trying to do so as usual something made me stop for a moment. I saw the most beautiful by an old woman walking in front of me with the help of a white .
She was short and and had white hair. She was walking as each step took some effort. I hadn’t specially noticed her ,until she stopped near a rubbish bin.
She slowly placed her walking stick the rubbish bin. Then she leaned(斜倚着)on it with her right hand. She bent down and the rubbish. She clearly found it and it took her a while. She some rubbish with her left hand and slowly straightened(伸直) herself up again. All the while she used the rubbish bin to herself. She threw the rubbish inside the bin and then walking. It all took her great effort（努力）.
There’s so much rubbish and no one ever does about it. I was moved to this old woman make such a great effort to keep even a small part of it ! I haven’t been able to thinking about that all day.
I want to follow her example. I’ve decided to pick up rubbish off the if I meet from now on. I hope people will do the same as I do.
1.A. hard B. early C. easily D. late
2.A. rubbish B. boxes C. bottles D. paper
3.A. walk B. pass C. go D. rush
4.A. so B. until C. whenD. because
5.A. back B. act C. markD. color
6.A. bike B. stick C. dogD. umbrella
7.A. weak B. rich C. cleverD. sad
8.A. quickly B. happily C. angrilyD. slowly
9.A. at midnight B. at noon C. at lastD. at first
10.A. in B. around C. againstD. under
11.A. searched for B. threw away C. reached forD. looked at
12.A. unable B. difficult C. different D. impossible
13.A. picked up B. dropped down C. put in D. lifted up
14.A. warm B. help C. supportD. hide
15.A. continued B. started C. enjoyedD. remembered
16.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
17.A. feel B. see C. have D. let
18.A. busy B. beautiful C. dirty D. clean
19.A. keep B. stop C. mind D. regret
20.A. wall B. desk C. ground D. Classroom
Cold ______ the night air was, he slept soundly because he was so tired after working for a whole day.
A. although B. while C. however D. as
The price of the goods in this shop is too high. I can buy only half the goods I bought in that shop and I’m paying ________.
A. as three times much B. as much three times
C. much as three times D. three times as much
