Different countries have different customs and cultures. Every culture around the world has different customs and ways of communicating. When you learn a language, you learn more than words.
In China, people are used to saying “sorry” to show that they regret doing something wrong. But it’s very proud for American people to have polite manners towards one another in public. They often use the word “sorry”—even when they don’t really mean it! Usually, if they want to ask a stranger for the time, they will start by saying “Sorry to trouble you.” If they’re five minutes late for the appointment, they will greet the person by saying “Sorry, I’m late!” It’s quite different in China. They use the word “sorry” in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has changed a little over time. The two main dictionary definitions (定义) of “sorry” are: 1) feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or bad luck; 2) feeling regret because you’ve done something wrong.
So what does “sorry” really mean? And why do western people use it so much? Well, in western culture, saying “sorry” is a way to be polite. It’s also a very clever way to get what they want. If you want to borrow something from others, you’d better say “sorry” to them about something. Or it’s hard for you to get what you want. So maybe saying “sorry” is not only just being polite, but also a good method to get what you want!
1. How many examples of the use of “sorry” are given by Americans in the second paragraph?A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
A.When they regret doing something wrong. |
B.When they ask strangers for help. |
C.When they greet people for the first time. |
D.When they arrive at a place early. |
A.Idea. | B.Class. | C.Date | D.Safety. |
A.Japan. | B.China. | C.Korea. | D.Germany. |
A.How to Say “Sorry” Correctly. | B.The Different Meanings of “Sorry”. |
C.Why Western People Say “Sorry” | D.Why Chinese People Say “Sorry” |
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【推荐1】Hello! My name is Maria Green. I come from the UK. I speak English and it is my first language. And I also know some Japanese because my mother comes from Japan (日本). I know a little German (德语) too, because it’s my second language at school. Next year I want to learn French and Chinese. They are interesting languages. And I think it’s very interesting to learn different languages.
I have a pen pal in Japan. He can speak four languages, because his parents are multilingual (会说数种语言的)! He often writes to me in Japanese. Sometimes I can’t understand (懂) him. And I have to ask my mother to read the letters for me.
1. _________ is Maria’s first language.A.English | B.German | C.French | D.Chinese |
A.Japan | B.the UK | C.the US | D.Australia |
A.one | B.two | C.three | D.four |
A.boring | B.excited | C.interesting | D.tired |
A.her mother | B.her father | C.her friend | D.her classmate |
【推荐2】This is a special class. The students come from different countries. Some come from America, and others come from Canada, Japan, Australia and England. They speak different languages. But all of them can speak English. They are good friends. They study together, play together and live together. They help each other.
All the teachers of this class are Chinese. They can speak English. They teach their students in English. They are very kind and friendly. They work hard.
The students in this class study Chinese cooking and Chinese kung fu. All the students like China. They say China is a great country and the Chinese people are friendly. They are happy in China.
1. What language can all the students speak?A.Chinese. | B.French. | C.English. | D.Japanese. |
A.America | B.China | C.the U.K. | D.different countries |
A.Chinese cooking. | B.Chinese kung fu. | C.A foreign language. | D.Both A and B. |
【推荐3】Mouth is an important part of our body. When we eat food, talk with others, sing and smile, we use our mouth. Also, when learning English, we can find the word “mouth” in many sentences.
In everyday life, if someone says something bad about us, we can say “Do not bad mouth me” to talk back. Sometimes, if we say bad things and make others sad, we can say, “Sorry, I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” We can also use “I am down in the mouth” to tell others we are unhappy. Sometimes when we talk with a friend and we have the same idea as him, we can say, “You take the words right out of my mouth!” If some people have lots of money because their families are rich, in English, we can say, “They were born with a silver spoon in the mouth.” But a person who lives “from hand to mouth” is very poor and only has money to buy some cheapest things in need.
From these examples, we can see that even the same English word can be used in different situations(情形) to tell others different feelings. English is a great language, isn’t it?
1. Lisa feels________ if she says, “I am down in the mouth”, after talking with her friend.A.happy | B.relaxed | C.sad | D.boring |
A.Do not bad mouth me |
B.I’m from hand to mouth |
C.I really put my foot in my mouth |
D.You take the words right out of my mouth |
A.Five. | B.Six. | C.Seven. | D.Eight. |
A.English is a useful language |
B.we can use mouth to do many things |
C.mouth is an important part of our body |
D.how people use the word “mouth” in different situations |
【推荐1】Yao Ming is a basketball star. But now he is a film star. There is a film about Yao Ming. Its name is The Year of the Yao. Americans made the film (制片). Now it has come to China.
The film lasts (持续) for 88 minutes. It is about Yao Ming’s first year in the NBA. Some NBA stars talk about Yao Ming in the film. So you can see Michel Jordan and Shaquille ONeal in it.
The film can help us know more about Yao Ming. Let’s go to the cinema.
根据短文,判断正误,正确的写 “T”,错误的写 “F”。
1. Yao Ming plays for Huanghe Football Team.
2. The film is made in USA.
3. The film lasts for one and a half hours.
4. You can see Li Hua in the film.
5. The film can help you know more about Yao Ming.
【推荐2】How do you know about the geography of China? Here are some facts about the great nature places there.
Huangguoshu Waterfall
Huangguoshu Waterfall is the first largest waterfall in China. And it’s also one of the greatest waterfalls in the world. Huangguoshu Waterfall is the most beautiful music part over the Baishuihe River, Guizhou. It makes the mixture (混合) from the sounds of the water so fascinating (迷人的). It quickly runs down the 68-meter-high cliff and shapes 81-meter-wide faces of the steam (水汽). When the sun shines on it from a special side, a wonderful rainbow appears there.
Yangtze River
The Yangtze River is the first river in China. Years ago it was said that the Yangtze River used to be about 6,300 kilometers long. But later in 2002, people found that it is only about 6,211.3 kilometers long. That means it is shorter than what people used to think. However, this will not change its first place of Asian rivers and its third place among the big rivers in the world. It’s only shorter than the Nile of Africa and the Amazon River of South America.
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原)
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the world’s highest plateau. Lots of places there are over 4,000 meters above the sea level (海平面). It is so high that it stops cold air from the north from moving south, and it stops warm, wet air from the south from moving north. It is also amazing that many of the big Asian rivers like the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Yarlung Zangbo River start from the plateau.
1. What does the underlined word “cliff” in Paragraph 2 mean in Chinese?A.悬崖 | B.沙漠 | C.岩石 | D.瀑布 |
A.the Baishuihe River | B.the Amazon River |
C.the Yarlung Zangbo River | D.the Yangtze River |
A.In a history book. | B.In a geography newspaper. |
C.In a movie magazine. | D.In a cooking magazine. |
【推荐3】What will our life be like in the future? We won’t have to change many clothes every day. We will wear a kind of special clothes. We can be warm when we feel cold and be cool when we feel hot. They will have many beautiful colors. We can change the color we like anytime. In the future, all of us will live in beautiful houses. It can move anywhere. When we want to change the place we live, it will take us quickly without any trouble.
In the future, we won’t have to go to work by bus or bike. Everyone will have a small but useful plane.We can go anywhere we like by plane. How great it will be!
In the future, maybe each family will have a robot. Our mothers won’t be busy with housework. They won’t be tired. When we feel bad, we won’t have to go to hospital to see a doctor. The teachers won’t need to go to school to work because they can teach students through World Wide Web.
1. What’s the special feature (特征) of the future’s house?A.It can speak with us. | B.It can move anywhere. |
C.It has more beautiful colors. | D.It is cheap. |
A.By bus. | B.By bike. | C.On foot. | D.By plane. |
A.They may have a robot. |
B.They may have a doctor. |
C.They may have a teacher. |
D.They may have a special wallet. |