【推荐1】Millions of British people have given up the traditional “thank you” and took the place of it with the less formal(正式的) “cheers”, according to a survey.

   Although the common person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to add a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed to show they are fashionable.

     One in twenty now say “nice one” instead, while the younger are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”.

       “Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common expressions to use, as “much appreciated(感激)”.

     One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly(有规律地) won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people stated(陈述) that saying thank you was something that their parents trained them. A huge 70 percent of those who are questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while one fifth avoid(避免)saying it when they know they should.

It seems our friends and family get the stress of our bad manners. Half of them admit (承认) they’re not good at thanking those closest to them. Many of them explain that they don’t say “thank you” because their family “already know I’m thankful”.

When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people.

        One third will still send a handwritten thank-you note---but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they tried to send one.
        A quarter of British people say “thank you” with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent make a cake.
        It follows that 85 percent of people will be angry because of not getting the gratitude (感激)they feel they should receive.
1. Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _______.

A．when they are in good mood	B．completely out of habit
C．when they feel truly grateful	D．purely out of politeness

2. It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable

B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays

C．a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people

D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you”

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.

B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should.

C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude.

D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.

【推荐2】Every English learner needs to know how to ask for something in English. There are a number of ways to do this. If you know someone has something, you can ask for it with a polite question. If you don’t know, it’s possible to ask for something with a yes or no question. Be careful not to use the direct expressions. In other words, don’t say “Give me that”, but ask kindly as the following examples, “Do you have a pen I could borrow?” “Is there any wine?” “Did you buy any bread?”

If you know or see someone has something, ask a polite question with “could”, “may” or “might”. It’s also possible to use “can” in some special situations. In the past, “can” was not used when people asked for something, but meant ability. In the UK, people mainly use “Can you lend me…?” or “Can I have…?” In the US, this is still considered to be wrong and “May I have…?” is preferred.

It’s common to use “Could you lend/hand/give…?” You can also use: “May/Can I borrow…?” “Could/Can you lend me…?” “May I have…?” “Could you hand/give me…?” Do not begin a sentence with “please”, but you can add “please” at the end of the sentence to be polite.

1. What can we ask if we know someone has something?

A．A direct question.	B．A no question.
C．A yes question.	D．A polite question.

2. What can Lucy say politely if she wants some coffee?

A．Pass me some coffee.

B．Is there any coffee?

C．Give me some coffee.

D．Take some coffee to me.

3. What didn’t people say when they wanted something politely in the past?

A．Can I use your dictionary?

B．Could you lend me your bike?

C．May I try your computer now?

D．Might I take your car today?

4. Which of the following is a correct polite expression according to the passage?

A．Do you give me any milk, please?

B．Please could you lend me your ruler?

C．May I have some tea, please?

D．Please could you hand me a knife?

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．How to express or ask politely.

B．What to do when we are polite.

C．How to describe our ideas.

D．What to do with our language problems.

【推荐3】Can you understand the following words?

"Good good study, day day up."

"I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face."

Yes, we call these examples Chinglish, like "people mountain, people sea."

Chinglish usually means English vocabulary with Chinese grammar on street sings or products. However, many English speaking tourists love them.

Tom has been living in Beijing for years. "I think many Chinese people dislike Chinglish. But I love it. It's quite interesting. I think if the translations of English in China are all perfect, something will be lost from Chinese culture."

However, Chinglish will probably become a part of history in future. Beijing has made a plan: to correct Chinglish within five years.

"It is so funny to see Chinglish on the signs. And they are a kind of trouble for communication between the Chinese and foreigners," a Beijinger said. However, some people in China like Chinglish. They think that English has "borrowed" a lot from other languages such as German, French and Spanish in the past, and now it is Chinese's turn.

1. What is Chinglish according to the passage?

A．The English words easy to pronounce.

B．The Chinese words difficult to translate.

C．The English words with Chinese grammar.

D．The Chinese words that foreigners love.

2. What does "people mountain, people sea" mean most probably?

A．Humans respect nature.	B．All people are running.
C．Humans are powerful.	D．There are many people.

3. What does Tom think about Chinglish?

A．It shows Chinese is popular.	B．It is also a part of Chinese culture.
C．It helps him to learn English well.	D．It is hated by all foreign tourists.

4. Paragraph 7 tells us that Beijing will ________.

A．put English words into Chinese	B．correct Chinglish in future
C．help foreigners to learn Chinglish	D．change English and Chinese

【推荐1】配对阅读 左栏是五个人不良生活习惯的介绍，右栏是七条建议，请为左栏各位选出合适的一条建议，并将答案的字母编号写在题号前的括号内。

1    My sister likes candies very much, but she never brushes her teeth after eating them.     2    I have asked my uncle to stop smoking many times, but it did not work.     3    Tony always goes to sleep after meals.     4    Most children like to eat at KFC or McDonald’s.     5    Nowadays, many students like watching TV at home on weekends for a long time.

A. I think it’s a bad habit. Going for a walk after meals is good for us to keep fit and healthy. B. Water is a very important thing that we need. Scientists say we should drink at least 2.5 liters of water a day. C It’s very important to protect our teeth. Eating too many candies is not only bad for our teeth but also bad for our health. D. We can see the colorful world by watching TV with our eyes. But we should protect our eyes carefully. We should let them have a rest after watching for one hour. E. Many people died from smoking. Smoking brings us serious harm, and we should get away from it. F. The food there tastes good, but I think it’s junk food. We should take care of our eating habits and eat more food with high vitamins and eat less meat. G. In summer, swimming is very good. But you should pay attention to that you shouldn’t go swimming after drinking or when you are very hot.