In the early days of the American West, life was difficult. People lived on farms away from other families.     1     They went to town once a week or once a month. Then they saw their friends and neighbors.     2     每个人都有很多工作做。 And there was a big problem. One family couldn’t build a house alone.

Then, what did families do to build houses?     3     They asked their friends and neighbors for help. They invited them to work in a group for a few days. The women cooked together. The men worked on the buildings.     4     For the children, it was like a holiday. There were many other children to play with. Together these people built a house.    5     他们喜欢一起工作。 At another time the family with the new house would help their neighbors.

Why don’t we work with others? It can be fun and life can become easier, too.

“Thank you” is widely used in modern society. It is a very good manner     1     你应该说“谢谢” whenever others help you or say something kind to you. For example, when someone opens the door for you, you should say so. Also, it is polite to say “Thank you” when someone praises you.

“Excuse me” is another polite expression.     2     We use it the same as “Thank you”. When you hear someone say so behind you, it means that somebody wants to walk past you without touching you. It is not polite to interrupt (打断) others while they are talking.     3     If you want to have a word with one of them, please say “Excuse me” first. You should also do so when you want to cough or make any unpleasant noise before others.

In fact,     4     我们经常使用这两种礼貌表达 not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.     5     Let's learn to say “Thank you” and “Excuse me” in our daily life.