Saying "thank you" is probably the first thing most of us learn to do in a foreign language. After all,
we're brought up to be polite, and it is important to make a good impression upon other people-especially across national divides.
So, what exactly are you supposed to say when "thank you" is only the 20th most popular way to
express gratitude? According to a recent survey, 19 other ways of expressing appreciation finished ahead of "thank you" in a poll of 3,000 people.
Pollsters(民測調查員) found almost half of those asked preferred the more informal "cheers", while
others liked to use such expressions as "ta", "great" and "nice one".
So, just what is the appropriate form of words to express your thanks?
Fortunately, the clue is in the language itself. "Cheers", despite its popularity, is considered an
informal way to say thank you - and this is a definite clue as to when you can best use it.
For instance, when going for a drink with friends, a smile and a "cheers" by way of thanks is not only
appropriate to the situation, it is also culturally accurate.
"Ta", originated from the Danish word "tak", was the second-most popular expression of thanks, and
is also commonly used in informal situations, along with phrases such as "nice one", and "brilliant".
Interestingly, one word that didn't make it into the top 20 was "thanks", Thank you is shorter, more
informal cousin.
"Thanks" can be useful, as it is able to bridge the divide between the formality of "thank you" and the
downright relaxed "cheers".
Certain words can double as an expression of thanks as well as delight. Again, the words themselves
offer the clue as to when best to use them.
For example, words like "awesome", "brilliant" and "you star" featured highly in the new poll and they
can hint at both your pleasure at someone's action, as well as serving to express your thanks. If you are
on the receiving end of a "new" thank you, you can respond with a simple "no problem", or "sure".
Of course, in certain circumstances, a simple wave, nod or smile may be appropriate. For instance, if
a car driver slows down to let you cross the road, simply raising your hand in acknowledgement is enough to show that you appreciate the driver's consideration.
Sometimes, formality is necessary, and "thank you" is still the best choice in such situations. But students should not worry about when exactly to use certain expressions.
Many people in Western countries are worried that good manners are in decline. People are tired of
seeing their acts of kindness and service pass without comment. So don't think your "thank you" is clumsy or awkwardly formal. The chances are, if you said "thank you", you made someone's day. You star.
科目：高中英語 來源：英語教研室 題型：050
It's official: Text messages mania (狂熱) has hit China. Mobile phones are becoming increasingly popular, and so sending text messages is fast becoming the hot new craze among teenagers.
Twelve Kitties greeted Liu Jiao and wished her a happy new year on the eve of the Chinese lunar calendar's Year of the Horse, making her very excited. According to Xinhua, about 100 million text and picture messages were sent and received by Beijing mobile phone owners during the Spring Festival.
Liu Jiao is a student at the High School Affiliated to Beijing University of Chemical Technology. A third of the students in her class own mobile phones. She received more than 20 text messages from her friends during the holidays. Most of these messages were general greetings like “Happy New Year”, or humorous sentences, like “Love you as mice love rice”. One of the good wishes she received was made up of the brand names for eight soft drinks, including Coca-Cola and Wahaha. These brand names, when translated into Chinese, are themselves good wishes for happiness or success.
Besides the convenience of sending text messages, the relatively low cost attracts many teenagers. A common message usually costs only 0.1 to 0. 2 yuan.
Tan Yingqing, a Senior Two student, said it would have cost her too much to call all of her friends in Beijing because she spent the Spring Festival in her hometown, Shanghai. So she sent mobile phone text messages to them instead.
According to China Mobile, there has been a lot of promotion (宣傳，推廣) for messaging through phones since 1997. And the rise in popularity shows that it has worked.
As the new term starts, Liu turns off her mobile phone. It is not allowed in class because mobile phones could disturb other students. Also, she would rather not be influenced by calls or messages during breaks. However, she often rushes to check her messages as soon as the school day finishes.
1．Many teenagers are attracted to send text messages because ________.
a. it is cool today
b. mobile phones are popular
c. it is very convenient
d. the cost is relatively low
A. ab
B. ac
C. bd
D. cd
2．When Liu Jiao received the text message sent by twelve Kitties on the eve of the Spring Festival, she felt ________.
A. surprised
B. bored
C. excited
D. unbelievable
3．Tan Yingqing sent mobile phone text messages to her friends living in Beijing during the Spring Festival, because ________.
A. she was staying in Shanghai at that time
B. she thought it would cost her too much to call them all
C. she was shy when speaking on the fashion
D. she wanted to follow the fashion
4．The promotion for messages through mobile phones since 1997 in China is ________.
A. effective
B. worthless
C. limited
D. disappointing
5．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Text message mania has hit China.
B. Mobile phone users are fond of developing the function (功能) of mobile phones.
C. Teenagers like sending text messages in their spare time.
D. Teenagers at school shouldn't use mobile phones, especially text messages.
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科目：高中英語 來源：江西省興國縣平川中學2009-2010學年度高二下學期第三次月考英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
四、閱讀理解
There’s a box of chocolates in the fridge. It’s been there for more than a week since I was given it as a present. I do love chocolates, but they make me fat if I eat too many! Can I control myself? If I eat one, will I have to eat all of them?
My son Harry is obsessed with playing Wii(/wi:/, 任天堂的一款游戲機) games. Sometimes, it’s difficult to get him to concentrate on his homework because he wants to play some more.
Last week I had to wake up a student in my class. I asked him why he was so tried and he said he had stayed up late to play his favourite Internet game, Farmville. He said he just couldn’t stop playing it! Now his academic work is suffering because he can’t control his urge to play games.
What my son, my student, and I myself need is simply self-control.
In the late 1960’s, American psychologist Walter Mischel launched an experiment about self-control. He left a group of four-year-olds in a room and told them that if they could wait 20 minutes, they could have two marshmallows, a kind of sweet. If they couldn’t wait, he would only give them one.
In videos of the experiment, you can see children squirming, kicking, hiding their eyes—desperately trying to control themselves. Some did wait patiently, while others couldn’t wait a single minute.
Years later, the self-controlled children turned out to get higher SAT scores and got into better colleges. The children who couldn’t wait were more likely to become bullies.
So, the chocolates are still in the fridge. My son Harry is doing his homework with a promise that he can play on the Wii later, and my student says he will try harder to control himself. We all have our own temptations. But if we can control them, we will achieve more.
56. Which of the following is different from the other three?
A. The writer. B. Harry.
C. The writer’s student. D. Walter Mischel.
57. We can know from paragraph 5 to paragraph 7 that____________.
A. all the children got two marshmallows
B. all the children waited patiently
C. self-control can help children succeed later
D. the children who lack self-control get higher SAT scores
58. Which of the following statement is true?
A. The writer is addicted to Wii.
B. The writer’s son is addicted to Farmville.
C. The writer’s student is addicted to chocolates.
D. The writer’s student is addicted to Farmville.
59. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 5?
A. Something we can eat. B. A kind of toy.
C. A kind of mushroom. D. A kind of prize.
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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
四、閱讀理解
There’s a box of chocolates in the fridge. It’s been there for more than a week since I was given it as a present. I do love chocolates, but they make me fat if I eat too many! Can I control myself? If I eat one, will I have to eat all of them?
My son Harry is obsessed with playing Wii(/wi:/, 任天堂的一款游戲機) games. Sometimes, it’s difficult to get him to concentrate on his homework because he wants to play some more.
Last week I had to wake up a student in my class. I asked him why he was so tried and he said he had stayed up late to play his favourite Internet game, Farmville. He said he just couldn’t stop playing it! Now his academic work is suffering because he can’t control his urge to play games.
What my son, my student, and I myself need is simply self-control.
In the late 1960’s, American psychologist Walter Mischel launched an experiment about self-control. He left a group of four-year-olds in a room and told them that if they could wait 20 minutes, they could have two marshmallows, a kind of sweet. If they couldn’t wait, he would only give them one.
In videos of the experiment, you can see children squirming, kicking, hiding their eyes—desperately trying to control themselves. Some did wait patiently, while others couldn’t wait a single minute.
Years later, the self-controlled children turned out to get higher SAT scores and got into better colleges. The children who couldn’t wait were more likely to become bullies.
So, the chocolates are still in the fridge. My son Harry is doing his homework with a promise that he can play on the Wii later, and my student says he will try harder to control himself. We all have our own temptations. But if we can control them, we will achieve more.
1. Which of the following is different from the other three?
A. The writer. B. Harry. C. The writer’s student. D. Walter Mischel.
2. We can know from paragraph 5 to paragraph 7 that _________
A. all the children got two marshmallows
B. all the children waited patiently
C. self-control can help children succeed later
D. the children who lack self-control get higher SAT scores
3. Which of the following statement is true?
A. The writer is addicted to Wii.
B. The writer’s son is addicted to Farmville.
C. The writer’s student is addicted to chocolates.
D. The writer’s student is addicted to Farmville.
4. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 5?
A. Something we can eat. B. A kind of toy.
C. A kind of mushroom. D. A kind of prize.
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科目：高中英語 來源：湖北省同步題 題型：閱讀理解
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