Question

"How are you?" is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the USA greet each other. But "How are you?" is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't need an answer. The person who asks "How are you?" hopes to hear the answer "Fine", even if the person's friend isn't fine. The reason is that "How are you?" isn't really a question and "Fine" isn't really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying "Hello" or "Hi".

Sometimes, people don't say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks "Do you agree?", the other person might think, "No, I disagree. I think you're wrong..."But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say "I'm not sure." It's a nicer way to say that you don't agree with someone.

People don't say exactly what they are thinking when they want to finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says "I've to go now." Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse: "Someone's at the door." "Something is burning on the stove. "The excuses might be real, or not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn't want to talk any more, but it isn't polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person.

Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don't say exactly what they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the game of language.

1.When a person in America asks "How are you?", he or she wants to hear" ________ "

A．How are you?                       B．Hello.

C．I don't know.                     D．Fine.

2.When a person disagrees with someone, it is polite to say"_________ "

A．You are wrong. I disagree.             B．I'm not sure.

C．I'm sure I disagree.                   D．I don’t agree with you.

3.A polite way to finish a talk is to say"__________"

A．You have to go now.

B．I want to hang up.

C．I have to go now.

D．I don't want to talk any more.

4. When a person says "I've got to go now. Someone's at the door.", the person may be_______.

A．giving an excuse

B．hurting someone's feelings

C．talking to a person at the door

D．going to another place

5.The rule of the game of language is probably____________ .

A．"Always say what you mean"

B．"Don't disagree with people."

C．"Never say exactly what you're thinking."

D．"Be polite."

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.A

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章主要讲述了日常生活中人们在沟通时要有礼貌，例如朋友见面时的“你好吗？”是一种礼貌的问候；在不同意别人的观点时要尽量委婉；在想挂电话时通常会找一个理由，而不是直接表达出自己的想法。

1.D 细节理解题。根据文章描述The person who asks "How are you?" hopes to hear the answer "Fine", even if the person's friend isn't fine.当一个人问“你好吗？”，他希望听到的答案是“很好”，甚至可能他的朋友并不怎么好。故此题选D。

2.B 细节理解题。根据文章描述But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say "I'm not sure."但是坚决地不同意别人是不礼貌的，所以另外一个人可能会说“我不确定”。故此题选B。

3.C细节理解题。根据文章描述 People don't say exactly what they are thinking when they want to finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says "I've to go now."当人们想结束一段对话时通常不直接表达出他们的想法。例如，很多人在结束电话时通常会说“我必须得走了。从而得知这种表达方式是礼貌的，故选C。

4.A细节理解题。根据文章描述 Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse: "Someone's at the door."通常来说，如果一个人想挂电话了通常会给出一个借口，例如“有人在敲门“，故此题选A。

5.D判断推理题。根据文章描述 It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the game of language.对别人友善是一个重要的方式，而且这也是语言策略的一部分。从而可判断语言的一条规则是对别人友善，故此题选D。

考点： 日常生活类短文阅读。