In our daily life, direct questions are usually used to ask for information we do not know. Direct questions are either yes/no questions such as "Are you married?" or information questions such as "Where do you live?".
It's OK to ask your friends or someone you know well direct questions. But they can seem abrupt and impolite at times, especially when you are asking a stranger. For example, if you come up to someone and ask "What time is it?" or "Can you move?", he/she may refuse to help you. It is certainly correct to ask questions in this way, but it's very common to make these kinds of questions more polite by adding "Excuse me" or "Pardon me" to begin your questions. "Excuse me, when does the bus leave?" or "Pardon me, may I sit here?" sounds more polite.
It's also possible to use "can" in more informal (非正式的) situations. In the past, "can" was not used when asking for something, but only to refer to abilities. In the United Kingdom, Cambridge University publishes (出版) English teaching materials with the phrase "Can you lend me" "Can I have", etc. In the United States, this form is still considered to be incorrect, especially for written English, and "May I have" is preferred. Questions with "can" are made more polite by using "could": "Pardon me, could you help me?"
"Would" can also be used to make questions more polite. "Would you let me borrow your pencil?" is also polite.
Another way of making direct questions more polite is to add "please" at the end of the questions. We can say "Could you help me, please?" "Please" should not appear at the beginning of the questions.
Hover Camera
Wang Mengqiu, the inventor of Hover Camera, was born in Hangzhou in 1982. He once studied at Stanford University in the United States. He became famous overnight (一夜成名)because of the invention.
Forget selfie sticks(自拍杆)! Compared with other cameras, Hover Camera has many advantages.
*It can fly and stay in midair, track your face and even follow you to make sure it gets the perfect picture.
*It can be controlled by using a smartphone.
*It records movements with a 13MP camera and takes 4K video.
*It is the best choice for weddings, sports games and holidays.
Mr. Wang also said, "The main design consideration is easy and safe to take for the users. It's .very light and small. It can be folded(折叠) in two, so it can be easily put into a bag. When the power is low, it can land on the ground safely on its own. "
It's reported that the company has raised $ 25 million to produce it. Hover Camera can be bought now. The price is $ 599.
"How are you?" is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other. But "How are you?" is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't have 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 also don't say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks "Do you agree?", the other person might be thinking, "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 so sure. "It's a nicer way to say that you don't agree with someone.
People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says "I have 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 excuse might be real, or it might 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 often don't say exactly that they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's a part of the game of language.
A principal decided to honor the teachers in his school to show his appreciation(感激)for their hard work. He told them how they made a difference in their jobs. Then he gave each of them a blue ribbon(缎带)that read, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.”
One of the teachers wanted to take this idea into her students. One day the teacher noticed that a boy in her class was unhappy. She went to him and asked him the reason. The boy told her that his father had been worrying about the job and often punished him for some little things. Hearing what he said, the teacher decided to give him the ribbon to cheer him up. She said, “Dear boy, what your father has done doesn't mean the lack(缺少)of love for you. He needs your understanding. You've been a kind boy. Here's a ribbon for you. Would you like to take this ribbon and pass it on? Let's keep this ceremony going and find out how it affects people.”
That night the boy sat beside his father and said, “Dad, today my teacher gave me a blue ribbon for being kind and asked me to find somebody else to honor. I'd like to give the ribbon to you. I want to let you know how deeply I admire you and how much you mean to me. I love you!”
根据短文内容判断正、误。
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in most East Asian countries.
It is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. To the Chinese, the festival means family reunion(团圆)and peace.
Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with many traditional and meaningful activities, such as eating dinner with family and admiring the moon.
Chinese people regard the round shape of mooncakes as a symbol of reunion and happiness. Other foods eaten during the festival are harvest foods, such as crabs(蟹), pumpkins(南瓜), and grapes. People enjoy them at their freshest and most nutritious(有营养的)period of time.
Chinese emperors admired the sun and the moon every year to pray for a good harvest.
In Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, celebrations are more than those in China, such as lighting lanterns and dragon dances. In Japan and Vietnam, there are also some new celebrations because Chinese culture has influenced them deeply.
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A. In many other countries，the festival is widely celebrated. B. Mooncakes are a kind of traditional Chinese sweet. C. Mooncakes are people's favorite food. D. People believed admiring the moon and eating at a round table would bring them good luck and happiness. E. And the custom of admiring the moon started in the Shang Dynasty. F. People like getting together to admire the moon. G. The festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. |
I used to live in my own room alone. But one day it all changed when my brother Mike asked to share my 1. At first, my parents said no to him, but at last my mother agreed. I cried a and asked my parents not to do this, 2 it didn't work.
As soon as Mike entered my room, it began to become 3. To my anger, he often left his unwashed clothes and toys everywhere!
One evening, I was doing some 4 on my computer while Mike was listening to music. 5, I left my seat to get some water. A big surprise was waiting for me when I 6. He was using my computer to play games. I had forgotten to save the homework. Sadly, he had closed my program 7 saving it. All I had done had disappeared! I 8 him. He cried a lot as my mother came and beat him. My mother also asked him to leave my room at once.
Then I did my homework 9. At 10:00 p.m., I finished it. When I was going to turn off the 10, I saw the photo of my 11 that he had put on my table. I looked at his lovely face and remembered how 12 he was when my mom beat him. I really felt 13. I went to see what he was doing. I found he was 14 in my parents' bed. I kissed his face. He woke up，got up and said, "I'm sorry. I won't bring you any more trouble."
I was so moved and said, "From now on, my room is not only mine. It is 15!" That very night, Mike and I shared not only the room, but the bed.
Couplets(对联) have been around for about 600 years. They were started in Ming Dynasty. At (首先), people used red paper (代替) of peach wood charms(桃符) to make the Spring Festival couplets. After Qing Dynasty，the couplets were once (广泛地) popular. Lots of famous couplets appeared. With the (发展) of the international cultural exchange, the couplets were also (介绍) to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Singapore and other (国家). The customs of sticking these couplets still remain now.
Couplets are usually in different (形状) and colors. Nice words and (句子) are written on the couplets. Different couplets are put on doors, walls or windows as (象征) of wishes for good (运气) and a happy new year.
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Festival |
Time |
Food |
Activities |
Meanings |
|
|
1 |
the Lantern or March |
in February |
yuanxiao |
watch lantern shows and dragon for the whole dances |
pray for health and happiness |
|
2 |
the Mid-Autumn Festival |
in the middle of autumn |
mooncakes |
watch the moon; tell the story of Chang'e |
celebrate harvest get together with the family |
|
3 |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
参考词汇: pray for祈求; harvest丰收
要求:
1）描述节日1和节日2，并自主选择节日3进行介绍，包括节日名称、时间、美食、活动方式及意义等；
2）语言通顺，要点齐全，意思连贯，条理清楚，书写规范；
3）文章开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear John,
Glad to receive your email. You asked me about festivals in China. Let me introduce some important ones to you.
First of all, I want to introduce the Lantern Festival. It comes in February or March.
