Asking for information or help is a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?" are similar requests—both are correct English, but the first could sound rude. It's important to use correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough—we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.

In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" this will sound rude. But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?" your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be alright to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with people you know well.

And you would not usually say, "Peter, lend me your pen. " A very direct order like this can sound rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include extra language, such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. " or "I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help.

It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true. However, in order not to offend people, learning about the language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.

1. It's important to know how to_     _in English when we visit a foreign country.

2. When you talk with different people, you need to__       _.

3. Extra words are used to help__      ___.

4.._      _is as important as learning language structure.

5. How do you say " Don't smoke here. " politely? "_         __*

Can you swim? Do you like swimming? Yes? Well, how can you learn to swim? I think the best way is to go into the water and learn. I’m afraid you’ll never learn to swim just by reading books about swimming or looking at others swimming. It’s the same with the English study. We must practice, practice and practice.
Listening and speaking are very important for beginners. The children in English-speaking countries first listen to others. Then they try to imitate and speak. We can listen to English programs on radio. You may just understand a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just be relaxed, try to catch every word. Somebody may be a good listener. But he dare not speak. He’s afraid of making mistakes. You know we sometimes make mistakes when we speak Chinese. Don’t be afraid. We must be brave. If you really want to learn English well, you must try to speak with everyone as long as he knows English. Whether you know him or not is not important, when there’s nobody to talk with, you can talk to yourself in English. It’s interesting and also a good way to practice your spoken English. Remember, the more you speak, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.
Reading and writing are more important for senior school students. First we must choose the books we’re interested in. A lot of reading will improve your language sense. This is the most important.
Keep writing English diaries. We can also write English articles. You may even post them to English magazines. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is the mother of success.
Easier said than done. Well, let’s do more practice from now on. I’m sure you’ll learn English well in this way.
【小题1】You can learn to swim by_______.

What’s language for？Some people seem to think it’s for practicing grammar rules（规则） and learning lists of words --the longer the lists, the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange of ideas and information. It’s meaningless if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can’t speak correctly or fluently(流利地). They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native（本土的） speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Saw once wrote, “Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They’re English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. So Chinese students should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn’t overdo(做过头)it. They should put communication(交际)first.
【小题1】 Language is used to __________ .

Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by "culture"? Recently social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture too.  When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life that a group of people have in common. Culture is the forms of behavior (行为)hat help people to live together. It is also the forms of behavior that make one group of people different from another group.

     Human beings use tools, cooperate with one another, and communicate with language.  But these aspects(方面) of human behavior, or "culture", can also be found in the lives of certain animals, Animals can make tools, for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals.  Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees(黑猩猩) can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. Animals can also share knowledge with each other and use their own language to communicate. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think.

1.According to the article, "culture" means         

          A. the languages we learn            

B. the good habits we' share with each other

          C. the forms of behavior we have in common

2.From the fact that chimpanzees can use and make tools，we know         

          A. animals may have a culture like our own

          B. animals can be as clever as human beings

          C. animals have the ability to help human beings

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

          A. Chimpanzees never help each other.

          B' Animals use their own language to communicate.

          C. People from different places have the same culture.

4.The traditional idea about dividing animals from human beings is that         

          A. human beings can use tools       

B. human beings can depend on each other

          C. human beings have the language to communicate

5.The main idea of the article is that         

        A. the animal culture is different from the human culture

        B. knowledge and communication are no longer signs of only human behavior

        C. the line dividing human culture from animal culture is not as clear as we might think

Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by “culture”? Recently social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture, too. When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life that a group of people have in common. Culture is the forms of behavior (行为) that help people to live together. It is also the forms of behavior that make one group of people different from another group.

Human beings use tools, cooperate(合作) with one another, and communicate with language. But these aspects(方面)of human behavior, or “culture”, can also be found in the lives of certain animals. Animals can make tools , for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals. Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees(黑猩猩) can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think.

1.According to the article, “culture” means_____.

A. the languages we learn

B. the good habits we share with each other

C. the forms of behavior we have in common

2.The traditional idea about dividing animal from human beings is that ______.

A. human beings can use tools

B. Human beings can depend on each other

C. human beings have the language to communicate

3.From the chimpanzees can use and make tools, we know____.

A. animal may have a culture like our own

B. animals can be as clever as human beings

C. animals have the ability to help human beings