阅读理解

　　“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 need an answer．The person who asks“How are you?”hopes to hear the answer“Fine”, even if the per-son'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 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 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've to go now．”Often, the per-son 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．

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阅读理解

　　‘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．

　　When a person meet a friend on the street and asks‘How are you?’, the person doesn't really expects to hear an answer such as‘I really don't know what's wrong with me．’The person who asks‘How are you?’expects to hear the answer‘Fine’even if the other person isn't! The reason is that‘How are you?’isn't really a question, and‘Fine．’isn't really an answer．They are simply ways of greeting people and saying‘Hello．’

　　Sometimes, people also don't say exactly what they mean．For example, when someone asks‘Do you agree?’, the other 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 nice way to say that you don't agree with someone．

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

　　Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an opinion, or ending a conversation people often 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 all part of the game of language!

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阅读理解

　　Here's an interview to a pilot about his life．

　　(R＝Reporter; P＝ Pilot)

　　R：How much time do pilots actually spend flying a plane?

　　P：It varies(WES'J)from about 20 minutes on some domestic(区别)flights to as much as 18 hours on international flights．It all depends on if the flight is a short- or long-haul flight．

　　R：Do pilots take breaks during flights or do they fly the whole time?

　　P：Yes, we take breaks during long-haul flights．Airlines assign(指派)three or four pilots to long flights．We take turns flying the plane．

　　R：If pilots are traveling all the time, how do they deal with jet lag(时差)?

　　P：Jet lag is annoying for almost all pilots．I try to go to sleep as I would at home．

　　R：How important is it to know the weight and size of the plane you are flying?

　　P：It is very important．We weigh almost everything put into the airplane and make estimates(估计)according to the number of people on each flight．

　　R：Do pilots eat the airplane food?

　　P：Yes, we eat business class food! Airplane food changes every season and is very delicious if you don't hate eating lobster(龙虾)every day! The pilots on the same plane are supposed to make different meal choices so that if one of the dishes causes food poisoning, only one of them will be sick．That way, at least one pilot will always be well enough to fly the plane!

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