“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 don’t say what they mean, either. For example, when someone asks “Do you agree?”, the other person might be thinking, “No, I disagree, I think you are 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 person who wants to stop gives an excuse: “Someone’s at the door.” “Something is burning on the stove.” The excuses 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 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.

35. If you have different opinions from someone, it is polite to say “_______”.

   A. You’re wrong                        B. I’m not so sure if you are right

   C. Of course, I disagree                  D. No, I don’t agree with you

36. Which of the following is a polite way to finish a talk?

   A. I have no time to talk with you now.     B. I want to stop.

   C. I have to go now.                     D. I don’t want to talk any more.

37. According to the passage, when a person says “Something is burning on the stove”, it

means that _______.

   A. he is giving an excuse                      B. he is hurting someone’s feelings

   C. he is talking to a person at the door          D. he is going to another place

38. One of the rules of the game of language is probably ________.

   A. “Always say what you mean”               B. “Don’t disagree with people”

   C. “Usually say exactly what you are thinking”  D. “Be polite”

Dean Bluey is 14-year-old boy from the USA. He became a hero after he saved(救)the life of a girl in another country.
A 14-year-old boy from the USA was described as a hero yesterday after he saved the life of a woman in another country.
One day，he 1an email to a friend on the Internet.To his surprise, he received a message, saying “Help! Pain! Help!”."The2was from Finland(芬兰)， thousands of kilometers away from America.Later Dean said to a reporter, “I didn't know3I should do. It was really difficult to tell if the message was real.”So Dean did nothing at first.4the message kept coming.Now it was easy to see that someone was in trouble. He 5and found that the sender was a student called Tarja, 6was ill, alone in a university library. What was7, there was no phone around her. Her only way of communicating with the world was by email. Dean telephoned the8immediately. And they realized that the situation was quite serious. They called the police in Finland. Then an ambulance(救护车) rushed to the library9, she was still alive and was sent to the hospital quickly.
“I'm glad she's OK,” Dean said. “It's hard to believe, but 10saved her life.”

1. 1.
   1. A.
      brought
   2. B.
      lent
   3. C.
      sent
   4. D.
      bought
2. 2.
   1. A.
      speech
   2. B.
      message
   3. C.
      music
   4. D.
      telephone
3. 3.
   1. A.
      how
   2. B.
      what
   3. C.
      where
   4. D.
      when
4. 4.
   1. A.
      So
   2. B.
      And
   3. C.
      But
   4. D.
      Or
5. 5.
   1. A.
      replied
   2. B.
      ran
   3. C.
      walked
   4. D.
      played
6. 6.
   1. A.
      He
   2. B.
      She
   3. C.
      It
   4. D.
      I
7. 7.
   1. A.
      worse
   2. B.
      better
   3. C.
      harder
   4. D.
      easier
8. 8.
   1. A.
      teacher
   2. B.
      friend
   3. C.
      doctor
   4. D.
      police
9. 9.
   1. A.
      Badly
   2. B.
      Hardly
   3. C.
      Luckily
   4. D.
      Carefully
10. 10.
    1. A.
       fax
    2. B.
       better
    3. C.
       flight
    4. D.
       e-mail