It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

    In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

    The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

    “If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.

60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.

   A. clearer            B. quicker                   C. more polite           D.more exciting

61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.

   B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

   C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.

   D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.

62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.

   A. the workers will make more money

   B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise

   C. the spokesman keeps his word

   D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult

63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.

   A. the conditional in communication

B. how to invite a girl in Britain

   C. British people and their life           

D. some language points in daily English

After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail（衰弱） and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed（挤榨的） orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, “Drink your juice.” Such a gesture（表示）, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom “Why doesn’t Dad love me?” Mom frowned（皱眉）, “Who said he doesn’t love you?” “Well, he never tells me,” I complained. He never tells me either,” she said, smiling. “But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That’s how your father tells us he loves us.”

I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap（小片） metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad handfed scrap steel into a device（装置） that chopped （切）it as cleanly as a butcher（屠夫） chops a rack of ribs（肋骨）. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors（剪刀）, with blades（刃） thicker than my father’s body. If he didn’t feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. “Why don’t you hire someone to do that for you?” Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed（搓） his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment（涂剂）. “Why don’t you hire a cook?” Dad asked , giving her one of his rare smiles.

Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, “I love you, Dad.” From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

  A I just couldn’t understand my father      B My father never loved me

  C Silent fatherly love      D My hard-working father

2.The author’s father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because ______.

  A that was the author’s favorite      B he was sure the author would be thirsty

  C the author was always complaining      D that was a gesture of love

3.The author’s father didn’t hire a helper because ______.

  A his job was too dangerous      B his job required high skills

  C he wanted to save money      D he was not good at communicating with others

4.We may infer from the passage that ______.

  A the author’s father lacked a sense of humor

  B the author quite understood his father as time went on

  C the author’s father didn’t love him very much

  D the author’s father was too strict with him

It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?
In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!
The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.
“If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.
60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.
A. clearer        B. quicker             C. more polite        D.more exciting
61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.
B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.
C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.
D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.
62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.
A. the workers will make more money
B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise
C. the spokesman keeps his word
D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult
63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.
A. the conditional in communication
B. how to invite a girl in Britain
C. British people and their life           
D. some language points in daily English

After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail（衰弱） and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed（挤榨的） orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, “Drink your juice.” Such a gesture（表示）, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom “Why doesn’t Dad love me?” Mom frowned（皱眉）, “Who said he doesn’t love you?”“Well, he never tells me,” I complained. He never tells me either,” she said, smiling. “But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That’s how your father tells us he loves us.”
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap（小片） metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad handfed scrap steel into a device（装置） that chopped （切）it as cleanly as a butcher（屠夫） chops a rack of ribs（肋骨）. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors（剪刀）, with blades（刃） thicker than my father’s body. If he didn’t feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. “Why don’t you hire someone to do that for you?” Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed（搓） his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment（涂剂）. “Why don’t you hire a cook?” Dad asked , giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, “I love you, Dad.” From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.
【小题1】What would be the best title for the passage?
A I just couldn’t understand my father      B My father never loved me
C Silent fatherly love      D My hard-working father
【小题2】The author’s father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because ______.
A that was the author’s favorite      B he was sure the author would be thirsty
C the author was always complaining      D that was a gesture of love
【小题3】The author’s father didn’t hire a helper because ______.
A his job was too dangerous      B his job required high skills
C he wanted to save money      D he was not good at communicating with others
【小题4】We may infer from the passage that ______.
A the author’s father lacked a sense of humor
B the author quite understood his father as time went on
C the author’s father didn’t love him very much
D the author’s father was too strict with him

It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

    In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

    The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

    “If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.

60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.

   A. clearer         B. quicker             C. more polite        D.more exciting

61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.

   B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

   C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.

   D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.

62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.

   A. the workers will make more money

   B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise

   C. the spokesman keeps his word

   D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult

63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.

   A. the conditional in communication

B. how to invite a girl in Britain

   C. British people and their life           

D. some language points in daily English