Pub Etiquette in Britain

英国的酒吧礼仪

在公共场所，英国人讲究先来后到，但在生意兴隆的酒吧里看不到排队的现象，整个酒吧井然有序。如果有一天你到英国酒吧消遣，你应该注意些什么呢？

Amazingly for British, who love queues, there is no formal line-up－the bar staff are skilled at knowing whose turn it is. You are permitted to try to attention, but there are rules about how to do this. Do not call out, tap coins on the counter, snap your finger or wave like a drowning swimmer. Do not scowl or sign or roll your eyes. And whatever you do, do not ring the bell hanging behind the counter－this is used by the landlord to signal closing time. The key thing is to catch the bar worker’s eyes. You could also hold an empty glass or some money, but do not wave them about. Do adopt an expectant, hopeful, even slightly anxious facial expression. If you look too contented and complacent, the bar staff may assume you are already being served.

Always say“please”and try to remember some of the British bar staffs hates. They do not like people to keep others waiting while they make up their minds. They don’t like people standing idly against the bar when there are a lot of customers waiting for service. And they do not like people who wait until the end of the order before asking for such drinks as Guinness stout which take considerably longer to pour than other drinks. If you follow these tips you should be able to buy yourself a drink. Speaking of tips, you should never offer the bar staff a cash gratuity. The correct behavior is to offer them a drink. Pubs pride themselves on their egalitarian. A tip in cash would be a reminder of their service role, whereas the offer of a drink is a friendly gesture.

Notes

scowl v.　怒容；皱眉　　　　　　　　　expectant  adj.  期待的

complacent  adj. 自满的　　　　　　　 idly  adv. 无效地；懒洋洋地

stout  n. 烈性黑啤酒　　　　　　　　  gratuity  n.　小费

egalitarian   n.　＆ adj. 平等；平均主义（的）

Which statement is true?

A. The British bar staffs dislike people who make up their minds immediately.

B. They like people who can wait in line.

C. They hope people who want to have another drink ring the bell hanging behind the counter.

D. If you offer them a drink to express your tips, they will feel happy.

The Pentagon

五角大楼

    美国号称世界头号军事大国，其武力干涉几乎渗透到全球，有人开玩笑说：“只要五角大楼打个喷嚏，整个地球都会震动。”五角大楼是什么? 让我们揭开它神秘的面纱，好好地认识一下这座建筑的运作职能吧。

    The Pentagon，or the headquarters of the US Department of Defense，is one of the largest office buildings in the world，taking up a total land of 583 acres．The five-sided structure itself occupies an area of 29 acres．Each of its five outside wails is 921 feet long．It has three times the floor space as the Empire State Building or half again as much space as either of the New York's World Trade Center towers．

    Working inside this huge building are over 25 000 employees，one half of them being civilians and the other half members of the U．S． armed forces．During the last year of the Second World War there were 37 000 people，both military and civilian，working inside the Pentagon．In the Korean and Vietnam War periods，31 000．The employees are scattered among hundreds of offices that occupy a floor space of 3705793 square feet．

While inside the building they tell time by 4 200 clocks，drink from 685 water fountains，utilize 280 rest rooms，consume 30 000 cups of coffee，6 000 tins of milk and 5 000 bottles of soft drinks of various kinds every day，with a total staff of 600 persons preparing and serving food and drinks to the Pentagon employees，daily．

    Notes

    Pentagon n．五边形；五角大楼　　  civilian n．平民

    military n．军人　　　　　　　　  scatter v．分散

    utilize v．利用；应用　　　　　　 consume v期待的

complacent  adj. 自满的　　　　　　　 idly  adv. 无效地；懒洋洋地

stout  n. 烈性黑啤酒　　　　　　　　  gratuity  n.　小费

egalitarian   n.　＆ adj. 平等；平均主义（的）

Which statement is true?

A. The British bar staffs dislike people who make up their minds immediately.

B. They like people who can wait in line.

C. They hope people who want to have another drink ring the bell hanging behind the counter.

D. If you offer them a drink to express your tips, they will feel happy.

    Comprehension question

The building is called “the Pentagon ”because________．

A．it is the largest building in the world

B．it lies in the U．S．A．

C．it has five sides

  D．it is a secret place