Millions of British people have ditched the traditional ‘thank you’ and replaced it with the less formal ‘cheers’, according to a survey.

Although the average person will say ‘thank you’ nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to throw in a ‘cheers’ or ‘ta’ where it’s needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.

One in 20 now say ‘nice one’ instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a ‘cool’ than a ‘thank you’.‘Merci’, ‘fab’ and even ‘gracias’ were also listed as common phrases to use, as was ‘much appreciated’.

One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal ‘thank you’ was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people declared that saying thank you was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should — on at least two occasions every day.

It seems our friends and family get the brunt (压力) of our bad manners with half admitting they’re not good at thanking those closest to them — many justifying (为…辩解) the lack of thanks because their family ‘already know I’m grateful’.

When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people. A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note — but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they bothered to send one.

A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake.

It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude (感激) they feel they should receive.

1.Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _____.

A．when they are in good mood

B．completely out of habit

C．when they feel truly grateful

D．purely out of politeness

2.The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.

A．given up          B．used             C．shared            D．grasped

3.It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable

B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays

C．a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people

D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you”

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.

B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should.

C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude.

D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.

 

Speed up or slow down? That was the question Wang Xueliang thought about as he approached the traffic lights. The 45-year-old driver hesitated for a few seconds before stepping on the brakes and stopping his car at a crossing on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue, even though the traffic light was still green. The light turned yellow a second later. For many drivers, passing through traffic crossings has become a guessing game since New Year's Day.

From Jan 1, new traffic laws mean all drivers in China that run a yellow light will have six points deducted (扣除) from the 12 given to their license. Drivers who run yellow lights will receive the same six-point punishment as those who run red lights. Those who forfeit 12 points over a calendar year will have to attend training courses and take exams organized by the local traffic management bureau. The rule was named "China's harshest traffic rule" by many online observers. The new rule also gives strict punishments for speeding, covering up the license plate, making phone calls while driving, and drunken driving. The punishment for covering up a license plate is 12 points.

"On the day the new rules came into force, drivers followed the rules and commonly seen violations, such as ignoring traffic lights , were seen less frequently," according to a report by Xinhua News Agency. The report said the number of accidents decreased sharply on Tuesday in five major cities — Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Jinan — from the previous day. Moreover, no severe accidents were reported.

Although the ministry said on Wednesday that some major cities reported a sharp decrease in urban traffic violations, the new law remains controversial ( 引起争议的)because drivers find it difficult to predict yellow lights and stop their cars in good time.

64. What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A. Drivers find it hard to decide whether to speed up or slow down while driving.

B. Drivers find it hard to predict when the light turns yellow.

C. Drivers should stop their cars before the light turns red.

D. Drivers should make a guess about the light when passing through a crossing.

65. The underlined word “forfeit” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_________.

A. increase　　 B. decline　　　 C. lose　　　 D. multiply

66. The following statements are false EXCEPT　　　 ．

A. You will be given a warning if you run yellow lights.

B. You will lose six points if you cover up the license plate.

C.A driver making phone calls while driving will have to attend training courses.

D. Since the new rules were carried out, the number of accidents has greatly decreased.

67. What do you think will be talked about after the last paragraph?

A. The effects of the new traffic rules.

B. Different people’s opinions of the new traffic rules.

C. The benefits of the new traffic rules.

D. The disadvantages of the new traffic rules.