Question

“How are you?” is a nice question. It’s a friendly question that people in the U.S.A use to greet each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual question. 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 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 say “I’ve to go now.” Often, the person 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.

When they are greeting each other, talking about an idea or finishing a talk, people don’t say exactly what they are thinking. They are trying to be nice to each other, and it’s part of the game of language.

1.When a person in America asks “How are you?”, he or she wants to hear “_____”.

A. How are you? B. Hello

C.I don’t know D. Fine

2.When a person disagrees with someone, it is polite to say “_____”

A. I think you are wrong. B. I’m not sure.

C. I agree D.No, I disagree.

3.When a person says “I’ve to go now. Someone is at the door.” he or she may be _____.

A. giving an excuse B. ill

C. hurting someone’s feeling D. asking a question

4.The rule of the game of language is probably _____.

A. “Always say what you mean”

B. “Don’t disagree with others”

C. “Never ask questions ”

D. “Be polite”

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：這篇文章介紹了語言游戲規則是盡量做到有禮貌。能不直接來拒絕對方就不要直接拒絕對方，盡量委婉一些。

1.The person who asks “How are you?” hopes to hear the answer “Fine”, even if the person’s friend isn’t fine.可知問你你好嗎的人希望得到你的回答是好的。故選D。

2.But it isn’t very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say “I’m not sure.”得知直接說不同意是不禮貌的，因此他人可能會說我不確信�？芍�選B。

3.For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person say “I’ve to go now.” Often, the person 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.可知例如，在電話結束時，一個人說，“我現在就要出去。這時就是要給一個借口：“有人在敲門。”“爐子上坐著東西呢�！翱赡苁钦鎸嵉慕杩�，也可能不是。根據這些，故選A。

4.語言游戲規則是盡量做到有禮貌。故選D。

考點：考查社會現象類閱讀