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Unit 2
Manners
In-Class Reading
No One Stops to Say "Thank You" Anymore
1 I am sitting in a local restaurant offering takeout homestyle meals, surrounded by exhausted but happy shoppers, families out for Friday night dinner, and students taking a break from college exams. The warm room buzzes with conversation. A well-known local homeless man-very untidy but clean-comes in, places an order, pays for it, then sits quietly waiting for his dinner. All talk stops. No one looks at him and several diners leave. He is aware of the general discomfort his presence has caused. When his takeout is ready, he gathers up his numerous bags and his dinner and, laden down, advances to the door to go back to the streets. Just as he reaches the door and begins to shift bundles to free a hand, a well-dressed man coming to the restaurant steps aside and holds the door for him. The homeless man stops and says, "Thank you very much."
2 What struck me about this encounter was not the wealthier man helping out the less fortunate one. It was the homeless man stopping to thank him despite being desperate to escape a room full of disapproving people. No doubt he also thanked whoever had given him the money to buy dinner. In line buying my own meal, no one had thanked the young people behind the counter who dished up mashed potatoes for them. Had I taken a poll of the room, though, I bet everyone there would have considered themselves as having more manners than a person who lives on the streets.
3 But how many of us are truly well-mannered? Some observations have been surprising.
4 When I let someone into my lane of traffic, men almost always acknowledge this courtesy with a wave of the hand; women (the "polite" sex) hardly ever do. More women than men (the "chivalrous" sex) hold open doors for those behind them; teenage boys commit this nicety the least. And I no longer see mothers instructing a child, boy or girl, to hold open a door when several people are approaching-something expected of all boys when I was growing up.
5 Manners are a tool to remind us of others around us. Our actions affect each other; there is always give and take. However, if youth today are any indication, we are truly destined to become a society of people who think only of themselves. Maybe it sounds cliché, but my parents would have killed me had I done some of the things I endure from today's youth.
6 I never ran in public, much less between and around the legs of people in stores. One scream and I would have been taken to the car and lectured on my behavior. Whenever I was rude in public, I was made to apologize; my parents didn't do it for me. These embarrassing moments didn't harm me; rather, they caused me to become aware that there were others inhabiting this world besides myself and my actions affected them.
7 I have yet to receive an apology from a child who just ran over my foot while chasing a sibling, and only half the time have the parents apologized. Often they simply gather up the children, making no eye contact, and take them to another part of the store to run around. If a child isn't made to deal with a minor situation, how will one ever handle a major faux pas (which we all inevitably commit at some point)?
8 I have noticed that children are not even being schooled in social graces. At a Sunday brunch, a clown was making balloon animals for the children. My friend's daughter, Sarah, stood by me waiting her turn. One by one the children grabbed their balloons and-yes-ran. I was the only adult present who prompted "What do you say?" when the clown handed Sarah her balloon. The clown beamed at us, grateful he had actually been acknowledged.
9 I don't blame the children, however. They emulate what they see. And what they are seeing is a society focused solely on acquisition-be it the dream house or another drink in a restaurant or a space on a crowded freeway-without ever stopping to thank the source.
10 Rude language is now so commonplace that it is accepted behavior. And I'm not talking about the obviously blue vocabulary in books and movies, or that damn is considered harmless compared to what else has become acceptable. I'm referring to inconsiderate word choice. For example, while discussing a story idea with an editor, a very young staff member asked if I was the "chick" who had called for information. I said nothing, knowing that a show of displeasure would have labeled me oversensitive rather than him rude.
11 Most people today feel proud to have built a society that treats the races, sexes, and economic classes more equally than ever before. And, yes, we have made real strides in these areas. But isn't it ironic that these same people don't find it necessary to say "Excuse me" to an older couple walking very slowly in front of them, before zooming around the couple?
12 It's not necessary to provide yet another analysis of the disintegration of the family or the breakdown of the social fabric or the price of democracy to explain what has happened to our society. The matter at hand is simply to thank the next person who provides a helping hand when needed.
13 In a crowded world, manners are of vital importance. Small, friendly human interactions help ease the everyday stress of having to hurry, trying to squeeze onto a crowded thoroughfare, standing in one more line to deal with a clerk of some kind, or calling a customer service representative for the third time about a mistake on a bill. Manners make us aware that everything we have derives from a source. Are we really so pressured that we cannot stop to observe simple courtesy? (991 words)
Time taken: ______ minutes
Proper Name
Sarah
(女子名)萨拉
New Words
acknowledge
v. show thanks for 就……表示谢意，致谢
e.g. He acknowledged the applause with a small bow.
acquisition
n. the act of getting land, power, money, etc. 获取
e.g. The acquisition of the property took months.
anymore
adv. any longer (一般只用于表示否定意义的上下文中）而今再也
e.g. I don't like being called Theresa anymore. It's old-fashioned.
brunch
n. a meal that serves as both breakfast and lunch 早午餐
bundle
n. a group of things such as papers, clothes, or sticks that are fastened or tied together 捆，束，包
e.g. He gathered the bundles of clothing into his arms.
buzz
v.
1) be filled with a lot of excitement or activity 充满了激动或活动的声音
e.g. The narrow streets in the area buzzed with stories of the killers.
2) talk quietly at the same time 发出低沉、嘈杂的声音
e.g. The audience buzzed throughout the performance.
chase
v. quickly follow someone or something trying to catch them 追逐，追赶
e.g. Outside in the yard, kids were yelling and chasing each other.
chick
n. American slang for a young woman (偶)少女，少妇
chivalrous
adj. (esp. of men) marked by bravery, honor, generosity, and good manners (esp. toward women) (男人) 有骑士风度的
cliché
n. an expression that is used too often and has lost most of its meaning陈词滥调
clown
n. a performer, especially in the circus, who dresses strangely and tries to make people laugh by his jokes, tricks or actions 小丑
commonplace
adj. ordinary; not regarded as special or unusual 普通的，不足为奇的
e.g. A few years ago it was quite rare to see women unaccompanied by men in a pub, now it's commonplace.
courtesy
n. polite behavior; a polite or kind action or expression 有礼的举止或言辞
e.g. The student replied with promptness and courtesy.
democracy
n. social equality and the right to take part in decision-making 民主
e.g. Democracy is spreading around the world in various forms.
destined
adj. certain to happen at some time in the future 命中注定的
e.g. He feels that he was destined to become a musician.
disintegration*
n. the state of becoming weaker or less united and being gradually destroyed 解体，瓦解
emulate
v. try to be like someone else, because you admire them 仿效
e.g. People often try to emulate their favorite pop singers or movie stars.
fabric
n.
1) a framework or structure 组构，组织
e.g. He said the fabric of society was threatened by groups of criminals involved with drugs, violence and robbery.
2) material or cloth made by weaving threads together 织物,（纺）织品
e.g. My shirt is made of cotton fabric.
freeway
n. (AmE) a very wide road built for fast long-distance travel 高速公路，高速干道
indication
n. a sign of something; something that is suggested 象征，迹象
e. g. This was a clear indication that they were in financial difficulty.
inevitably*
adv. unavoidably 不可避免地
e.g. An organization of this size inevitably has problems.
ironic*
adj. full of irony 讽刺的，有讽刺意味的
e.g. How ironic that he should have been invited to play for the English team on the very day that he broke his leg.
laden
adj. heavily loaded with something 装满的，充满的
e.g. She arrived back home laden with shopping bags.
oversensitive*
adj. too easily influenced or offended 过分敏感的，神经过敏的
sibling
n. a brother or sister 兄弟（或姐妹）, 同胞
squeeze
v.
1) fit by forcing, pressing or crowding挤人，挤过，塞
e.g. Anne squeezed herself into the crowded elevator.
2) press firmly together, especially from opposite sides 压，挤，榨
e.g. She squeezed the tube hard and the last of the tooth paste came out.
stride
n.
1) an improvement in a situation or in the development of something 进展，进步
e.g. We've made great strides in medical technology this century.
2) a long step 大步，步幅
e.g. With every stride, runners hit the ground with up to five times their body-weight.
v. walk quickly with long steps 阔步行进，大踏步走
e. g. He came striding along the path, with his gun over his shoulder.
takeout(AmE)
adj. intended to be taken from the point of sale and consumed elsewhere 供顾客带出外吃的.
n. food made to be taken out 外卖的食物
thoroughfare
n. the main road through place such as a city or town 大街，大道
Phrases and Expressions
at hand
near in time or space 近在手边，附近；即将到来
e.g. I picked up a book that happened to lie at hand and read a few pages.
disk up
put into and/ or serve in a dish as food 把（食物）装盘，盛在盘中端上（饭菜）
e.g. I will dish up the first course.
gather up
bring together into one group, collection, or place 使聚集，收拢，集拢
e.g. She watched Willie gather up the papers and stuff them carelessly in his pocket.
give-and-take
the practice of making mutual concessions; willingness to compromise 互相让步，互相迁就
e.g. You can't always insist on your own way—there has to be some give-and-take.
help (someone) out
give help and support to someone who has problems 帮助某人（尢指摆脱困境或危难）
e.g. I) I helped out with the secretarial work.
II) I think her colleagues did help her out on that occasion.
lecture on
scold or warn, especially at some length 训斥，告诫
e.g. She lectured her children on good table manners.
much less
even less likely 更谈不上
e.g. Jack can hardly understand arithmetic, much less geometry.
no doubt
almost certainly; very probably 肯定地，想必
e.g. 1 ) You've all no doubt heard the news.
II) No doubt I learned a lot from that lecture.
run around
run excitedly and randomly within a particular area 在……四处奔跑
e.g. We need a large garden, where the kids can run around freely.
run over
make one's way quickly over 在……上跑过，撞倒
e.g. We almost ran over a fox that was crossing the road.
step aside
walk to one side 走开一点，让开一点
e.g. The crowd stepped aside to let the chairman pass.
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