“Thank you” is one of the first few phrases(短语） that our English teacher taught us when we began to learn English. Each time we receive help from others, we say “Thank you”. We may say it many times a day. It seems that “Thank you” is very popular among us Chinese students. But is it as popular in the UK?

    The answer is “no”. According to a recent survey （最近的报告）in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, “Thank you” is only the 20^th most popular way of expressing gratitude（感激） in the UK.

    The survey shows that British people like “Cheers” most to express their thanks. For example, when friends invite each other for a drink after a game, a smile and a “Cheers” may be the best way to say “thanks”.

    You may often hear the word spoken between two good friends. “Great”, “nice one” and “all right” are also popular informal（不正式的） ways of showing gratitude among friends in the UK.

    Of course, there are some formal ways to say “thanks” among British people. For example, when a stranger is especially helpful, they may say “brilliant” or “much appreciated” to express their gratitude.

    By the way, how do British people usually answer “thank you”? They like to say： “ You're welcome.”, “No problem” or “Sure”.

    Since you have many more ways to show your thanks, next time you want to say “thank you”, why not try one of these new British phrases?

    Keep in Touch

    You can keep in touch with your friends in many ways. You can call them. You can send letters or e-mails to them. You can even use a website like Facebook to keep in touch with them.

    Touch Luck

    "Touch Luck" is used when you feel sympathy(同情) about something bad that has happened to someone. But it is also used when you don't have any sympathy for someone's problems.

    Touch Screen

    You can find touch screens everywhere now, many mobile phones and music players have touch screens. Many ATMs have them, too. They are fun and easy to use! You can use them to buy tickets or shop online.

    Touchdown

    When you watch an American football game, you will hear the word "touchdown". A touchdown happens when a player carries the ball across the other team's goal (球门) line. When a player makes a touchdown, he scores (得分) six points for his team!

    The Midas Touch

    Midas was a king(国王) in an old Greek story. He loved money very much! He wished that everything he touched would turn to gold (金子). His wish came true. Everything he touched –his furniture(家具), his food, and even his daughter-turned to gold.

    Kobe Bryant was born in August 23, 1978. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He began his career at the age of 18 when he became the youngest player in history to be drafted out of high school.

    As the most successful Shooting Guard after Michael Jordan, in 2006 he once scored 81 points at a single game. In 2008, he got the MVP award, and led Lakers back to the top. It was the 20th year for Bryant to play for the Lakers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But in recent years, he missed a lot of games because of injuries.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So it was a largely ceremonial(仪式的) season for Bryant to say goodbye to all his fans. Every game he played had a large crowd. Many people wanted to see him play once more.

   On Wednesday, April 14th, Kobe Bryant played his final game. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A lot of famous players and people came to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to watch his performance. Fans even signed a big goodbye message for him at the sports center. Also, lots of people watched the game on TV and the Internet.

   This season, the Lakers were not a good team. They only won 17 of 82 games. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He scored 60 points to help Los Angeles defeat Utah, 101 to 96. He finished his playing career with over 33,000 points. That makes him third on the all-time scoring list.