"How are you?" is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other, but "How are you?" is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't have an answer. The person who asks "How are you?" hopes to hear the answer "Fine", even if the Derson'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 be thinking, "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  so 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 says "I have 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 excuse might be real, or it might 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.

    Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people often don't say exactly what they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the game of language.

    American people like to say “Thank you” when others help them or say something kind of them. People of many countries do so, too. It is a very good habit.

    You should say “Thank you” when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is very beautiful. “Thank you” is used not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters.

    “Excuse me” is anther short sentence they use. When you hear someone stay behind you, you know that someone wants to walk to past you without touching you. It's not polite to break others when they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me” first, and then begin to talking. You should also do so when you begin to cough or make any noise before others.

    Few words are spoken more often every day on the streets of Britain than "I'm sorry". This phrase has become such a common response(反应) that it has taken on a lot of meanings.

    Saying "Sorry" means to apologize(道歉). This is simple and easy to understand. We learn it both as a native speaker and as a student of foreign languages.

    But in Britain, it takes on another meaning. It is a cultural expression. Imagine this: a man walks down the street, looking down at his phone. A woman is walking in the opposite direction, towards the man. She sees him, but she can't get out of the way in time. The man bumps (碰撞) into the woman. Who should say sorry? Naturally, the man should say sorry, because it was he who wasn't looking where he was going. Yet in Britain, it is common for both to apologize.

    It is known that British people, like most people, do not enjoy conflict(冲突).So to quickly calm the situation, British people will apologize to each other.

    Other times it may sound funny to hear "sorry". Some of my friends say it at restaurants, as they ask the waiter: "Sorry, but can I order another drink?" It is not to apologize, but just to express that we need the waiter. In Britain, sorry doesn't always mean exactly what you think.

    Are you tired after studying hard？American country music will take you away for a while. The guitars and songs will take you to mountains and fields there.

    Country music talks about everyday life and feelings. It's the spirit of America, easy to understand, slow and basic.

    Country music developed in the Southern United States. It was the folk music of the American countryside. Many of the songs tell about the lives of farmers. They talk about love, crops(庄稼) or death.

    Rural life can be hard, so the words are often sad. At first, people played the music only at family parties. But it became more popular. In the 1920s, people played country songs on the radio, and they made them into records.

    When people moved to towns and cities to look for work, they took their music with them. Country music continued to change and became popular across America.

    John Denver was one of America's most famous country singers in the 1970s. His song Take Me Home, Country Roads is well­known and people still play it today.