The Flying Hat

By Shannon Blackman

    “The most sidesplitting story I've ever read. I couldn't help laughing after I finished it. Be ready to laugh your heart out.”

Willy King, Best Book winner

    “It's a story that makes you smile in your dreams. Blackman's excellent writing cheers you up.”

The Tide, London

    “One of the best-selling books of the year. More than two million copies have been sold.”

The Sunday Reader, New York

    “This book has become the talk of the country. The story is making its way into movie theaters. I can't wait to see it!”

Marian Miller, author of Ms. Lilly

根据以上书评内容，回答下列问题。

    British people are famous for apologizing (道歉) in almost every situation.  1 we are apologizing for asking a question, for our bad weather or we sneeze before others (打喷嚏),we are probably the number-one nation for apologies.

    We pride ourselves on our polite2 in public. As a result, we use the word "sorry" quite a lot—even when we don't really 3 it! Usually, if you want to ask someone for the time, you would start by saying "Sorry to bother you. Do you know the time?" If you're five minutes late for an appointment (约会), you would generally  4 the person by saying "Sorry, I'm late!"

    We use the word "sorry" in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has slightly 5over time. The two main dictionary definitions (定义) of "sorry" are: feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or feeling regret because you've done something wrong. Usually, when you want to ask a stranger a question, you 6 with "Sorry to disturb you." In this situation, we aren't saying sorry because we feel sad for that person or because we feel regret.

    So what does "sorry" really mean? Well, in the British 7, saying "sorry" is a way to be polite, especially to people who you don't know very well. It's also a very 8way to get what you want. 9, an actor asked different people on a rainy day if he could use their mobile phones. When he asked one group of strangers without apologizing first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. 10, when he apologized to another group about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47 per cent successful. So maybe saying "sorry" is not just being polite, but it is also a good method to get what you want too!

    The world is in danger. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only 860 remain(剩余). The others have been destroyed(破坏) by man. We are changing the earth, the air, the water and everything that grows and lives. We can't live without these things. If we continue doing like this, we will destroy ourselves.

    What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask "What must we do now?" The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conservation(对自然环境的保护) is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees and protect animals in forest. In a small town in the United States, a large group of volunteers cleaned the banks of their rivers. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called No One's Going to Change Our World. It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to protect wild animals.