British people pride themselves on their polite manners towards one another in public. They often use the word 'sorry'—even when they don't really mean it! Usually, if they want to ask a stranger for the time, they would start by saying 'Sorry to bother you. Do you know what time it is?' If they're five minutes late for an appointment (约会), they would generally greet the person by saying 'Sorry I'm late!'

    They use the word 'sorry' in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has changed a little over time. The two main dictionary definitions (释义) of 'sorry' are: 1) feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or bad luck; 2) feeling regret because you've done something wrong. Now, think about this. Normally, when they want to ask a stranger a question, they start with 'Sorry to bother you'. In this situation, they aren't saying sorry because they feel sad for that person or because they feel regret.

    So what does 'sorry' really mean? And why do British people use it so much? Well, in the British culture, saying 'sorry' is a way to be polite, especially to people who they don't know very well. It's also a very clever way to get what they want. In a recent experiment, an actor went up to a different strangers on a rainy day to ask if he could use their mobile phones in order to make a call. When he went up to one group of strangers and asked them without saying 'sorry' first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. However, when he said 'sorry' to another group of strangers 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 they want too!

    I was happy in those days before I started going to school. Because I had good neighbors to play with. I played with them from morning to evening. We played games outdoors, dressed up as cowboys and rode around on our tricycles(三轮车) happily.

    At the age of five, I had to go to kindergarten(幼儿园) and it was quite hard for me at first. I felt very sad about having to leave my mother each morning. I cried and wanted my mother around. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in my class. I became happy again and looked forward to leaving my house each morning.

    I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends riding around on my bike.

    Another memory I like is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Jack in the play, Jack and the Magic Beans. I became the superstar that night and received praise for my performance.

    What a wonderful childhood I had! At times I really wish I could go back to those days.

    Hello, I'm a reporter from the Green City Daily. Lastweek, I did a survey for the Green City Daily. Here's the report:

    The best clothes store in town is Jason's. It has the best quality clothes. It's cheaper than Jeans Corner and Trendy Teens. But they are good stores, too. Trendy Teens is in a fun part of the town; teenagers like it best, but it's the most expensive. Don't go to Funky Fashions. It has the worst clothes in town.

    The best radio station is Jazz 107.9 FM. It plays the most interesting music. It's much better than the other stations in town. But Oldies 102.1 FM is pretty bad. It has the worst music. Easy Listening 97.9 FM is the most popular.

What do they think of doing the chores?

A. The girl's duty.

B. Keeping healthy and learning life skills.

C. Dirty and no time.

D. Boring

E. Being happy to help parents.
F. Easy and not taking too much time.