Do you know how to talk to others politely in English? Have a look at the following.

    Could you give me five minutes? VS Go away.

    You're really busy, but your classmate needs your help. When you're busy and can't help him or her, you can't say “Go away”. And you can say, ”Could you give me five minutes?”

    Excuse me. VS Move

    Telling someone to move out of the way is very rude(无礼的). When someone is in your way, you should say “Excuse me”.

    I'm afraid I can't. VS No

    It can often be difficult to decline an invitation from a friend. Saying “No” would be impolite. It's a good idea to say,”I'm afraid I can't.” if you have to say no to an invitation.

    Would you mind…? VS Stop it!

    If someone is doing something rude, would you like them to stop? You shouldn't say, “Stop talking on your phone in the cinema!” You can say, “Would you mind not using your phone in the cinema, please?”

    Some British and American people like to invite friends and colleagues(同事）for a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you.

    Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 pm, and end at about 11.Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a present.

    Do you want to be extra(特别的）polite? Say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember--not to ask how much things cost.

    You'll probably start the meal with soup, or something small as a “starter”(开胃菜),then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then a dessert, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it. Some people eat bread with their meal, but not everyone does.

    Before they take out their cigarettes after the meal, most people usually ask, “Do you mind if I smoke here?” Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. Perhaps it seems funny to you, but British and American people say” thank you ,thank you, and thank you” all the time.

    Long long ago，the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan went boating on the Eastern Sea. At first she had a good time，but later on she was too tired to swim when a strong wind rose on the sea and turned her boat upside down. She was thus drowned, but her spirit turned into a beautiful bird crying sadly in the sound “Jingwei, Jingwei”.

    Because she wanted to see her beloved father again and hated the sea so much，she put some stones into the sea day after day, without a rest, in order to change the sea into the land. From this story comes the saying “The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea”. The story was a little sad. But it tells us something important. When we do anything, we have to work hard. Learning English is difficult but if you study hard, you can learn it well.

    Zheng He was an amazing man. He was born in 1371. Ten years later, he was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di became the king of China and he asked Zheng He to join his government.

    The king wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led some sea trips to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships have even reached South America and Australia.

    Each trip lasted more than one year and it is believed he sailed more than 50,000 kilometres during the years of his travels. Zheng He led a fleet with about 28, 000 men and over 250 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers horses.

    On these trips he took many Chinese goods like silk and medicine with him to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats which were filled with expensive things such as gold and treasures, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe.

    It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He's travels. The Columbus of the East, Zheng He, died in 1433. After that. The new king had these trips stopped and he burned almost all the books about Zheng He's travels, because he believed the trips were unlucky and too expensive. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures of great Zheng He.