British people are famous for apologizing (道歉) in almost every situation. 1we 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 polite 2 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 generally4 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 5 over 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 very8 way 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!

    This is Mrs. White. Now she is teaching math. She works in a middle school. She lives in London, Mrs. White and Mr. White have three children. They all love animals and they have a big dog and a cute cat.

    Mrs. White is Sophie's aunt, Sophie lives and studies in Liverpool, but now she is in London. She is on her holiday here. She wants to do some shopping with her aunt.

    Mrs. White's son Arnold doesn't like shopping, but he loves going out with friends. They usually go to a park to play soccer or basketball in the afternoon. Today, Arnold isn't playing soccer or basketball. He is swimming.

    Mr. White works for a company (公司). He isn't working today, because he isn't feeling well. He is in a hospital now.

Mobile phones are becoming more and more popular not only with adults but also with students. However, they also have become a problem for middle schools in the last few years.

Some children have got mobile phones as Christmas or birthday gifts, and more will ask their parents to buy phones for them.

Many students like mobile phones because they are easy and quick. Some parents feel it convenient because they can get in touch with their children. Some teachers think using mobile phones is a distraction(分心的事)to students during school hours and mobile phones also give them much trouble in their classrooms. Sometimes students send phone messages to cheat(作弊)during exams. A new study says that some teenagers even hurt their fingers because of the over-use of mobile phones. They keep using mobile phones for more than ten hours during a day.

Many teachers suggest that students should not have phones at school, but if there is a good reason, they can leave their phones at the school office. Many people think they understand why parents would want their children to have them, but they agree school should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.