day 16manners

manners

Say how you feel about a point with 毕竟, 根本, 反正 and 的确, hold your view with 即使……也……, retell a story heard only once, and argue whether loud phone calls should be banned on public transport.

words to say

• 场合 chǎnghé · occasion, situation
• 秩序 zhìxù · order (orderly state)
• 规矩 guīju · rules, manners
• 素质 sùzhì · quality, calibre
• 文明 wénmíng · civilisation; civilised
• 约束 yuēshù · to restrain; constraint
• 遵守 zūnshǒu · to obey, keep to (rules)
• 违反 wéifǎn · to break, go against (rules)
• 公共 gōnggòng · public
• 禁止 jìnzhǐ · forbid, prohibit

sentences

• 在公共场合大声说话，是不文明的。 · Talking loudly in public places is bad manners.
• 即使没有人看着，也应该遵守规矩。 · Even if nobody is watching, you should follow the rules.
• 毕竟这是公共汽车，不是自己家。 · After all, this is a bus, not your own home.
• 排好队，上下车的秩序就好多了。 · When people queue properly, getting on and off goes much more smoothly.
• 规矩能约束行为，却不能代替素质。 · Rules can restrain behaviour, but they can’t replace good manners.

say it after the voice

• 在拥挤的地铁上大声打电话，的确会影响到身边的每一个人。 · Shouting into your phone on a crowded subway really does affect everyone around you.
• 即使没有人看见，我们也应该自觉遵守公共场合的规矩。 · Even when nobody sees us, we should follow the rules of public places of our own accord.
• 毕竟公共汽车不是自己家，说话的声音应该小一点儿。 · After all, a bus isn’t your own home: you should speak a little more quietly.
• 一个城市文明不文明，往往要看普通人在小事上的表现。 · Whether a city is civilised usually shows in how ordinary people behave in small things.

questions to answer

• 你怎么看在地铁上吃东西？ · What do you think about eating on the subway?
• 公共场合该不该禁止抽烟？ · Should smoking be banned in public places?
• 你觉得规矩重要还是素质重要？ · Which matters more: rules or good manners?

a passage to retell

• One rainy evening, a woman was waiting at a bus stop. She lent the young man next to her an umbrella with her company’s name on it. Only after she got on the bus did she remember she hadn’t asked his name. A few months later, a box arrived for her at work. Inside were her umbrella, a new umbrella and a note that said “Thank you”. Kindness comes back.

a passage to read aloud

在一个大城市里，我们每天都会遇到成千上万的陌生人。我们不知道他们的名字，以后也不一定再见面，可是城市的温度，往往就藏在这些陌生人之间。早上，有人在电梯里多等了你两秒；中午，有人帮你捡起掉在地上的钥匙；晚上，地铁上有个年轻人站起来，把座位让给一位老人。这些事都很小，没有规矩要求我们这样做，也没人会表扬我们。可正是这一点一点的温暖，使得拥挤的城市变得可爱。也许，文明不只是不违反规定，更是在每一个场合都愿意多考虑别人的感受。