Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 55 · More Than One Way to Be Polite
Audio track 55
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Leo: Can you join our game after school?
Hina: No, I can't. I have plans with my family.
Leo looked surprised. Hina worried that her answer had sounded cold. The next day, she explained, “I wanted to be clear, but I also wanted to thank you for asking.”
Leo said he had not been hurt; he had only expected a longer answer. They tried another way: “Thanks for inviting me. I can't today, but ask me next time.” Hina liked it, although she knew she could not always promise to join later.
They agreed that being polite was not one fixed sentence. It meant giving an honest answer while thinking about how the other person might hear it.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
利奥： 放学后你能来和我们一起玩吗？
阳菜： 不行，我和家人有安排。
利奥看起来有些惊讶。阳菜担心自己的回答听起来太冷淡。第二天，她解释说：‘我想说清楚，也想谢谢你邀请我。’
利奥说自己并没有受伤，只是原以为她会多说几句。他们试着换种说法：‘谢谢你邀请我。今天我去不了，下次也欢迎你问我。’阳菜喜欢这句话，同时也知道自己不能保证下次一定能参加。
两人都觉得，礼貌不是背出一句固定的话，而是在诚实回答的同时，想想对方听见时会有什么感受。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- join
- 参加；利奥邀请阳菜玩游戏。
- sound cold
- 听起来冷淡；阳菜担心自己的语气。
- be clear
- 说清楚；她想明确表达不能去。
- thank ... for
- 因……而感谢；感谢对方邀请。
- expect
- 预期；利奥以为会听到更长回答。
- invite
- 邀请；朋友主动提出一起玩。
- next time
- 下次；可以欢迎对方以后再问。
- promise
- 承诺；不能保证下次一定参加。
- fixed
- 固定的；礼貌没有唯一句式。
- honest answer
- 诚实的回答；不应为了客气乱答应。
Background notes (Chinese)
拒绝邀请时，可以清楚说明自己去不了，也表达对邀请的感谢。文章还提醒：若不能保证下次参加，就不必为了客气而作出不真实的承诺。