Seven tips to good table manners Whether it's a dinner at a friend's house or a business meeting over lunch, we judge people based on their table manners. But what can you do if your kids do not behave themselves at the dinner tables? The following are seven tips to set your children on the road to good table manners: *Look for the good. Instead of pointing out all the things your children do wrong, point out what they do right. Please say, for example, "I am so proud of you. It was wonderful the way you served yourself." *Don't turn dinner into an unpleasant "lecture time". That will turn kids off not only manners, but dinner, and you, too. *Check your own example. Don't show up for dinner in just your underwear unless you want your kids to do the same. *Don't always consider your kids lazy and dirty ones. Instead, point out the behavior in a tender way. For example: " It' s a good idea to unfold your napkin, so if food falls you won't dirty your clothes." *Teach your kids good manners in the form of a game. One night a week, try to have a formal dinner. Try dressing up, serve a special meal, and expect more formal manners. That will help improve their sense of manners. *Make kids understand part of the tradition. Invite guests over and let kids help serve them. This helps them indirectly learn about table manners. *Try dining out once in a while. Fast food restaurants aren't counted. Try a nice restaurant and let kids order their own food, pay the bill and give the tip. Which of the following should parents do to help their kids learn good table manners? A) Try dining out in fast food restaurants once in a while. B) Point out what's wrong with the kids' behavior at dinner. C) Keep telling the kids how to behave themselves at dinner. D) Improve kids' sense of manners by having a formal dinner at times.
D
(Question)
Dear Mr. Wolfson, The purpose of this letter is to inform you of one of our citizens who I believe should receive some special recognition for dedicated community service. The person I recommend is Elizabeth Samuelson. I believe you know her in your position as volunteer coordinator . I have known Elizabeth for more than 20 years as both a friend and a neighbor. During that time I have seen her work tirelessly on scores of community projects and committees. As far as I know, she has never received any kind of recognition from the community for her work. I believe she should be given some sort of special recognition. Just last year alone, she worked on at least six different community projects including the Park Renewal Project and the Heritage Homes FundRaising Banquet. In addition, she is a weekly driver for the MealsonWheels program and she visits patients in the care unit on a regular basis. Whenever a project or committee needs her, she will put herself into the work wholeheartedly. I'm sure that if you check with a few of your staff members who have been there over the years, they will confirm Elizabeth's community service record and probably be able to add many examples to the few I have given here. By the way, Elizabeth has no idea that I am writing this. She is a humble person, and if she were aware of it, she would not allow me to send it. I thought about writing such a letter about her a number of times in the past but just never took action. Then last week, I noticed in the paper that you sponsor an annual dinner at which dozens of awards are given out to people with much less community service than Elizabeth. In fact, I checked with her and she has never even been invited to that annual event! I urge you to correct that omission now and take action to see that Elizabeth is properly recognized for her many years of silent but outstanding service to this community. Sincerely, Linda Sullivan What can we learn about Mr.Wolfson from the letter? A) He knows Linda quite well. B) He is a careless person. C) He tries something to reward those who have done much community service. D) He tries his best to find Elizabeth and do something to reward her.
(Answer)
C
Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection. For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now". What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult. It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians - Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an... The author thinks that the current musical trend in the UK is _ . A) satisfying B) disappointing C) dangerous D) desperate
B