In Canada and the United States, people enjoy entertaining(請客) at home. They often invites friends for a meal, a party or just for coffee and conversation.
Here are the kinds of things people say when they invite someone to their homes: “Would you like to come over for dinner this Saturday night?” “Hey, we’re having a party on Friday. Can you come?”
To answer an invitation, either say thank you and accept or say you are sorry and give an excuse. “Thanks, I’d love to. What time would you like me to come?” or “ Oh, sorry. I’ve tickets for a movie.”
Sometimes, however, people in the west use expressions(語句) that sound like invitation but which are not real invitation. For example, “Please come over for a drink sometime.” “Why not get together for a party sometime?” or “Why don’t you come over and see us sometime soon?” They are really polite ways of ending a conversation. They are not real invitations because they don’t mention(提到、涉及) a certain time or date. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly. To answer expressions like this, people just say, “Sure, that would be great!” or “OK! Thanks.”
So next time when you hear what sounds like an invitation, listen carefully. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?
【小題1】Why do Canadians and Americans often invite friends for meals at home?

In Canada and the United States, people enjoy entertaining(請客)at home. They often invite friends over for a meal, a party, or just for coffee and conversation.
Here are the kinds of things people say when they invite someone to their home:
" Would you like to come over for dinner on Saturday night? "
" Hey, we're having a party on Friday. Can you come'? "
To reply to an invitation, either say thank you and accept(接受), or say you're sorry and give an excuse(借口):
" Thanks, I'd love to. What time would you like me to come?" or " Oh, sorry. I've tickets for a movie." Sometimes, however, people use expressions(措辭)that sound like invitations, but which are not real invitations(邀請). For example:
" Please come over for a drink sometime? "
" Why not get together for a party sometime? "
"Why don't you come over and see us sometime soon?"
They are really just polite ways of ending a conversation. They are not real invitations because they don't tell time or date. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly. To reply to expressions like these, people just say: "Sure, that would be nice!" or "OK. Yes, thanks."
So next time when you hear what sounds like an invitation. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?
【小題1】 Why do Canadians and Americans often invite friends for meals at home?

A soldier came home after having fought in Vietnam （越南）. He called his parents from San Francisco.

“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I have a friend with me.”

“Sure,” they replied, “We’d love to meet him.”

“There’s something you should know,” the son continued, “he was hurt badly in the fighting. He lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to live with us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”

“Son,” said the father. “You don’t know what you’re asking. The young man’s handicap （殘疾） will create such a terrible burden that we can’t afford. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this become a part of our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. A few days later, the parents received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building. The police believed it was suicide （自殺）.

The sad parents flew to San Francisco to see the body of their son.

They recognized （認出） him, but to their surprise, they also discovered something they didn’t know before: their son had only one arm and one leg.

1. The soldier called his parents _____.

A．before going on a trip to Vietnam        B．a(chǎn)fter having fought in Vietnam

C．while serving in the army                D．on his way home from Vietnam
2. The soldier called his parents to _____.

A．tell them how he became badly hurt

B．see if they would look down upon his “friend”

C．tell them how he missed them

D．a(chǎn)sk if everything was going well in his family

3. The son killed himself because ________.

A．he was suffering from great pain from his wound

B．he didn't want to be a burden to his family

C．he was fired from the army

D．his parents didn't like his friend

4. The expression “live on his own” in the passage means ____.

A．taking care of himself                  B．living alone and being lonely

C．living a free and happy life               D．living in a house he owns

5. Which is Not True according to the passage?

A．The soldier wanted to bring home a friend to live with his family.

B．The soldier was disappointed when his parents refused to receive the injured person.

C．The soldier was actually talking about himself.

D．The parents probably felt sad and regretful when they saw their son's body.