Section III
Maintaining a Sharp Eye
Passage II : Read the Text
Thank-You Notes Are Heart-warming
I'm not yet very good at it, but there is one thing I want to learn to do better. It is writing thank-you notes. When you leave after working or staying with someone in the US, you often get a card saying, for instance , "Mary, I enjoyed working with you very much. Thanks for everything. Cindy." Or "Dear Bob, thank you for visiting us. We had such a good time with you. Please come back in the near future. Love, Tom." Of course, it is not just when you leave that you get a thank-you note. They usually give one to you when they leave after being your guests, though in this case, they might write you another more formal letter of thanks later on. The letter may read like this:
Dear Mrs. Dalton,
It is so kind of you and your husband to let us stay with you for the wonderful week. We enjoyed and appreciated all of your kindness more than we can say. We hope that you will come to China some time soon so that we may have the pleasure of seeing you in our home. In the meantime, thank you for your generous hospitality, and my wife joins me in sending kindest regards to your family.
Sincerely yours,
Ken
Sometimes people attach a thank-you note to a gift. The gift may be big or small. It is the words on the card that really count! They help to convey the writers' message, gratitude and love to the receiver. Sometimes, cartoons are drawn on the card to make it more vivid and personal.
I like the custom because those thank-you notes are always heart-warming.
Difficult Sentences
- (Para. 1) I’m not yet very good at it, but there is one thing I want to learn to do better.
It here refers to writing thank-you notes in the following sentence.
Translation: 有件事我虽然对它不很擅长，但我希望会学做得更好。
Example: He is not very interested in it, but he haste put all his heart in collecting all the relevant data for his paper.
2.(Para. 1) Of course, it is not just when you leave that you can get a thank-you note.
This sentence has a negative form of emphatic structure: it is not ... that emphasizing a time clause just when you leave.
Translation: 当然,得到感谢信不光是在你要离别的时候。
Example: Of course, it is not just what you say that is important.
3.(Para. 2) ... And my wife joins me in sending kindest regards to your family.
This is one of the usual closing sentences used in thank-you letters. Other similar expressions can be: “They ask me to pass their sincere gratitude to you.” “I’d like to express our hearty thanks to you on behalf of all my friends.”
Translation: 我和我的妻子向您及全家致以我们最真心的问候。
Example: All my classmates join me in sending their best regards to you.
4.(Last para.) I like the custom because those thank-you notes are always heart-warming.
Heart-warming here is a compound adjective, made up of a noun and a verb’s present participle. It could also be a gerund form. The relationship between the two parts is that of verb-object (warm the heart). Similar structures are: thanks-giving, peace-loving, stamp-collecting, English-speaking, job-hunting, mountain-climbing.
Translation: 我喜欢这一习俗, 因为那些感谢信总那样的温暖人心。
Example: I enjoy my job in the lab, which consists mainly of data-collecting and data-analyzing.
Important Words
1. instance n. example, fact, etc. supporting a general truth 例证，实例
e.g.:1). This is only one instance out of many.
2). We can rely on our company for instance.
2. guest n. person paying a visit to another’s house or being entertained 客人
e.g.:1). We are expecting some guests for dinner tonight.
2). Chinese people are very generous to their guests.
3. meantime ad. (during) the same time when something else is going on 与此同时
e.g.:1). You shouldn’t date Mary and Joan in the meantime.
2). How can one feel stressed and relaxed in the meantime?
4.generous a. given freely, noble-minded, plentiful 慷慨的，大方的
e.g.: 1). He is always generous with his money.
2). My father has a generous nature.
5.sincerely ad. out of one’s heart, in a genuine manner, not pretentiously 真诚地
e.g.: 1). She smiled so sincerely that I couldn’t refuse her.
2). If you invite him sincerely, he will accept it.
6.attach v. fasten or join one thing to another 带着，附上，系上
e.g.:1). Please attach labels to your luggage.
2). The samples are attached to the advertisement.
7.gratitude n. thankfulness, being grateful 感激，谢意
e.g.:1). My gratitude to my teacher is beyond words.
2). I find it hard to express gratitude in a foreign language.
8. vivid a. lively and clear 栩栩如生的，生动的
e.g.:1). She has a vivid memory of her holiday in Greece.
2). He gave a vivid description of the event.
9. custom n. generally accepted behavior among members of a social group 习俗, e.g.: 1). It’s our custom to stand up when the national anthem is played.
2). Social customs vary from nation to nation.