雅思阅读材料之“Thank you”在英国慢慢消失

　It is considered one of the basics of politeness, but saying "thank you" may be dying out, according to new research.

　　Rather than failing to show gratitude, however, we are simply using other words. In fact, one in three people say they usually use another word to express gratitude.

　　Among the most popular phrases were the less formal "ta" and "cool" as well as the French word "merci".

　　Although the average Briton still says thank you up to 5,000 times a year, the results indicate an increasingly casual way of speaking, with 40 percent believing they use "thank you" less than previous generations.

　　The poll by television channel Food Network UK to coincide with the launch of Thank You Day also showed that one in 20 said "nice one" instead.

　　But 95 percent still believe good manners are important and eight in 10 Britons say they are polite.

　　Nick Thorogood, the managing director of Food Network, said: "This highlights that taking the time and effort to say thanks is still very important to us. People will always find the way that works best for them."

　　"It is interesting to see what the act means to different people."

　　据英国《每日电讯报》11月23日报道，根据一项的研究表明，曾经最基本的礼貌用语之一“thank you”(谢谢你)现在说的人越来越少，这句常用语正在慢慢消失。

　　我们并不是不表达感谢，只是会换句话说。事实上，三分之一的人说他们通常都会使用另外一句话来表达谢意。

　　最为流行的表达是不太正式的“ta”，“cool”以及法语单词“merci”(法语中的“谢谢你”)。

　　尽管普通的英国人平均一年说“thank you”的次数仍然高达5000次，但研究结果却显示比较随意的说话方式出现得越来越多，40%的人认为他们说“thank you”的次数要比上一代少。

　　英国电视台“美食联播网”进行了一项调查，以配合感谢日的成立，该调查也显示出有1/20的人用“nice one”代替了“thank you”。

　　但是95%的人仍然坚信良好的礼仪非常重要，十个英国人中有八个人都认为自己彬彬有礼。

　　美食联播网的总经理尼克·曹罗古德说：“这突出表明了对我们来说花费时间和精力去致谢仍然是非常重要的。人们总会找到最适合自己的致谢方式。”

　　“看到同样的行为对于不同的人来说有不同的意义，这是非常有趣的。”