沈阳职业技术学院 公共外语教研室

Maintaining a Sharp EyeMaintaining a Sharp Eye

Punctuality and Keeping Promise

Passage I

Text-related Information

Intensive Study

Practice

Boyd, Selma--I Met a Polar Bear

Burningham, John. John Patrick Norman McHennessy -- the Boy Who was Always Late

Grossman, Bill--The Guy Who Was Five Minutes Late.

Hoff, Sid. Henrietta-- the Early Bird

Sewell, Marcia and Phyllis Krasilovsky-- The Man Who Tried to Save Time

Text-related information

The following books are good examples of being prompt and acting at the right time:

Better never than late.

George Bernard Shaw

If you're there before it's over, you're on time.

James J. Walker

Unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. You may as well borrow a person's money as his time.

Horace Mann

Quotes about... PUNCTUALITY

Promptitude is not only a duty, but is also a part of good manners; it is favorable to fortune, reputation, influence, and usefulness; a little attention and energy will form the habit, so as to make it easy and delightful.

Charles SimmonsI am a believer in punctuality though it makes me very lonely.E. V. Verrall

Text

Difficult Sentences

Important Words

(para.1) In social activities it is always emphasized to

be punctual, to have a strong conception of time. If you fail

to keep your promise or do not come on time and thus

keep your host waiting, that is very impolite. It’s hard

to imagine what will happen if there is such an activity

as a banquet, interview, or meeting, yet all people

concerned do not come on time.

Punctuality and Keeping Promise

For detailsFor details

If you are asked to meet a foreign guest at the

airport or at the railway station and you go so late

that the guest has come before you arrive, how

anxious and embarrassed he will be when he ,as a

stranger to the place, sees no person meeting him! The

same is true with the activity of seeing off a foreign

guest. If you arrive so late at the airport or railway

station to find the guest has gone already, what’s the

use of your going there?

1

2

(para. 2) So, as a host, whenever there is

an activity, you should come to the place ahead o

f schedule so as to wait for the guests to come.

Don’t let the guests wait for you. It’s very impolite.

Those who are to help entertain the guests should

also come earlier than the guests. But for a guest,

at what time is it proper to come?

3

You should be punctual. That is, neither too

early, nor too late. If it is too early, the host

may not get the things ready. If it is too late,

you may keep the host waiting. Anyone, guest

or host, who is really late for a social activity,

should apologize to those who have already been

there. 4

(para. 3) After making an appointment, g

enerally, don’t change it as that is impolite. If you

do have to change, you should inform the person b

y telephone or with a written note as soon as poss

ible, so that he or she can make a rearrangement. S

ometimes, an appointment has been already made,

but something unexpected happens and you find n

o time to inform the person concerned. In this ca

se, you should make an apology to the person after

wards.

5

…how anxious and embarrassed he will be when he ,as a stranger to the place, sees no person meeting him! (para. 1)

Analysis:

This is an exclamatory sentence with When-clause as an adverbial of time. As means “being”, used here to introduce an adverbial of manner. Meeting is a present participial modifying person.

要是他到了一个陌生的地方，看到没有人来接他，他会是多么焦急和尴尬！

e.g. How happy and delighted she will be when she, as a foreigner, sees a friend meeting her at the airport.

The same is true with the activity of seeing off a foreign guest. (para. 1)

Analysis:

e.g. The same is true with the learning of a foreign language.

The same is true with…means “ 也是如此” . With is a preposition introducing the thing which has the previous-mentioned feature(s)

给外国人送行也是如此。

So, as a host, whenever there is an activity, you should come to the place ahead of schedule so as to wait for the guests to come.(para. 2)

Analysis:

e.g. So, as a fireman, whenever there is a fire, you should come to the place at once so as to put the fire under control.

Whenever introduces an adverbial clause of time. In the main clause ahead of schedule is an adverbial of time while so as to introduces an adverbial of purpose.

所以说，主人在搞活动时，要提前到场，等客人光临。

Anyone, guest or host, who is really late for a social activity, should apologize to those who have already been there.(para. 2)

Analysis:

e.g. Anyone, man or woman, who is in charge of a project, should often talk to those who participate in the project.

Guest or host is a reduced form of whether he is a guest or a host. Note that here singular forms are used without articles. The two who-clauses are used to modify anyone and those respectively.

在社交活动中，不论是客人还是主人，如果迟到了，都应该向已经到场的人说声抱歉。

Sometimes, an appointment has been already made, but something unexpected happens and you find no time to inform the person concerned.(para. 3)

Analysis:

e.g. Sometimes a decision has been made, but some change has to be made because problems unexpected arise, an you have no time to discuss the change with the persons concerned.

Unexpected and concerned are both adjectives which function as post modifiers of something and the person respectively.

有时定好会面时间后，发生了意外的事，没有时间通知相关人员。

punctuality

punctu

al

being punctual n. 严守时间

being on time a. 守时的

Mary got a prize for punctuality.

John is always punctual for class but this morning he was late.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

emphasize

To place emphasis on…

Our teacher emphasized how important it was to study English.

I must emphasize that they are just children.

The speaker emphasized the importance of education.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

concern

ed

anxious

involved

worried

I was very concerned about my mother’s illness.

All the people concerned attended the meeting.involved

worried

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

embarraembarrassss

He embarrassed everyone by saying that the picture was terrible.

She was embarrassed when they asked about her age.

使窘迫，使难堪

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

whenevewheneverr

whewhenn

Come whenever you have time.

Whenever I go to Beijing, I visit the Great Wall.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

entertaientertainn

A teacher should entertain as well as teach.

The Smiths do a great deal of entertaining.

使高兴，使感兴趣

款待，请客

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

apologizapologizee

apologize to sb.apologize to sb.for sth.for sth. apologyapology

I apologized to her for stepping on her foot.

I’m here especially to apologize to you.

[C]

[vi.]

I must offer her an apology for not going to her party.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

informinform [vt.]

He promised to keep us informed of how the negotiations were going on.

I informed my boss that I was going to be away next week.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

rearrangemerearrangementnt

retell

rewrite

movement

re-re-

arrangearrange-ment-ment

The plan is not good and we need to make a rearrangement.

The rearrangement of the furniture makes the room clean and tidy.

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

unexpectedunexpected

Her promotion was completely unexpected.

An unexpected guest is usually not welcome.

adj.

不速之客

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

Read and Think

Read and Complete

Read and Simulate

Read and Translate

1. What is emphasized in social activities?

______________________________________

2. How will a foreign guest feel if you are late in getting to the airport to meet him?

_______________________________________

EXERCISE 1

PRACTICERead and Think

Answer the following questions according to the text.

He will fell anxious and embarrassed.

To be punctual.

3. When should the guests come to a social activity?

___________________________________

4. If you are late for a social activity, what should you do?

_________________________________________

5. What should you do if you cannot inform the person concerned of the change of an appointment?

___________________________________

You should apologize afterwards.

On time, not too early and not too late.

Apologize to those who have already been there.

EXERCISE 2

PRACTICERead and CompleteFill in the blanks without referring to the passage.

The author emphasizes the importance

of___________ and __________ promise. In social

activities it is important to have a strong

_____________ of time and be punctual. Try not to

be late for a social activity as it is impolite to keep

other people _________. As a host, you should

come to the place ahead of _________ so as to

wait for the _________to come.

punctuality keeping

conception

waiting

scheduleguests

As a guest, you should be_________, that is,

not too ______, not too ________. On the

other hand, it is also impolite to __________

an appointment after you’ve made it. If

something __________ happens, and you

have to change your appointment, inform the

person __________by telephone or with a

written note as soon as possible.

concerned

punctual

early late

change

unexpected

EXERCISE 4

PRACTICERead and Complete

Matching, changing the form of words if necessary.

1. We __________ for any inconvenience caused by the train’s delay.

2. I was really ______________ when I knocked a cup of tea over him.

3. I __________ my boss of my arrival in Tokyo.

4. It is _____________ that all people should learn to make use of Internet.

5. All of us are __________ to have our vacation in the countryside.

anxious

emphasized

apologize

embarrassed

informed

6. Do you think this is a __________ solution to the problem?

7. It is __________ to ask people such a personal question.

8. He is always on time for classes. The teacher often praises him for being __________.

9. He gave a(n) __________ answer to the question.

10. Please tell Mr. Green that I’m here for the _____________.

11. My secretary typed up a __________ for me to follow on my trip.

proper

impolite

punctual

appointment

schedule

unexpected

EXERCISE 5

PRACTICERead and Translate

Translate the following sentences into English.

2 我想约见史密斯大夫。

1 对不起， 让你久等了。 keep sb. waiting

make an appointment

I’m sorry to have kept you waiting

I’d like to make an appointment to see Dr. Smith.

3 不敲门就进屋是不礼貌的。It’s impolite to enter a room without knocking at the door first.

impolite, knock at the door

They were angry because you had not kept your promise.

4 如果发生什么特别情况，要尽快通知我们。

5 由于你没有遵守诺言，他们很生气。

inform

keep one’s promise

Inform us as soon as possible if anything special happens.

6

In this case, let’s try to get there early.

这样的话，咱们就争取早到。in this case