教你正确用（十四）.docVIP

教你正确用（十四） 　　A Cup of English 　　 　　Greetings ――寒暄 　　 　　My mother used to be a professor of English and taught me English when I was a kid.She told me that English-speaking people,including,I think,the British and Americans,are generally courteous and they tend to greet one another a lot.The first rule I learned was when you meet someone you don’t know,you should say “how do you do?”And the other person would reply with “how do you do?”But when you meet someone you know,you should say “how are you?” The other person would respond “I’m fine,and how are you?”I followed this rule faithfully,that is,until I came to the US a few years (quite a few years) ago. 　　 　　For writing this column,I have tried to listen to myself greeting people for the past two weeks.I came to realize,to my own surprise,that “what’s up” had become my favorite greeting to people both I know and don’t know.There are more ways to respond to “what’s up” than you can respond to “how are you.”People often respond to “what’s up” with “nothing much,”“hanging in there,”or “same o’ same o’ (same old thing).”Sometimes you even get “what’s up” as a response when you greet someone with “what’s up.” 　　 　　My mother also told me that when you are asked “how are you,”answer back “I’m fine” and don’t forget to ask the other person “how are you?” too.Well,so much for that rule.Today I met a colleague in the hallway.I asked “how are you,Bob?”He said “Good!You?”Well,what does “good” mean here?Does it mean he is in good health or he is a good person?I barely garbled an “OK” as a response to his greeting.The next person I met in the hallway,I asked “what’s up, Joe?” 　　 　　“Hi” probably is the most popular greeting here in America.You can almost say 揌i?to anyone in any situation at anytime.You抣l “honever do wrong.Also,you can ask a friend to say “Hi” to anther friend for you.As the e-mail is getting more and more popular,our greetings have become less formal in writing as well. Instead of starting with “Dear Joh