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i HELPWITHGRAMMARfiTime expressions withthe Past Simple3 and
Present Perfect@t|" Lookat these sentences. Are they talkingVabout
a definitetime in the past, or time up tog and includingnow?
Whichverb formis used?
Reading()^ Work in pairs. Give examples of what you consider to
be\--'l good and bad service in shops, restaurants, etc'
b Read the article. Whydo very friendlyshop assistantsannoy the
writer?
c Read the article again. Tickthe true sentences. Correct
thefalse ones.I The writerwas in a hurrywhen she went into the
shop.2 She wondered why theshop assistant's behaviourhad upset
her'3 She enjoyed the food she had at the restaurant.4 She told the
waitress what she thoughtof the food.5 No psychologicalstudy has
the same viewas hers.6 She wouldn'tobject to assistants who were
naturally friendly'z The second time she met the shop assistant,
she felt the same way'8 She was persuaded to buy something
withoutrealisingit'
across the road so I ran in, grabbed a jar at random andheaded
over,to the counter.
"Havinga loodday?" asked the girlat the
till,beamingblissfully.
"Yes thanks," I replied."That's Sreat." She ran the scanner over
the jar,'and made
purposeful eye contact. ',"Been shopping all mornng?"Not having
the time to take her lhroughmydiary, I ma.de a
vaguelyaffirmatvenoise."Yeah? Luckyyou "She told me the price
and said, "So' got
anything.plpnqedfor this afternpoQ?" , ,.r.'"Oh, you know,'rI
said, aware of time,tickingby. "Thisand
that. Stuff."As I hurriedon my way I found myselfthinkingabout
the girl
and the barrage of niceness I had just experienced. Whydid
itmake me feel so bad? Was it churlishnot to chat back? Or wasthis
sort of pushy friendliness, in its way, every bit as rude? Iwas
reminded of this when I met a friend for lunch. I had thefishcakes.
Theywere perfectlydisgusting.
"Everythingall rightwithyour meal?" asked the
waitress,interruptingour conversation witha happilyexpectant
grin'
"Fine,"I said. What else could I have said even if I'd wantedto?
I didn't have time and anyway, it mighthave made my
frienuncomfortable.
Later, I thoughtabout manners. As a socety, we do not
takemanners (by which I mean how we behave towards strangers)very
seriously.lfyou are approaching a bank or shop, theperson just
ahead of you is sure to let the doors swing back inyour face.
Middle-agedmen park in disabled spaces, teenagersslump in their
seats on the bus, pretending not to notice thepregnant woman
standing in frontof them.
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1 I've boughtquite a few self-helpbooksover the oast fewmonths.2
I've read about 150 Pages so far.
3 During the last couple of weeks l've actuallybeen tryingout
some of Carnegie's suggestions.
4 Untilnow, I've neverreally had any contact withthe guy in the
ticketoffice.
h Underlinethe time expression in eachsentence in 64.c Sometimes
we can use the PresentPerfect or Past Simple withthe same
timeexpression. Compare these sentences. Whydid Speaker A use the
Past Simple? WhydidSpeaker B use the Present Perfect?1 A I told at
least ten people about it at work
this week.the sPeaker consrUers the workingweek finished
B l've told at leasl ten peoplq about it at workthis week.the
speaker consders the workingweek unfinished
A I read it during the summer holidays.B I've read a lot
ofbooks.dwingthe last
month.
A Since Ann suggested this one, I've reada couple of his other
books.B l've read lots ofhis books since I've been
unemployed.A As soon as I finishedreading it, I gave it
to my brother.B As soon as I've finishedreading it, l'm
going to give it to mYbrother.
Check in GillllfiElllf;Fp135.
a Writesentences about things you haveread or done recently. Use
the Past Simple orPresent Perfect withthese time expressions.
1 as soon as2 during3 since4 this week5 over the past few
weeks/months6 so far
As soon as lfinishedmY exams,lread AnnaKarenina.
b Work in pairs. Discuss your sentences.Ask
follow-upquestions.
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Yet it's obviouson the High Streetthat'fakenice', as practisedby
mycashier and the waitress, is on the increase. lt has becomea
highlyoverused marketingweapon and you can't go intoany shopwithout
someperky person rushing up and saying, "Hi Need anyhelp?" You
smile back throughgritted teeth, "Just looking,thanks."Queueing at
the supermarket s a matter of answeringthe cashier's"Still
raining?"withoutbetraying the fact thatyou heard them
ask someone else this very question two minutes earlier.
Callmemiserable, but I'm not stupid. I knowwhat these people want.
Theydon't want to be my friend. They want my money.
Apparently, research has shown that if an assistant treats you
asa friend,there's a psychologicaleffect: thecustomer feels
wantedand needed, and willreturn. Or will they?Other studies
suggest thatthis sales technique is a turn-off.Perhaps the
solutions to appointpeople who are genuinelyinterested inpeople,
not those who aretrained to be insincere robots.
Recently, I found myself back atthe chemist's where it
allstarted.I have to get a present fora friend, and in any case,
I'm interested
to see whether Scary FriendlyGirlis theie. Ah,yes she is,
atthetill,givingit lots of oomph and sparkle. I select some
almondhand cream and put it on the counter in front ofher. She
looksup and beams at me. I submit to the overwhelmingpower of
herspurious affection.I'm notin a hurrythis timeand the
experienceis not unpleasant.
When I get home, I check my receipt. There'sone item thatdoesn't
ring anybells. I go through the carrier bag and findnothingto
explain it, so I pickupthe phone and call the chemist's. I'm
toldthat I purchased something called a 'Take Care of Your Skin'
cardthat entitles me to allsorts of extra perks and
beautifyingtreats'However,no one asked me if I wanted to buy it.
"Areyou absolutelysure?" the manager asks.
I thinkabout it. I remember the soporificfeelingof being
buriedunder a soft wave of niceness. I recall zoning outa
little.No, actually'
I'mnot sure, after all.
/*T,( ffi bLookat the words/phrases invblue in the article. Who
are they
referringto?
b Try to guess the meaning ofthewords/phrases in blue.What do
theysuggest about the writer'sattitude?
,z-\.
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