君子一言，驷马难追

山东 李全忠

“人无信不立”，人与人之间的关系，需要信用来维系。只有恪守信用的人，才能交到知心的朋友，才能成大事。

?文章词数350难度★★★建议用时7分钟

1A promise can go a long way in personal relationships. It is a commitment to follow through on your word. But what does it mean when you say the phrase,“I promise...”and how does this affect your relationships?

2“I promise...”We all have heard this phrase time and time again. Regardless, if it's a promise for some⁃thing small like to wash the dishes or something big like to stop smoking, promises help you get closer to those you love. Studies suggest that keeping promises holds a lot of emotional value and when we break them, there is a decline of trust. But why is it so important to keep a promise and how do we stay committed to our follow⁃through?Here are some important reminders of promises:

3Promises are hard work. If following through a promise was easy, then broken prom⁃ises wouldn't hurt so much. Promises are usually hard because they require us to step out⁃side of our wants and fulfil something for someone else or challenge ourselves to break old harmful habits.

4Promises are meant to be taken seriously. Do you remember the first time someone broke a promise to you?When a promise is broken,your reputations,relationships and per⁃sonal integrity suffer. Take each promise you make seriously to ensure that you are not the one causing unnecessary distrust.

5Promises are commitments. People with strong relationships rank higher in emotional intelligence and are more likely to stay loyal to their commitments. Whether the commit⁃ment is to yourself or to someone else, making a promise is a commitment that you will keep your word.It is a commitment that reinforces trust.

6Promises are affirmations (肯定) of love, friendship, family and human connection.Actions speak louder than words. Promises are actions that affirm our love and connection with other people. Whether that connection is through friendships, family or strangers,promises affirm that we want to pass on our compassion to others.

7Promises are a vital part of building our relationships. Making and keeping promises plays an important role in each of our lives.Stay devoted to your promises.

Reading Check

Ⅰ.Fill in each blank with only one word according to the text

Keeping promises matters Definition of promises（Para.1）Impacts（Para.2）√1.can go a long way in personal relationships.√It is a 2.to follow through on your word.√When people keep promises,their relationships become much 3..√When people break promises,there is a decline of 4..√Promises are hard work because it is 5.for us to break old harm⁃Reminders of promises（Para.3～Para.6）ful habits.√When you make a promise,you must be 6..√Making a promise is a commitment 7.your word.√Promises are actions that affirm our love and connection with 8..Conclusion（Para.7）√When you make your promises,you must 9.them.√You should 10.yourself to your promises.

Ⅱ.Discussion

Do you know the importance of keeping a promise? Have you ever had an experience of breaking your promise?

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主题应用·语库构建

Ⅰ.高频表达

virtuous 道德高尚的；品行端正的

honorable 品格高尚的

upright/upstanding 正直的；诚实的

pure 纯真的；无邪的

dignified 有尊严的；庄严的

law⁃abiding 遵纪守法的

conscientious 勤勉认真的；一丝不苟的

faultless 完美的；无缺点的

stately 庄严的；高贵的；雄伟的

distinguished 卓越的；著名的

decent 正派的；正直的

just 公正的；合理的

creditable 值得称赞的；高尚的

praiseworthy 值得称赞的

angelic 天使般的；善良的

innocent 无辜的；天真无邪的

honest 诚实的；坦诚的

reputable 值得信赖的；声誉好的

respectable 可敬的；相当好的

sinless 无罪的；清白的

saintly 圣洁的；善良的

noble 高尚的；贵族的

decorous 礼貌得体的

deserving 值得的；应得的

public⁃spirited 有公德心的

faithless 不守信用的；背信弃义的

incredulous 不能相信的

dishonest 不诚实的

perfidious 不可信的；背信弃义的

traitorous 叛逆的

false⁃hearted 不忠实的；欺诈的

independent 独立的

outgoing 外向的

active 主动的；活跃的

aggressive 有进取心的

ambitious 有雄心壮志的

amiable 和蔼可亲的

amicable 友好的

aspiring 有志气的；有抱负的

capable 有能力的；有才能的

careful 谨慎的

competent 能胜任的

cooperative 有合作精神的

creative 有创造力的

dedicated 专心致志的

dependable可靠的

disciplined 守纪律的

dutiful 尽职的

well⁃educated 受过良好教育的

efficient 有效率的

energetic 精力充沛的

faithful 忠实的；忠诚的

frank 直率的

generous 宽宏大量的

gentle 温柔的

impartial 公正的

industrious 勤奋的

ingenious 机敏的

intelligent 聪明的

learned 有学问的

methodical 有条理的

modest 谦虚的

objective 客观的

precise 一丝不苟的

punctual 守时的

realistic 实事求是的

responsible 负责的

sensible 明智的

steady 沉稳的

purposeful 坚毅的

sweet⁃tempered 性情温和的

temperate 温和的

tireless 孜孜不倦的

attractive 有魅力的

audacious 大胆的；有冒险精神的

caring 乐于助人的

comical 滑稽的

confident 有信心的

considerate 体贴的

courageous 勇敢的；无畏的

cultured 有教养的

dashing 自信的

determined 坚决的

devoted 全心全意的

easy⁃going 随和的

enthusiastic 热情的

frugal 俭朴的

greedy 贪婪的

hard⁃working 勤奋的

hearty 友好的

narrow⁃minded 心胸狭窄的

open⁃minded 思想开明的

optimistic 乐观的

orderly 守秩序的

original 有独创性的

passionate 热诚的

persevering 不屈不挠的

pessimistic 悲观的

reasonable 明智的

romantic 浪漫的

self⁃conscious 害羞的

selfish 自私的

selfless 无私的

sincere 真诚的

smart 精明的

sociable 好交际的

spirited 精神饱满的；坚定的

strong⁃willed 意志坚强的

sympathetic 有同情心的

observe/obey the law 守法

offend against the law 违法

public morals/morality 社会风气/公德

appeal to the public to do sth 向公众呼吁做某事

comply with the law 遵纪守法

comply with public morality 遵守公德

educate the public in 在……方面教育公众

disregard the public rules 无视公共规章

observe traffic regulations 遵守交规

improve public morals 改善社会风气

safeguard public morals 维护公共道德

injure public morality 损害公共道德

break/violate public regulations 违反公共规章

Ⅱ.美句背诵

1. He who has no virtue of himself is often jealous of the virtues of others. 自己无德的人，常常妒忌他人的美德。

2. True virtue is like a river, the deeper, the more silent. 真正高尚的德行就像河流一样，越深越无声。

3. Being brave is a kind of tempera⁃ment, which is very necessary. 勇敢是一种十分必要的气质。

4. No morality can be founded on au⁃thority, even if the authority can be divine.道德不可能建立在权威的基础上，即使这种权威是至高无上的。

5. Under this slogan, everyone must shoulder his own responsibility and devote himself to his position without doubt. Ev⁃eryone should carry forward the socialist concept of honor and disgrace. 在这个口号下，毫无疑问每个人都必须承担起自己的责任，献身于自己的位置，人人都要弘扬社会主义荣辱观。

6. The journey of life can be divided into two parts—a journey of gaining enough experience to have insights into the world, as well as developing some car⁃dinal virtues that guide our journey. 人生旅程可以分为两部分——获得足够的经验以洞察世界，以及发展指导我们旅程的一些基本美德。

7.Virtues are the essence of our char⁃acters and characters do indeed determine destinies. The more we recognize the po⁃tential impact that practicing virtues can have on our lives, the more our lives open up to new possibilities and greater joy and fulfillment. 美德是我们性格的本质，性格确实决定了命运。我们越认识到践行美德对我们生活的潜在影响，我们的生活就越能向新的可能性以及更大的快乐和满足敞开。

8. Virtues are important because they are the basic qualities necessary for our well⁃being and happiness. Recognizing the importance of virtues in our lives will lead to better communication, understanding and acceptance between us and our fellow men.美德很重要，因为它们是我们健康和幸福所必需的基本品质。认识到美德在我们生活中的重要性将促进我们和我们的同胞之间更好的沟通、理解和接受。

Ⅲ.读后创写

你校“美丽校园”微信公众号正在举办主题征文活动，请你以“No step, no mile”为题，写一篇英语短文。内容包括：

1.你是如何理解这句名言的；

2.用相关事例加以说明。注意：

1.词数80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

No step,no mile

Ⅳ.主题测评

见P50～P60自测园地“美好的品德”内容。