If you do someone a (1) _____, you might assume they would normally say "Thank you". However, recordings of more than a thousand casual conversations between friends and family around the world (2) _____ that this is not necessarily the (3) _____. A study of how often people (4) _____ gratitude for a relatively trivial act found that "Thank you", or words with the same meaning, occurred only once in every 20 interactions. There were some (5) _____ between the eight languages recorded, but even in the language which featured "Thank you" most, it was only observed in 14% of exchanges. The researchers say "Thank you" is (6) _____ for unusual requests, and they also point to its standard use in more formal (7) _____. Experts believe the global reluctance to (8) _____ helpful acts does not indicate rudeness. Rather, it demonstrates that close-knit groups take co-operation for (9) _____. "Social life (10) _____ because it is in our nature to ask for help and pay back in kind, rather than just words," said a researcher. "There is an unspoken agreement that people will co-operate."
1. A. hand B. favour C. support D. benefit
2. A. display B. uncover C. expose D. reveal
3. A. point B. matter C. case D. event
4. A. assert B. express C. utter D. announce
5. A. varieties B. disagreements C. differences D. conflicts
6. A. reserved B. devoted C. engaged D. maintained
7. A. backgrounds B. settings C. sites D. frames
8. A. admit B. realise C. perceive D. acknowledge
9. A. given B. agreed C. granted D. established
10. A. thrives B. grows C. booms D. shines