君子一言，驷马难追
作者： 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。
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 something 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 promises wouldn't hurt so much. Promises are usually hard because they require us to step outside 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 personal 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 commitment 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
Ⅱ. Discussion
Do you know the importance of keeping a promise？ Have you ever had an experience of breaking your promise？
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