(D) THANK-you
cards--heartfelt expressions of gratitude for gifts, services and general
kindness--seem to be rare in an age when the Internet continues to reduce human
interaction. Although our society has changed greatly over the
past century, the etiquette of thank-you notes has not. While
most people would agree that thank-you notes under these circumstances are a
necessity, there are still those who forever postpone or are forgetful for
unknown reasons. And at no time of the year are thank-you notes
more visible (or lacking) than June, the month of graduations, and the beginning
of summer parties. "It’s a must-do thing. A real thank you does
not come by e-mail. It comes in the mail in an envelope. And what comes
out of an envelope is a beautiful thing to touch and to handle and to pass
around for everyone to read," said etiquette expert Letitia Baldrige.
Don’t think for a second that Baldrige is old-fashioned. Handwritten
thank-you notes--any handwritten correspondence, for that matter- have taken on
an air of extra importance and dignity (庄重) in this e-hyper (电子狂躁的)
world. Baldrige remains hopeful that the art may be enjoying a
renaissance (复兴,再生). More than simply obeying rules of
etiquette, thank-you cards are a sign of caring. "They’re more
important now than ever," expert Peter Post says. "You are building a
relationship. And part of building that relationship is that you acknowledge
when someone has done something nice for you. " "The payoff,"
Post says, "can be huge. The more we do it, the more it comes back to us, and
it’s a benefit to us all. It makes our world a little bit nicer place to live
in. " From the context, the word "etiquette" in the second paragraph
probably means ______.
A. old objects for sale
B. rules for people to obey
C. hand-made articles
D. customs for polite behavior