Unit 15 A Letter of Refusing an Invitation
假定你叫李华，你的朋友John Smith在南京大学教英语，下面是他给你的来信，要求你用英语给他写一封信，婉言谢绝他的邀请，回信时必须涉及以下内容：
1、感谢盛情邀请
2、说明自己不能去的原因。（已经答应奶奶在乡下过暑假，因为奶奶太想念自己了）
3、介绍自己的生活及学习情况和其他有关内容。
注意：（1）书信的格式（要写明信内地址）
（2）词数100—140
Nanjing University
Nanjing
June 1st
The No. 25 Middle School
Beijing
Dear Li Hua,
We’ll be very happy if you can come and spend several days with us here during the coming summer vacation. It’s so long since we saw you in Beijing and we are eager to hear about your life and study at school. There will be no one here except Tom, you and me, so we can have a real good English talk together and hear some pop American music on the recorder. Besides, we can go boating on the Xuanwu lake and go fishing by the Long River. Do hope you can come.
Looking forward very much to seeing you.
“范文”
The No. 25 Middle School
Beijing
June 10th
Nanjing University
Nanjing
Dear Mr. Smith,
I’m very thankful① to you for inviting me to go and stay with you in Nanjing. I often hear that Nanjing is a beautiful city, and I have been longing② to see you again so that③ I can get more help from you in my English study. But I’m afraid I can’t go in this coming summer vacation④. My grandmother, who lives in the country, has asked me again and again⑤ to go and spend the vacation together with her. She misses⑥ me so much that I have no choice but to obey her.
I’m busy⑦ preparing for my college entrance examinations⑧ all these days,⑨ and now I feel quite sure of⑩ myself. Just wait for the second news of my success. I wish I could go and see you and Tom at the end of this year.
With best wishes to both you and Tom.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
“注释：”
①thankful：感激的，感动的
②long：渴望，极想要
③so that：以便（引导目的状语从句）
④again and again：一再地
⑤She misses me so much that …：她非常想念我以致于……（so…that…如此…以致于，引导结果状语从句）
⑥I have no choice but to obey her我别无选择只有听她的（因为have的缘故，but后的to不能省略）
⑦be busy doing sth：忙于做某事
⑧college entrance examination：大学入学考试，即高考
⑨all these days：这些日子来
⑩feel sure of：确信，有把握
“点评：”
这是一篇根据内容提示展开的书信体应用文，要求阅读来信后，写一封回信。
作为书信，本文采用了正确的书信格式。按照题目要求，写了信内地址，格式正确，表达准确。
作为回信，首先要给对方来信中所提的内容一个回复。本文也是如此。在读了来信后，回信正文部分第一段，先向对方的邀请表示真诚感谢，措辞很得体。然后婉言谢绝他的邀请，并说明自己不能去的原因，语言不浮夸，诚恳实在。在正文的第二段，作者按要求介绍了自己的生活及学习情况和其他相关内容，如身临其境，设想的情境合情合理。最后一段向对方表示祝愿，这也是书信结束时常用的礼貌用语。
资料来源：英语作文高分必背丛书：高考/李华田主编，武汉大学出版社，2005
