Several years ago, a television reporter was interviewing three of the most important people from local businesses.One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.

The reporter was talking to them about being important.

“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.

The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President is really important.”

The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company.“Do you agree with that?” she asked.

The man shook his head, “No.I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House.You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President said he was too busy to answer it.”

The reporter turned to the third man.“Do you think so?”

“No, I don’t.” he said.“I don’t think that makes the visitor important.That makes the President important.”

“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.

“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘it’s for you.’”

“Thanks. We’d love to. What time?” or “【小题1】”However, it is not polite to say “No, we wouldn't!”

Sometimes, the British use expressions that sound like invitations but which are not invitations. For example, “【小题2】” These are usually just polite ways of ending a talk. They are not real invitations because they don't mention an exact time or day. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly and the answers are “Yes, that would be nice.” or “【小题3】”.

So next time you hear what sounds like an invitation, listen carefully. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?