Dial Tone 　　　　　　　　　　 　　你会用英语打电话、接电话吗？你知道用英语打电话 的一些基本礼仪吗？请读本文。

　　
Given the breathtaking speed with which telephones have begun to permeate every pocket of Chinese society, it is a little surprising that a good number of people have yet to learn even a modicum of telephone etiquette.
Strangely, it's as if the normal courtesies which one would extend to another in face to face conversation do not apply in telephonic conversation.
To begin with, a caller is often greeted with a blunt "Who are you?" a response which many feel is much too direct. On occasion, the receiver of the telephone call expresses unwillingness to reveal the information the caller seeks.
Such as whether, say, Mr. Zhang is available to take the call - until the caller states his or her identity and institutional affiliation. A more polite approach might be to offer the desired information, following with a gentle inquiry such as "… and who may I say is calling?"
An excessive concern for privacy undermines the very function of the telephone; if someone doesn't even want to tell a caller whether a person is available to take the call or not, why have a phone in the first place?
The person one is calling is sometimes unavailable. Frequently, the person who received the call returns to the phone only to state, "He's not here, "or "She's not here, call again after a while" and then, without waiting for a response, immediately hangs up.
Ending the conversation so abruptly and unilaterally - that is, without giving the caller the opportunity to acknowledge the information which has been conveyed - is considered by many to be very rude. A much more genial way of handling the same situation would be to go the step further and inform the caller when the person might return and ask "May I take your name and phone number or leave a message?"
The caller would no doubt appreciate this response and may choose to leave a message, or may decide to try again later. In any event, both parties would be likely to come away from the call with a sense that it ended pleasantly.
Without a doubt, the increasing prevalence of telephones in China is a very positive development, one which will contribute greatly to the country's continued economic growth. Matters used to require considerable time and effort to resolve may now be handled with a telephone call or two.
This is all the more reason for telephone users to begin extending to callers the same basic courtesies ---already an important part of our lives. Why not make them a more pleasant part?

　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　话说电话礼仪

　　中国的电话业有了惊人的发展，电话已渗透到了中国社会的各个角落，但令人有点吃惊的是，不少人还没有学会哪怕是起码的电话礼仪。很奇怪，在面对面谈话时彼此间似乎是很普通的礼貌却未能用在电话交谈中。
　　打电话开始时，打电话的人常常听到一声直愣愣的问话："你是谁呀？"这使很多人感到太直了。有时候，接电话的人不愿意说出打电话的人想要得到的信息――比如说张先生是否可以接电话――直到发话人说出他（她）的身份和单位才肯告诉。而比较有礼貌的方式应是提供对方所要得到的信息，继而是文雅的问话，如："我可以知道你的姓名吧？"对于隐私的过分关注破坏着电话的作用，如果谁连某人在不在都不想告诉打电话的人，那当初何必安电话呢？
　 有时候要找的人不在，接电话的人常常是只说一句"他不在"或者"她不在，过会儿再打！"不等发话人这边说什么，立刻就挂上了电话。这样突然而且是单方面地结束了对话――即没有给发话人机会来对所转达的信息表示听到了――很多人认为这是很粗鲁的。而处理相同事情温和得多的方式则是进一步告诉打电话的人要找的人什么时候回来，并且问："你可以留下姓名和电话号码吗？有什么事我可以转告吗？"打电话的人肯定会感谢这种答复，也许会留下口信，或者决定过会儿再打。不管怎么说，双方都愿意怀着愉快的心情结束电话。
　 毫无疑问，在中国越来越流行的电话是一项积极的发展，并将对国家持续的经济发展做出巨大贡献。过去常常花费很多时间和精力来解决的事情现在可以用一两个电话就解决了。因此就更加需要电话的使用者开始用对待家里的客人的相同的基本礼貌来对待打电话的人。电话已成为我们生活中重要的一部分，为什么不让它们成为更愉快的一部分呢？