Question

If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.

   If you say to your children “I’m sorry I got angry with you, but…”, what follows that “but” can make the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “You noise was giving me a headache” leaves the child who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for this bad behavior.

   Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset”; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.

   These pseudo(虚假的) apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not turn to these pseudo apologies.

   But even when presented with examples of true regret, children still need help to become aware of how difficult it is to say sorry. A three-year-old child might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old child might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old child might need to be shown that taking away the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.

1.If a mother adds “but” to an apology, ________.

       A. the child may find the apology easier to accept       

       B. the child may feel that he should apologize to his mother 

       C. she does not realize that the child has been hurt       

       D. she doesn’t feel that she should have apologized

2. According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset.” most probably means “_____”

       A. You have good reason to get upset  B. I apologize for hurting your feelings 

       C. I’m wrong for making you upset     D. I know you’re upset, but I’m not to blame

3. We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry ____.

       A. their ages should be taken into consideration   

       B. parents should be patient and tolerant(宽容的)

       C. parents need to set them a good example      

       D. the difficulties involved should be taken no notice of

4. It can be inferred from the text that apologizing properly is ________.

       A. not necessary among family members     B. a sign of social progress 

       C. not as simple as it seems                      D. a matter calling for immediate attention

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】略