It is impossible not to make a mistake at some points in your life. We may as well accept that some thing will go wrong and we will be to blame. It is therefore sensible to work out some strategies for apologizing, and the best way to apologize is by letter. This way you can take care over every work you write— which you can’t do if you say sorry to someone in person.

We all say or do something that we wish we hadn’t said or done. You may say something that accidentally hurts someone, or you may provide a service which doesn’t come up to the standards that a client or customer expected.

You may feel that it was a genuine mistake which couldn’t be avoided. Rather than dwell on the mistake, you should quickly try to remedy(修补)the problem. An effective letter of apology is an important part of that process.

For the contents of the letter, just remember TABS—Timing, Action, Brevity, Sincerity.

The timing of a letter of apology is essential—it must be sent as soon as possible. Any delay in our sending the letter will only compound(add to) the problem. In this case “Better late than never” is not the best motto! The longer you wait before you wait before writing a letter of apology, the more it will seem that you have been coerced(被迫)into writing it.

Although it is important to recognize what has gone before, it is also essential to detail the action you plan to take to rectify whatever it was you did wrong. Research has shown that some indication that you have thought about what future action you plan to take is always well received.

A letter of apology should be brief and the word “sorry” should appear no more than twice. Indicate that you are aware using it a second time—“once again, I am so sorry for…” or “as I said earlier, I am really sorry about…”. Finally, the tone of the letter has to be sincere. In fact, the combination of all the above factors will help in this respect.

And don’t think that letters are out of date in the email—oriented 21st century. An apology email can be worse than no apology at all!

72.What kind of advice does the text suggest about apologizing?

A.It’s a good idea to write a letter of apology as soon as something has gone wrong.    

B.It’s a good idea to send several emails to apologize.

C.Write a long letter apologizing several times to make your point.

D.Wait to see how they react to your letter before planning to do anything.

73.What kind of things do you NOT apologize for?

A.A service that is not as good as it should be.

B.Genuine mistakes.

C.Car accidents.

D.Causing offence or hurt.

74.The underlined expression “Rather than dwell on the mistake” in the third paragraph means you _____.

A.should not waste time worrying about what happened.

B.should consider the problem

C.should forget about what happened.

D.should analyse who was at fault.

75.How can timing compound problems?

A.If you write immediately, they will be suspicious.

B.If you leave it for a few days, they will know it is your idea to write.

C.Waiting for a few days before you write will show your sincerity.

D.Waiting too long will make it worse because they won’t believe you mean it.

Everyone knows what a needle is. Of course there are needles and needles: Needles for sewing machines, needles for injection(注射), you name it. But few people think of the wonder : a needle works in the hands of those who practice acupuncture(针刺疗法).

During the past ten years or so, I have been suffering from terrible headache. It seems to be getting from bad to worse these days . Last night I got a sudden pain in my head. It was so terrible that I could hardly bear(忍受)it. Although I swallowed all kinds of pain-killers(止痛药), I didn’t feel any better, It seemed that there was nothing I could do but phone for a doctor.

One of our neighbours happened to be with us. He was not a doctor, but he timidly(胆怯地) offered his help, saying “Do you mind if I tried acupuncture on you? These needles may possibly do you some good.” I agreed. In a moment, he had taken out a few needles from his purse. Without a moment’s delay, he fixed a few needles into the skin on my head here and there, Before long, I felt thoroughly relieved(缓解疼痛).

Just then, the doctor sped through my house and said, “Where is our patient?”

 “Sorry, Doctor, You are too late, It’s killed!” I answered in delight.

It’s miracle , isn’t it?

The underlined phrase from bad to worse in the second paragraph refers to the man’s   . 

A. character         B. life          C. headache          D. health

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. the neighbour fixed needles on his own head

B. The neighbour is a kind-hearted person.

C. The man’s pain was killed before the doctor arrived

D. Soon after the acupuncture, the man was completely recovered.

The sentences” You are too late. It’s killed .” mean that    .

A. the pain was killed because the doctor came late

B. the man was killed because the doctor came too late

C. before the doctor came the man’s headache was already cured

D. it was too late and the man had gone away

The passage tells us that     .

A. everyone knows that acupuncture is a miracle

B. the neighbour wanted to use acupuncture on every patient

C. the effect of acupuncture on the man was unbelievable

D. the patient did not believe in acupuncture

  In the more and more competitive scrvice industry , it is no longer enough to promise customrr satisfaction. Today , customer “delighi” is what companies are trying to achieve in or order to keep and increase market share.
It is accepted in the marketing industry , and confirmed by a number of researches, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people : those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people, 80 percent of people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal
New llenges for customer care have come when peoplecan obtain  goods and services through  telephone call centers and the Intemet. For example , many companies now have to invest(投资)a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the “phone rage”—caused by delays in answering calls ,being cut off in mid-conversation or left waiting for long periods.
“Many people do not like talking to machines ,”says Dr . Storey Senior Lecturer in Marketng at City University Business School. “Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them .The aim is to make the customet feel they know you and that you can trest— the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager.”
Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering  (saying that a repair will be camed out within five hours ,but getting it done within two );replacing a faulty product immediately : throwing in a gift voucher(购物礼卷)as an unexpected “thank you” to regntlar customers ;and always returning calls ,even when they are complaints.
Aiming for customer delight is all very well , but if services do not reach the high level promised , disappointment or worse will be the result . This can be eased by offering an aplogy and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with empathy (for example,“I know how you must feel”) , and possible solutions (replacement , compensation or whatever faimess suggests best meets the case).
Airlines face some of the tourhest challenges over customer care . Fierce competition has convinced them that delighting passengers is an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer anger over delays caused by weather ,unclaimed luggage and technieal problems .
For British Airways staff , a winning telephone style is considercd vital in handling the large volume of calls about bookings and flight times . They are trained to answer quickly ,with their name , job title and a “we are here to help” attitude. The company has investod heavily in information technology to make sure that infomation is available instantly on scren.
British Airways also says its customer care policies are applied within the company and staff are
taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards of service.
Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such as "we do as we please”. On the other  hand , the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of  disappointment.
【小题1】
We can learn from Paragraph 2 that       .

A. complaining customers are hard to satisfy
B. unsatisfied customers receive better service
C. Satisfied customers catch more attention
D. well-treated customers promote business
【小题2】
The writer mentions “phone rage”(Paragraph 3) to show that       .
A.customers often use phones to express their anger
B.people still prefer to buy goods online
C.customer care becomes more attention
D.customers rely on their phones to obtain services
【小题3】
What does the writer recommend to create delight?
A.Calling customers regularlyB.Giving a “thank you” note.
C.Delivering a quicker serviceD.Promising more gifts.
【小题4】
If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph6), what would he  probably say?
A.“I know how upset you must be.”B.“I appreciate your understanding.”
C.“I’m sorry for the delay.”D.“I know it’s our fault.”
【小题5】
Customer delight is important for airlines because      .
A.their telephone style remains anchanged
B.they are more likely to meet with complaints
C.the services cost them a lot of money
D.the policies can be applied to their staff
【小题6】
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
A.Face-to-face service creatcs comfortable feelings among customers.
B.Companies that promise more will naturally attract more customers.
C.A company should promise less but do more in a competitive market.
D.Customer delight is more important for airlines than for banks.

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