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 render the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
  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.
  Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement.
  These pseudo-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 resort to these pseudo-apologies.
  But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old 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 might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.
【小题1】According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means “_______”.

A.You have good reason to get upset
B.I’m aware you’re upset, but I’m not to blame
C.I apologize for hurting your feelings
D.I’m at fault for making you upset
【小题2】We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry _______.
A.the complexities involved should be ignored
B.their ages should be taken into account
C.parents need to set them a good example
D.parents should be patient and tolerant
【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _______.
A.a social issue calling for immediate attention
B.not necessary among family members
C.a sign of social progress
D.not as simple as it seems

There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , “Sorry”.
One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said “sorry” to me . Even in a rush , he didn’t forget to apologize .
One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn’t ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, “I’m sorry ,” he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled —why would he apologize when it was my fault ?
Another time , I stepped on a man’s foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said “sorry” . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ?  
Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn’t it necessary to express an apology ?
During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction (摩擦) occurs in daily life , Americans don’t care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a “sorry” is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the “sorry” would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America .
【小题1】When I was walking in the street , ____ .

A.a young man wanted to rob me of my bag
B.a young man ran by and wanted to brush my bag
C.a young man said sorry to me for touching my bag
D.a young man came hurriedly to help me with my bag
【小题2】When the salesman gave me the change , _____
A.I purposely didn’t want to accept it from the salesman
B.the salesman purposely didn’t want to pass it to me
C.I was slower to accept it than the salesman to give it to me
D.the salesman was slower to give it to me than I could accept it
【小题3】The man on whose feet I stepped apologized to me because ____ .
A.the escalator is a public place
B.the man was very afraid of me
C.the “sorry” said to me was for everyone
D.there wasn’t enough room to get my feet in
【小题4】In this passage , the author seems to feel _____ the Americans’ “sorry”.
A.angry with B.disappointed withC.interested inD.approving of

The hit movie Notting Hill begins with a famous scene. Hugh Grant bumps (撞) into Julia Roberts and spills (洒) orange juice all over her. After the collision, Grant repeatedly says: “ I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”

His actions in this scene are very British. If Roberts’ character were from Britain then she would probably apologize repeatedly as well—even if the crash were not her fault. But this doesn’t happen in the film, as Roberts is from the US.

A report in The Telegraph last week said that three-quarters of British people apologize when they bump into someone in the street — regardless of whether they are responsible or not. In fact, we Britons use “sorry” in many situations. For example, if we mishear someone, we say “Sorry?” The person we are talking to will also apologize by replying: “No, I am sorry!” This can go on for up to five minutes as we compete over who is the most sorry.

Life is never as simple as “duibuqi” and “meiguanxi”.

How we use “sorry” has changed. Traditionally, “sorry” was used to express deep regret, but a survey in 2007 showed that we use it to mean anything from “what” to “whatever”.

Why are Britons so sorry? Mark Tyrell, a psychology writer in the UK, thinks about our apologetic tendencies are rooted in the British class system. We say sorry because historically the new middle classes in Britain had to apologize for not being working class, but also for not really being upper class. Another theory is that we apologize to avoid confrontation(冲突). For example, if you bump into someone they might get angry. To avoid this we instantly say “Sorry!”.

True manners are about being considerate and the modern day obsession with apologizing show that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were. The word has lost some of its meaning. Do you see my point? Sorry, it might just be a British thing…

1.What can we infer from paragraph 2?

A.In fact Roberts are responsible for the collision.

B.People from the US say “sorry” more than British people.

C.There is no crash happening in the film.

D.British people say sorry even if it is not their fault.

2.Which of the following might Mark Tyrell agree to?

A.British people are sincere while saying sorry.

B.Now more British people say sorry because of the British class system.

C.British people say sorry to avoid quarrels.

D.British people apologize for not working hard.

3.What does the author want to tell us with the passage?

A.British people overuse “sorry” in daily life.

B.British people now say “sorry” in different situations.

C.Middle classes in British are to blame for not being working class.

D.Britons say “sorry” to avoid confrontation.

4.What does the underlined word “collision” in the first paragraph mean?

A.quarrel           B.disagreement      C.crash             D.fight

 

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 render the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.

  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.

  Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement.

  These pseudo-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 resort to these pseudo-apologies.

  But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old 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 might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.

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

A.You have good reason to get upset

B.I’m aware you’re upset, but I’m not to blame

C.I apologize for hurting your feelings

D.I’m at fault for making you upset

2.We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry _______.

A.the complexities involved should be ignored

B.their ages should be taken into account

C.parents need to set them a good example

D.parents should be patient and tolerant

3.It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _______.

A.a social issue calling for immediate attention

B.not necessary among family members

C.a sign of social progress

D.not as simple as it seems

 

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 render the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.

  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.

  Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement.

  These pseudo-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 resort to these pseudo-apologies.

  But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old 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 might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.

60. According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means “_______”.
  A. You have good reason to get upset
  B. I’m aware you’re upset, but I’m not to blame
  C. I apologize for hurting your feelings
  D. I’m at fault for making you upset

61. We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry _______.
  A. the complexities involved should be ignored
  B. their ages should be taken into account
  C. parents need to set them a good example
  D. parents should be patient and tolerant

62. It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _______.
  A. a social issue calling for immediate attention B. not necessary among family members
  C. a sign of social progress          D. not as simple as it seems

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网