题目内容
— ________, Robin?
B. What else
C. How come
D. Why not
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…
【小题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. |
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. |
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. |
A.quarrel | B.disagreement | C.crash | D.fight |
The other day, I received a most unexpected message in response to one of my essays: I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished. I shared your opinion …
It was signed Margaret Leibfried, who was my English teacher — a teacher who appeared at a vital (关键) point in my life and helped me believe that I could become a writer.
Thirty years ago, I entered high school as an introvert (性格内向的人) made all the more shy because I was the school’s only nonwhite student. I always felt in danger of being swept away by a sea of tall white athletes. I spent a lot of time alone, reading and writing stories, hoping to escape being teased.
Ms. Leibfried taught American literature and composition grammar, which involved the usual memorizing vocabulary, but also, thrillingly, reading novels.
Thrilling to me, that is. Many of my classmates expressed dislike for novels because they were “not real.” For once, I didn’t care what they thought. Ms. Leibfried seemed to notice my interest in both reading and writing, and she took the time to make me feel less shy; she even offered me reading suggestions, like one of her favorite novels, “The Bell Jar.”
That year’s big project was a book report, to be read aloud to the class. However, Ms. Leibfried suggested I do something “a little different.” Instead of a report, I chose a passage from “The Bell Jar” that I considered as the best to recite.
The morning of the presentations, I remember my hands sweating so badly as I walked to the front of the class that I kept my hands crossed, so I wouldn’t wipe them on my blouse.
When I finished, to my surprise, the class applauded. “Marie has picked out a particularly sensitive piece of writing and delivered it beautifully,” Ms. Leibfried said, smiling. I felt, maybe for the first time, confident.
1.What was the author’s high school life like before she met Ms. Leibfried?
A.Lonely. |
B.Exciting. |
C.Wild. |
D.Busy |
2.In Paragraph 5, the author mainly tells us .
A.how she cared what her classmates thought |
B.when she became interested in “The Bell Jar” |
C.why many of her classmates disliked novels |
D.how Ms. Leibfried helped and encouraged her |
3.Why did Ms. Leibfried ask the author to recite a passage in front of the class?
A.To test whether she had a good memory. |
B.To make her earn the respect of her classmates. |
C.To help deepen her understanding of “The Bell Jar.” |
D.To guide her to build a good relationship with others. |
4.How did the author feel when she made the presentation?
A.Comfortable. |
B.sad. |
C.Nervous. |
D.Confident. |
5.What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To express her thanks to her teacher. |
B.To discuss the issue of racial prejudice (偏见). |
C.To introduce one of her favorite books. |
D.To suggest the ways to gain confidence. |