Giving someone good news is easy, but what about bad news? Are there any good ways to give bad news without making people too upset? The following steps might help:
Say something positive. Try to start or end the conversation with some good news, so that it’s not all bad. For example, “ You did very well in the interview, but unfortunately we’ve given the job to somebody else.”
Prepare your listener for the news. Use phrases to introduce what you’re going to say, like “Unfortunately, …”, “ I’m really sorry , but…” or “ I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.” This gives the listener time to prepare for what you’re going to say.
Try to give a reason. People like know why things go wrong. Try to explain the decision. If someone doesn’t get the job, can you explain why? If you have to cancel an appointment, try to give a reason.
Use a soft tone of voice. If you’re giving someone bad news, try to use a soft, calm voice to make your sound kind. Say things to show you understand, like “I’m really sorry.” Or “I know this must be disappointing.”
【小题1】 Which step isn’t mentioned in the passage?

I spend much more time playing basketball than I _______ for my lessons.

  A. spend to prepare   B. do preparing   C. do to prepare    D. spend prepare

A
【小题1】 Peter’s study group meeting will be on ______.

完形填空

Have you ever asked yourself why children go to school? You will probably   1__  they go to learn languages, geography, history, science and all the other subjects. That is quite    2  ,but why do they learn these things?

We send our children to school to    3   them for their future work and life. Nearly everything they study at school has some practical use in their life, but is that the  __4  reason they go to school?

There is    5  in education than just learning facts. We go to school above all to learn how to learn, so when we    6   school we can go on learning. If a man really knows how to learn, he will    7   be successful, because whenever he has to do something new he will quickly teach himself how to do it in the best way. The uneducated person, on the other hand, is ___8   unable to do it or does it badly, so the    9   of school is not just to teach languages, geography, science, etc, but to teach pupils the    10   to learn.

A

1. Peter’s study group meeting will be on ______.

A．Saturday morning                       B．Monday afternoon

C．Saturday evening                        D．Friday afternoon

2. From Peter’s plan we learn that Peter likes ______.

A．table tennis                            B．music

C．art                                   D．basketball

3. On Sunday morning Mary will ______.

A．be free                               B．be busy

C．see the doctor                          D．go shopping

4. What will Mary do on Wednesday evening?

A．See her friends                         B．Play basketball

C．Go to her art class                       D．Prepare for an exam

5. Peter and Marry want to play badminton on Saturday, what time is suitable?

A．10 a.m            B．9.30 a.m          C．2.p.m             D． 4.p.m