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.
【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

下面是21世纪报中学生英语双语版 (Student Times )刊登的一封读者来信，请你以编辑Henry的身份给这位中学生写封回信。

Dear editor,

I am a new student in Xin Hua Middle School. I hardly talk to my classmates. Sometimes I do want to talk, but I don’t know what to talk about and how to begin a conversation. I feel so lonely. And I spend most of my time studying but I find it’s more difficult and tiring than before, especially spoken English.

Could you give me some advice?

Yours,

Tom

注意：回信的内容包括以下要点，可适当增减细节

1保持微笑，这在与人相处中很重要；

2与同学们友好相处，多交流相同爱好或相互讨论学习问题；

3英语越来越重要；学好语言需要有信心，多开口说；

4可以通过多种方式，如……，让校园生活丰富多彩。

词数120左右。信的开头已写好，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：自信的 confident adj.

丰富多彩的 colorful　 adj.

Dear Tom,

Your problem is a common one among middle school students. Maybe the following advice can help you………

　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 .

yours

Henry

 

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