Question

The British----and especially the English----are bad at complaining. Because of British politeness rules, according to which conflict should be avoided, people either just do not complain, or sometimes bottle it up and then outpour it in another way in other umimportant situations. In fact, there is a TV programme which show the British in typical situations where they would be perfectly reasonable in complaining, but they don’t. In one scene, a woman reads a newspaper over people’s shoulders and the people say nothing or look embarrassed.

The British are also well-known for putting up with bad service everywhere from restaurants to airports and railway stations because the standard rules of behaviour say that it is bad to draw attention to yourself. This is why, when you travel on the tube in London and there is yet another delay, the passengers will look at each other, sigh, smile wearily and raise their eyes to heaven. They might even say, “Huh! Typical!” in a resigned(顺从的)tone of voice that says that there’s nothing that can be done about it. When complaints are made, they are made in an apologetic or a humorous tone of voice. In France ,on the other hand, angry passengers might riot(闹事)and burn down the subway station if they had to put up with the poor service that the London underground provides.

Americans and other Europeans, who are much more direct and in-your-face than the British, often wonder why British people always say “sorry” or “excuse me” when they complain. “It’s like they’re apologizing for something that isn’t their fault, they say. They are missing the point. British people are not really sorry ---it is because the word ‘sorry’ actually works as a distancing skill. This is important in terms of negative politeness and not drawing attention to yourself. If you do not say ‘sorry’ or use other distancing words like ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’, ‘possibly’ and so on, you will be seen as rude.”

1.What does the underlined part “bottle it up” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. Put something into bottles B. Not do anything dangerous

C. Cause problems by hesitating D. Not allow emotions to be seen

2.The French tend to _______.

A. tolerate bad service B. enjoy taking the subway

C. make a complaint humorously D. express their dissatisfaction directly

3.When the British say “sorry”, they actually want to _______.

A. try not to be rude B. apologize sincerely

C. show their feelings directly D. draw attention to themselves

4.Which can be the best title for the text?

A. How to complain B. Complaining politely

C. Poor service in Britain D. Politeness rules across the world

Answer 1