A true apology is more than just acknowledgement（承认）of a mistake. It’s recognition that something you’ve said or　 36　 has damaged a relationship - and that you　 37　 enough about that relationship to want it　 38　.

　　It’s never　 39　 to acknowledge yon are in the wrong. Being human, we all need the art of apology. Look hack and think how　 40　 you’ve judged roughly（草率），said　 41　 things，pushed yourself　 42　 at the expense（在使某人受损的情况下）of a friend. Some deep thought in us know that when　 43　 a small mistake has been made, your　 44　 will stay out of balance until the mistake is acknowledged and your regret is　 45　.

　　I remember a doctor friend,　 46　 me about a man who came to him with　 47　 illnesses: headache, insomnia（失眠）,stomachaches and so on. No physical　 48　 could be found. Finally the doctor said to the man,“　 49　 you tell me what’s on your conscience（良心）,I can’t help you.”

After a short silence, the man told the doctor that he　 50　 all the money that his father gave to his brother, who was　 51　 His father had died, so only he himself knew the matter. The old doctor made the man write to his brother making an　 52　 and enclosing（附寄）a　53　.In the post office, the man dropped the letter into the mail box. As the letter disappeared, the man　 54　 into team. “Thank you, doctor,”he said,“I think I'm all right now.”And he　 55　.

　　36．A. done B. thought C. announced D. expected

　　37．A. lost B. care C. advise D. heard

　　38．A. built B. formed C. repaired D. damaged

　　39．A. difficult B. easy C. foolish D. shy

　　40．A. long B. often C. much D. soon

　　41．A. unusual B. harmful C. precious D. unkind

　　42．A. ahead B. away C. down D off

　　43．A. still B. even C. only D. such

　　44．A. sense B. brain C. weight D. feeling

　　45．A. shown B. explanined C. offered D. expressed

　　46．A. asking B. telling C. requiring D. setting

　　47．A. strange B. serious C. various D. much

　　48．A. signs B. reason C. cause D. marks

　　49．A. Whenever B. Unless C. Suppose D. Although

　　50．A. stole B. accepted C. seized D. wasted

　　51．A. mad B. lost C. abroad D. dead

　　52．A. order B. excuse C. agreement D. apology

　　53．A. note B. card C. check D. photo

　　54．A. joyed B. burst C. laughed D. cried

　　55．A. should B. did C. had D. was

A strange woman comes to my door one day in early March.It’s a rich area so we often have people selling things door to door，dusters，make?up，frozen foods—but she doesn’t look like a professional saleswoman.She hasn’t got the patter(喋喋不休) either.She just smiles shyly and puts a card in my hand：“Amy Turner.Pet Portraits Undertaken.”

I run my fingernail along the cheap gold edge of the card and look at her，waiting for an explanation.

“I’ll paint any animal in the comfort of your own home.”Amy Turner says.“Wouldn’t you like a nice picture of your loved one？I’ve had experience of dogs，cats，parrots，prize bulls...”

“Prize bulls！”I can’t help looking up and down our street.The thought of any of my neighbours keeping bulls in their back gardens makes me smile.

“I don’t have any animals，”I say as we look past each other.She must be wishing some little cat or dog would come running down the hall to give the game away and it is the first chance I’ve had to smell the air outside.It is one of those spring mornings when you wake up and find winter’s gone.Even the camellia in the garden opposite has flowered overnight，pink blossoms which look shocking against the quiet greens and greys.

“Why are you still in your dressing gown？”Amy says，turning her attention back to me.“It’s nearly lunchtime.Are you ill？”

“I’m fine，”I lie.I’m not going to tell a stranger I’ve just been sick in the toilet upstairs and would still be sticking my fingers down my throat if the doorbell hadn’t rung.But now I’m not sure what to do next.Amy is still standing there.She_doesn’t_seem_to_think_that_not_having_a_pet_is

_a_good_enough_excuse.

“I’m starving.”she says and I smile politely，nodding the way you do before you say goodbye.

“No，”she puts her foot in the door.“I’m really starving.I’ve had nothing to eat for two days and no one has any pets for me to paint.I need some food or I’ll faint，right here on your doorstep.”

I stand to one side and let her in.

1．According to the text，what does a professional saleswoman usually do?

A．Sells things door to door with her cards.

B．Never puts a card into people’s hands.

C．Tries to talk people into buying her things.

D．Smiles，hands her cards and walks away.

2．What does the underlined word “one” in the third paragraph stand for?

A．Dog. 　　　　B．Child.　　　　　 C．Pet. 　　　　　D．Cat.

3．From the text we know that Amy is a ________.

A．young baby?sitter 　 B．poor beggar　 C．professional salesgirl D．poor painter

4．What does the writer mean by saying “She doesn’t seem to think that not having a pet is a good enough excuse.”？

A．It seems that she doesn’t want to leave.

B．She wants the writer to give another excuse.

C．She is sure there is a pet in the house.

D．She thinks that not having a pet is a bad thing.

 

How do you address (称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.

1．When talking to a stranger there is often no special form of address in English. Usually，if you want to catch the attention of a stranger, it is necessary to use such a phrase as “Excuse me”．

2．In British English “Sir”and “Madam”are considered to be too formal (正式的)for most situations. They are used mostly to customers (顾客) in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam”are not so formal and are commonly used between stangers, especially with old people whose names you don’t know.

3．When you talk to some people you know，you can use their names.If you are friends, use their first names；if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.”， “Mrs.”， “Ms.”， etc. before their family names.

4．There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers.However，many of these are limited in use. For example，“pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers，but are usually only used by men talking to other men.

1．According to the passage，“Excuse me” is mainly used to ________.

A．address a person you don’t know　　　 B．apologize to others

C．catch the attention of a stranger　　　　　 D．suggest good manners

2．If John Smith is your best friend，according to the passage you should often call him ________.

A．John 　　　　　 B．Smith　　　　　 C．Mr. Join 　　　　　D．Mr. Smith

3．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．“Sir” and “Madam”are used more often in America than in England.

B．People often use“Mr.”“Mrs.”or “Ms.”before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well.

C．“Pal” and “mate” are usually only used among men.

D．While addressing friends，people just use their first names.

4．The passage is most likely taken from an English ________.

A．textbook 　　　　 B．card　　　　 C．storybook 　　　D．grammar book

5．From the passages，we can infer that ________.

A．British English and American English have some differences

B．when your friends introduce a strange woman to you，you may call her first name.

C．“Excuse me” is common in Britain but not in America

D．“Sir” and “Madam” can be used when you meet your close friends