Few words are spoken more often every day on the streets of Britain than “I’m sorry”. This phrase has become such a common response(反应) that it has taken on a lot of meanings.
Saying “Sorry” means to apologize(道歉). This is simple and easy to understand. We learn it both as a native speaker and as a student of foreign languages.
But in Britain, it takes on another meaning. It is a cultural expression. Imagine this: a man walks down the street, looking down at his phone. A woman is walking in the opposite direction, towards the man. She sees him, but she can’t get out of the way in time. The man bumps (碰撞) into the woman. Who should say sorry? Naturally, the man should say sorry, because it was he who wasn’t looking where he was going. Yet in Britain, it is common for both to apologize.
It is known that British people, like most people, do not enjoy conflict(冲突).So to quickly calm the situation, British people will apologize to each other.
Other times it may sound funny to hear “sorry”. Some of my friends say it at restaurants, as they ask the waiter: “Sorry, but can I order another drink?” It is not to apologize, but just to express that we need the waiter. In Britain, sorry doesn’t always mean exactly what you think.
38．According to the passage, “saying sorry” is a cultural expression in .
A．the USA B．the UK C．the WWF D．the UN
39．What does the underlined phrase “take on” mean in Paragraph 1?
A．从事 B．雇佣 C．呈现 D．拿起
40．The example in the third paragraph is used to .
A．describe a situation that people should avoid
B．describe how “sorry” has another meaning in Britain
C．explain why people should say sorry to each other
D．show how polite British people are
41．The restaurant example shows that “sorry” can be used to .
A．apologize B．calm a situation down
C．explain what you’re thinking about D．ask a waiter to bring something
42．What might be a good title for this passage?
A．“I’m Sorry” Is More Than just an Apology B．Traditional British Manners
C．How to Best Catch Others’ Attention D．Finding a Way out of a Difficult Situation
38．B
39．C
40．B
41．D
42．A
【解析】
【分析】
本篇文章难度适中，主要讲述sorry的文化内涵，它不仅仅表达道歉，它也是一种文化的表达方式。英国人不喜欢冲突，为了平定一些形式，他们会相互道歉，有时听到sorry是非常有趣的。
38．细节理解题。根据Few words are spoken more often every day on the streets of Britain than “I’m sorry”以及In Britain, sorry doesn’t always mean exactly what you think. It is a cultural expression可知，在英国的大街上每天说的最多的就是“对不起”，在英国，“对不起”并不是你总是认为的那个意思，所以在英国它是一种文化表达，故选B。
39．词义猜测题。根据This phrase has become such a common response(反应) that it has taken on a lot of meanings可知，这个短语已经成为如此普遍的反应，它已经有了很多含义，且根据下文可知，他还有其他的含义，所以译为“呈现”，故选C。
40．细节理解题。根据第三段开头But in Britain, it takes on another meaning以及全段可知，主要讲述在英国sorry的其他含义，故选B。
41．细节理解题。根据Some of my friends say it at restaurants, as they ask the waiter: “Sorry, but can I order another drink?” It is not to apologize, but just to express that we need the waiter可知，在饭店里说sorry表示要让服务员拿一些东西，故选D。
42．主旨大意题。根据Saying “Sorry” means to apologize、But in Britain, it takes on another meaning以及In Britain, sorry doesn’t always mean exactly what you think可知，主要讲述sorry这个词不仅仅是道歉，它还有其他的含义，故选A。
【点睛】
解答词义猜测题时，可以使用如下技巧：1、根据上下文来猜测词义；2、通过同义词或近义词来猜测词义；3、通过构词法来猜测词义；4、通过定义或释义来猜测词义；5、通过句法功能来猜测词义；6、通过转折和因果关系来猜测词义；7. 通过生活常识来猜测词义。对于这类题采取“代入法”也非常有效，即将备选答案逐一代入文中，哪一个选项能使句子的意思通顺、连贯，且与上下文的内容一致，哪一个选项就是该题的正确答案。例如第2题。主要根据上下文猜测词义，根据This phrase has become such a common response(反应) that it has taken on a lot of meanings可知，这个短语已经成为如此普遍的反应，它已经有了很多含义，且根据下文可知，他还有其他的含义，所以译为“呈现”。