Why I am Sorry Does not Always Translate
Summary of the Text
Understanding
Look at the picture and answer the questions.
What does it say?
How do you apologise? Talk to your friends.
Answer:
⇒ It says, 'I'm sorry' which expresses an apology.
⇒ We apologise by saying 'I'm sorry'.
A. Find the words/phrases from the text for the following meanings. The first letter has been given.
t……........ to have difficulty saying something clearly or correctly
e………… showing too much emotion
b………… became annoyed or offended
i………... accustomed to do something
c……….. the fact of being responsible
a…..... ... a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true
a…....... to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing
s……… connected with the meaning of words and sentences
n……… a very slight difference in meaning
Answer:
trip over
effusive
bristled
inured
culpability
assertion
attribute
semantic
nuance
B. Match the first halves in column A with their endings in column B to make complete sentences.
Column A Column B
Americans didn’t show i. less interested in a second research.
People are accustomed ii. similar patterns in East Asian countries.
Japanese use an apology iii. to an apology in Hong Kong.
American participants seemed iv. sympathy to Akio Toyoda’s effusive
apologies.
Researchers found v. to repair their damaged relationship.
Answer:
Americans didn’t show iv. sympathy to Akio Toyoda’s effusive
apologies.
People are accustomed iii. to an apology in Hong Kong.
Japanese use an apology v. to repair their damaged relationship.
American participants seemed i. less interested in a second research.
Researchers found ii. similar patterns in East Asian
countries.
C. Answer the following questions.
a. Why did Japan become annoyed with the US submarine commander?
⇒ Japanese became annoyed with the US submarine commander because he didn’t apologise after colliding with and sinking a Japanese fishing boat off Huwaii in 2001.
b. How do Americans and Japanese perceive an apology?
⇒ Americans see an apology as an admission of wrong doing whereas Japanese see it as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship with no culpability necessarily required.
c. What, according to the survey, is the average result of an apology in Japanese and American students?
⇒ According to the survey, the average result of an apology in Japanese students is 11.05 and in American students is 4.51.
d. What was displayed in a video show?
⇒ An applicant for an accounting job apologized for having deliberately field an incorrect tax return for a prior client was displayed in a video show.
e. Who was the respondents of the second study?
⇒ Undergraduates from both countries were the respondents of the second study.
f. How can the executives apply an apology?
⇒ The executives can apply an apology as a tool for facilitating recognitions resolving conflicts and repairing trust.
Grammar I
A. Read the text and underline the verb forms in present continuous tense.
Hello everybody! Look at this nice picture. Here is one of the moments I prefer when we are all together on a nice Sunday afternoon. But let me introduce myself! I’m Bob, I am standing in front of my father who is reading the newspaper.
Mum is listening to her favourite songs on the radio. My two sisters, Rose and Sally, are playing with their dolls. My grandfather is having a nap and granny is drinking a cup of tea. The cat is running after the birds as usual and only my cousins are doing real activities; Ken is watering Mum’s flowers and Mike is cleaning the windows. “Can you imagine that Sunday afternoon!”
Possible Answer:
Hello everybody! Look at this nice picture. Here is one of the moments I prefer when we are all together on a nice Sunday afternoon. But let me introduce myself! I’m Bob, I am standing in front of my father who is reading the newspaper.
Mum is listening to her favourite songs on the radio. My two sisters, Rose and Sally, are playing with their dolls. My grandfather is having a nap and granny is drinking a cup of tea. The cat is running after the birds as usual and only my cousins are doing real activities; Ken is watering Mum’s flowers and Mike is cleaning the windows. “Can you imagine that Sunday afternoon!”
Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.
Be quiet! The baby ……….. (sleep).
It ……….. (rain) cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.
John is busy. He …………. (work) at the moment.
Please keep quiet, I ..................... (listen) to the radio. You know I ................. (listen) to the news in the mornings.
What time ............. the first bus ................. (leave) for Kathmandu?
I usually .................. (not wear) a scarf, but today I .............. (wear) one because it's unusually cold.
She …………… (travel) to Dhangadhi next weekend.
Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He …….. (study) History.
These days most people ….(write) emails instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes ............ teenagers ................(wear) nowadays?
k What ............ you ................. (do) tonight? Would you like to come and watch the game?
You look worried. What ..............you…............. (think) of?
She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is …………. (drive) a lorry.
These kids …………. (not do) what I’ve asked them to do.
Possible Answer:
Be quiet! The baby is sleeping.
It is raining cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.
John is busy. He is working at the moment.
Please keep quiet, I am listening to the radio. You know I listen to the news in the mornings.
What time does the first bus leave for Kathmandu?
I usually don’t wear a scarf, but today I am wearing one because it's unusually cold.
She is travelling to Dhangadhi next weekend.
Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He is studying History.
These days most people write emails instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes do teenagers wear nowadays?
k What are you doing tonight? Would you like to come and watch the game?
You look worried. What are you thinking of?
She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is driving a lorry.
These kids are not doing what I’ve asked them to do.
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