阅读理解。
It is impossible not to make a mistake at some point of your life. We may as well accept that something
will go wrong and we will be to blame. It is therefore sensible to work out some plans for apologizing, and
the best way to apologize is by letter. This way you can take care over every word you write-which you
can't do if you say sorry to someone in person.
We all say or do something that we wish we hadn't said or done. You may say something that accidentally
hurts someone, or you may provide a service which doesn't come up to the standards that a cheat or customer
expected.
You may feel that it was a mistake which couldn't be avoided. Rather than dwell on the mistake, you should
quickly try to remedy (补救) the problem. An effective letter of apology is an important part of that process.
For the content of the letter, just remember TABS-Timing, Action, Brevity, Sincerity.
The timing of a letter of apology is crucial-it must be sent as soon as possible. Any delay in sending the
letter will only compound the problem. In this case, "better late than never" is not the best motto! The longer
you wait before writing a letter of apology, the more it will seem that you have been forced into writing it.
Although it is important to recognize what has gone before, it is also necessary to detail the action you plan
to take to rectify whatever it was you did wrong. Research has shown that some indication that you have
thought about what future action you plan to take is always well received.
A letter of apology should be brief and the word "sorry" should appear no more than twice. Indicate that
you are aware you are using it a second time "once again, I'm so sorry for" or "as I said early, I'm so sorry
about." Finally, the tone of the letter has to be sincere. In fact, all the above factors will help in this respect.
And don't think that letters are out of date in the Email-oriented 21st century. An apology email can be
worse than no apology at all!
1. What kind of advice does the text suggest about apologizing?
A. It's a good idea to write a letter of apology as soon as something goes wrong.
B. It's a good idea to sends several emails to apologize and show that you mean it.
C. Write a long letter apologizing several times to make your point.
D. Wait to see how they react to your letter before planning to do anything
2. What kind of things do you NOT apologize for?
A. Services that are not as good as they should be.
B. Genuine mistakes.
C. Car accidents.
D. Causing anger or hurt.
3. According to the writer,you should not _____ after you have made a mistake.
A. waste time worrying about what happened
B. write an effective letter of apology
C. avoid what happened
D. recognize what has gone before
4. The underlined word "rectify" means _____.
A. to put right
B. to improve
C. to put aside
D. to apologize
