賴世雄高級美國英語教程Unit 38 Learning how to apologize

所屬教程:賴世雄高級美國英語教程

瀏覽:

手機版

掃描二維碼方便學習和分享

00:00

MP3下載

Hi, everyone, welcome again to Radio English on Sunday. This is Bruce,
/ And this is Peter.
/Today we finish our book, unit thirty eight, it is the last lesson in your book, and you can find it on page three hundred twenty three. Here, we call the name of this last lesson, Learning how to apologize.
/ We did so intentionally just because over past few months we've been making a lot of mistakes, haha. ..this is a rival for us to, no, we don't have to learn, actually to apologize immediately for watching those little bad things we have done, I am sorry for that.
/ I am sorry, too. We did try our best in this book to give an informative and lively program, and we hope we did. ..to those of you who disagree, we have to say we are sorry. But we did try our best and hopefully we'll have a chance to be with you again.
/ Well, I have to confess, actually, if you have done the program all by yourself, you could have done a lot better because of ...me..
/ Nonsense, nonsense. Here he's being much too modest as usual, something I find very hard to do. :P , but I know how to apologize, as we're going to teach you how to apologize today, too. Join us if you just joined our program, on page three hundred twenty three. Let's get busy with our material.

What are the hardest words to pronounce in English? It seems that "I'm sorry" are the two most difficult words for most people to say. Perhaps this difficulty lies in the so-called "losing of face". When a person apologizes, he lowers himself before another. Yet no one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. After making a mistake, people should apologize to set things straight with others.

Actually we started with a kind of joke here, what are the two most difficult words for most people to say? or pronounce? Actually (it would seem) that we are looking for very difficult words, however, it seems that most poeple have a lot of trouble saying "I'm sorry, 對不起。" Depending on what language you speak, those two words or three words or more, depending on your language, are often very hard to say, maybe it's because people don't like to lose face, or because it's embarrassing or difficult situation. However, we must remember, everyone makes mistakes, even me.
/ Yeah,
/ I remember the last mistake I made ...was nineteen seventy one...I think it was in August,
/ To err is human; but to forgive divine.
/ err--->n, error,
/ To err is human; but to forgive (is) divine. 這里的is已經(jīng)被省略。

_____divine,
Having the nature of or being a deity.
有神性的
Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of a deity:
神啟的神的、與神有關(guān)的、由神發(fā)出的或神示的：
sought divine guidance through meditation.
通過冥想來尋求神的指引
Being in the service or worship of a deity; sacred.
神圣的敬神的或獻給神的；神圣的
Superhuman; godlike.
超人的；如神的
Supremely good or beautiful; magnificent:
極好的，很美的；壯麗的：
a divine performance of the concerto.
美妙的協(xié)奏曲演奏
Extremely pleasant; delightful:
令人極為高興的；愉快的：
had a divine time at the ball.
在舞會上玩得開心極了
Heavenly; perfect.
超凡的；完美的
divine
n.
A cleric.
牧師，傳教士
A theologian.
神學家

/apologize, + to, + sb, + for + something,
I've got to apologize to you for the mistake I've just made.
/ Now let's go ahead, and we finish on the next page.

Two phrases in English often confuse non-native users of this language. This phrases are "I'm sorry" and "excuse me." The latter is used to ask for information, as in "Excuse me, but do you have the time..", or "excuse me, can you tell me whether there is a postoffice near here?". "Excuse me" is also used when it is necessary to disturb others, as when one person interrupts two others speaking.
"excuse me for interrupting, but I have to leave now. " Another example of the proper usage of this phrase is when, as a stranger, you want to point something out of benefit to someone, as in, "Excuse me, I believe you dropped something out of your wallet? " Another common instance of using "excuse me" is in crowded elevators, stores, or lines, when a person needs to get through or get out. "Excuse me, this is my floor" is a very handy phrase to learn when in crowded elevators. In all these cases, "pardon me" may also be used, however, it is more often used in British than in American English.

Well, we really give you a, I think, very good description of when to use "Excuse me", or "pardon me". Remember, "pardon me" is more often used in British English than in American English. So to review here quickly, when you need to ask for information, you are not doing anyting wrong, so don't say, "I'm sorry," just say, "excuse me". Or if you have to interrupt people who are talking or maybe someone is writing or typing, but you need to ask a question or tell them something, there's another good time to use "excuse me". Or if you live in a busy, crowded city, and you need to get by people, get around people, go through people, here you can also say, excuse me.
/ handy, 一般說表示“方便的，可以隨時用得到的”，that is a very handy expression. 還有一個很重要的用法，　to come in handy, to come in useful,
Hey, you'd better carry an umbrella with you, it may come in handy.
____這個come in handy, come in useful 在中級中也多次講到過。

Ok, let's go to the, we are on the next page, actually, the first paragraph here.

When is "I am sorry" used? For more serious incidences. Stepping on someone's toes on a crowded bus, though not intentional, should elicit an immediate "I am sorry". Bumping into someone, even on a crowded street, where is difficult not to, also calls for "I am sorry". Careless or late work in school, or in the office, requires our apology to teachers, colleagues, or employers. Being late for meetings or dates needs both an apology and often either a reason for the tardiness, or explanation of what course of action will be taken to eliminate any future possibility of recurrence. No one likes to be wronged, intentionally or otherwise. Saying "I am sorry" can go a long way toward rectifying an awkward situation.

On page three hundred twenty three, we took a close look at "excuse me" and its uses. Now we are introducing to you when to use "I am sorry". Well, there're really two incidences but both of them are when more serious incidence occurs, the first condition is unintentional. You don't mean to do something to somebody which bothers them, annoys them or even hurts them, but you do. Still we should say in English "I am sorry". We bump into somebody, you don't mean to do that, or you step on their toes and so on, in these cases we still should say, I am sorry, even though we didn't mean to do so. Soemtimes it's really our fault, we should never be late, sometimes we are a little lazy, we get started late in the morning, and we end up late to work or to school, here we should also say "I'm sorry". That is to say, "it was my fault. ". In these cases, just saying "I am sorry" at least has people think "well, he's polite, " now, what else do you want to say to us, usually we give a reason why we were late. The traffic, I woke up late, I didn't feel well, and so on, we give some kind of reasons for our tardiness. And it's also good English to give a guarantee of sorts that "well, I'll leave earlier the next time. I won't be late again. " or "I won't be so lazy the next time." these work, or these classes are important to me, and I'll try my best not to be late in the future.
/ tardiness, being late.
He was punished for tardiness. He was punished for being late.
/ intentional, unintentional. intentionally---on purpose--purposely. ---deliberately,
/ haha, you should apologize for giving me all these long words. :P
He did that deliberately.
/ to go a long way towards + gerund...對。。。大有幫助。to be a great help to...
Knowing even a little English can go a long way towards making international travel easier.

Now let's continue and find out another condition under which "I am sorry" should be used. 1345

Even more importantly, saying "I'm sorry" is necessary when intentional harm has been done. The borrowing of an item without first informing the owner, who late discovers the theft can be quite embarrassing. A simple but sincere "I am sorry" might repair the damage done. Careless comments or insults which offend others maybe ameliorated with that simple phrase. Those sincerity in voice and gesture make all the difference. Similarly, young lovers often exasperated in unrequited love, may purposefully hurt each other, only later to profoundly regret what they have done. At these times, a heartfelt "I'm sorry" may redress the pain of the one inflicted by lover's arrows. Even better, "Please forgive me" may be used as it is considered a stronger expression of remorse. 1445

____remorse, n,
Moral anguish arising from repentance for past misdeeds; bitter regret.
痛悔因?qū)^去的不良行為的后悔而產(chǎn)生的道德上的痛苦；深深的悔恨
See: penitence
Obsolete
【廢語】
Compassion.
憐惜
后[懊]悔, 良心的責備
[古]憐憫; 同情心
remorse for a crime
悔罪
in a fit of remorse
在一陣悔恨之中
without remorse
毫不后悔地; 無情地; 不間斷地
后悔；悔恨
Remorse preyed upon his mind.
悔恨使他內(nèi)心非常痛苦。
Remorse pricks him.
悔恨使他心里不安。

______exasperate,
To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.
激怒使生氣或不耐煩；非常令人惱怒
To increase the gravity or intensity of:
使加劇增加嚴重性或緊張程度：
揳 scene . . . that exasperates his rose fever and makes him sneeze?Samuel Beckett)
“一個事件…加劇了他的玫瑰熱并使他打噴嚏”
激怒；觸怒
The teachers were exasperated at / by Bob's cheat in the examination.
教師們對鮑勃考試作弊的行為非常惱怒。

______ameliorate, n,
To make or become better; improve.
使變好；改善使或變得更好；改進
See: improve

In the previous paragraph, we looked at when to use "I am sorry", and we found out that in life there are situations when we don't mean to cause trouble or harm to others, but we do. Then we should use "I am sorry". What more importantly, when we do hurt others on purpose, or as Peter just told us, deliberately, we here need to say "I am sorry", or even stronger, "please forgive me".
/purposely, --->purposefully意思差不多。
commont, + on, 這個common是名詞，也可以作動詞用。
to commont on something,
to make commonts on something, 沒有冠詞的時候，commont 通常用復數(shù)。He refused when asked whether he would do it, or whether he would run for that position, he refused to make commonts.
to refuse to make commonts on something,
to refuse to commont on something.

Well, let's finish up with our concluding paragraph.

Learning to apologize in another language does not excuse speakers from practising the same good manners and their mother tongue. So many poeple lament the coldness of modern society, human relationships have been worn thin from constant urban pressures. Part of this problem seems to be that people no longer use such simple words as "please", "thank you" and "I am sorry". They cost nothing, but can bring a wealth of pleasure or relief to those who hear them. They require a little effort, yet, these few syllables can enliven someone else's day. So, why not use them whenever possible?

_____lament,
To express grief for or about; mourn:
悲痛向…或為…表述哀痛；哀悼：
lament a death.
為死者哀悼
To regret deeply; deplore:
非常懊悔；痛惜：
He lamented his thoughtless acts.
他非常懊悔自己輕率的舉動
lament
v.intr.
To grieve audibly; wail.
痛哭失聲；嚎啕
To express sorrow or regret.
表達悲傷或懊悔
See: grieve
lament
n.
A feeling or an expression of grief; a lamentation.
悲痛的情感或表達；悲傷
A song or poem expressing deep grief or mourning.
挽歌表達深切的悲傷或哀悼的歌或詩

enliven,
To make lively or spirited; animate.
使活躍，使有生機；使生氣勃勃

Learning to apologize in a foreign language does not excuse us from not using them in our own language. Everyday,in order to make social intercourse easier and more friendly, by using such simple words as "please", "thank you" and "I am sorry", or "please forgive me" is necessary, can make other people a lot better. 1800
you can make a small welcome; you can make business or social transactions easier. They won't cost anything, so why not use them and make everyone's life a little more pleasurable?
/ social transactions, transaction, 交易，這里就是指的社交。
"Excuse somebody from ..."
Will you excuse me from the meeting? I have to rush home to see my parents. 注意要與from用。
/ Excuse me for interrupting,
I am tired of your excuses.
/ No excuses.
human relationships have been worn thin, they are not as close to one another as before.
They cost nothing...
You cannot be too courteous. 你不可能太courteous, 你怎么courteous也不為過，禮多人不怪。

______You cannot be too careful, it cannot be over emphasized. 見中級講座。

Courtesy costs nothing. -->courteous. adj,
"a wealth of", + 不可數(shù)，
He has a wealth of knowledge.

And now let's return to the beginning for our final rereading. Again, we welcome you to just listen now rather than read in order to improve your listening comprehension.

Ok, well, we have thirty eight units here for you in this book, we wished more to help you with your English study, if we can be of any service to you in anyway, just let us know. Good luck with your future English study, we feel it's important and helpful to you, and we really enjoy doing this program. We hope to see you again.
Bye-bye.

______Pan.

***************************************************
Unit 38 Learning how to apologize

What are the hardest words to pronounce in English? It seems that "I'm sorry" are the two most difficult words for most people to say. Perhaps this difficulty lies in the so-called "losing of face"; perhaps when a person apologizes, he lowers himself before another. Yet no one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. After making a mistake, people should apologize to set things straight with others.
Two phrases in English often confuse non-native users of this language. These phrases are "I'm sorry" and "Excuse me". The latter is used to ask for information, as in "Excuse me, (but) do you have the time?" or "Excuse me, (but) can you tell me whether there is a postoffice near here?" "Excuse me" is also used when it is necessary to disturb others, as when one person interrupts two others speaking: "Excuse me for interrupting, (but) I have to leave now." Another example of the proper usage of this phrase is when, as a stranger, you want to point something out of benefit to someone, as in "Excuse me, (but) I believe you dropped something out of your wallet." Another common instance of using "Excuse me" is in crowded elevators, stores, or lines when a person needs to get through or get out. "Excuse me, (but) this is my floor" is a very handy phrase to learn when in crowded elevators. In all these cases, "Pardon me" may also be used; however, it is more often used in British than in American English.
When is "I'm sorry" used? For more serious incidents. Stepping on someone's toes on a crowded bus, though not intentional, should elicit an immediate "I'm sorry." Bumping into someone even on a crowded street where it is difficult not to also calls for "I'm sorry." careless or late work in school or in the office requires out apology to teachers, colleagues, or employers. Being late for meetings or dates needs both an apology and often either a reason for the tardiness or an explanation of what course of action will be taken to eliminate any future possibility of recurrence. No one likes to be wronged, intentionally or otherwise. Saying "I'm sorry" can go a long way towards rectifying an awkward situation.
Even more importantly, saying "I'm sorry" is necessary when intentional harm has been done. The borrowing of an item without first informing the owner---who later discovers the "theft" ---can be quite embarrassing. A simple but sincere "I'm sorry" might repair the damage done. Careless comments or insults which offend others may be ameliorated with that simple phrase, though sincerity in voice and gesture make all the difference. Similarly, young lovers, often exaperated in unrequited love, may purposefully hurt each other, only later to profoundly regret what they had done. At these times, a heartfelt "I'm sorry" may redress the pain of the one inflicted by lover's arrows. Even better, "Pleave forgive me" may be used, as it is considered a stronger expression of remorse.
Learning to apologize in another language does not excuse speakers from practicing the same good manners in their mother tongue. So many people lament the coldness of modern society; human relationships have been worn thin from constant urban pressures. Part of this problem seems to be that people no longer use such simple words as "please," "thank you", and "I'm sorry". They cost nothing, but can bring a wealth of pleasure or relief to those who hear them. They require little effort, yet these few syllables can enliven someone else's day. So, why not use them whenever possible?

*****************************************************************************
lie in...在于...
consist in...
hinge on...
____Luck has nothing to do with Albert's success; his success lies entirely in his diligence.

I apologized to Mary for standing her up last night, but she just wouldn't accept my apology.

to stand somebody up, 失約

set things straight, 將事情理清，把話說清楚
I guess you've wronged me; let's now set things straight from the start.
我想你冤枉我了；咱們現(xiàn)存把事情從頭說清楚罷。

come in handy, 派上用場，come in useful,
Take an umbrella with you; it may come in handy.

I don't think Sarah's dropping her books in front of Erice was an accident; I think it was intentional.

elicit, v, 引出
The teacher tried to elicit conversation among his students by letting them choose their own topics.

tardiness,
John slept late quite often; his tardiness eventually led to his being fired.

eliminate, n, 排除，去除，消除，淘汰　wash out,
The computer engineers are trying to eliminate the software bugs, but it is not an easy job.

recurrence, n, 再發(fā)生，（疾病的）復發(fā)。
recur, v,
More care in the future will definitely prevent recurrence of the mistake.
I'll go crazy if my headache recurs.

Go a long way toward + gerund, 對...很有幫助，
Reading a short English article on a daily basis will go a long way taward learning English.
每天看一篇英語短文對英語學習大有幫助。

rectify, v, 改正，矯正，
The little boy admitted his mistake and was willing to rectify it at once.

ameliorate, v, 改善，　improve.
His disappointment at not getting the promotion was ameliorated with a large raise.
他沒有升遷的失望因為大額度的加薪而改善了。

exasperate, v, 激怒
Margaret was exasperated by her teenage daughter's unruly behavior at school.
unruly, adj,
Difficult or impossible to discipline, control, or rule.
難以或不可能訓練，控制或統(tǒng)治的

unrequited, adj, 無回報的，經(jīng)常與love并用?！nrequited love, 單戀
Knowing that his love for Mary was an unrequited love, Peter left her immediately.
_______Not reciprocated or returned in kind:
未得回報的或未被以同種方式加以報答的：
unrequited love; an unrequited injury.
未得回報的愛情；單戀；未加以報復的傷害
unrequited love [affection]
單戀
Wickedness does not go altogether unrequited.
[諺]惡有惡報。

heartfelt, adj, 誠摯的，
"Please accept my hearfelt apology," Peter begged before his girlfriend.

lament, v, 哀悼，為...悲傷
The two brothers lamented the passing away of their favorite uncle, who used to take them out fishing and camping when they were young.

a wealth of, + 不可數(shù)名詞，大量的，
I take pride in my teacher because he seems to have a wealth of knowledge.