There is one word that is on the lips of Americans, day and night: “Sorry．”
One time as I was walking on the street, a young man ran by hurriedly, brushing against my handbag．Even as he continued on his way, he turned back and said “sorry” to me．Even in a rush, he didn’t forget to apologize．
One day, after I bought a mango, the salesman was giving me the change, but I wasn’t ready for it and a coin dropped to the ground．“I’m sorry,” he said while bending down to pick it up．I was puzzled ----- why would he apologize when it was my fault?
Another time, I stepped on a man’s foot in an escalator．At the same time, we both said “sorry”．I thought it interesting: was it really necessary for him to apologize?
Later on, an American friend explained to me that according to the American mentality, the escalator is a public place, and everyone should be able to stand in it．After someone occupies a position in the elevator, making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand, isn’t it necessary to express an apology?
If you go to the movies and the tickets happen to be sold out, the ticket seller will say: “Sorry, the tickets are sold out．”
Whenever one of your hopes goes unfulfilled, an American will say “sorry”, as a sign of sympathy．
During my stay in America, I often came across situations in which I was supposed to say “sorry”．Gradually I realized that when friction occurs in daily life, Americans don’t care much about who is responsible; if someone important and she is very busy, the secretary will say: “sorry．”
If someone is troubled, a “sorry” is always necessary．When this happens, even if the other person is hurt, the “sorry” cools tempers ----- and human generosity is displayed．Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses, subways or streets of America．
1．When the salesman gave me the change, _____．
A．I intentionally didn’t accept it
B．he intentionally didn’t pass it to me
C．I was a little slow than the salesman to accept it
D．he was slow to give than I accept it
2．Why the man on whose feet I stepped apologized to me?
A．Because the elevator is a public place．
A. B．Because the man is afraid of me．
C．Because the “sorry” he said to the author was intended to say to another people．
D．Because there is not enough place to get my feet in so I have to step on his feet．
3．The author cites （引用） several examples to show that ______．
A． the Americans are friendly B．the Americans are kind
C． the Americans are generous D．All of the above
4．What is the author’s tone to American’s “sorry”?
A． Neutral B． Negative C． Unnecessary D． Approving