Unit 4 A time for apologies.docVIP

Part A Text (A Time for Apologies) Part B Grammar (不定式) Part C Translation (减词) Part D Supplementary Reading (Life and Times of Bill Clinton) Text —————————————— Warm-up Questions: 1. Is it easy for you to apologize for past wrongs? Why or why not ? 2. Why do heads of state feel the need to apologize, and why now? 3. Do world leaders take risks when saying sorry for past wrongs? A Time for Apologies Throughout history, saying sorry is not something political and religious leaders have felt comfortable about. Some see it as a sign of weakness; for others its an admission that they are liable to make errors－something religious institutions are particularly careful to avoid. faultless /careless /priceless /restless /stainless /wireless/ thoughtless But as political systems have become more sophisticated, the idea/concept/fact/notion that governments or churches are faultless has become increasingly difficult to defend. The response of some people in positions of authority has been to stand up and apologize for past wrongs. permit permission admit admission The trend began in earnest in 1995, when the Queen of England admitted that the Maori people of New Zealand had been shamefully medical treatment treated, when the country was a British colony. Since then, what started as trickle of apologies has turned into something of a flood. design, plan, build, maintain, …. create, initiate, propose, pioneering, original, creative master, practicing lawyer, doctor, architect, professional, freelance Last year alone - lonely, apologies were issued by three of the worlds most powerful nations. The US President, Bill Clinton, apologized for medical experiments which his government carried out on black American men in the 1930s; the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, apologized for Britains failure to help victims of the Irish potato famine, which killed over a million people last century; and French Catholic Bishops apologized for the ro