工程硕士英语清华版U4BeijingTakesAn.pptx

Unit 4工程硕士研究生英语基础教程Table of Contents1. Text2. Exercise3. Part B: Grammar4. Part CText A: A Time for Apologies[1] 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.[1]在整个历史上，说对不起并不是让政治和宗教领袖感觉舒服的一件事。一些人把说对不起看作是软弱的象征；另一些人认为说对不起意味着承认自己是容易犯错误的-——这一点是宗教机构特别小心加以回避的。[2] But as political systems have become more sophisticated, the idea 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.[2]但随着政治体制变得更加精密复杂，政府和教会是无懈可击的观点已越来越难以站得住脚跟。一些身居要职的人对此的反应是站起来为过去的错误道歉。[3] The trend began in earnest in 1995, when the Queen of England admitted that the Maori people of New Zealand had been shamefully treated, when the country was a British colony. Since then, what started as trickle of apologies has turned into something of a flood. Last year alone, apologies were issued by three of the worlds most powerful nations. [3]这个潮流是从1995年才真正开始的。当时英国女王承认在新西兰还是英国的殖民地时，新西兰的土著毛利人曾遭到英国人的羞辱。从这以后，以涓涓细流开始的道歉就变成了道歉的滔滔洪水。仅去年一年，就有三个世界最权威的国家道了歉。[3] 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 role of their predecessors during World War II.[3] 美国总统比尔?克林顿为本世纪30年代美国政府在美国黑人身上进行医学实验而道歉：英国首相托里?布莱尔为上一世纪英国在爱尔兰因土豆枯萎而引发的饥荒中没有帮助受灾的饥民而道歉，这次饥荒使一百多万人丧生；法国天主教的主教们为他们的前任在二战中的表现而道歉。[4] But why do heads of state feel the need to apologize, and why now? One answer has to do with the recent 50th-anniversary of the end of World War II. Three years ago, governments around th