研口语考试材料-道歉.docVIP

Passage 1 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 it’s an admission that they are liable to make errors—something religious institutions are particularly careful to avoid. 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. 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 world’s 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 Britain’s 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. 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 the world wanted to mark this historic event with some acts. But those countries which had been on the winning side found that simple celebrations of victory were no longer appropriate. Many political leaders, like most of their citizens, belong to post-war generations, who now look on the conflict as more than simply the victory of good over evil. Also, the passing of time has erased much of the propaganda of the period. In its place, recently declassified documents reveal that many of the vic