Ethics, Norms and Values | Unit 5 | English

Reading 1

Why “I’m Sorry” Doesn’t Always translate

A. Find the words/phrases from the text for the following meanings. The first letter has been given.

a. t………….. to have difficulty saying something clearly or correctly

⇒ trip over

e………… showing too much emotion

⇒ effusive

b………… became annoyed or offended

⇒ bristled

i………… accustomed to do something

⇒ inured

c……….. the fact of being responsible

⇒ culpability

a…….. … a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true

⇒ assertion

a………. to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing

⇒ attribute

s……… connected with the meaning of words and sentences

⇒ semantic

n……… a very slight difference in meaning

⇒ nuances

B. Match the first halves in column A with their endings in column B to make complete sentences.

Americans didn’t show- iv. sympathy to Akio Toyoda’s effusive apologies.

People are accustomed- iii. to an apology in Hong Kong.

Japanese use an apology- v. to repair their damaged relationship.

American participants seemed – i. less interested in second research.

Researchers found- ii. similar patterns in East Asian countries.

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Why did Japan become annoyed with the US submarine commander?

⇒ Japan became annoyed with the US submarine commander because he didn’t immediately apologise after colliding with and sinking a Japanese fishing boat off Hawaii in 2001.

b. How do Americans and Japanese perceive an apology?

⇒ Americans perceive an apology as an admission of wrongdoing, while Japanese see an apology as a way to show eagerness to fix a relationship, without necessarily accepting blame (with no necessary implication of culpability).

c. What, according to the survey, is the average result of an apology in Japanese and American students?

⇒ According to the survey, Japanese students recalled issuing an average of 11.05 apologies in the previous week, whereas US students recalled issuing just 4.51 apologies.

d. What was displayed in a video show?

⇒ The video showed an applicant for an accounting job apologizing for having deliberately filed an incorrect tax return for a prior client.

e. Who were the respondents of the second study?

⇒ The respondents of the second study were undergraduates from both the US and Japan.

D. How can the executives apply an apology?

The executives can apply an apology as a tool for facilitating negotiations, resolving conflicts, and repairing trust by understanding the cultural nuances associated with apologies in different countries. They need to recognize that apologies may be perceived differently based on the cultural context and adjust their approach accordingly.

Grammar I

Present Continuous Tense

Structure: subject + auxiliary be + present participle (-ing)

The present continuous is used to talk about:

– activities at the moment of speaking

– future plans or arrangements

Signal Words:

– now

– tonight

– at the moment

– at present

– right now

– Look!

– Listen!

nowadays and these days – present simple

A. Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.

Be quiet! The baby ……….. (sleep).

⇒ The baby is sleeping.

It ……….. (rain) cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.

⇒ It rains cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.

John is busy. He …………. (work) at the moment.

⇒ He is working at the moment.

Please keep quiet, I ………………… (listen) to the radio. You know I …………….. (listen) to the news in the mornings.

⇒ I am listening to the radio. I listen to the news in the mornings.

What time …………. the first bus …………….. (leave) for Kathmandu?

⇒ What time does the first bus leave for Kathmandu?

I usually ……………… (not wear) a scarf, but today I ………….. (wear) one because it’s unusually cold.

⇒ I usually do not wear a scarf, but today I am wearing one because it’s unusually cold.

She …………… (travel) to Dhangadhi next weekend.

⇒ She is travelling to Dhangadhi next weekend.

Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He …….. (study)History.

⇒ He is studying History.

These days most people ….(write) emails instead of writing letters.

⇒ These days most people write emails instead of writing letters.

What sort of clothes ………… teenagers …………….(wear) nowadays?

⇒ What sort of clothes do teenagers wear nowadays?

What ………… you …………….. (do) tonight? Would you like to come and watch the game?

⇒ What are you doing tonight?

You look worried. What …………..you……………. (think) of?

⇒ What are you thinking of?

She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is …………. (drive) a lorry.

⇒ But today, she is driving a lorry.

These kids (not do) what I’ve asked them to do.

⇒ These kids are not doing what I’ve asked them to do.

Writing I

Pie Chart Interpretation

The pie charts below show information about household expenditure in Nepal in 2004 and 2011. Write an interpretation of the charts making comparisons where necessary.

The pie charts show differences in Nepalese household spending in four categories in 2004 and 2011.

According to the data, food had the largest percentage in the chart in 2004 and 2011, which accounted for 59% and 61.5 % respectively. There was a rise with a minor increase of 1.5%. The second most spent sector of the expenditure in 2004 was non-food items with 28.7 %, but surprisingly it reduced to 22.2 % of the whole expense in 2011. In both 2004 and 2011, education and housing represented the lowest and second-lowest spending categories, respectively. There was a slight increase by 1.5 % and 2.5 % in the expenditures on housing and education and made up 11% and 9.5% respectively.

Overall, food and non-food items remained the largest categories in both years, with housing and education remaining the smallest. The change to the household budget share of non-food was particularly noticeable.

Reading 2

Jet Blue’s Apology

A. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.

a. disrupt – iii. to make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way

b. crewmembers- v. all the people working on a ship, plane, etc.

c. hinder- iv. to make it difficult for somebody to do something or for something to happen

d. inconvenience- ii. trouble or problem, especially concerning what you need or would like yourself

e. emerge- i. to come out of a dark, confined or hidden place

B. Answer the following questions.

a. Who has written the letter?

⇒ David Neeleman has written the letter.

b. Who is it addressed to?

⇒ It is addressed to JetBlue Customers.

c. How long has JetBlue been serving its customers?

⇒ JetBlue has been serving its customers for seven years.

d. What was the main cause of inconvenience to the passengers?

⇒ The main cause of inconvenience to the passengers is the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast.

e. What sort of service does this company promise?

⇒ This company promises to bring humanity back to air travel and make the flying experience happier and easier for its customers.

f. What does the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights contain?

⇒ The JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights contains the airline’s commitment to handling operational interruptions in the future, including details of compensation for customers.

Grammar II

A. Use the correct form of the verbs given in the brackets to rewrite this text.

Sophiya (sit) in the classroom. Her teacher (stand) in front of the class teaching. But, Sophiya (do) something else. She is daydreaming. She (not be) in the class. She (dance) on a stage in front of hundreds of people. She (wear) a beautiful costume. She (tap) and twirling. She (spin) on one leg. She (kick) her feet. She (leap) and (fly) through the air. The audience (stand) on the floor. They (clap) and (shout) “Bravo! Bravo!!”.

“Sophiya?”

“Sophiya?” her teacher (call). He is not teaching anymore.

“Yes?” Shophiya (feel) a bit embarrassed. Her cheeks (get) red.

“Are you feeling okay? You (shout) ‘Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!’ in the class.”

“Sorry! I am just enjoying the class so much ‘Bravo! Bravo!’.”

Ans: is sitting, is standing, is doing, is not being, is dancing, is wearing, is tapping, is spinnig, is kicking, is leaping and flying, are standing, are clapping and shouting, is calling, is feeling, are getting, were shouting

B. Complete the sentences with the use of correct form of any relevant verbs.

A: We ………. to the cinema tonight.

B: ………….with us?

are going

Do you want to come

A: I …………. on holiday two or three times a year.

B: That’s great! And where ……… this year?

⇒ go

⇒ are you going

I think it’s better to stay. It ………… and we ………….. an umbrella.

⇒ is raining

⇒ don’t have

Who is that man? Why …………. at us? What …………..?

⇒ is he looking

⇒ does he want

Tomorrow, I …………..my doctor in the morning.

am seeing

Where’s John? He ………….. to a new song in this room.

is giving music

Rita ………… hard all day yesterday but she …………… not ……….. today.

⇒ was working

⇒ is not working

Nitu ……….. reading a story at the moment.

⇒ is

The plane …………… the runway now. You are too late.

⇒ is leaving

I told you that I …………….. with you anymore. You’re simply not a team player.

⇒ am not working

Writing II

A. Write a letter or an email to the respective person apologizing for the mistake.

From: abc@gmail.com

To: pqr@gmail.com

Subject: Apologizing for the mistake

Dear Jack,

I apologize for the way things went last night. We’re both open-minded people, so you know sometimes our ego can get the better of us. In this case, my ego got the better of me, and I lost control.

When you helped to correct me, I thought you were trying to confront me, and I became overly defensive. The whole thing was an absolute misunderstanding.

I’m sorry and embarrassed for being angry and shouting at you. You’re a nice person, and you should not be treated like that by anyone. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I promise that something like this will never happen again.

My sincerest apologies,

Denim