四、任务型阅读。

English has some apologetic terms(表示歉意的用语).It seems that they mean the same thing.They almost do.However，what's the difference between “Excuse me”，“I'm sorry”，“Pardon”，and “What?”

Pardon

Americans don't really use “pardon”.If you do，they will probably joke that you're trying to sound pretentious(炫耀的) or joke that you're British.

I'm sorry

We often use “I'm sorry” for past events.That's to say，it is generally used to apologize for something you have already done.For example，if you step on someone's foot on a crowded bus，you would say “I'm sorry” or “sorry”.

Excuse me

This is generally a term to ask permission(允许) for something.For example，you're walking through a crowded space and someone is in your way.You would say “excuse me” to ask him to move out of your way.

What?

Americans usually use it to ask someone to repeat himself.If you want to be politer，you could say，“I'm sorry，what was that?” or “Excuse me，what did you say?” or any other such thing.Most Americans will just say “What?” though.

In our daily life，we can also use these terms by mixing them up.You could，for example，ask someone to move by saying “Sorry，would you mind moving?” It's an extra-polite way to make your request.

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

31.Who say “pardon” more often，Americans or the British?

The_British.

32.Which term is used for future events according to the passage?

“Excuse_me”_is_used_for_future_events.

33.When do Americans usually say “What?”

When_they_want_someone_to_repeat_himself.

34.Imagine a situation to say “I'm sorry”.

For_example，when_I_was_cleaning_the_classroom，I_dropped_my_classmate's_book_on_the_floor_by_accident，I_would_say_“I'm_sorry”_to_him.(答案不唯一)

35.What is the passage mainly about?

The_differences_between_some_apologetic_terms.