Class 9 English Lesson 5

Look at the pictures and talk to your friend about their professional ethics, norms and values.

Ans👉 Professional ethics, norms, and values are principles that govern the behavior of a person or group in a business environment. They provide rules on how a person should act towards other people and institutions in such an environment. In the first picture, a doctor is shown. A doctor shall safeguard the interests, integrity, and privacy of individual patients. The patients shall be treated with compassion, care, and respect. Likewise, we can see a singer in the second picture. Being a professional singer means delivering the music, being respectful, punctual, and entertaining as well as awarding the people of the society. In a similar vein, a professional pilot is shown in the third picture. The professional pilot is committed to his duty of helping passengers to reach their destination quickly and safely. The last picture is of a teacher and a professional teacher is always committed to enlightening the students with knowledge, skills, ideas, and awareness that help in their as well as societal development.

Reading I

Look at the picture and answer the questions.

a. What does it say?

Ans👉 The picture says that the person is feeling sorry and he wants to apologize for his mistake.

b. How do you apologize? Talk to your friends.

Ans👉 We often apologize by addressing the mistakes that we have committed and asking for forgiveness.

Why “I’m Sorry” Doesn’t Always Translate
Short Summary
Even after decades of cooperation in business and politics, America and Japan still trip over a seemingly simple concept: the apology. Effusive apologies in 2010, after widespread reports of malfunctioning Prius accelerators. In India, other researchers have noted, apologies are far less common than in Japan. Our own work found that a core issue is differing perceptions of culpability: Americans see an apology as an admission of wrongdoing, whereas Japanese see it as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship, with no culpability necessarily implied.

In an initial survey of US and Japanese undergraduates, the US students were more likely to say that an apology directly implied guilt. In a second study, we looked at the utility of apologies for repairing trust. Thus it makes sense that in the US, an apology is taken to mean “I am the one who is responsible.” It also stands to reason that in Japan, which, like many other East Asian countries, has a more group-oriented culture, apologies are heard as “It is unfortunate that this happened.” Researchers who’ve compared apologies in America and China have found a similar pattern: US apologies serve to establish personal responsibility, while Chinese ones focus on the larger consequences of the transgression.

Only with a deep understanding of such differences, the executives can make effective use of the apology as a tool for facilitating negotiations, resolving conflicts, and repairing trust. Misunderstandings over apologies are just one aspect of a broad semantic disconnect between East and West that’s too often ignored in the rush to globalization.

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

Ans👉 trip over

b. e………… showing too much emotion

Ans👉 effusive

c. b………… became annoyed or offended

Ans👉 bristled

d. i………… accustomed to doing something

Ans👉 inured

e. c……….. the fact of being responsible

Ans👉 culpability

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

Ans👉 assertion

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

Ans👉 attribute

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

Ans👉 semantic

i. n……… a very slight difference in meaning

Ans👉 nuance

B. Match the first halves in column A with their endings in column B.

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

b. People are accustomed → iii. to an apology in Hong Kong

c. Japanese use an apology → v. to repair their damaged relationship

d. American participants seemed → i. less interested in a second research

e. 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?

Ans👉 Japan became annoyed with the US submarine commander because he didn’t immediately apologize after colliding with and sinking a Japanese fishing boat off Hawaii.

b. How do Americans and Japanese perceive an apology?

Ans👉 Americans perceive apology as an admission of wrongdoing, whereas the Japanese see it as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship, with no culpability necessarily implied.

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

Ans👉 According to the survey, the average result of an apology in Japanese students is 11.05 apologies per week.

d. What was displayed in a video show?

Ans👉 In a video show, it was shown that an applicant for an accounting job apologized for having deliberately filed an incorrect tax return for a prior client.

e. Who were the respondents of the second study?

Ans👉 The respondents of the second study were undergraduates of US and Japan.

f. How can the executives apply an apology?

Ans👉 The executives can apply an apology as a tool for facilitating negotiations, resolving conflicts, and repairing trust.

D. Have you ever apologized? Why and how?

Ans👉 Yes, I have apologized a lot of times. The five incidents I can fairly remember are:

a. Last week, my friend was coming from Chitwan and I was supposed to pick him up at 7 PM. I was late due to traffic. I apologized and took him for dinner the next day.

b. In 2021, I forgot my marriage anniversary. My wife was angry, and I made it up to her by gifting a necklace.

c. Last October, I failed to submit a financial report to my boss on time. I apologized through a formal email.

d. One day, I forgot to turn off the lights at the office. I informed my boss and promised to be careful.

e. During college, I yelled at a referee in a football match. Later, I realized my mistake and apologized.

Grammar I

A. Read the text and underline the verb forms in the present continuous tense.
(Read from your book.)

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

a. Be quiet! The baby is sleeping.

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

c. John is busy. He is working at the moment.

d. Please keep quiet, I am listening to the radio. You know I listen to the news in the mornings.

e. What time does the first bus leave for Kathmandu?

f. I usually don’t wear a scarf, but today I am wearing one.

g. She will travel to Dhangadhi next weekend.

h. Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He is studying History.

i. These days most people write emails instead of letters.

j. What sort of clothes do teenagers wear nowadays?

k. What are you doing tonight?

l. You look worried. What are you thinking of?

m. She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is driving a lorry.

n. These kids are not doing what I’ve asked.

Reading II

a. Apologising doesn’t always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right.

Ans👉 Yes, I agree. Apologizing is a way to prevent damage, even if we’re not entirely wrong. It’s about empathy and maintaining peace.

b. Great people apologize when they realize they have made a mistake.

Ans👉 I agree. Apologizing reflects humility and responsibility, which great people often show more than others.

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

a. disrupt → iii. to make it difficult for something to continue

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

c. hinder → iv. to make it difficult for somebody to do something

d. inconvenience → ii. trouble or problem concerning your needs

e. emerge → i. to come out of a confined place

B. Answer the following questions.

a. Who has written the letter?

Ans👉 David Neeleman, Founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways.

b. Who is it addressed to?

Ans👉 The customers of JetBlue Airways.

c. How long has JetBlue been serving its customers?
Ans👉 For seven years.

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

Ans👉 Delays, flight cancellations, and lost baggage.

e. What sort of service does this company promise?

Ans👉 A happier and easier flying experience.

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

Ans👉 A formal commitment and compensation details during interruptions.

C. Have you ever faced any problems when traveling on holidays or to another village or town?

Ans👉 Yes, during Dashain, I had booking issues and road blockage due to landslide while going to Khotang. It delayed our journey by 12 hours.

Grammar II

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

Ans👉 Sophiya is sitting in the classroom. Her teacher is standing in front of the class and teaching. But, Sophiya is doing something else. She is daydreaming. She is not in the class. She is dancing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. She is wearing a beautiful costume. She is tapping and twirling. She is spinning on one leg. She is kicking her feet. She is leaping and flying through the air. The audience are standing and clapping. “Sophiya?” her teacher is calling. “Yes?” she answers, feeling embarrassed.

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

a. We are going to the cinema tonight.
Ans: Are you coming with us?

b. I go on holiday two or three times a year.
Ans: Where are you going this year?

c. It is raining and we don’t have an umbrella.

d. Why is he staring at us? What does he want?

e. Tomorrow, I am going to see my doctor.

f. He was listening to a new song in this room.

g. Rita was working hard yesterday, but she is not putting any effort today.

h. Nitu is reading a story.

i. The plane is on the runway.

j. I don’t want to play with you anymore.

Writing II

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

Ans👉
Dear Sita,
I am sorry I took such an offensive tone of voice in speaking with you before your friends. It was not my intention to humiliate you. My own annoyance at another matter clouded my judgment. Please forgive me. I hope this unfortunate misstep will not jeopardize our friendship. You are one of the best friends I have.