In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh(法老) treated the message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.
Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked lightheartedly out of the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, “Oh boy, a bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.” I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, but for his smile.
Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, “Oh, that bus left five minutes ago.” Dreams of headcutting!
It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered(传递). Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and big winners do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising his patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he fails to get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toasted beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as a traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.
Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, “Oh，that’s all right. I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news, deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded(被轰炸的) person is sure to have.
【解题导语】 本文主要讲述当我们要告诉别人不好的消息的时候，要注意说话的方式和语气，还要带有同情心。
1．From “Dreams of headcutting！”(Paragraph 3), we learn that the writer ．
A．was reminded of the cruel pharaoh
B．was mad at the sales agent
C．wished that the sales agent would have bad dreams
D．dreamed of cutting the sales agent’s head that night
B 解析：推理判断题。根据第三段的描述可知，“我”对售票员的态度很恼火。
2．Which of the following is true?
A．The author really appreciated the neighbor’s warning.
B．From the passage we know that it is the bad news that makes someone angry.
C．If the runner brought to the pharaoh unhappy news, he would be treated like a prince.
D．When we want to deliver any bad news, we should share the feeling of the receiver.
D 解析：推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.”可知，当告诉别人不好的消息的时候，应该带有同情心，应该分担消息接收者不好的感觉。
3．What is the main idea of the text?
A．Receiving bad news requires great courage.
B．Helping others sincerely is the key to business success.
C．Delivering bad news with sympathy is important in communication.
D．Learning ancient traditions can be useful.
C 解析：主旨大意题。本文主要告诉我们当我们告诉别人不好的消息的时候，要注意讲话的方式和态度，应该带有同情心，分担别人的忧愁。
4．In the writer’s opinion, his neighbor was ．
A．not helpful B．not considerate
C．friendly D．warmhearted
B 解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning.”可知，“我”认为邻居没有同情心，不能为别人考虑。故选B项。
