Unit 11 道歉信
　　因過失或疏忽做錯了事，給別人帶來了麻煩或損失，發(fā)覺后要立即寫信給對方賠禮道歉，這是一種禮貌。這類信要寫得坦率，誠懇。
　　1. 因未能踐約赴宴致歉 Unable to keep one’s promise
　　Dear [Miss Nancy],
　　Much to my regret I was unable to keep my promise to attend your [birthday] party [last Saturday], owing to the fact that my [little son] was suddenly taken ill early [that day].
　　Hoping to see you soon.
　　Truly yours,
　　親愛的[南希小姐]：
　　[小兒][上周六]突然生病，因此未能應約赴[生日]宴，殊覺抱歉，希原諒，再見。
　　祝
　　好！
　　2. 因遲復來信致歉 Because of answering one’s letter late
　　Dear [David]:
　　I am afraid that you will think me unpardonably negligent in not having answered your letter dated [7, December] sooner, but when I have told you the reason, I trust you will be convinced that the neglect was excusable. When your letter arrived, I was just in [Hong Kong]. As my family could not forward it to me during my absence, it has been, therefore, lying on my desk until the moment when I took it up. Now the first thing I have to hasten to do is to write to you these few lines to express my deep regret.
　　I enjoyed many pleasant sights during my trip. I shall be pleased to give you an account to of them when I see you next.
　　Yours,
　　親愛的[戴維]：
　　請原諒我收到您[12月7日]的來信后遲遲未復，現(xiàn)將原因告訴您，相信您一定會諒解的。您的來信到來時，我正巧在[香港]，家人無法及時轉遞。你的信一直放在我寫字臺上，直到我回到才看見，拖至今天才回信，深表歉意。
　　這次出去旅行飽覽了許多美麗景色，下次見到您時，將告訴您一切。
　　祝好！
　　3. 因未能及時還書致歉 Unable to return borrowed book on time
　　Dear [Kate]:
　　Excuse me for my long delaying in returning to you your “Robinson Crusoe” which I read through with great interest. I had finished reading the book and was about to return it when [my cousin] came to see me. Never having seen the book, [She] was so interested in it that I had to retain it longer. However, I hope that in view of the additional delight thus afforded by your book, you will overlook my negligence in not returning it sooner.
　　Thanking you again for the loan.
　　Sincerely yours,
　　親愛的[凱特]：
　　我遲遲未能歸還您的那本《魯濱遜飄流記》，請原諒。該書我讀得津津有味。讀完后，正預備歸還您時，我的[表妹]來訪，見這本書也感興趣，定要借去一讀。為了讓別人也能分享您那本書所給予的樂趣，我不能及時歸還。我想再延遲些日子奉還，諒您不會介意的。
　　再次感謝您的慷慨。
　　祝好！
　　4. 因遺失借書致歉 Because of losing a borrowed book
　　Dear [Frank]:
　　I am terribly sorry to tell you that I have lost the valuable book you were so kind to lend me [last week]. I read it [everyday] and intended to finish it [next month]. [Last night] when I came to my room, it was nowhere to be found. I will try to recover it as soon as possible. If I fail to find it, I will get a new book for you.
　　But I am afraid it can never take the place of the old one. Old books are like old friends. Once lost, they can never be replaced. They are connected with cherished associations which the new ones can never have. And for this irrecoverable loss, I am to blame. I was so careless with my things. This is a warning to me to be more careful in the future.
　　Yours truly,
　　親愛的[弗蘭克]：
　　很抱歉，[上星期]您借給我的那本書竟遺失了。我[每天]都在看，準備[下個月]看完。[昨晚]我回到我的臥室，到處也找不到那本書。我將盡力找到它。萬一找不到，我只好買一本新的還您。
　　但是，新書恐怕不能代替那本舊書吧！舊書跟舊友一樣，一旦失去就不能再得。舊書與往事相連，這種不可彌補的損失，皆由我起。我對待一切太大意了，這次給我一個警告，叫我以后要小心。
　　祝好！