高考英语阅读理解题型中的C篇文章，在出题题目数量上有四个小题，出题形式上相对A篇和B篇文章难度有所加大，多以推理判断题、主旨大意题和观点态度题为主，考查难度增大不少，体现了对中等偏上程度的考生的选拔。
C篇的解题方法和步骤仍然可以采用略读法（skimming）和查读法（scanning）。
以下文为范文：
C
The hit movie Notting Hill (《诺丁山》) begins with a famous scene. Hugh Grant bumps into Julia Roberts and spills orange juice all over her. After the collision, Grant repeatedly says, “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.”
His actions in this scene are very British. If Roberts were from Britain, then she would probably apologize repeatedly as well — even if the crash were not her fault. But this doesn't happen in the movie, as Roberts is from the US.
A report in The Telegraph once said that three quarters of British people apologize when they bump into someone in the street — regardless of whether they are responsible or not. In fact, Britons use “sorry” in many situations. For example, if they mishear someone, they say “Sorry？” The person they are talking to will also apologize by replying, “No, I am sorry！” This can go on for up to five minutes as they compete for who is the most sorry.
Why are Britons so sorry? Mark Tyrrell, a psychology writer in the UK, thinks that their apologetic tendencies are rooted in the British class system. “We say sorry because historically the new middle class in Britain had to apologize for not being the working class, but also for not really being the upper class.” Another theory is that they apologize to avoid conflicts. For example, if they bump into someone, he might get angry. To avoid this, they instantly say “Sorry！”
True manners are about being considerate, and today's constant use of apologizing shows that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were. The word “sorry” has lost some of its meaning. Do you see my point? Sorry, it might just be a British thing.
8．Why does the author mention a scene in the movie Notting Hill at the beginning?
A．To give an example of British modesty.
B．To introduce different ways of saying sorry.
C．To show what kind of men are considered gentlemen in the UK.
D．To draw our attention to when and how British people say sorry.
9．Which of the following statements might Mark Tyrrell agree with?
A．People should not apologize if they are not responsible.
B．Americans care less about manners than British people do.
C．That British people apologize so much is linked to the class system.
D．British people care too much about which social class they are from.
10．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．It's unnecessary for British people to be so polite.
B．The overuse of apologizing shows Britons are truly sincere.
C．People should not stick to the traditional use of the word “sorry”．
D．Using “sorry” more doesn't necessarily mean people are more polite.
11．What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
A．To explore the best way of saying sorry.
B．To explain why Britons overuse the word “sorry”．
C．To show how saying sorry has changed over time.
D．To suggest many British people lack traditional manners.
正确答案：8. D 9. C 10. D 11. B
本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了英国人的道歉文化及其原因：一是因为历史上英国的新中产阶级；二是为了避免冲突。
阅读方法和步骤：
第一步，略读法（skimming）:通过略读，第一段描绘了一个电影中的小场景，Hugh Grant撞到了Julia Roberts，把橙汁撒了Roberts一身，Grant就不停地道歉。因此，语篇很重要的一个关键词就是apologize道歉。
第二段首句，A report in The Telegraph once said that three quarters of British people apologize when they bump into someone in the street — regardless of whether they are responsible or not. 第二段的主题是：据报道，有四分之三的英国人在大街上撞到别人的时候会道歉，无论是不是他们的责任。
第三段首句，Why are Britons so sorry? 为什么英国人感到如此抱歉呢？因此，第三段是在分析英国人喜欢道歉的原因。
最后一段首句，True manners are about being considerate, and today's constant use of apologizing shows that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were.真正的礼貌是关心体谅人的表现，今天人们更多的道歉并不意味着像曾经那样更有礼貌了。因此，由本段首句可推断出现在说sorry已经略有变味。
第二步，查读法（scanning），带着问题去文章深入理解。
8.Why does the author mention a scene in the movie Notting Hill at the beginning?
为什么作者在文章开头提到电影《诺丁山》中的一段场景？
选D 推理判断题。根据第一段的描述可知，文章开头用电影作例，描述了英国人道歉的场景，目的是引出文章的主题——英国的道歉文化。
9.Which of the following statements might Mark Tyrrell agree with？
Mark Tyrrell同意以下哪个观点？
选C 推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Mark Tyrrell ...thinks that their apologetic tendencies are rooted in the British class system.”可知，Mark Tyrrell认为英国人的道歉根源于其阶级制度。由此可推断，C项正确。
10.What can be inferred from the passage?
从文章中我们可以得知什么？
选D 推理判断题。根据第四段的内容以及最后一段中的“today's constant use of apologizing shows that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were”可知，英国人道歉或是与他们的阶级制度有关，或是为了避免冲突，今天的多次道歉也并不意味着人们更有礼貌。
11.What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
作者写这篇文章的意图是什么？
选B 写作意图题。根据全文内容可知，本文由电影场景引入主题，介绍了英国的道歉文化，并介绍了英国人道歉的原因及今天道歉的意义，主要目的是介绍英国人过量使用道歉的原因。
C篇文章理解难度逐渐加大，要想做出准确无误的理解和选择，还要结合排除法来辅助正面理解，最后实在理解有难度的小题，结合上下文最后定夺。