Britons Learn to Forgive

LEEDS, England ─ A Leeds University psychology¹ (心理学) professor is teaching² a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.

"The hatred³ we hold within us is a can-cer," Professor Ken⁴ Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease⁵.

More than 70 people have become mem-bers in Hart's first 20-week workshop in Lon-don ─ a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.

These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness⁶ is a poison⁷ they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart.

The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser⁸ every fortnight.

The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these peo-ple. "People have lots of negative attitudes to-wards forgiveness," he said. "People confuse (把……混淆) forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means⁹ changing from a negative attitude to a positive one."

Hart and his team have created instruc-tions to provide the training needed.

"The main idea is to give you guidelines¹⁰ on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with," said Norman Claringbull, a senior¹¹ expert on the forgiveness project.

Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people "want to get free of the past".

1. From this passage we know that ______.

A. high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred

B. high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors

C. without hatred, people will have less trouble connected with blood and heart

D. people who suffer from blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies

2. If you are angry with somebody, you should

A. try your best to defeat him or her

B. never meet him or her again

C. persuade him or her to have a talk with you

D. relax yourself by not thinking of him or her any more

3. In Hart's first 20-week workshop, people there can ___.

A. meet their enemies

B. change their minds

C. enjoy the professor's speech

D. learn how to quarrel with others

4. If you are a member in Hart' s workshop, you'll ______.

A. pay much money to Hart

B. go to the workshop every night

C. attend a gathering¹² twice a month

D. pour out everything stored in your mind

5. The author wrote this passage in order to

A. persuade us to go to Hart's workshop

B. tell us the news about Hart's workshop

C. tell us how to run a workshop like Hart's

D. help us to look at various kinds of angers

Key: 1. C 2. D 3. B 4. C 5. B