How to handle life's most awkward1 moments
True story:
Ellen was sitting in English class writing a note to Randy, a cute boy who sat nearby. In the note, she said she couldn't stop thinking about him. She wrote some very personal things. She passed the note to Randy. He added some juicy2 thoughts of his own. Back and forth3 the note passed between them. The teacher noticed. She walked to Ellen's desk and took the note. She then tacked4 the note to the bulletin board without comment. Calmly, the teacher resumed5 teaching her class.
When class ended, all the students rushed to the board to read the note. Many of them giggled6. Ellen wanted to die of embarrassment7.
Everyone knows that feeling: the burning face, the racing heart, the desire to crawl into a hole and disappear for good.
Just ask Ashlee Simpson. People are still talking about the teen pop star's flub-up8 on Saturday Night Live last October. A technical glitch9 revealed that she had been lip-synching10 her songs. A red-faced Simpson forced a smile and danced a little jig before exiting the stage.
Most of us don't suffer awkward moments on live national TV for millions of people to witness. However, many of us have found ourselves in “OOPS” situations such as these:
★ Bad behavior—getting caught cheating or lying
★Big mouth—saying something unkind about someone that he or she overhears
★ Banana peel—falling, tripping11, spilling, or breaking something in front of others
★Bodily malfunction12—giving off bad odors13 or noises
What makes us blush is the public nature of such events. Having toilet paper stuck to your shoe is not embarrassing unless someone notices. When something like that happens to you, how can you handle yourself with grace？ Here are some pointers.
★ Laugh at yourself. If possible, make a joke. Being a good sport14 helps cut the tension.
★ If you have offended someone, apologize—pure and simple15.
★ Take a deep breath. Then tell yourself, “This will pass.”
★ Remember that everyone has embarrassing moments.
★ Sometimes, thinking things through ahead of time can help you avoid awkward situations later.
What Should You Do?
Make the best way to handle each embarrassing situation below.
1. You drop your tray in the lunchroom with a loud crash. Food splatters everywhere. Other students clap and cheer. You
___ a. bow several times, act like a clown16, and pretend to slip in the food, just to make it funnier.
___ b. run from the cafeteria17 and hide in the restroom.
___ c. smile, apologize, and clean up.
2. You think you are alone at home. You turn on your music and do your best rock-star imitation in front of the mirror. Then you notice your older brother and his friend standing in the doorway, laughing. You
___ a. get angry and yell at your brother for sneaking up on18 you.
___ b. laugh with them and offer them your autograph19.
___ c. run to your room, slam20 the door, and sulk21.
3. You write a mean e-mail about Jenna, and you plan to send it to Taylor. As soon as you click Send, you realize you sent the message to Jenna instead! You
___ a. call Jenna right away and apologize to her.
___ b. do nothing and hope Jenna never mentions the e-mail.
___ c. decide to avoid Jenna for the rest of your life.
如何应对尴尬时刻
真人真事
上英语课时，艾伦写了一张纸条，递给邻桌的帅小伙兰迪。她说：“我忍不住想你。”纸条里的话很私密。写完后，她把纸条传给兰迪。兰迪在纸条上加了几句有点刺激的想法，递回来。纸条在他俩之间传来递去，被老师“侦察”到。老师径直走到艾伦的课桌旁，一把抓住纸条，钉在班里的告示栏里，不作任何评论，心平气和地继续上课。
下课了，同学们一下子涌到告示栏前。许多人“咯咯”笑个不停。艾伦尴尬得要命。
那种感觉谁不晓得呢？！脸涨得通红，心儿砰砰狂跳，真想找个洞钻进去，一了百了。
问一问阿什莉·辛普森的感觉吧——在去年10月的《周六夜现场》节目中，这位当红少年明星出尽了洋相，人们至今还在谈论这事呢！当时出了一点技术问题，却曝光了她假唱的真相！面红耳赤的辛普森勉强挤出一丝微笑，跳了片刻快步舞，然后溜下舞台。
当时有几百万人通过现场直播直盯盯目睹尴尬时刻——我们中绝大多数人没这种难堪。可是，我们许多人都经历过类似下面的狼狈，例如：
行为不端：舞弊被抓了现行，或谎言被当场戳穿。
嘴巴多话：背着某人说他的坏话，却被那人听得一清二楚。
香蕉皮效应：当着众人的面摔跟头、跌跤、弄泼东西、或砸坏东西。
身体不当反应：身体散发异样的气味或弄出难听的声音。
之所以令我们脸红，就因为这些事情具有“公众效应”。卫生纸粘到鞋上并不尴尬，除非有人注意到。假如难堪真的发生了，如何应对方为体面呢？以下是几点小“贴士”：
自我解嘲：如果方便，不妨讲个笑话。善开玩笑有助于缓解压力。
倘若冒犯了别人，立刻道歉——这是特效药。
深呼吸，然后告诉自己：这事儿总会过去的。
记住：谁都有掉底子的时候。
有时侯，预先把事情想周全一些，可以避免以后出丑。
你该怎么做？
碰到下列尴尬局面时，要采取最佳方式来解决。
1．如果在餐厅“哗啦”一声砸了餐盘，弄得食物撒满一地，同学们见了，鼓掌起哄——此时的你：
A． 鞠几个躬，像个小丑一样，装出一副踩着食物要摔倒的样子，就为了更搞笑；
B． 跑出餐厅，躲进洗手间；
C． 笑一笑，说声“抱歉”，把地板清理干净；
2． 自以为家里就你一人，于是乎，你打开音乐，在镜前模仿摇滚歌星尽情作秀。谁知一转身，却发现你哥哥——还有他的朋友，竟站在门口哈哈大笑——此时的你
A． 恼羞成怒，对着哥哥大喊大叫，指责他“偷窥”你；
B． 与他们一起大笑，然后要给他们签名；
C． 跑进自己的房间，“砰”一声砸上门，满肚子的闷气；
3． 你写了一封刻薄的电子邮件，说的是詹娜，本想发给泰勒的——可是鼠标一点，竟发给了詹娜！——此时的你：
a． 立马给詹娜去电话，向她道歉；
b． 不采取任何措施，指望詹娜永远不提此事；
c． 决定这辈子再也不要见到詹娜。
[上上策：1 C；2 B； 3 A]
1. awkward adj. 尴尬的
2. juicy adj. 有趣的，刺激性的
3. back and forth 来来回回
4. tack v. 用大头针钉
5. resume v. 继续
6. giggle v. 咯咯地笑
7. embarrassment n. 尴尬
8. flub-up 一团糟
9. glitch n. 小故障
10. lip-synch [si?耷k] v. 假唱
11. trip [trip] v. 绊倒
12. malfunction n. 故障
13. odor n. 气味
14. be a sport [口] 讲交情；够朋友
15. pure and simple 纯粹的，十足的
16. clown [klaun] n. 小丑
17. cafeteria n. 餐厅
18. sneaking up on 悄悄接近然后突然出现
19. autograph n. 签名
20. slam v. 砰地关上
21. sulk v. 生气