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many people still find their listeners do not listen to them. Clearly, something is wrong with their listening ability.

误解常常源于缺乏交流。令人纳闷的是，在现代社会，虽然发明了不少先进的通讯工具，如移动电话和传呼机，但是人们仍然面临这样的问题。研究表明，科技发明确实有助于人与人之间的交流。研究也同样发现，虽然人与人之间接触的机会增加了，特别是言语交流的机会增加了，许多人仍然发现没有人真正聆听他们说话。很显然，人们的聆听能力出了问题。close4RT People may wonder why their listening ability is undesirable when their hearing ability is physically sound. This is a basic mistake we often make. Very often hearing is confused with listening, as they are so closely related. Believing that hearing is a physiological function, which comes to us naturally, we take it for granted that listening does not require much effort. Experts in the field of communications are quick to attack this belief. In their view, listening requires hard work and energy. When people are listening, they have quicker heartbeats and faster blood circulation. Good listening, they think, is not as simple as it might seem.

人们也许会问，为什么听觉没有问题而他们的聆听能力却不如人意呢？这就是我们常犯的错误：因为听觉能力和聆听能力的关系如此紧密，我们经常把两者混淆。我们会认为听觉能力是一种生理功能，是与生俱来的，所以我们想当然地以为聆听不需要付出特别的努力。对于这种观点，交流领域的专家会毫不犹豫地加于指正。在他们看来，聆听既费神又费力。人们聆听时心跳加速，血液循环也会加快。专家认为，认真的聆听并不是我们想象的那么简单。close5RT To become a good listener begins with concentration. That looks easy on the surface. In too many cases, we have to listen to other people with physical and mental distractions around us. The ring of the telephone, the slam of a door or other human voices are some of the common physical distractions. The mental distractions in one's own mind, on the other hand, are much more difficult to overcome, for many reasons. A speaker may not be able to keep pace with the working of the listener's mind. The average person's rate of thinking is faster than the average rate of speech. With much free time left at their disposal, the listeners are likely to be carried away by their own thoughts and they soon lose their way. That is where the problem lies: listening too quickly.

要成为好的聆听者首先需要集中注意力。这表面上看起来很简单。在很多情况下，我们听别人说话时，周围都有外界的和心理的干扰，电话铃声、关门声、其他人的声音是一些我们常见的外界干扰。但是心理的干扰更难克服。这里面的原因很多，说话人可能无法跟上听话人思想的速度。常人的思考速度要比说话的平均速度快得多。当听话人有很多自由时间支配的时候，他们就可能会太专注自己的思绪而很快就不知道说话人说到什么地方了。这就是问题的所在：听得太快！close6RT Sometimes, the listener tends to skip part of what is being said unconsciously. Since each person has his own range of interests, when the speaker talks about something that is of no personal interest or concern to him, he would \mind is wandering. This automatic control exercises its influence especially when the

topic is too boring.

有时候，听话人会下意识地跳过说话人的一些谈话。每个人都有自己的兴趣爱好，如果说话人谈论一些听话人不感兴趣或与听话人无关的事情，听话人就会\关掉谈话\。虽然听话人可能还会点头或用其他肢体语言回应，他的思绪却游移到别的事情上去了。这种自动控制系统的作用在谈话内容太枯燥的时候尤其明显。close7RT Other psychological factors also come into play. A person's feeling towards the speaker can affect his listening ability. If he has a poor impression of the speaker, because of his appearance or whatever, it is quite natural that he would not tune in to the words of the speaker.

其他心理因素也同样会起作用。一个人对说话人的印象也会影响他的理解能力，如果听者对说话人的印象不好，比如由于说话人的相貌或某些原因，那他自然就不会去认真聆听说话人说的内容。close8RT Verbal communication is a good means for people to understand each other. What has to be borne in mind is that, to ensure that good communication takes place, talking and hearing are just not enough. When we hear people complain that no one listens to them or no one understands them, we should be able to provide an acceptable explanation.

言语交流是人们相互了解的很好方式。但是值得我们注意的是要确保交流的顺利进行，光凭说和听是不够的，当听到有人抱怨没人听他们说话或没人理解他们的时候，我们应该能够给他们一个合理的解释。 2

T What We Can Do to Improve Human Relationships

This text is based on an essay downloaded from the website http://www.archive.zinester.com

close1RT Every day we encounter many people. How do we deal with them? Following are five lessons to make us think about the way we treat people.

如何改善人际关系

威廉·津瑟

每天都会碰到很多人，我们应如何与他们相处呢？以下的五个例子，能引发我们思考该如何对待他人这一问题。close2RT First Important Lesson — Cleaning Lady During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious (认真的，尽职的) student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: \

第一课 清洁女工

大学的第二个月时，老师安排了一次随堂测验。我平时学习很认真，前面的题都轻轻松松做完了，直到最后一题：“学校的清洁女工叫什么名字？”close3RT Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would be counted in for our quiz grade.

这一定是开玩笑。我见过那清洁女工几次，她很高、深色头发、五十几岁，但我怎么会知道她的名字？我交了卷，空着最后一个问题没做。临下课前，有一位同学问最后一题算不算分。close4RT \you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'.\

“当然算分”，教授回答道，“在你们一生的经历当中，你们会遇见很多人，每一位都很重要。他们值得你去注意和关心，即使是你所要做的仅仅是微笑和一声‘你好’”。close5RT I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

我永远也没有忘记这个教训，我也记住了她的名字叫多萝西。close6RT Second Important Lesson — Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an elderly African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing (鞭打；猛烈打击) rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

第二课 雨中偶遇

有一天晚上，已经十一点半了，一位年长的非裔美国妇女顶着狂风暴雨，站在亚拉巴马的高速公路旁等车。她的车坏了，急需搭顺路车。她全身湿透，于是决定招手拦下一辆车。一位年青的白人停下车来帮她，这在充满种族冲突的20世纪60年代简直是闻所未闻的。这位青年人把她送到安全地，帮她获得援助，并送她上了出租车。close7RT She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:

\drenched (使浸湿) not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others. Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole\

她似乎很赶时间，不过她还是写下了青年人的地址并向他表示感谢。七天后，有

人敲青年人的家门，令他惊奇的是，送到他门口的是一台巨型彩色电视机。上面还附了一张特别的纸条，上面写道：

\非常感谢你那天晚上在高速公路上帮我。那天晚上的大雨不仅淋湿了我的衣服，也使我的心情糟糕透顶，这时你来了。因为你，我才能及时赶到我丈夫的病床前，见他最后一面。你这样帮助我，无私地帮助他人，上帝会保佑你的！ 真诚的娜特·金·科尔太太\— Always Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. \little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. \how much is a plain dish of ice cream?\a table and the waitress was growing impatient. \cents,\she abruptly replied. The little boy again counted his coins. \The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels (5分镍币) and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

第三课 常怀感激

以前圣代冰淇淋比现在便宜得多。有一天，一位十岁的小男孩走进一间宾馆的咖啡店，坐在桌边。一位女服务员把一杯水放在他面前，“圣代冰淇淋多少钱一个？”他问道。“五毛钱，”女服务员回答道。小男孩把手从裤袋里边拿出来,仔细地数了数手上的硬币。“那么普通冰淇淋多少钱一个呢？”他又问道。这时候已经有很多人在等位子了，女服务员开始不耐烦了。“三毛五，”她不耐烦地回答道。小男孩又数了数硬币，说：“那就给我来一个普通冰淇淋吧。”女服务员拿来了冰淇淋、把账单放在桌上就走开了。小男孩吃完冰淇淋，到柜台付了钱就离开了。女服务员返回来擦桌子时，她流下了眼泪。在空碟的旁边整整齐齐地放着两个5分镍币和五个便士。他没有要圣代冰淇淋就是为了有足够的钱给她付小费。close9RT Fourth Important Lesson — The Obstacles in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a large rock placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the rock, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the huge rock had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the huge rock from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

第四课 路中障物

古时候，有一位国王让人把一块大石头放在路中间。然后他就躲在路旁，看看谁会去挪开这块巨石。国王手下的一些最富有的商人和侍臣路过这里，他们都只是绕开石头过去了。许多人大声指责国王没有把道路清理好，但是谁也不去想办法把石头从路上弄走。这时候，有一位农夫挑了一担青菜走过来。他来到大石边，放下担子，就去推大石。他使劲地推呀推，终于成功地把大石推到路旁去了。当他挑起担子准备离开时，突然发现在原来放大石的地方有一个钱包。装有很多金币，还有一张纸条，是国王写的，说金币是送给挪开石头的人的。农夫学到了我们许多人永远也不会明白的道理！每一个障碍都是改善我们环境的机会。close10RT Fifth Important Lesson — Giving when it Counts

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion (输血) from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously (奇迹般地) survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies (抗体) needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, \his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, \I start to die right away?\Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

第五课 雪中送炭

很多年前，我在一家医院做义工时，认识了一个名叫莉兹的小女孩。她得了一种很严重的怪病，唯一康复的机会只有靠她五岁的弟弟输血给她，因为她弟弟也曾患同样的病并奇迹般地好了，因此体内已经产生了抗体。医生把这一情况告诉了她的弟弟，问他是否愿意输血给姐姐。我看他犹豫了一会儿，然后深深地吸了一口气，说，\我愿意，我会输血给她，只要能救她。\输血过程中，他躺在姐姐的隔壁床，脸上带着笑容，就像我们一样，看着血色渐渐地回到姐姐的脸上。这时他的脸色渐渐变得苍白，脸上的微笑也消失了，他抬起头看着医生，用颤抖的声音问道：\我是不是很快就要死了？\男孩太小，误解了医生的意思，他以为要救姐姐，就必须把全部的血都输给她。

Unit 8

Secrets of Straight-A Students

This text is taken from Improve Your English Through Comprehension Practice by Christina Lim Cher Kee. System Publishing House Pte. Ltd. Singapore. 2001.

close1RT A professor of education who has conducted major studies of