Have you ever argued with your loved ones over simple misunderstandings(误解)?Little wonder. We often believe we're more skillful in getting our point across than we actually are,according to Boza Keysar,a professor at the University of Chicago. In his recent study,speakers tried to express their meanings using unclear sentences. Speakers who thought listeners understood were wrong nearly half the time. Here‘s some good advice to reduce misunderstanding:
(1)Don't trust what you see from the listener. Listeners often nod,look at you or say“uhhuh”to be polite or move the conversation along. But it‘s easy to consider these as signs of understanding.
(2)Train the editor(编辑)in your head. If you say,“Beth discusses her problems with her husband,”it's not clear whether she‘s talking to her husband or about him. Try instead,“Beth talks to her husband about her problems.”or“Beth talks to others about the problems with her husband.”
(3)Ask listeners to repeat your message. Introduce your request by saying“I want to be sure I said that right.”Questions like“How does that sound?”or“Does that make sense?”may also work.
(4)Listen well. When on the receiving end,ask questions to be sure you're on the same page. After all,it isn‘t just the speaker's job to make his speech understood.
1. Why does the writer give us the advice?
A. We're not skillful enough to make clear sentences.
B. Misunderstanding is damaging our normal lives.
C. Misunderstanding occurs now and then.
D. It's impolite to say NO to others.
2. The writer suggests that when talking to others,the speaker should ______.
A. know that listeners will show him that they understand his words
B. express himself clearly even when he sees signs of understanding
C. notice listener's signs of understanding
D. look directly into his listener's eyes
3. By Train the editor in your head,the speakers are advised _______.
A. to get themselves trained by a good editor
B. to discuss problems with their husbands or wives
C. to express themselves in long but simple sentences
D. to make sure each sentence has only one meaning
4. In the last paragraph,the words you're on the same page mean that ______.
A. you're following the speakers closely
B. you're reading the same page as the speaker does
C. you should know which page the speaker refers to
D. your story is written on the same page as the speaker's