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.

　　第1题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.

　　【正确答案】 C

　　【答案解析】 推理判断题。由第一段可知，仅仅因为误解而引起争执的情况时有发生，因而作者才给出了建议。

　　第2题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

　　【正确答案】 B

　　【答案解析】推理判断题。由第二段可知，听者有时会有点头等行为，但有时这只是他出于礼貌或使谈话顺利进行下去的表示，而并不代表他真正理解你所说的话，所以说话者即使看到表示理解的信号时也应该清楚地表达自己的观点。

　　第3题By training 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

　　【正确答案】 D

　　【答案解析】

　　推理判断题。由第三段所举的例子可知，有时一句话表达不清会有歧义，所以作者建议所讲的话应该只有一个意思，以免发生歧义。

　　第4题In the last paragraph, the words “you’re on the same page” mean that .

　　A.you’re following the speaker 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

　　【正确答案】 A

　　【答案解析】句意理解题。由此句后面一句“make his speech understood”可知，“you’re on the same page”意为“你能跟得上说话者的思路，能理解说话者的意思”。

　　The first European stock exchange was established in Antwerp, Belgium(比利时), in 1531.There were no stock exchanges in England until the 1700’s. A man wishing to buy or sell shares of stock had to find a broker(agents) to transact his business for him. In London, he usually went to a coffee house, because brokers often gathered there. In 1773, the brokers of London formed a stock exchange.

　　In New York City, brokers met under an old button wood tree on Wall Street. They organized the New York Stock Exchange in 1792.The American Stock Exchange, the second largest in the United States, was formerly called the Curb Exchange because of its origin on the streets of New York City.

　　A stock exchange is a market place where member brokers buy and sell stocks and bonds(债券) of American and foreign businesses on behalf of the public. A stock exchange provides a market place for stocks and bonds in the same way a board of trade does for commodities. The stockbrokers receive a small commission on each transaction they make.

　　The stockholder may sell his stock wherever he wants to unless the corporation has some special rule to prevent it. Prices of stock change according to general business conditions and the earnings and future prospects(前景) of the company. If the business is doing well, the stockholder may be able to sell his stock for a profit. If it is not, he may have to take a loss.

　　第1题In the 1600’s, if a man wanted to buy or sell shares of stock in England, he had to do it through .

　　A.the government

　　B.himself

　　C.a broker

　　D.the stock exchange

　　【正确答案】 C

　　【答案解析】事实细节题。文章第一段第三句指出，如果(在18世纪以前)有人想在英国买卖股票就必须通过经纪人(代理人)替他交易。

　　第2题The second largest stock exchange in the U.S. used to be called .

　　A.the Wall Street Exchange

　　B.the New York Stock Exchange

　　C.the Curb Exchange

　　D.the U.S. Exchange

　　【正确答案】 C

　　【答案解析】事实细节题。文章第二段第三句指出，美国证券交易所是美国第二大证券交易所，曾因其发起地点在纽约市的街道上而被称为Curb Exchange。

　　第3题Which of the statements is true?

　　A.The stockholder can sell his stock to anywhere at any time.

　　B.There were no stock exchange in England in the 1700’s.

　　C.The price of stock is not stable.

　　D.The stockbrokers do the transaction without charging for the stockholders.

　　【正确答案】 C

　　【答案解析】推理判断题。文章第四段第二句指出，股票价格根据公司的总体情况、收益及公司未来的发展情况而变化。从而可以判定C正确，即：股票价格不稳定。

　　第4题The passage is mainly about .

　　A.the Wall Street

　　B.the stock exchange

　　C.the stock

　　D.the stockholder and stockbroker

　　【正确答案】 B

　　【答案解析】 主旨大意题。文章主要讲的是证券交易所的形成和发展状况，所以B为正确答案。