Passage Three
Effective listening is more than simply avoiding the bad habit of interrupting others while they are speaking or finishing their sentences. It’s being content to listen to the entire, thought of someone rather than waiting impatiently for your chance to respond. We often treat communication as if it were a race. It’s almost like our goal to have no time gaps between the conclusion of the sentence of the person we are speaking with and the beginning of our own. My wife and I were recently at a cafe having lunch, eavesdropping(偷听) on the conversations around us. It seemed that no one was really listening to one another, instead they were taking turns not listening to one another.
Slowing down your responses and becoming a better listener aids you in becoming a more peaceful person, it takes stress from you. It is very stressful to be sitting at the edge of your seat trying to guess what the person in front of you (or on the telephone) is going to say so that you can fire back your response. But as you wait for the person you are communicating with to finish, as you simply listen more intently to what is being said, you’ll feel more relaxed, and so will the people you are talking to. Not only will becoming a better listener make you a more patient person, it will also enhance the quality of your relationships. Everyone loves to talk to someone who truly listens to what they are saying.
What was the purpose of my wife and me to eavesdrop
A．We wanted to know their secrets.
B．We are curious about their thoughts.
C．We wanted to get some information about the cafe.
D．We wanted to see how people listened to each other.
