1 Sometimes it is necessary to insist on further explanation.

　　2 You shouldn't focus on your response while others are still speaking.

　　3 People are reluctant to admit that they don't listen well.

　　4 There are benefits in seeing things from the speaker's perspective.

　　5 Keen observation of the speaker can support our listening skills.

　　6 It is risky to think about a different issue while someone is speaking.

　　7 People do not mind hearing their own views summarised.

　　Good listener, better manager

　　A

　　Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven't listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven't quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember - despite the benefit of notes - exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right - and that means listening.

　　B

　　Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effortless activity. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification - it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you'll miss what the speaker is saying - probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won't know you've missed anything until it's too late.

　　C

　　The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don't interrupt. In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well.

　　D

　　Above all be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It's helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally importantly you should put yourself in the other person's place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don't be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing.

這篇文章講的是傾聽(listening)的重要性。一個好的管理者必然是一個好的傾聽者，所以要講究傾聽的藝術。

　　第一題，有時堅持進一步的解釋是很有必要的。答案是B段的這么一句：It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification - it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong它可能意味著為了進一步的信息和說明去詢問說話的人——問總比不顧情況的繼續并且把事情辦錯的好。這里的additional information對應于further explanation.

　　第二題，不能在別人還在說的時候就開始關注自己的回應。答案是C段的第一句：The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished。我們最常見的壞習慣就是在講話者遠還沒結束的時候就開始思考我們將對這個話題說些什么。這里的before the other speaker has finished就是others are still speaking，focus on your response就是start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject。

　　第三題，人們不愿意承認自己沒有聽好。答案是A段的第一句：Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven't listened carefully enough。我們經常指責別人沒有好好聽，假裝我們自己是無可指責的，其實在我們心里知道，很多我們所犯的錯誤都是由于聽的不夠仔細。這句的意思就是說我們心里知道什么原因，但是口頭上喜歡指責別人。也就是第三題題干說的不愿意承認。

　　第四題，從說話者的視角去考慮問題是有好處的。答案是D段的這么一句：Equally importantly you should put yourself in the other person's place, both intellectually and emotionally。同樣重要的是你必須把自己置于別人的位置上，既是智力上的也是情感上的。這里的put yourself in other person’s place就是seeing things from the speaker’s perspective。

　　第五題，對說話者的敏銳觀察可以提高傾聽技巧。答案是D段的這么一句：It's helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying。記住說話人的移動方式和姿勢是很有用的，這些可以揭示出很多他們所說話的信息。連說話的姿勢都要記住，當然是keen observation了，helpful可以對應于support。

　　第六題，當別人在說話的時候去想著另外一件事是很危險的。答案是B段的這么一句：if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you'll miss what the speaker is saying如果你讓自己走神了，哪怕是僅有的幾分鐘，你也將錯過別人所說的話。allow your mind wander onto something else也就是think about a different issue.

　　第七題，人們不介意聽到他們自己的觀點被總結。答案是C段的這么一句：In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this事實上在作出自己觀點之前往往很值得解釋下剛剛所聽到內容的主要觀點。沒有人會被這個所冒犯。explaining the main idea of what you have just been told也就是hearing their own views summarised。do not mind也就是nobody is offended by this。