学进去

We’ve all been in conversations where we’ve known that the other person wasn’t really paying attention. According to the University of Missouri, 45% of communication is listening, and yet most people remember only 25% to 50% of the information they hear. Whether you’re in a classroom, a business setting, or a relationship, failing to hear 75% what’s said to you is sure to lead to big problems. Active listening helps solve them.

What is Active Listening?

It means more than listening to the words that are said. Instead, you think about what you hear, and try to find out the purpose, content, and emotion from the speaker. Active listening requires paying attention. If you’re watching TV or looking at your phone while someone is talking, you’re not actively listening.

The other side of active listening is making sure the other person knows that you’re doing so. Signs like eye contact and replying with insightful（有深刻见解的）comments are important.

Why Active Listening Matters

Verbal（言语的）communication is very important in every part of life. Active listening can help you communicate better, reduce misunderstandings, and build more successful family or working relationships.

For example, family members often have bad listening habits. They don’t pay attention to what is said because they think they know what is coming next. They hear what they expect to hear, instead of what family members actually say. Active listening makes it possible to solve this problem.

Learning How to Listen

Active listening takes practice. Here are a few tips on improving your listening skills:

Pay attention! Put down your phone and make eye contact with the person talking to you. Make notes in mind about the speaker’s main point, as well as a few specific things they’re saying. Why are they telling you this? How does the speaker feel about what they’re saying? Don’t think about answering. Focus on what they want you to hear.
Show that you’re listening. The speaker can tell if you’re paying attention. Make eye contact, nod when you need to, and give small verbal comments like “yes” and “huh”. But don’t repeat something they’ve just said. This might seem like a good way to show that you’re listening, but it can derail（使脱轨）the conversation.
Offer feedback（反馈）. When the opportunity comes up, you’ll be able to offer insightful feedback on what was said. This might take the form of reflecting on what was said, asking follow-up questions, of offering your own viewpoint. Active listening can avoid that deer-in-the-headlights feeling that can happen when someone asks, “What do you think?” If you’ve been actively listening, you’ll be ready to answer thoughtfully.
1．According to the passage, which one can he active listening?

A．Asking some questions before listening.

B．Listening to someone while watching TV.

C．Thinking about what you hear while listening.

D．Guessing what the speaker will say before listening.

2．Active listening is important because ______.

A．it changes people’s listening habits completely

B．it helps people to communicate with others better

C．it makes communication important in every part of life

D．It ensures people don’t make mistakes in business settings

3．What can we know from the passage?

A．Nodding often in the conversation can help you listen actively.

B．Asking follow-up questions is not as good as offering points of view.

C．Repeating what’s said by the speaker means you are an active listener.

D．Paying attention in the conversation means more than just listening to the words.

4．The underlined word “deer-in-the-headlights” probably means ______.

A．Not being able to see	B．not being able to understand
C．not knowing how to react	D．not knowing how to listen