单选题 Mistakes are the things that nobody wants, but we still make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. Some are about work or jobs. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?" "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?" "And why didn't Andy pick up that I was friendly just because 1 had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. We need to listen and think for some time. And if we don't really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog" that's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.
"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

单选题 This passage is mainly about ______.

A. how to interpret what people say
B. what to do when you listen to others talking
C. how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people
D. why we go wrong with people sometimes

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 主旨题。题干意为“这篇文章主要讲的是什么?”文章第一段一开始就谈到，我们常常会犯错误，而误解别人的话是犯的最多的错误，之后文章也在围绕如何倾听以避免误解来阐述，因此正确答案为C。

单选题 According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ______.

A. we fail to listen carefully when they talk
B. people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say
C. people usually state one thing but means another
D. we tend to doubt what our friends say

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“在作者看来，我们常常误解朋友的原因是什么?”从文章第二段第二句话“Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning.”可知，有时人们说话时会隐藏起他们的真正意思，因此正确答案为C。

单选题 In the sentence "Maybe he doesn't see it himself" in the second paragraph, the pronoun "it" refers to ______.

A. being friendly
B. a bit of envy
C. lucky dog
D. your luck

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 释义题。题干问的是在那句话中it指的是什么?我们从前一句话“There's a bit of envy in those words.”中可以看出指的是a bit of envy，因此正确答案为B。

单选题 When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is ______.

A. notice the way the person is talking
B. take a good look at the person talking
C. mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes
D. examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“当我们听一个人说话时，最重要的事情是什么?”文章最后一段整段话都在谈这个问题，根据原文，作者建议我们要注意说话者的神态姿势，听他的语音语调，看他的眼睛，可以看出D最贴切，因此正确答案为D。

单选题 The author most probably is a ______.

A. teacher
B. philosopher
C. psychologist
D. doctor

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“作者很可能是什么人?”A老师，B哲学家，C心理学家，D医生。文章谈的话题是言外之意和动作姿态流露出来的隐含心理，因此只有C最可能，故正确答案为C。