A
(2021·南昌模拟)
I once met a well-known botanist at a dinner party. I had never talked with a botanist before, and I found him very interesting. I sat there absorbed and listened while he spoke of unusual plants and his experiments (he even told me astonishing facts about the simple potato). I had a small indoor garden of my own—and he was good enough to tell me how to solve some of my problems.
As I said, we were at a dinner party. There must have been a dozen other guests, but I broke an important rule of politeness. I ignored everyone else and talked for hours to the botanist.
Midnight came. I said good night to everyone and departed. The botanist then turned to our host and said many nice things about me, including that I was a “most interesting conversationalist”.
An interesting conversationalist? I had said hardly anything at all. I couldn’t have said anything if I had wanted to without changing the subject, for I didn’t know any more about plants than I knew about sharks.
But I had done this one thing; I had listened carefully. I listened because I was really interested. And he felt it. Naturally that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the best ways to show respect to others, and it makes them feel great too. “Few human beings, ” wrote Jack Woodford in Strangers in Love, “can resist the sweet effect of rapt attention. ” I went even further than that. I was “sincere in my admiration and generous in my praise”. I told him that I had been hugely entertained and instructed. I told him I wished I had his knowledge. I told him that I should love to wander the fields with him. What’s more, it was all true.
And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.
【文章大意】本文是一篇记叙文。作者以自己偶遇一个植物学家并与其交谈的例子说明, 一个健谈的人应具备的品质包括: 关注参会的人、注意倾听他们的见解、表现出对别人话题感兴趣等。
1. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that the writer ______.
A. was deeply moved by the botanist’s talk
B. was amazed by what he was hearing
C. was not in a comfortable situation
D. behaved politely and properly
【解析】选B。细节理解题。由第一段第二、三句可知, 我发现他很有趣, 在他谈及罕见植物和他的试验时, 我坐在那儿专注而认真地听(他甚至告诉我关于土豆的惊人事实)。由此可见, 作者对于植物学家所说的感到很惊奇。故选B。
2. Which of the following does the writer describe as a rule of politeness at dinner parties?
A. Avoiding discussions about politics and religion.
B. Listening carefully to what another guest says.
C. Arriving and leaving at the appropriate time.
D. Giving attention to all those in attendance.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。由第二段中第二、三句可知, 但我违反了一条重要的礼貌规则, 我忽视了其他人, 与植物学家聊了几个小时。由此可知, 作者认为, 忽略其他人只和植物学家谈话是不礼貌的。因此判断出, 关注参加的所有人是有礼貌的行为。故选D。
3. The underlined expression “rapt attention” in Paragraph 5 is closest in the meaning to ______.
A. full understanding B. strong interest
C. great uncertainty D. little curiosity
【解析】选B。词义猜测题。根据第五段第二到五句可知我听是因为真的感兴趣, 而他感受到了。当然, 那让他高兴。那种倾听是对别人展现尊重的最好方式之一, 这也让他们觉得很棒。结合上文“Few human beings, ” wrote Jack Woodford in Strangers in Love, “can resist the sweet effect of rapt attention. ”可知, 很少有人能拒绝强烈兴趣的影响, 因此rapt attention的意思与strong interest相近。故选B。
4. According to the writer, which of the following is an important characteristic of a good conversationalist?
A. Listening attentively and encouraging the other side to continue.
B. Encouraging the other side by sharing his/her own opinions.
C. Promising a future meeting for more communication.
D. Expressing respect by nodding his/her head.
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据最后一段“And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk. ”可知, 当我在现实中, 成为好的倾听者, 并鼓励他继续说时, 我使他认为我是一个健谈者。由此可知, 健谈的人会认真听, 并鼓励说话者继续。因此判断出, A选项“认真听, 鼓励对方继续”是健谈的人的特征。故选A。
【知识拓展】【难句解读】
“And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.
分析: 本句中when引导时间状语从句, 意为“当……的时候”。
翻译: 因此, 我让他认为我是个很健谈的人, 而实际上, 我只是一个很好的倾听者, 并鼓励他多说话。
