The most basic and powerful way to connect with another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our full attention.
When people are talking, there is no need to do anything but listen to their words. Just take them in. Listen to what they are saying. Care about it. Caring is even more important than understanding. It has taken me a long time to believe in the importance of saying “I’m so sorry” when someone is in trouble.
One of my friends told me that when she tried to tell her story, people often broke in to tell her that something similar happened to them. For some reason or other, her trouble became a story about them. In the end, she stopped talking to most people. She was just too lonely. We connect through listening. When we interrupt (打断) someone to let them know that we understand, we move attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
It’s not that easy to learn to listen. It certainly went against everything that I was taught. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. A loving silence often has more importance to help and to connect than the kindest words.
【小题1】What is the most important when others are talking according to the passage?| A．Sharing. | B．Listening. | C．Understanding. | D．Speaking. |
| A．she liked listening | B．she was too shy to talk |
| C．she didn’t know the answer | D．she wanted a better listener |
| A．move attention to ourselves | B．care much about them |
| C．want to help them | D．don’t want to listen any more |
