請回答第 41 題至第 43 題:
Men and women seldom mean the same things even when they use the same words. To fully express their feelings,
women assume poetic license and use various superlatives, metaphors, and generalizations. Men mistakenly take these
expressions literally. Because they misunderstand the intended meaning, they commonly react in an unsupportive
manner.
A “literal” translation of a woman’s words could easily mislead a man who is used to using speech as a means of
conveying only facts and information. Besides, a man’s responses might lead to an argument. Unclear and unloving
communication is the biggest problem in relationships. The number one complaint women have in relationships is: “I
don’t feel heard.”
Even this complaint is misunderstood and misinterpreted!
A man’s literal translation of “I don’t feel heard” leads him to invalidate her feelings. He thinks he has heard her if
he can repeat what she has said. However, a correct translation of a woman saying “I don’t feel heard” is: “I feel as
though you don’t fully understand what I really mean to say or care about how I feel.”
If a man really understood her complaint then he would argue less and be able to respond more positively. When
men and women are on the verge of arguing, they are generally misunderstanding each other. At such times, it is
important to rethink or translate what they have heard. 【題組】43 What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) Men tend to interpret women’s talk literally and find fault with women’s logic in speech.
(B) In order to help them understand each other better, men and women need translators when they are talking.
(C) It is hard for men and women to understand each other since they don’t want to listen to each other.
(D) Communication problems between the two sexes often result from men’s and women’s different interpretations
of the same words.