When you argue (争辩) with your friend, will you shout at him or her? Why or why not?
A wise old man saw his grandson having an argument with his wife. He asked his grandson, “Why do you raise your voice every time you argue with your wife?”
His grandson answered, “I raise my voice so that my voice is heard.”
“Your wife is close enough for her to hear you when you say the same sentence in a calm manner. Why do you have to raise your voice?” the grandfather asked.
“Perhaps because I need to let off some steam (宣泄感情) by raising my voice,” his grandson replied.
“The steam will go out in the same way if you whisper to her. So why is that?”
“Or because I lose my patience (耐心) when she doesn’t understand my point of view,” the man said unwillingly.
“Perhaps, but that is not the real reason why you raise your voice. The real reason is that when you are angry with your wife, your heart moves away from her heart. So even though you are physically close to each other, you feel that you are far away from one another. You feel like you have to shout,” the grandfather replied.
“So what should I do to solve this?” the grandson asked.
“When two people are in love, their hearts are close to each other. If you whisper softly, you can both hear each other clearly. This is how you should talk to each other,” the grandfather replied.
51. What was wrong with the grandson?
A.He had a bad voice. | B.He was shouting at his wife. |
C.He wouldn’t talk to his wife. | D.He had a hearing problem. |
52. What does the underlined word “
whisper” probably mean?
A.Speak angrily. | B.Speak quickly. |
C.Speak in a low voice. | D.Speak in a loud voice. |
53. Why did the grandson act that way according to the old man?
A.He lost his patience. | B.He wanted to let off some steam. |
C.He wanted himself to be heard. | D.He was far away from his wife at heart. |
54. What suggestion does the old man give?
A.Keep love in your heart. | B.Listen to each other carefully. |
C.Stand closer if you can’t hear someone. | D.Shout loudly if you want to be heard. |
55. From the story we know that ________.
A.it’s hard to have a heated discussion | B.we should be gentle to those we love |
C.it’s good manners to let others speak first | D.we should help others when they have problems |