5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. automatically B. guilt C. complex D. material E mildly F. term
G. interesting H. dutifully I. boring J. blank K. reveal |
If you're like most people, you've lost yourself in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look directly at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. Occasionally you come back to earth: the instructor writes an important 1 on the chalk-board, and you 2 copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a witty remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you've heard the remark and found it 3 humorous. You have a vague sense of 4 that you aren't paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any 5 you miss can be picked up from a friend's notes. Besides, the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome, and nothing could be more 6 . So back you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you've missed important information for a test.
Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you're merely pretending to listen. Your 7 expression, and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that 8 your inattentiveness.
Even if you're not exposed, there's another reason to avoid fakery: it's easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that they 9 start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something 10 or uninteresting. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.
