When you are at odds with someone close to you, the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively-and how to listen more skillfully．All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship．
Set aside at least ten minutes, and then sit facing each other．Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Lastener．It makes no difference, because later you will change roles．
How to perform the One-Minute Drill
For approximately 30 seconds, the Talker can say anything he or she wants．Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings．You can discuss problems you've had a hard time talking about．Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds．When the Talker finishes, the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said, as well as how the Talker was feeling inside, as accurately as possible．
The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 percent to indicate how accurate the summary was．If the rating is 95 percent or more, you can change roles; the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new．
However, if the grade is below 95 percent, the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong, and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 percent or more．Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like．
How it works
Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone．Express your feelings in strong, clear, direct language, but as your partner will be listening attentively, you won't need to shout, exaggerate or put your partner down．
The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting．Look into your partner's eyes, but avoid using negative body language．If you like, take a few notes．
So the Talker might say：“When I come home from work, I feel tired and I need some quiet time．But you tell me I'm supposed to spend time with the kids．This makes me feel frustrated．I work hard and I'm exhausted at the end of the day．I feel like I deserve a little time to relax, not listen to more demands．”
In response, the Listener might summarize like this：“You just told me that you feel exhausted when you come home at night because you've been working hard all day．When l tell you l want you to spend time with the kids, you feel frustrated and ticked off because you're tired and you need time to relax．You see me as very demanding, and you're probably feeling like I don't appreciate you．”
The first time you attempt the One-Minute Drill, you may get a low score．Don't worry, because you'll get up to speed quickly．Once you've tried this exercise a few times, you'll find that you can nearly always get ratings of 95 percent or better on the first or second try．
(1)
Who is the One-Minute Drill intended for?
[ ]
A．
Those who are preparing for the interview in order to make a good first impression．
B．
Those who have difficulty communicating with their colleagues or family members．
C．
Those who have troubled relationships with their friends or family members and try to improve them．
D．
Those who are to act some roles in a certain play for the first time in their life．
(2)
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
The Talker should talk about his/her thoughts and feelings in a brief way．
B．
The Listener should listen carefully, respectfully and later summarize accurately．
C．
After the Talker finishes talking, the Listener is to give him/her a grade．
D．
In the One-Minute Drill, the Talker and the Listener change roles in the process．
(3)
From the example given in“How it works”, we can guess that the talk might be between ________．
[ ]
A．
father and son
B．
mother and daughter
C．
sister and brother
D．
husband and wife
(4)
What does the underlined part“ticked off”probably mean in this reading?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday．
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder．She lived to the ripe old age of 122．So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers．“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．“People can live much longer than we think,”he says．“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120．So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing．“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan．“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的)，but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says．“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years．”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种)，one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile．
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A．
People can live to 122．
B．
Old people are creative．
C．
Women are sporty at 85．
D．
Women live longer than men．
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________．
[ ]
A．
the average human life span could be 110
B．
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C．
few people can expect to live to over 150
D．
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A．
Jerry Shay．
B．
Steve Austad
C．
Rich Miller
D．
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A．
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120．
B．
The average human life span cannot be doubled．
C．
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species．
