Question

Tone of voice is very important in human conversation. A person might use words that communicate one message and a tone that shows something very different. This possibility for confusion is one reason that businessmen encourage discussing things in person, rather than through email, as tone cannot be determined in the written form.

The same rule is true with children. Children as young as a few months respond to a change in voice. It has been recorded that babies prefer to hear a story read by their own mother rather than another woman whom they do not know.

Have you ever talked to someone who had little or no changes in their voice no matter what you were discussing? Think of the teacher or professor you had in the past that spoke in a monotone manner for the entirelecture. It is very boring and difficult to become interested in the topic.

Parents should make an active effort to communicate with your child. If your child figures out how to open a box he or she has been struggling with and says “YES!” with pride in his or her voice, your response should be happy and excited (something encouraging, like “You did it!”). If you plainly said the same thing, you would not be matching the tone of your child.

This applies to feelings that the child may express in everyday situations as well. If a child argues with a friend, your response should not be said in a high voice or with a smile. Seriously and sincerely you should say “You look sad” or “That must have been hard for you”.

The tone of your voice expresses understanding, acknowledgement, connection and several other healthy things to your child. Although your words are very important, equally important is the tone with which you say those words.

1.What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?

A. To tell us that our tone of voice is as important as the words we say.

B. To tell us that businessmen prefer to talk in person.

C. To lead to the topic of the passage.

D. To advise us to use different tones of voice correctly.

2.The underlined word “monotone” in the 3^rd paragraph probably means a(n) ________ tone.

A. slowB. unchangingC. coldD. high

3.When communicating with their children, what are parents advised to do?

A. To hide their feelings with different tones of voice.

B. To use a tone of voice that can match their children’s feelings.

C. Not to speak to their children in a low voice.

D. To train their children to express their feelings by tone of voice.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

【解析】

【试题分析】本文主要是介绍了语调在交流中的作用。

1.推理判断题。本文主要是介绍了语调在交流中的作用，第一段的作用在于引出话题。故C选项正确。

2. 词义猜测题。前句提示了答案，前句Have you ever talked to someone who had little or no changes in their voice no matter what you were discussing?提到了无变化的语调，故可知答案选B。

3. 细节理解题 根据第四段中your response should be happy and excited. If you plainly said the same thing, you would not be matching the tone of your child.一句可知，父母亲说话的语调要与孩子的情绪相匹配，故答案B正确。

【名师点睛】

词义猜测题要求考生根据一定的上下文猜测生词的词义，猜测生词词义的方法很多，常用的有同义解释法、因果推断法、前后对比法、基本构词法、语境理解法、举例说明法、常识背景法、类属分析法等。本文中，4.

考点：考查议论文阅读。