Experiencing English 3 Unit 5 Decisions
Listening Task
1. A: Honey, I’ve been thinking.
B: Huh?
A: I’ve been thinking. I think I’d like to go back to work.
B: Really? Why?
A: Well, the kids are growing up. Jenny is off to university, and Ted is going to be in high school next year.
B: Uh huh, yeah, right?
A: Well, I just don’t think I need to be a stay-at-home mom anymore.
B: But, but who’s going to clean the house?
A: I don’t know, honey, but we’ll figure it out. I’ve been weighing the pros and cons权衡利弊, and now it just seems like the best time to make a change.
2.A: Hey, how’s it going, Frank?
B: Oh, not too sure.
A: Oh, what’s the problem?
B: It’s not really a problem. It’s kind of a good thing, I guess.
A: You guess?
B: Well, I applied for a job with a really good engineering firm a couple of months ago, and I talked to the boss yesterday.
A: Yeah?
B: And they want to hire me.
A: That’s great news.
B: Well, sort of. But the downside不足 is the job’s in Texas. I would have to move. And they want me to start in six weeks.
A: Ooh, Texas. That’s really far away. What are you leaning toward?
B: At this point, I’m seriously considering accepting the offer. But I have until next week to let them know.
3.A: Hey, Jamie, you look stressed out紧张. What’s wrong?
B: Oh, I have to choose my major this month, and I’m still undecided尚未拿定主意的; 犹豫不定的.
A: I thought you were majoring in theater. Didn’t you say you wanted to be the next Angelina Jolie?
B: Yeah, but I changed my mind last semester and started taking more psychology classes.
A: Well, why don’t you do that? You could be the next Sigmund Freud, the female version.
B: I would, but I don’t know I’m taking a really great physics class this semester. I totally love it. A: Then why not do physics?
B: So I could be the next Albert Einstein, right? I don’t know about that, either. I kinda want to take some French classes. Yeah, that sounds good! Maybe I should major in French. Although, if I take French, then I can’t really take the physics. And I mean, theater still is really fun.
4.A: What do you think about getting a puppy小狗, 幼犬, Rick?
B: A puppy? Why would we do that?
A: Well, I was at the supermarket today, and there was this guy with a box of Labrador拉布拉多猎狗 puppies out front, and they were so cute.
B: Yeah, of course they’re cute. Puppies are always cute. But they’re messy肮脏的, too.
A: I know, but you should have seen them. Their little tails and their little faces.
B: The problem with a puppy is that it eventually becomes a dog, a big dog. What’s a big dog gonna do in our little apartment?
A: We’ll take it for walks. It’ll be great. C’mon.
B: I don’t know. I’ll think about it. Why don’t we get a cat instead?
B: No I guess not! It’s been a long time!
Real World Listening
Our topic today is decision making. We make decisions every day, right? Maybe about simple, personal things like which train to take to work or should you get a puppy as a pet, and also more complex things like what to major in at college or whether to take a job offer in a new city. We’re going to look at four dimensions方面;部分 of the decision-making process, OK? Approach, information, risk, and decisiveness.
The first dimension is approach, or the way that you view the decision-making process. There are two types of decision makers here: originators and adapters. Adapters tend to think in terms of就…而言, 从…方面说来 the minimum change necessary to produce the results they want. They stick with继续做;跟着 ideas that have worked in the past. Originators, on the other hand, tend to produce decisions that are less similar to past ideas. They make decisions that seem unique and
creative.
The second dimension is information. What kind of information do you need to make a decision? Are you a concrete information processor or an abstract information processor? Concrete information processors need complete and detailed information before making a decision. They prefer to work with clear, absolute, and exact facts and values. Abstract information processors, on the other hand, focus on the big picture and general information before they make their decision.
The third dimension is risk. What kind of risk taker are you when you make a big decision? How do you deal with struggles and challenges when you face a tough decision? Two types of risk takers here: conciliators抚慰者 and challengers挑战者. Conciliators prefer to be cautious and avoid risks. They avoid taking actions that might involve losing too much. The other type is the challenger. And a challenger will take a more extreme and risky choice in order to get a greater gain, even if the situation has a good chance of turning out badly.
The fourth dimension is decisiveness—how fast you make the decision, and how quickly you take steps towards implementing实施 your decision. For this dimension, the two types of decision makers are called organized and flexible. Organized decision makers are quick to choose—bang, come on, make a decision—and also quick to act upon their decisions: OK, let’s do it! They commit their energy and time sooner than others. Flexible decision makers, on the other hand, are slow to choose and also slow to act upon their decisions. They tend to change plans frequently, and they also procrastinate拖延;耽搁 or postpone their plans unless they become absolutely necessary.
So that’s the theory: four dimensions of decision making. Where do you stand in each dimension?
There’s no right or wrong way to make a decision, but by understanding our own decision-making styles, we can make more effective, well-informed, and conscious decisions.
