2015年托福阅读材料：跟男人谈话最佳时间：晚上8点15分

　　For any woman who’s tried to have a serious talk with her man, it is an all-too-familiar dilemma.

　　想和你的男人认真谈一次话怎么这么难呢，很多女性都遇到过这个问题。

　　How do you get him to give you his undivided attention?

　　如何能让他认真听你说话呢?

　　The answer, it seems, is simple – wait until he has just sat down to dinner.

　　答案其实很简单，那就是——等他坐下吃晚饭的时候。

　　A survey of 1,000 men and women found that 8.15pm is the time when men are most prepared to listen to their other halves.

　　一项在1000位男女中进行的调查显示，晚上8点15分是男人最愿意倾听另一半说话的时间。

　　Almost half said they were happy to engage in serious conversation over dinner. This is despite the fact that the women said they were most likely to bring up a tricky topic 12 hours earlier, at 8.20am.

　　调查中，几乎一半的男性说他们乐意在晚餐时间谈论严肃的话题，而女性称，她们习惯在12个小时之前，也就是早上8点20分讨论一些麻烦事。

　　Another good time is in the car – 39 percent of men said they like having a meaningful chat while driving, said the poll by Asda. And if a favour is required, it’s best to bring it up in front of the in-laws.

　　还有一个很好的时间就是在车里的时间——Asda的调查显示39%的男人说他们喜欢在开车的时候聊一些正事。如果想要他们答应某事，那最好趁亲戚们在场的时候提出来。

　　More than 20 percent of men said they would give in to their partner’s demands if asked in the presence of wider family members.

　　超过20%的男性表示，在其他家庭成员在场的时候，他们更容易答应妻子的要求。

　　Three quarters said they hate being disturbed while they shower.

　　四分之三的男性表示，他们讨厌在洗澡时被打扰。

　　The findings reveal that women struggle most to hold down their spouse’s attention while they play video games - with a mere 1 percent tuning into what is being said.

　　研究结果显示，女人们最喜欢在男人玩电子游戏的时候，吵着要丈夫听她讲话，只有1%的女性找对时间。

　　Watching football is another risky strategy, during which 92 percent of men are not prepared to entertain a conversation, opting instead for a quick ‘yes.’

　　还有一个冒险的策略是选择男人在看足球比赛的时候说事，92%的男性在这时候都不愿谈话，而选择不假思索地说“好”。

　　The survey highlighted that men prefer to be left in their own company while playing on the Playstation, or watching television.

　　调查强调，男人在玩游戏机和看电视的时候喜欢一个人。

　　More than 80 percent said ‘We need to talk’ is the most feared conversation opener, while 42 percent of women voted for ‘is everything OK’ - when their partner knows the opposite is true.

　　超过80%的男性表示“我们需要谈谈”是他们最怕的开场白，而42%的女人都投票给了“你还好吗?”——因为另一半说这话的时候肯定知道一切都不好。

　　Vocabulary

　　dilemma 困境

　　in-laws 姻亲