Five young engineers were sitting with their 31 .
答案：(A) boss
語意「五個年輕工程師跟他們的老闆坐在一起」，boss（老闆）符合後文情境（開會、老闆笑著指出方案已經被提過）；friend／client／doctor 都不符合這個開會情境的角色設定。
本題大考中心未公布逐題答對率，以下不談數據，只談觀念。
四個選項都是人的身分，只讀空格所在的這一句選不出來——五個年輕工程師可以跟任何人坐在一起。這一格往後讀一句就有答案。
四個選項都是名詞，可見這一格考的是語意，那就往後找。下一句就直接點名了：The boss then laughingly pointed out that the same proposal had been made and turned down some minutes before.（老闆接著笑著指出，同樣的提案幾分鐘前就有人提過，也被否決了。）既然下一句說「老闆接著……」，那麼坐在一起開會的當然就是 boss。另外還有一個排除線索：client 在同一段前面已經出現過了——an important new plant site for a major client（一個重要客戶的新廠址）。客戶是他們要服務的對象，不是坐在會議室裡跟他們一起討論的人。
client（客戶）：見上，同段已另有所指。friend（朋友）、doctor（醫生）：與「五位年輕工程師開會討論廠址」這個職場情境對不上。
the boss（老闆）、a major client（重要客戶）、settle details（敲定細節）、a plant site（廠址）、be tense（緊張的）、point out（指出）。
The people in the room were tense. Five young engineers were sitting with their 31 . They were trying to settle details of an important new plant site for a major client. Suddenly one of the young engineers gave what he thought was a good solution 32 the problem. What he had to say was 33 by an uncomfortable silence. The boss then laughingly pointed out that the same proposal had been made and 34 some minutes before. The incident seemed funny 35 the time, but several months later it did not.
After the project had been successfully finished, most of the engineers who had worked on it were 36 . But the young man who had made a fool of himself at the meeting was not on the list. 37 The young engineer swore that he had never heard the proposal made and rejected. 38 He was a victim of a bad listening habit that he didn't know he had.
Bad listening habits can hurt you a lot in your daily living. Much of your success, both in your work and social life, 39 how you listen. A number of major industries and more than twenty leading colleges 40 . They have set up "listening clinics" and courses to find out what is wrong—and what to do about it.