Passage Two
There are many different kinds of evidence that women and men are judged differently even if they talk the same way. This tendency makes mischief in discussions of women, men and power If a linguistic strategy is used by woman, it is seen as powerless; if it is used by a man, it is seen as powerful. Often, the labeling of "women's language"as "powerless language"reflects the view of women's behavior through the lens of men's.
Because they are not struggling to be one-up, women often find themselves framed as one-down. Any situation is ripe for misinterpretation because status and connections are displayed by the same moves. This ambiguity accounts for much misinterpretation by experts as well as nonexperts, by which women's ways of talking, uttered in a spirit of rapport, are branded powerless. Nowhere is this inherent ambiguity clearer than in a brief comment in a newspaper article in which a couple, both psychologists, were jointly interviewed. The journalist asked them the meaning of"being very polite". The two experts responded simultaneously, giving different answers. The man said, "Subservience." The woman said, "Sensitivity." Both experts were right, but each was describing the view of a different gender.
Experts and nonexperts alike tend to see anything women do as evidence of powerlessness. The same newspaper article quotes another psychologist as saying, "A man might ask a woman, 'Will you please go to the store?' where a woman might say, 'Gee, I really need a few things from the store, but I'm so tired. "The woman's style is called "covert", a term suggesting negative qualities like being "sneaky"and"underhanded". The reasons offered for this is power: The woman doesn't feel she has a right to ask directly.
Granted, women have lower status than men in our [American] society. But this is not necessarily why they prefer not to make outright demands. The explanation for a woman's indirectness could just as well be her seeking connection. If you get your way as a result of having demanded it, the payoff is satisfying in terms of status: You're one-up because others are doing as you told them. But if you get your way because others happened to want the same thing, or because they offered freely, the payoff is rapport. You're neither one-up nor one-down but happily connected to others whose wants are the same as yours. Furthermore, if directness is understood by both parties, then there is nothing covert about it: That a request is being made is clear. Calling an indirect communication covert reflects the view of someone for whom the direct style seems"natural" and "logical"-a view more common among men.
The association of women’s language with “powerlessness” shows _____.
A、men’s attitude toward women’s behavior
B、men’s understanding of a linguistic strategy
C、women’s weakness in using language skills
D、women’s tendency to avoid men’s linguistic strategies
【正确答案】：A
【题目解析】：文章第一段说the labeling of “women’s language“ as “powerless language“ reflects the view of women’s behavior through the lens of men’s，由此可以得出答案是A。
