A、CEOs are more skillful at negotiating. B、It is a basic skill in business world. C、Temp secretaries use it more than CEOs. D、It

Moderator:
    Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to introduce our speaker for today’s lecture, Dr. Adam Green. Dr. Green, professor of communication at Harvard University USA, has written numerous articles and books on the issues about negotiation, which is much more difficult than normal talk. Although most used in business areas, it is more and more important in people’s daily life.
    Dr. Green:
    Thank you for that introduction. I feel honored to give a speech here. There are some people that love the art of negotiation. Some even live for it. They thrive on the excitement, elevated blood pressure and adrenal rush that comes with the "search for agreement" that negotiations represent. I’m sure you’ve met these competitive types before: they almost always have the last word; they’re on the aggressive side of normal; they send back their salad because there weren’t enough croutons (油煎面包块).
    Then there are the rest of us. We avoid negotiation, not because we’re scared, but because it’s so awfully close to an argument…Okay, maybe we’re just the slightest bit scared. Or, rather, let’s call it "out of our comfort zone, " instead of scared—that’s much more civil.
    Regardless of how it makes you feel, negotiating is a skill that every business person needs—from the CEO to the temp secretary. And when it comes to negotiating, it’s all about the words you choose and how you put them together. Literary types call that " diction. " We’re just gonna call it " owning it. "
9 times out of 10, negotiations are about one of two things; money, or time, and there’s a good chance that you’ll be talking about both simultaneously at one point or another. Since both deal with what statisticians call " continuous variables, " meaning that they can go on forever, theoretically, you can discuss them in the same way. For example: let’s say you tell an employee or outside contractor that you need a job done " somewhere between 3 and 5 days from now. " Right from the start, you’re fighting against yourself by giving them two points to choose from, and showing them that you’re indecisive, which can be read as being a pushover. Not only that, but you’re almost always guaranteed to end up waiting for the date furthest away, or if you’re talking money, paying the higher price.
    But it’s important not to aim too high. When your negotiation is centred on money—a salary or raise, for example—I find that it’s best to shoot first, aim high, and ask questions later. I know, I’m using a lot of gun metaphors—forgive me. There’s a reason that you want to beat them to the punch: whatever number is thrown out first is the number that both partied focus on—it becomes a kind of anchor for the negotiation. Hope you enjoy today’s talk. Thanks！
    Questions 16 to 19 are based on the recording you have just heard.
    16. What does the introduction say about Dr. Green’s articles and books?
    17. What does the speaker say about negotiating?
    18. What are negotiations mostly about?
    19. What does the speaker suggest people do if they negotiate on salary or raise?