Question

How did your friendships begin? Most start with a short conversation on a random day. Asking about a homework assignment in class or complaining about your painful legs after playing in a soccer game, you found your best pal by accident.

“Small talk is where all your relationships begin,” Forbes magazine summed up.

The following is a five-step guide to making small talk from Bernardo J. Carducci, the director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast, US. Let’s have a look.

Getting started

Begin by talking about the setting, such as the weather outside or the room you are in (“It’s cold in here, isn’t

it?”). The purpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you are willing to make a conversation.

②The personal introduction

You should mention something about yourself, such as your name. A good personal introduction helps move the conversation forward.

③Looking for topics

At this point, you and your conversation partner need to find common ground. This is a good time to ask questions or to refer back to things you’ve said or heard earlier. Don’t worry if it gets quiet. The other person is probably just thinking of something to say.

④Expanding the topic

The goal is to keep the conversation going. At every stage, you should be careful not to talk too much. But don’t let the other person dominate the conversation either. If that starts to happen, mention something about yourself when he or she takes a breath.

⑤A polite ending

When ending a conversation, let the person know you’ll be leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for a future conversation. For example, you could say, “I really must be going soon, but I had a great time chatting with you. I really liked hearing your opinion about that new movie. Here’s my phone number. Call or text me if you know of any other movies you think I might enjoy.”

1.According to the article, starting by talking about the setting is meant to ________.

A. find common ground B. impress the other person

C. make a conversation D. make the room warmer

2.What does the underlined word “dominate” mean in Tip④?

A. interrupt B. control C. adapt D. simplify

3.When ending a conversation, you’d better ________.

A. talk about how much you want to keep talking

B. show that you’ve not enjoyed the talk

C. mention a specific movie that you love

D. give your opinion about the other person’s earlier comments

4.The main purpose of the article is to ________.

A. encourage students to make more friends

B. give students tips on making small talk

C. introduce popular topics for students

D. teach students how to create friendships

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：本文主要講了友誼來源于一次偶然的談話，一次小的談話就是友誼開始的地方，文章介紹了制造小型談話一個五步法指導策略。開始談話、個人介紹、尋找話題、擴大話題、一個有禮貌的結束。

1. purpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you are willing to make a conversation。意思是：談論設置的目的是顯示你想和她聊天的那個人。故選C。

2. every stage, you should be careful not to talk too much.意思是：在每一個階段，你應該小心不要講太多話。后面接著But don’t let the other person dominate the conversation either.可知：（不要講太多話）但也不要讓其他人控制談話。故選B。

3. ending a conversation, let the person know you’ll be leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for a future conversation.意思是：當結束一次談話的時候，讓其他人你將不久離開，表達對于這次談話的感激，為未來的談話設置舞臺。可是一個禮貌的談話的結束，是表達你想繼續一直談話的想法。故選A。

4. did your friendships begin? Most start with a short conversation on a random day.可知文章主要講述了友誼如何產生，后文也主要教導學生怎么創造友誼。故選D。

考點：考查說明文閱讀。