In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the li

In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather: “Nice day, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safer topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus stops, people may comment about the transport system: “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are important parts of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.
【小题1】Small talk .A．is a kind of conversation with short wordsB．is a greeting when people meet each otherC．is to let people disagree about somethingD．is something we talk about to start with a conversation【小题2】Why do people need small talk?A．To choose a topic for conversation.B．To agree about the weather.C．To let meeting people become easier and more comfortable.D．To learn a language.【小题3】The passage suggests that when we learn a language , ．A．we should grasp the importance of the languageB．we should know the culture of the languageC．we should only master the grammar and vocabularyD．we should learn about the transport system of the countryD

(答案→)D 解析：本文讲述了在西方文化中，经常用small talk来开始一段对话，而且对话的内容的选择也是有一定讲究的。【小题1】细节题。根据第一段第二句Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. 可知small talk是我们开始对话说的东西。说明D项正确。【小题2】细节题。根据第一段的句子：The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable.可知small talk是为了让和人们接触更容易，更舒服。选C。【小题3】推理题。本题较难，文章中以small talk为题，主要就是告诉我们西方的文化，我们要学习一门语言，很重要的就是学习他们的文化。故B正确。

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