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.” 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 |
What does the underlined word “dominate” mean in Tip④?
| A．interrupt | B．control | C．adapt | D．simplify |
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 |
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 |
Ask a question! Email it to Letters@Highlights.com.
Gift Giving
I'm going to China and everyone in my class is asking me to buy them something. What should I do?
Reply from the Highlights Editor:
Your classmates are probably just excited about your trip. Most likely they don't expect you to buy gifts for everyone. Sending a few postcards to the entire class during your trip would be a wonderful way to share your experiences. The pictures on the cards and your words of description will be the best gift of all.
Dog Begging
My dog always begs for food at the dinner table. I really want to feed him, but my mom says I can't. I'm afraid he won't like me anymore. What should I do?
Reply from the Highlights Editor:
Your dog loves you for many more reasons than just for what you feed him. You can show him that you care about him by playing with him, by petting him and speaking kindly to him and by making sure he has fresh water. It might be best if your dog is not near the dinner table while you are eating. You could teach him to stay in another room.
Being Bilingual(会说双语的)
My aunt insists that we speak our language(Tagalog) at home and English outside the house. Do you think she is right?
Reply from the Highlights Editor:
It is a great gift to have someone in your family who is willing to take the time to teach you another language. It's a good way to keep family traditions alive, and it helps develop your language skills. Your ability to use both English and Tagalog will help you learn a third and fourth language later in life. So it sounds like a great idea!The Highlights editor suggests the student who is going to China _______.
| A．send postcards as the gifts to the class |
| B．make phone calls to all the classmates |
| C．buy gifts for some of the classmates |
| D．give each classmate a picture as a gift |
According to the Highlights editor, if your dog begs for food at the dinner table, you'd better __________.
| A．feed him immediately |
| B．speak loudly to him |
| C．teach him to stay in another room |
| D．provide him with fresh water |
What is the Highlights editor's attitude towards being bilingual?
| A．Opposed(反对） | B．Tolerant（忍受） |
| C．Supportive（支持） | D．Doubtful（怀疑）. |
The Highlights editors give the replies to __________.
| A．show their readers how to send girls |
| B．tell their readers about their interesting work |
| C．help their readers to solve school problems |
| D．offer their readers advice on personal problems |
I became a teacher at 55 years of age. Things were going on so well during my first two periods. Then came my 3rd period class – the 8th graders with only one girl in the class. I thought the class was bad until the intercom(内部通话系统) came on and the office was asking if I was in my classroom. “Of course,” I responded. A student who knew he was going to be late for class had informed the office I was not in my classroom – 10 minutes after class began.
When the student came in and I walked over to greet him, he said, “Don’t touch me.” He then put his head on his desk and did not seem to listen to a word I said. I did not comfront(使面对) him with the “lie” to the office.
The next day he came into class on time. This time instead of listening or following instructions on keyboarding software, he played Internet games. I walked over to him. He looked at me ready to snap back(没好气地顶撞) at anything I said. I asked him, “Where did you learn to use a computer like that?” he looked at me surprised. I repeated, “You are really good at that. Where did you learn so much?” He began to tell me his father “used to” buy him games to play, but not anymore. I could feel the pain. Instead of blaming him for being off task, I surprised him and praised him for his skills. Then, I asked him to show me what he could do in our software. He was amazed.
On a Friday night at a high school football game, I really got my breakthrough(突破). From about five feet away, in front of his friends he came over to me and gave me a big hug saying, “Hi, Ms. Marie.” We talked for a while and before he walked away, he had hugged me two more times. This was a long way from “don’t touch me” on that first day.How did the boy react(反应) towards Ms. Marie’s greeting on the first day?
| A．Gratefully. | B．Coldly. |
| C．Respectfully. | D．Amazedly. |
From the dialogue between Ms. Marie and the boy in Paragraph 3, we can infer that _____.
| A．the boy was impatient with Ms. Marie’s interruption |
| B．the boy was proud to show how to play games |
| C．Ms. Marie was curious about the boy’s father |
| D．Ms. Marie felt sorry for the boy |
By saying “I really got my breakthrough”, Ms. Marie meant _____.
| A．she finally learned to play games |
| B．she won the boy’s trust in the end |
| C．she scored at the football game |
| D．she made great achievements in teaching |
Bark
Cover Price: $19.80 Price: $15.00($2.50 / issue (期) )
You save: $4.80 (24%) Review: By Pat Kane
I absolutely love Bark magazine! I love the “smiling” pages and the tips on every issue. I am a dog lover and have saved all of my dogs from either death row or from people who were going to put them down. Everyone should have a chance to live and Bark stresses that with its articles. This magazine is a MUST HAVE for any dog lover!!
Dog Fancy
Cover Price: $54.00 Price: $14.99 ($1.25 / issue)
You save: $39.01 (72%) Review: By Berner Mom
Don't waste your money on this magazine. 60-70 percent of it are advertisements, and the articles offer little useful information. It might be suitable for children, but not adults who are serious about educating themselves about dogs.
Dog World
Cover Price: $48.88 Price: $14.99 ($1.25 / issue)
You save: $33.89 (69%) Review: By one critic
Dog World has many very interesting and thought-provoking (令人思考的) articles for people involved in dog showing, breeding(饲养), performance events, etc. However，over half of the magazine is devoted to breeder ads, which is boring. Still, as a whole, I recommend(推荐) it for the articles. Good articles, but tons of ads.
Modern Dog
Cover Price: $45.00 Price: $15.00 ($3.75 / issue)
You save: $30.00 (24%) Review: By Dinah
My new favorite magazine! Beautiful photos, smart and amusing articles, fashion, art, interviews with famous people… all with a dog focus！Cover models range from Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell to Virginia Madsen and her dogs. Thanks to Modern Dog I now know how to give a dog-friendly cocktail party and how to actually get my dog to come when she’s called. Surely worth checking out.
Which of the following magazines saves the most money?
| A．Bark | B．Dog Fancy |
| C．Dog World | D．Modern Dog |
Dog world is recommended for its _________.
| A．wonderful articles | B．fashionable cover |
| C．low price | D．good paper quality |
According to the text, Modern Dog ________.
| A．has lovely dog pictures on the cover |
| B．is interesting but not helpful |
| C．has some photos but no articles |
| D．has interviews with famous people |
The purpose of the text is to introduce _________.
| A．some cheap magazines |
| B．different magazines for different readers |
| C．some magazines about dogs |
| D．information on raising dogs |
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A limeknown fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization，by 2020 there will be 1 billion，with over 700 million living in developing countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example，it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated（估计） to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications（暗指） of these increased numbers of older folk？One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live，the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible，including during old age，to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries，certainly in Asia，older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily，which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment. Lifelong learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort. One thing is sure：there is no time to be lost.
The proportion（比例）of older people________.
| A．is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries |
| B．is one seventh of the population in developing countries |
| C．will increase much faster in China than in France |
| D．will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020 |
According to the passage，which of the following are governments most worried about?
| A．The diseases and disability of older people. |
| B．The longer life and good health of people. |
| C．The loss of taxes on older people. |
| D．The increasing respect for older people. |
Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem?
| A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment. |
| B．Ensuring adequate income protection for older people. |
| C．Providing free health care for sick older people. |
| D．Supplying lifelong learning programs to older people. |
The author concludes in the last paragraph that________.
| A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem |
| B．population ageing is a hard problem，but it needs to be solved urgently |
| C．people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem |
| D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem |
Life is filled with challenges. As we get older, we come to realize that those challenges are the very things that shape us and make us who we are. It is the same with the challenges that come with friendship. When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two choices. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing presenting the challenge isn't worth the trouble and call it quits. Although there are certainly times when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most cases all that is needed is commitment and communication.
When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how painful or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to face it through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a space for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. If you can say to a friend, "I got my feelings hurt", rather than "You hurt my feelings", you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.
In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for what they are: small hurdles you need to jump or get through on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is impossible to get over, and hurt only serves to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, it happens to everyone, and some day you will look back on all of this and say, "Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that is a good thing."The writer believes that challenges ________.
| A．are always born with friendship |
| B．help build friendship |
| C．are never worth attention |
| D．help us grow |
If your friend hurts your feelings, you are advised to ____.
| A．point out your friend's mistake |
| B．calm yourself down |
| C．start a proper conversation |
| D．run away from it |
The whole passage is centered on the relationship（关系）between ___.
| A．friendship and challenges |
| B．commitment and friendship |
| C．friendship and growth |
| D．challenges and chances |
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