Module 1 Small Talk

跟踪导练（一）

阅读理解

“When someone is rude to you， it can put you in a bad mood. It may even lead you to be rude to someone else， creating a chain of rudeness. In fact， this troubling chain may even be caused by simply seeing someone be rude to another person. You don’t even have to be the target of the bad behavior， ” stated a researcher.

The researchers worked with 81 persons， with occupations ranging from security to business to medicine， who were asked to complete online surveys over a 10-day period. Participants recorded their moods when they woke up; and in the evening， they described their experiences over the course of that day.

Each morning the participants also viewed a short video， describing workplace interaction of some kind. Half of the mornings， the video included some kind of rudeness while the other half had some kind of warm interaction in the workplace. Rudeness was conveyed through various means， including a lack of eye contact or unpleasant language.

Participants who watched the rudeness videos reported seeing or experiencing rudeness during the day， and they were also more likely to escape from fellow employees to avoid being the victims of rudeness themselves. They reported their overall （總体的） work suffered that day as a result.

Not all participants were affected by the rudeness videos， however. A few weeks before the study began， the participants completed an evaluation that measured their self-confidence and emotional stability among other things. The participants who scored higher on this evaluation were significantly less likely to be influenced by the rudeness.

Consequently， one of the researchers recommended that companies hire managers who can limit exposure to rudeness， provide plenty of positive reinforcement （强化） and build a civil workplace environment. This， in turn， could help employees build their confidence levels and help them better handle workplace rudeness.

1. What is Paragraph 1 intended to tell us？

A. The great harm of rudeness. B. Different kinds of rudeness.

C. A regular cause of rudeness. D. A new finding about rudeness.

2. Why do the researchers play short videos for the participants？

A. To make them spread rudeness.

B. To educate them on workplace interaction.

C. To expose them to various aspects of rudeness.

D. To teach them how to use right body languages.

3. What is the probable effect of watching the videos on some participants？

A. Being unwilling to work. B. Poor ability to do their work.

C. Serious emotional sufferings. D. Less interaction with others.

4. Who may not be affected by the rudeness videos？

A. People positive and kind to themselves.

B. People keeping calm in stressful situations.

C. People owning confidence in others’ ability.

D. People participating in the rudeness experiment.

阅读七选五

How to Make Conversation with a Group of Strangers

One of the most common fears is speaking to strangers. While most people don’t naturally enjoy talking to strangers， it is an art that you can learn. When you learn how to make conversation with a group of strangers， you never have to stand by yourself at a party again.

1 Say hi and tell the group your name. Don’t focus on how boring you think you sound. Remember that others in the group are probably just as self-conscious as you are. Doing so to a group of strangers may result in making others feel comfortable enough to open up. They may secretly be glad that you made the first move.

Practice talking to as many strangers as possible throughout the day. 2 Soon it will be second nature for you to walk up to a group of strangers and introduce yourself.

Make a comment about something interesting in the environment. This may be something as simple as the decorations for the party or the band providing the entertainment. 3

Ask for an opinion. People enjoy giving their opinion on any subject. 4 Asking for an opinion works immediately to break the ice and encourages the entire group to talk with you.

Learn to listen. Making conversation is about more than trying to find the right words to say. 5 And then find out the next thing you should say. Make sure that your response invites another response.

A. Introduce yourself.

B. Try to catch strangers’ attention.

C. Ask about book ideas， gift ideas or dining ideas.

D. Each time you do this， you will feel more confident.

E. Develop the habit of listening to others carefully to understand them.

F. A comment like this gives the group something in common to discuss.

G. Ask the group to share what they do for a living or whether they enjoy their work.

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

跟蹤导练（二）

完形填空

I had just recovered from a serious illness when I received an invitation to a writer’s conference in Orlando， Florida. My family persuaded me that a（n） 1 might be just what the doctor ordered， so off I 2 .

Arriving in the Sunshine State was rather tiring， but I 3 to catch a taxi to my 4 and settle in. The next morning， I took another 5 to the shopping centre to buy a few souvenirs. Later I went to a cafe to have 6 ， but all the tables were 7 . Then I heard a friendly voice saying， “You can 8 my table.”

I gratefully sat down with the 9 lady and we had a happy lunch together. As the 10 drew to a close， she asked how long I would be in Orlando. I had already told her that I hadn’t

11 a car， and  hadn’t  realized  how 12 taking taxis would be. After a while she said， “My dear， don’t use any more taxis. I’m retired and it would be my pleasure to 13 you wherever you wish.” I told her that I couldn’t put her to that 14 ， but she brushed aside my protests （反對）. She asked me where I was 15 and the next morning she was waiting at my apartment at the

16 time to take me to Disney World. She spent some time with me before leaving me to 17 alone. At the end of the day， she 18 to take me back to my apartment. I 19 her money but she refused to take any.

I’ll never forget that wonderful lady who， through her 20 ， filled my brief holiday in Florida with wonderful memories.

1. A. holiday B. ceremony C. operation D. experiment

2. A. kept B. went C. dropped D. knocked

3. A. intended B. promised C. managed D. started

4. A. hospital B. company C. university D. apartment

5. A. colleague B. passenger C. suitcase D. taxi

6. A. coffee B. dinner C. lunch D. breakfast

7. A. classified B. occupied C. fixed D. painted

8. A. share B. reserve C. set D. possess

9. A. old B. poor C. young D. rich

10. A. journey B. meal C. speech D. interview

11. A. donated B. repaired C. hired D. guided

12. A. convenient B. difficult C. unfortunate D. expensive

13. A. inspire B. entertain C. call D. drive

14. A. business B. argument C. trouble D. challenge

15. A. working B. staying C. moving D. shopping

16. A. appointed B. limited C. spare D. regular

17. A. walk B. explore C. perform D. regret

18. A. forgot B. refused C. returned D. preferred

19. A. sent B. lent C. offered D. owed

20. A. confidence B. politeness C. curiosity D. kindness

跟踪导练（三）

阅读理解

A

In most English-speaking countries， it is necessary and of great value to make small talk in certain situations. There are a few different reasons why people use small talk. The first， and most obvious， is to break an uncomfortable silence. You may not feel like chatting with anyone at a party， but if someone introduces you to another person who you do not know anything about， you have to start some small talk in order to show a polite interest in getting to know that person better.

There are certain “safe” topics that people usually make small talk about. The weather is probably the number one thing that people who do not know each other will discuss. Sometimes even friends and family members discuss the weather when they meet or commence （开始） a conversation. Another topic is current events. Sports news is a very common topic， especially if a local team or player is doing extremely well or badly. Entertainment news， such as a celebrity who is in town， is another good topic. If there is something that you and the other speakers have in common， that may also be acceptable to talk about.

There are also some subjects that are not considered acceptable when you make small talk. Discussing personal information such as salaries or a recent divorce is not done between people who do not know each other well. Compliments （赞美） on clothing or hair are acceptable; however， you should never say anything （good or bad） about a person’s body. Also， it is not safe to discuss subjects that society thinks controversial （有争议的） such as religion or politics. Last， it is not wise to continue talking about an issue that the other person does not seem comfortable with or interested in.

1. What does the author think of small talk in certain situations according to Paragraph 1？

A. Boring. B. Meaningless. C. Hard. D. Important.

2. What is regarded as a “safe” topic during a small talk？

A. Age. B. Sports news. C. Salary. D. Personality.

3. If you are introduced to a stranger， you can start small talk by .

A. commenting on his health B. discussing religion or politics

C. complimenting him on his clothes D. talking about some personal information

B

My daughters are lovely and attractive. The 4-year-old has big blue eyes and easy laughter. The 7-year-old’s long strawberry blond hair and sweet smile are already turning the boys’ heads. I love everything about these girls and they know it.

But I try not to tell them they’re beautiful. My young daughters are totally innocent about the pressures of being a woman in our society. They know nothing about plastic surgery （整形手術）， diets， “feeling fat”， or eating disorders. We adults know all too much about such things and in the face of this cruel reality， we tend to start telling our girls， as soon and often as possible， how beautiful they are. Here’s the thing， though. What we’re also doing is bringing the beauty pressure home to our littlest girls. The more I talk about beauty and looks， even in a positive way， the more I’m conveying the importance of those things.

However， it doesn’t mean I don’t praise my girls. Instead of saying “You look beautiful！”，I might say the more specific “Don’t you look fancy today！” or “Those colors go so well together.” It means that I treat my daughters not as my little dolls， but as real people who are developing their own sense of self and style. It means that they are in charge of how they look.

Naturally， I buy most of my girls clothes. But I don’t usually manage their outfit choices. My daughters can go girly with necklaces and head-to-toe pink， or they can choose to give up dresses altogether. Of course we’ve seen some mismatching， but they own those styles. They never ask if they look pretty， and they walk with an easy confidence that has nothing to do with what I or anyone else will say about how they look. And that’s the confident spirit I want them to take into their teens and adulthood.

4. What do the author’s two daughters have in common？

A. Both like to smile. B. Both have blond hair.

C. Both like strawberries. D. Both have big blue eyes.

5. Why is the author unwilling to tell her girls that they are beautiful？

A. She prefers inside beauty. B. She expects them to face reality.

C. She wants them to focus less on it. D. She doesn’t think they can understand it.

6. How does the author treat her daughters？

A. She is always praising them. B. She is particular about their clothes.

C. She sets strict clothing rules for them. D. She pays attention to their unique style.

7. What can best describe the author’s daughters？

A. They are fully confident.

B. They are highly dependent.

C. They tend to take advice from their mother.

D. They have a good taste in dressing themselves.

跟蹤导练（四）

完形填空

Tim Becker and his neighbors are doing something to make their neighborhood a trouble-free area.

When Tim Becker gets into his car to go 1 ， he doesn’t just drive to a store and back home. He always looks 2 up and down the streets of his neighborhood. He looks for anything 3 such as strange cars， loud noises， broken windows， or people 4 on street corners.

Tim 5 to a neighborhood watch group in Stoneville， Indians， USA. The neighborhood watch group 6 on the third Wednesday of every month. That’s 7 Tim gets together with about ten of his neighbors to 8 community safety. Members of the neighborhood watch group want to help the police keep their homes， streets， and families 9 .

Tina Stedman， president of their neighborhood watch group， 10 with Tim. “People seem to think that 11 happens to other people but not to themselves. Well， it has never happened to me，” She says， “but I don’t think anyone has the 12 to steal from other people or to make them feel 13 living in their own homes.”

Alex， a member of the group， says that all the neighbors 14 out for one another. “We

15 each other’s homes. We keep watching on the neighborhood at night and on weekends. Usually a 16 of four or five of us goes out together. If something doesn’t look right， then we call the 17 . For example， if we notice a group of teenagers who seem to be looking for 18 ， or someone destroying property （財产）， we 19 to the police.”

Alex feels the neighborhood watch group 20 a lot in keeping crime down. Her husband Jim agrees， “Police are good people， but they can’t do everything.”

1. A. hiking B. dancing C. shopping D. fishing

2. A. carefully B. curiously C. nervously D. seriously

3. A. familiar B. unusual C. expensive D. uncertain

4. A. waiting B. walking C. resting D. gathering

5. A. attends B. belongs C. talks D. turns

6. A. meets B. wanders C. practices D. searches

7. A. where B. why C. when D. how

8. A. introduce B. hear C. argue D. discuss

9. A. safe B. clean C. unchanged D. uninterested

10. A. speaks B. fights C. agrees D. lives

11. A. action B. condition C. luck D. crime

12. A. right B. chance C. courage D. mind

13. A. anxious B. dangerous C. disappointed D. disgusted

14. A. set B. call C. hold D. look

15. A. tidying B. enter C. watch D. manage

16. A. group B. series C. number D. crowd

17. A. judges B. police C. firemen D. doctors

18. A. work B. money C. service D. trouble

19. A. go B. write C. shout D. report

20. A. needs B. helps C. finds D. gets

跟踪导练（五）

阅读理解

Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is， we can try to do it ourselves.

How is it done？ Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow these skills， they’ll help you put people at their ease， and make friends with them quickly.

First of all， good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone， no matter how shy he or she is， will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says， “At business lunches， I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question， but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

Second， once good talkers have asked questions， they listen to the answers. This point seems clear， but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what kind of person you are talking to. And to find out， you really have to listen carefully.

Real listening at least means some things. First， it means not changing the subject of a conversation. If someone sticks to one topic， you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words， but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull， then， it’s time for you to change the subject.

Finally， good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying goodbye， you may give him a firm handshake and say， “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again， don’t keep it secret. Let people know what you feel， and after that they may feel as if they’ve known you half their life.

1. Asking questions can be a good way .

A. to begin business talks B. to make new friends

C. to start a conversation D. to get to know others

2. What will be polite after asking somebody a question？

A. Making sure he will reply. B. Listening to his reply attentively.

C. Turning back to your own business. D. Going on asking him more questions.

3. Generally speaking， good talkers are persons who .

A. always speak in a gentle way

B. talk neither too much nor too little

C. are good at making topic important

D. know how and when to change the topic

4. What can you do when parting someone if you want to meet him again？

A. Let him know it. B. Take him as a lifelong friend.

C. Give him a second handshake. D. Have further understanding of him.

選词填空

用方框里单词的正确形式填空，使其句意完整。有两个词是多余的。

1. We need _________preparation for the important meeting.

2. Humor is the wisdom and resourcefulness that can ease up a（n） _________situation.

3. New investors also need to be _________in choosing suitable investment products.

4. Penny got _________and rushed into another marriage.

5. The joke is not proper when we are discussing such a _________problem.

6.The two students stopped talking to each other because their conversation_________by the ringing of the telephone.

7. The _________of the heart is to send blood around the body.

8. A _________company must keep up with the pace of technological change.

9. We never_________that men would land on the moon.

10. A special class meeting was held for the_________of exchanging our studying methods.

语法填空

The New York Times published an article 1 （recent） that shows great regret for the “death of conversation”. It suggests that while technology such as cell phones， e-mails， and Internet posting makes us feel more 2 （connect） than ever， they’re also driving us away from people around us.

Users get final connectivity 3 the price of face-to-face conversation. Lan Guo， a freshman from Changsha University， said that she would like to hear people’s tone of voice and see their faces in a conversation. She mentions that losing ourselves in mobile technology reduces our chance of starting conversations with strangers and 4 （meet） people.

Young people are 5 busy creating or polishing their online persona （网络人格） that they forget   6 to live a real life.

However， experts remind us that it’s 7 （fair） to blame mobile technology. Chen Chen， a sociology expert at China Youth and Children Research Center， 8 （point） out that it’s still owners of mobile technology that are avoiding personal contact. We take advantage of these devices 9 （hide） ourselves from others. Texting messages or calling may be an excuse to avoid contacting others， such as having eye contact. “When 10 （strengthen） conversation， we can understand each other. Simply throwing away the mobile phones is not a solution.” she said.

1. ________________2. ________________3. ________________4. ________________5. ________________

6. ________________7. ________________8. ________________9. ________________10.________________

跟踪导练（六）

短文改错

When I was 12， I met Jane in a college， which came to China with her parents. Her parents teach English at that time. We soon made friend with each other. Her Chinese was very well while I had difficulty speak English. In order to help me my English， she spoke as much English as she could when we were together. Before long， I could speak English well but at the same time I also made a great progress in my written English. Unfortunately， a year later， Jane returned home with his parents. And we had been out of touch with each other since then.

書面表达

假设你是王宾，你的弟弟王平考入了他理想的高中。请你用英文给他写封信，告诉他今后在学习和生活上应注意的有关事宜。内容包括：

1.表示祝贺;

2.你的建议（学习、生活、健康方面）。

注意：

1.词数100左右;

2.信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数;

3.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Wang Ping，

Best wishes！

Yours，

Wang Bin

背景大链接

What is Cloning？

何为克隆？

Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively， you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.

说英语不仅仅要语法正确。想要有效地使用英语，你需要了解语言使用国的文化。如果你在美国说英语，那么下面这些注意事项是你应该记住的。

Conversation Tips

交谈沟通秘籍

Speak about location： Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger， ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example， “Oh， I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it’s a beautiful place to live.” Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.

Talk about work： Americans commonly ask “What do you do？”. It’s considered impolite in some countries but is a popular topic of discussion between strangers in America.

Talk about sports： Americans love sports！ However， they love American sports. When speaking about football， most Americans understand “American Football”.

谈论地点：美国人喜欢谈论地点。和陌生人说话的时候，可以问问他们从哪里来，然后找到自己跟那个地方的联系。比如：“啊，我有个朋友在洛杉矶学习，他说那个地方很漂亮。”这时大部分美国人就会很乐意谈起他们居住或者到过那个特殊的城市或地区的经历。

谈论工作：美国人通常会问：“你是做什么工作的？”在某些国家这样的问法会被认为是不礼貌的，但在美国不是，这只是陌生人之间聊天的一个流行话题。

谈論运动：美国人超爱运动！然而，他们喜欢美国的运动。如果说到足球，大部分美国人会理解成“美式足球（橄榄球）”。

Addressing People

对人的称呼

Use last names with people you do not know： Address people using their title （Mr， Ms， Dr， etc.） and their last names.

Always use “Ms” when addressing women： It is important to use “Ms” when addressing a woman. Only use “Mrs” when the woman has asked you to do so.

Many Americans prefer first names： Americans often prefer using first names， even when dealing with people in very different positions. Americans will generally say “Call me Tom” and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.

Americans prefer informal： In general， Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances.

对不认识的人要称呼他们的姓：用他们的头衔（先生、女士、博士等）加上他们的姓来称呼他们。

称呼女性的时候通常用“女士”：称呼女性的时候用“女士”是很重要的。如果对方要求你称呼“夫人”，那再照办好了。

很多美国人喜欢被叫名字：美国人通常喜欢用他们的名字，甚至是和身份非常不同的人打交道时。美国人通常会说“叫我汤姆”，然后真的希望你用他们的名字来称呼他们。

美国人不拘小节：通常情况下，美国人喜欢非正式的问候，当和他们的同事、熟人说话时，他们喜欢使用名字或昵称。