How did your friendships begin? Most start with a short conversation on a random

How did your friendships begin? Most start with ashort conversation on a random day. Asking about a homework assignment in classor complaining about your painful legs after playing in a soccer game, youfound 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 smalltalk from Bernardo J. Carducci, the director of the Shyness Research Instituteat Indiana University Southeast, US. Let’s have a look.

Getting started

Begin by talking about the setting, such as theweather outside or the room you are in (“It’s cold in here, isn’t it?”). Thepurpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you arewilling to make a conversation.

②The personalintroduction

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

③Looking fortopics

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

④Expanding thetopic

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

⑤A politeending

When ending a conversation, let the person know you’llbe leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for afuture 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 opinionabout that new movie. Here’s my phone number. Call or text me if you know ofany other movies you think I might enjoy.”

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

A. find commonground                         B. impress the otherperson

C. make aconversation                         D. make the room warmer

2.What does the underlined word “dominate” meanin 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 earliercomments

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

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题