Question

【题目】You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.

“Hey, David, how are you?” one of the senior partners at the firm asks you.

“Good, thank you, Dr. Greer,” you reply. You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight.

“So Arnold”, your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩), “So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you’re a Niners fan, right?” The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U. S. , and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.

There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U. S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it—with peers，men，women，and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk.

What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U. S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练)your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don’t have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic. But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable.

【1】 The author introduces the topic of the passage by __________.

A. raising an interesting question

B. telling a small jokes

C. making comparisons

D. describing an interesting scene

【2】What do we know about German people?

A. They usually make small talk in work breaks.

B. They don’t make so much small talk.

C. They hate making small talk.

D. They are good at making small talk too.

【3】 What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?

A. The role small talk plays in work settings.

B. American workers’ attitude towards superiors.

C. The special meaning of small talk.

D. American workers’ ability to make progress.

【4】What does “backfire” underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A. be difficult B. be helpful

C. have the opposite effect D. have a good result

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】A

【4】C

【解析】

试题分析：本文向一名德国公司在美国的分公司的一名新经理介绍美国的小谈话是多么的重要。来自其他国家的人们经常会对美国的小谈话多么重要而感到惊讶。

【1】D推理判断题。根据第一段You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.你是芝加哥德国公司在美国的分公司的一名新经理。在会议之间抽出几分钟的时间，你去喝一杯咖啡。根据第三段最后两句The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U. S. , and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.谈话继续，带着你的咖啡沉默地回到你的办公桌。你知道在美国小的谈话是多么重要，你会感到嫉妒那些做得很好的人。故选D。

【2】B推理判断题。根据第三段第一句中in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩)。在这样一种随意的方式，结果使你的德国灵魂畏缩。可知他们不做这么多的小谈话。故选B。

【3】A推理判断题。根据第四段第二句People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U. S.来自其他国家的人们经常会对美国的小谈话多么重要而感到惊讶。故选A。

【4】C词义猜测题。根据最后一段中Watch how others do it. You don’t have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic.观看别人怎么做。你不必模仿他们所做的；事实上，这可能会适得其反，因为人们会认为你不真实。可知backfire的意思是“有一个相反的影响”。故选C。