Question

Small talk is meaningless conversation in terms of content，but is often seen as socially important in certain situations，or context．In many English-speaking countries，it can be viewed as rude or unfriendly not to make small talk.
Discussing the weather with people who you don’t really know is an example of small talk that many of us are very familiar with on a daily basis．We may chat about the weather with the cashier at the supermarket or with the attendant at the gas station．Small talk may also be related to the situation such as waiting in line．People in the line may comment to others about how slow it is in the post office or bank that day，for instance．We also engage in small talk with people we may see every day but don’t really know such as those we share the elevator with in our office building．
Small talk is common at parties when guests may know the host but not each other．It is considered rude not to mingle and speak with other guests at social functions，so small talk can break the ice and get guests chatting．Compliments(赞美)may be a type of small talk such as one woman at party complimenting another on her dress．
Some people like small talk because they find silence uncomfortable and／or they enjoy communicating verbally．Others enjoy meeting new people and use small talk to start conversations. When making small talk，especially with strangers or those you don’t know very well，it’s important to observe certain socially acceptable conventions．First，small talk should be general and not personal or about controversial topics. Second，while compliments are acceptable，they shouldn't refer to the person’s body or sound like a pick-up line．
【小题1】What do people usually talk about in small talk?

A．Light topics．	B．Personal topics．
C． Meaningless things.	D．Controversial affairs．

【小题2】Who do we usually have small talk with?

A．Close friends．	B．People we don’t really know．
C．Family members．	D．Our seniors．

【小题3】At parties，it’s considered rude to          ．

A．speak to one guest only and not speak with other guests

B．speak to several guests at the same time

C．compliment a woman on her dress

D．have small talk with the host

【小题4】We can infer from the last paragraph that           ．

A．compliments are the most acceptable in small talk

B．we should refer to a person’s body when complimenting in order to sound sincere

C．there are some rules in making small talk

D．some people use small talk to make new friends

Answer 1

【小题1】A
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
【小题4】C

解析试题分析：文章介绍了闲聊的话题，场合，社会习俗等。
【小题1】推理题;从第二段提到的天气的话题，可知闲聊的话题是：轻松的话题，选A
【小题2】细节题：从那个第二段的句子：Discussing the weather with people who you don’t really know is an example of small talk that many of us are very familiar with on a daily basis．可知我们经常和不熟悉的人闲聊。选B
【小题3】细节题：从第三段的句子：It is considered rude not to mingle and speak with other guests at social functions，可知不和其他客人闲聊是不礼貌的。选A
【小题4】推理题：从最后一段的句子：it’s important to observe certain socially acceptable conventions．可知闲聊是有规定的。选C
考点：考查社会现象短文
点评：本文对细节题和推理题考查较多，要求考生仔细阅读文章，抓文章的中心思想和段落大意。细节题重点抓住关键句的理解。