题目内容
In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather: “Nice day, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of smalltalk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may comment about the transport system: “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.
46. Small talk is __________.
A. to let people disagree about something
B. a kind of conversation with short words
C. something we talk about to start with a conversation
D. a greeting when people meet each other
47. The favorite topic of small talk is about __________.
A. games B. politics C. languages D. the weather
48. The passage suggests that when we learn a language __________.
A. we should only master the grammar and vocabulary
B. we should know the culture about the country
C. we should grasp the importance of the language
D. we should learn about the transport system of the country
49. When we say “Great game, isn’t it?” we in fact __________.
A. begin a small talk B. have a conversation
C. greet each other D. ask a question
50. What we learn from the passage is that __________.
A. in English-speaking countries we should talk about the weather
B. different language has different grammar
C. small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation
D. small talk is an important part in a language.
CDBAD

Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That is the global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean. Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about “burgers”. “fries” and “milkshakes”. Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chartroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know “cool”, “OK” and “hello”?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like “café” and expressions like “c'est la vie” (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English
. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in “yoga”. But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.
【小题1】 The English language has a history of ______.
A.over 2000 years | B.over 500 years |
C.over 1500 years | D.over 1000 years |
A.because of | B.in order to | C.as usual | D.as if. |
A.It has been changing all the time. |
B.It has borrowed words from all the other![]() |
C.French words are used by the En![]() |
D.Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
A.One billion people | B.340 million |
C.almost all the people in the world. | |
D.not mentioned above, but the number is growing rapidly. |
A.the USA | B.Nigeria | C.the Philippines | D.Norway |