【题目】阅读短文，回答问题。
A Special Delivery
Ben and Sally lived in California with their two daughters. Ben liked travelling. One summer, he went to Africa on a trip, but Sally stayed home with the girls. Ben and his friends owned a company. People at the company liked to play jokes on each other. One day, Ben's friends wanted to play a joke on Ben and Sally. So they sent a letter to Sally. The letter said,
Dear Sally, |
On the same day, Sally also got a phone call. The caller told her that a delivery was coming. At one o'clock, a truck stopped in front of Sally's house. The truck driver gave Sally a rope. An animal was tiedto the rope. It was a baby elephant! The elephant ran into Sally's yard, and it began eating grass.
Then the driver drove away. Sally stood there and held the rope to the elephant. She asked herself, "What can I feed an elephant with? Bananas?"
After a while, a policeman came. He said, "It's illegal (非法的) to have wild animals here." Then the policeman gave Sally a ticket.
Ben's friends were hiding in the backyard and laughing. They had planned everything perfectly. They had rented (租借) the elephant from a zoo and asked the policeman to write the ticket! Ben's friends also made a film of everything. They wanted Ben to watch the video.
When Sally learned about the truth, she couldn't help laughing
（1）What kind of story is this, a funny story or a sad story?
（2）Where did Ben go on a trip one summer?
（3）Did Ben send a baby elephant to Sally as a special gift?
（4）Why did the policeman give Sally a ticket?
（5）What did Ben's friends do in the backyard?
【题目】Put a group of strangers in a room together, and they'll probably start a conversation. "Hot today, isn't it?" one might say. "You said it." another replies.
Why do we talk so much about the weather? When we meet new people, we don't begin by telling them our life story. We start with small talk, a polite conversation about something like traffic or weather.
Research suggests that small talk can build new friendships. When we begin conversations with new people, we want to feel comfortable, and so do they. We use small talk to find common interests. Once we have a common interest, a friendship can begin.
Small talk even helps people get hired. In order to impress at a job interview, you need to bond with the interviewer right away. Proper small talk can make that first impression get you the job.
So, how can you make small talk lead to a new friendship or job? First off, find common ground. Choose something around you that you share with the other person.
Next, keep the conversation going. Praise the other person to make him or her feel comfortable, and ask questions to show interest.
Third, keep eye contact. When you look people in the eye, they feel you take interest in what they are saying. It makes you appear honest and builds trust.
Naturally, talking to someone you don't know is not the easiest thing to do! Some experts say with more practice, small talk does get easier.
In fact, small talk is anything but small. It is a very big deal!
Title | Small Talk: A Deal |
Introduction | We may make small talk when we meet people |
◆ Small talk can help people form friendships. | |
Advice | ◆ Find some topics which are with the other person. |
◆Keep the talk going by making sompicments and questions. | |
Conclusion | Small talk really a lot to us. |