You may be able to deliver killer speeches, wonderful presentations and professions and professional talks on topics of your choice. But can you make small talk? There are times in life when you need to make casual conversation. And in business, the social aspect of a business relationship is often as important as the professional one. Here are our top tips for making small talk.
Listen
The number-one rule when making small talk is to listen. Make a conscious effort to remember what the other person is saying. Then you can use this information to generate more conversation.
Interest
While you’re talking to someone, focus exclusively on that person. And use your body language to show that you’re interested: face the person, use eye contact and nod your head at appropriate moments. Also, use conversational fillers such as “ah ha/ really? /amazing!” to show that you’re interested in what they’re saying…even if you aren’t.
Ego check
Try to avoid always turning the attention of the conversation back on yourself. For example, if someone mentions that they’ve just been to Italy, don’t respond with, “Oh, I’ve been there. We went there last year.” Instead, use this information as an opportunity to ask lots of questions about the other person’s trip: where did you go? Who did you go with? What was it like? What did you see?
Watch out!
Avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as criticism or judgment; and above all, keep away from potentially controversial topics such as religion and politics.
Write it down
Write down any interesting stories you hear, or details of funny things that have happened to you. Later, you can use these anecdotes to brighten up a dull conversation.
Think “situation”!
Think carefully about where you are. For example, if you’re at a wedding, think of all the relevant things you could ask: How do you know the bride? How long have you been friends with the groom? How did you get there? Where are you staying? Or, if you’re visiting a new company, you could ask the following: What’s it like working here? How easy is it to get into the city centre? Where’s a good place to get lunch round here? Etc.
Top topics
If you’re ever running out of conversation, use one of these fail-safe conversation topics:
the news, film, football, sport, music, the weather, fashion, literature, cars hobbies, the weekend, videogames, the theatre, family, local topics（shops, clubs, etc.）, TV, celebrities, entertainment, your home town, food, traditions, customs.
Small talk can be a lot of fun, but you need to prepare for it and practice. And remember, small talk can lead to big business!
1.The passage is mainly about_______.
A. customs and social manners
B. casual conversation tricks
C. communication types
D. business strategies
2.When making small talks, you’d better avoid _______.
A. asking some open questions
B. using some body languages
C. talking about something that can arouse conflict
D. asking some questions relevant to the situation
3.In order to make your small talk go smoothly, you can do the following things except that ________.
A. you can talk some topics about yourself all the time
B. you can pay attention to what others are saying and listen carefully
C. you can choose a topic that is suitable to everyone
D. you can say something funny that you have written down
4.When you are attending a party held by your friend, which is the most suitable question to start a conversation with a stranger?
A. How often do you get to play?
B. How old are you?
C. What are you doing this weekend?
D. How do you know the host, my friend David?
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
You may be able to deliver killer speeches, wonderful presentations and professions and professional talks on topics of your choice. But can you make small talk? There are times in life when you need to make casual conversation. And in business, the social aspect of a business relationship is often as important as the professional one. Here are our top tips for making small talk.
Listen
The number-one rule when making small talk is to listen. Make a conscious effort to remember what the other person is saying. Then you can use this information to generate more conversation.
Interest
While you’re talking to someone, focus exclusively on that person. And use your body language to show that you’re interested: face the person, use eye contact and nod your head at appropriate moments. Also, use conversational fillers such as “ah ha/ really? /amazing!” to show that you’re interested in what they’re saying…even if you aren’t.
Ego check
Try to avoid always turning the attention of the conversation back on yourself. For example, if someone mentions that they’ve just been to Italy, don’t respond with, “Oh, I’ve been there. We went there last year.” Instead, use this information as an opportunity to ask lots of questions about the other person’s trip: where did you go? Who did you go with? What was it like? What did you see?
Watch out!
Avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as criticism or judgment; and above all, keep away from potentially controversial topics such as religion and politics.
Write it down
Write down any interesting stories you hear, or details of funny things that have happened to you. Later, you can use these anecdotes to brighten up a dull conversation.
Think “situation”!
Think carefully about where you are. For example, if you’re at a wedding, think of all the relevant things you could ask: How do you know the bride? How long have you been friends with the groom? How did you get there? Where are you staying? Or, if you’re visiting a new company, you could ask the following: What’s it like working here? How easy is it to get into the city centre? Where’s a good place to get lunch round here? Etc.
Top topics
If you’re ever running out of conversation, use one of these fail-safe conversation topics:
the news, film, football, sport, music, the weather, fashion, literature, cars hobbies, the weekend, videogames, the theatre, family, local topics（shops, clubs, etc.）, TV, celebrities, entertainment, your home town, food, traditions, customs.
Small talk can be a lot of fun, but you need to prepare for it and practice. And remember, small talk can lead to big business!
1.The passage is mainly about_______.
A. customs and social manners
B. casual conversation tricks
C. communication types
D. business strategies
2.When making small talks, you’d better avoid _______.
A. asking some open questions
B. using some body languages
C. talking about something that can arouse conflict
D. asking some questions relevant to the situation
3.In order to make your small talk go smoothly, you can do the following things except that ________.
A. you can talk some topics about yourself all the time
B. you can pay attention to what others are saying and listen carefully
C. you can choose a topic that is suitable to everyone
D. you can say something funny that you have written down
4.When you are attending a party held by your friend, which is the most suitable question to start a conversation with a stranger?
A. How often do you get to play?
B. How old are you?
C. What are you doing this weekend?
D. How do you know the host, my friend David?
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Gardeners may be able to cut down on the amount of weeds(杂草）killer they use by dealing with invaders at specific times of the day, such as dawn, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered that the 24-hour rhythms of plants leave them more defenseless to herbicides(除草剂) at different points in their daily 24 hour cycle.
They believe the findings could help farmers by reducing crop loss and improving harvests. And gardeners could benefit from knowing which weeds respond better at certain times of the day. In recent years, pesticides and herbicides have been implicated in the decline of important pollinating insects, such as bees.
Dr Antony Dodd，senior author of the new study，said: “The research suggests that, in future, we might be able to improve the use of some chemicals that are used in agriculture by taking advantage of the biological clock in plants.
Just like humans, plants have evolved to take advantage of cycles of night and day, with certain biological processes turning on at different times of the day.
Scientists have discovered that many drugs work much better in humans if they are given at specific hours. Aspirin, for example, has doubled the impact on thinning the blood if taken at night as opposed to in the morning. The process is known as ‘chronotherapy’ and researchers wanted to find out if the same concept could be applied to plants.
Many gardeners already know that plants drink in more water in the morning because their pores(气孔) are open to take advantage of early morning dew and water vapour. At the break of the day, plants are also not busy producing food throughphotosynthesis(光和作用）.The open pores could also be the reasons that chemicals are more effective at dawn and also at dusk.
The air is also likely to be stiller at dawn and dusk, meaning that pesticides or herbicides are less likely to be blown away to places where they are not wanted. Pesticide labels often warn against spraying on windy days in case they endanger people or animals. Many insects are active early in the morning and around dusk, also making very early morning and early evening effective times for insecticide.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Trevor Dines, Botanical Specialist at the conservation charity Plantlife, said: “This is fascinating research which will be of great interest to many gardeners like me. If anything used to think the opposite was true - that applying herbicides and pesticides late in the day would be better as they’d remain in Vet contact' with the plant for longer in the cool of the night and therefore be taken up or absorbed more effectively. This research knocks that assumption on its head”
1.Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “implicated in” in the third paragraph?
A.restored to B.blamed for
C.limited to D.composed of
2.According to the research, what are the reasons for using herbicides in the morning?
A.The process of photosynthesis is most active in the morning.
B.Insects are more defenseless in the morning than any other time of the day.
C.Bigger pores on the plants make herbicides work more effectively.
D.The stronger morning wind blows pesticides away to more places.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Gardeners were interested in combining science with gardening.
B.A long time had passed before herbicide was applied in farming.
C.The old assumption about the use of chemicals proved right.
D.Many gardeners used to spray herbicides at the wrong time.
4.What is the main idea of this article?
A.New chemicals have been found to help kill harmful insects.
B.Biological clock of plants could help gardeners use less weed killer.
C.Plants’ cycles can be taken advantage of to improve the environment.
D.The research on the effects of pesticides has enabled good harvests.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
—Peter, you delivered a wonderful speech today.
—Thanks, but I think I ______ more attention to my stage manners during that time.
A. must pay B. should pay
C. must have paid D. should have paid
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Communication can help you gain more respect from your parents, and you may be able to reach ____ that make everyone happy.
A. compromises B. contributions C. congratulations D. competitions
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
, you’ll never be able to persuade him.
A．However hard may you try B．Try however hard you may
C．However hard you may try D．Try hard however you may
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
I don’t believe what you said, but if you can prove it, you may be able to __-me.
A. convince B. inform
C. guarantee D. refuse
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I don’t believe what you said, but if you can prove it, you may be able to _________-me.
A. convince B. inform C. guarantee D. refuse
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Please make sure that no details _____ before you deliver a speech.
A. would be overlooked B. will overlook
C. are overlooked D. are overlooking
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We may be able to _______ you in some way if you can not finish your work on time.
| A．assist | B．insist | C．provide | D．evaluate |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
We may be able to _______ you in some way if you can not finish your work on time.
A. assist B. insist C. provide D. evaluate
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析