Small talk, also called chitchat, is short co...

Small talk, also called chitchat, is short conversations people have with others, while they wait in line at the store, at family events or work. Many people find these small conversations about random topics difficult. Some people say they hate it. Others say small talk is a waste of time. They may even call it idle chitchat or idle chatter, meaning it doesn’t do anything, so they think little of it.1..

These exchanges can open doors that may lead to larger, more meaningful conversations. When you first meet someone or talk to someone you don’t know well, it would be awkward to begin a conversation about a really deep topic.2.Let’s say you make small talk with someone at a party. But they only want to talk about their cats. Then you can talk about animals together first, which may lead the conversation to the way you want.

3.Chatting with a colleague about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office. This could help build healthy work relationships.

Small talk could even help your larger communities----your relationships with neighbors and colleagues. Exchanging a recipe with a neighbor may make her noises upstairs easier to live with.

4.Most people said they do not talk to strangers while travelling on a subway. Researchers at the University of Chicago then asked some participants in a study to talk to people while communicating to work on a train. They found that those who made small talk with strangers were happier than those who sat alone.5.Maybe your life will become more cheerful just because of it.

A. Small talk may make you happier.

B. So why not try talking to someone?

C. Small talk can give you the chance to start.

D. However, some people are not good at small talk.

E. However, small talk is of great importance to everyone.

F. Small talk can also increase your feeling of understanding.

G. It’s easy to start a conversation by sharing the same experience.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Small talk is the short conversations we have at parties, while we wait in line at the store, at family events or work. Sometimes we make small talk with people we already know but not well. Often we have to make small talk with complete strangers. 1. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

1. 2.

If you have seen a really good movie or have read a really good book, you can talk about that.

When you are sharing the same experience with someone, it’s easy to start a conversation. You simply notice and comment on what’s going on around you. For example, if you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something, you can talk about that.

2. Ask open-ended questions

These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer. 3., the conversation will go on longer.

3. Become a student

Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. 4.. It’s a win-win situation.

Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice. 5., you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most definitely improve your speaking and listening skills.

A. Have some conversation starters ready

B. If you make small talk in your native language

C. However, some people are not good at small talk

D. If you ask questions that need more details to answer

E. You can talk about something that you recently learned

F. Many people find these small conversations about random topics easy

G. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something

高三英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析

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．

1.What do people usually talk about in small talk?

2.Who do we usually have small talk with?

3.At parties，it’s considered rude to ________．

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that________．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

—Starting a conversation is a good way to kill time on the train.

—_______. I also like to talk with strangers.

A. That is true B. It sounds like fun

C. I don’t think so D. You are kidding

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

D

One of the most popular new online games is Second Life．These games are also called MMOs for short．But unlike other MMOs, Second Life is not about winning or losing．Second Life is technically a computer game．But people involved in it do not consider it a game, because the players Create everything．Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities．

Users of Second Life are called residents．To take part, they must create an electronic image of themselves．Some look like humans, while others look like animals．Inside the Second Life world, residents build homes, run business, buy and sell things, work, play, and attend school．They even have relationships and get married．

Second Life was created in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, California．Linden Lab controls the website where the ever—changing world is being created．There are now about one million people around the world who are active in Second Life．The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users．

The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty．However, Linden Lab recently created Teen Second Life for young users．Second Life has its own economy and its own money called Linden dollars．Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life．Users can enter Second Life for free．But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services．

Lately, several major companies have become involved with Second Life．They want to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made—up reality．The car maker Toyota, music producer Sony BMG, and even Reuters news agency are among businesses now existing within Second Life．

68．The best title for the passage may be    ．

A．Popular Computer Games                     B．Users of Second Life

C．Business within Second Life                 D．A Million People Get a Second Life

69．According to the passage, Second Life refers to a new online game    ．

A．about winning or losing

B．in which players can create everything

C．mostly for children

D．designed for only one player role

70．We can see from the passage that the users of the Second Life    ．

A．can’t create the electronic images

B．become humans and animals

C．don’t work or play

D．can even get married

71．It can be inferred from the passage that    ．

A．these major companies want to become the players inside the Second Life world

B．these major companies: want to make profits from Second Life

C．we can’t believe in the made—up reality inside the Second Life world

D．these major companies show no interest in Second Life

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Most birds produce short, simple calls, but songbirds also have the ability of many complex vocal (发声的) patterns that help them attract mates, defend territory (领地), and strengthen their social bonds. Each songbird species has its own unique song patterns, some with characteristic regional dialects. Experienced listeners can even distinguish individual birds by their unique songs.

A lot of what scientists know about bird song comes from studying zebra finches. A baby male zebra finch typically learns to sing from its father or other males, starting while it’s still a baby bird in the nest. First comes the sensory learning stage, when the baby finch hears the songs sung around it and commits them to memory. The bird starts to vocalize during the motor learning stage, practicing until it can match the song it memorized. As the bird learns, hearing the tutor’s song over and over again is helpful — up to a point. If it hears the song too many times, the imitation (模仿) becomes worse -- and the source matters. If the song is played through a loudspeaker, he can’t pick it up as easily. But hide the same loudspeaker inside a toy painted to look like a zebra finch, and his learning improves.

What if the baby never hears another zebra finch’s song? Interestingly enough, it’ll sing anyway. Isolated finches still produce what are called innate songs or isolate songs. A specific tune might be taught, but the instinct to sing seems to exist in a songbird’s brain. Innate songs sound different from the “cultured” songs learned from other finches - at first. If isolate zebra finches start a new colony, the young birds pick up the isolate song from their fathers. But the song changes from generation to generation. And after a few generations, the melody actually starts to resemble the cultured songs sung by zebra finches in the wild.

1.What can be learned from the first paragraph?

A. Songbirds don’t make short, simple calls.

B. Each songbird has its unique song patterns.

C. Some songbirds can speak human regional dialects.

D. Songbirds promote relations with others by singing.

2.Which of the following is true about a baby zebra finch’s learning process?

A. It begins to learn to sing from its parents,

B. The more it hears the song, the better it sings.

C. Before practicing, it has to remember the songs.

D. A loudspeaker is good enough to be a good teacher.

3.The underlined words “innate songs” in paragraph 3 refer to 　　　　 .

A. the songs sung by only one bird itself

B. the songs that a bird produces naturally without learning

C. the songs that are taught by parents

D. the songs always different from those of the same species

4.What’s the best title of this text?

A. What Can Songbirds Do with Singing?

B. How Do Songbirds Learn to Sing?

C. Why Are Bird Songs Different?

D. What Is a Zebra Finch?

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.

The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or people as it leads them to the nest. When they

finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

1.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?

2. What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

3.The honey guide is special in the way________.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

To a small and faraway town like this, a car accident is always considered ________ interest, so people soon gathered around.

A. as        B. of C. by        D. in

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Talking behind someone’s back is considered to be rude and mean. Such a conversation can cover all kinds of criticism, from their looks to their work and personality.

The other day at lunch I was with a group of colleagues, and we were talking about our boss. She is the new headmaster of our middle school.

We talked about how kind she is to us. She handwrites notes to wish us happy holidays or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside school with our health or with our families. We talked about the good role model that she is for the young women in our school and the fair but firm way she treats students and parents.

I thought about this after lunch. Sometimes we have the good fortune to be part of another kind of “talking behind someone’s back”. And too often when we say something good about someone behind their backs, they never know about it! That night, I sent her an email to report the conversation. She replied by saying how much she appreciated hearing about this, and how it made a bright spot in a tough week of testing.

Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure you tell them about the nice things said behind their backs! Because how will they know unless we tell them?

1.What do you conclude from the text the writer might be?

A．A student         B．A teacher         C．A parent          D．A boss

2.What is the text mainly about?

A．Conversations about others               B．Rude and mean talking

C．Kinds of conversations                   D．Talking behind someone’s back

3.The author strongly agrees on _________.

A．Don’t talk behind others’ back

B．Talking behind others’ back is rude

C．Do tell the person about the nice things said behind his back

D．There is no one who never talks behind someone’s back

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读表达

Twitter is a social network that allows users to send and receive short messages, which are called Tweets. Tweets can be up to 140 characters long. You can send Tweets from your computer or even from your mobile phone. While some social networking services like Facebook or MySpace are more complicated, Twitter is quite simple to use. To send or receive messages, you just have to create an account on Twitter. You can only send text to Twitter; images are not allowed.

Twitter users can follow what other people post. It makes you feel that you are a part of someone else’s life. In most cases, Twitter is made up of many small groups of people. Sometimes they can follow each other’s movements. You can post “Hey, I’m going to the pub”, and all of your friends can read it at once. Your messages on Twitter can be private, meaning only your friends can read them or you can make them public, meaning they can be seen by everyone.

Twitter is used for many things. You can post an upcoming event, organize group conversations of just telling the world what you’re doing at the moment. You can also use Twitter instead of sending many short messages to different people. Just post your messages on Twitter and everyone else can see them,

Many people update their Twitter status very often, sometimes even a couple of times an hour. Recently, Twitter has also been used in business. Companies use Twitter to inform people of new products or just to post something that is on sale. Twitter has become very popular. Since its birth in 2006, over one hundred million people around the world have been using it regularly.

1.What does the underlined word “complicated” most probably mean? (1 word)

____________________________________________________________________________

2. What does it mean if you make your messages public? (no more than 10 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

3.How can you make your messages known to different people by Twitter? (no more than 8 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

4.Why do companies also use Twitter? (no more than 15 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

5.What do you think of Twitter? Give your reasons. (no more than 20 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析