How did your friendships begin? Most start with a short conversation on a random day. Asking about a homework assignment in class or complaining about your painful legs after playing in a soccer game, you found your best pal by accident.
“Small talk is where all your relationships begin,” Forbes magazine summed up.
The following is a five-step guide to making small talk from Bernardo J. Carducci, the director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast, US. Let’s have a look.
Getting started
Begin by talking about the setting, such as the weather outside or the room you are in (“It’s cold in here, isn’t it?”). The purpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you are willing to make a conversation.
②The personal introduction
You should mention something about yourself, such as your name. A good personal introduction helps move the conversation forward.
③Looking for topics
At this point, you and your conversation partner need to find common ground. This is a good time to ask questions or to refer back to things you’ve said or heard earlier. Don’t worry if it gets quiet. The other person is probably just thinking of something to say.
④Expanding the topic
The goal is to keep the conversation going. At every stage, you should be careful not to talk too much. But don’t let the other person dominate the conversation either. If that starts to happen, mention something about yourself when he or she takes a breath.
⑤A polite ending
When ending a conversation, let the person know you’ll be leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for a future conversation. For example, you could say, “I really must be going soon, but I had a great time chatting with you. I really liked hearing your opinion about that new movie. Here’s my phone number. Call or text me if you know of any other movies you think I might enjoy.”
小题1:According to the article, starting by talking about the setting is meant to ________.
A．find common ground
B．impress the other person
C．make a conversation
D．make the room warmer小题2:What does the underlined word “dominate” mean in Tip④?
A．interrupt
B．control
C．adapt
D．simplify小题3:When ending a conversation, you’d better ________.
A．talk about how much you want to keep talking
B．show that you’ve not enjoyed the talk
C．mention a specific movie that you love
D．give your opinion about the other person’s earlier comments小题4:The main purpose of the article is to ________.
A．encourage students to make more friends
B．give students tips on making small talk
C．introduce popular topics for students
D．teach students how to create friendships
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:D
题目分析：文章向学生介绍了如何通过聊天建立友谊的技巧。
小题1:C推理判断题。“根据The purpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you are willing to make conversation可知谈论环境是一个很好的开始谈话的契机，它让对方明确领会你的意图。”可以推断C正确。
小题2:B词义猜测题。根据“At every stage, you should be careful not to talk too much. But don’t let the other person dominate the conversation either.(每个步骤，你要十分注意不要说得太多，但是也不要让对方控制谈话)”可知交谈的双方的地位应当是平衡的，任何一方也不要霸占话语权。dominate的意思为“支配”也就是“control”的意思。
小题3:A推理判断题。根据step⑤可知答案。一步骤讲的是如何结束聊天的技巧。从所举例子可以看出：要给予对方以暗示要结束谈话了，同时还要传递“我很想把本次谈话延续下去”的意思。结合“When ending a conversation, let the person know you’ll be leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for a future conversation.”推断A正确。
小题4:D主旨大意题。从第一段看这是写给学生看的。再根据第一段第一句话“How did your friendships begin? ”可推测作者的意图是向学生介绍如何建立友谊。