Question

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 small. talk 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.

1.The passage suggests that when we learn a language______.

A. we should know the culture about the country

B. we should only master the grammar and vocabulary

C. we should grasp the importance of the language

D. we should learn about the transport system of the country

2. When we say "Great game, isn't it?" we in fact______.

A. have a conversation    B. begin a small talk   

C. greet each other    D. ask a question

3. 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 is an important part in a language   

D. small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章主要讲了人们常常会在问候之后开始小小的对话。在说英语的国家，人们常常谈论天气而不谈宗教政治。小对话是为了让双方同意某个观点。学习语言不仅仅是学单词和语法，还要学人的社会行为。

1.推理判断题。We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.句意：我们也必须学习说这种语言的人的社会行为。也就是说要了解这个国家的文化。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据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?"句意：小对话的主题取决于对话发生的地点。在足球比赛时，人们可以开始小对话，谈论他们正在观看的比赛。“很棒的比赛，不是吗？”可知应选B。

3.推理判断题。根据Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language.句意：问候和小对话是任何一种语言的重要部分。故选C。

考点：政治经济文化类短文阅读。