Some people are afraid of starting a casual conversation with a stranger because of a fear of not having anything interesting to say. Fear of rejection (拒绝) is also a for keeping silent. Small talk in a conversation can as a way of warming up and getting to each other. Most people, no matter successful they are at work, will find the process of small talk uncomfortable, even pointless(无意义的). , you will have a pretty small world you refuse to let others in. Starting off with a casual comment or question will make others , and even just greeting them with a simple “hello” will often be enough.
Once you have made the first , there is no turning back. You need to keep things before you can gracefully say goodbye. Think about what you would like to with a new friend and that is what you can ask the other person about. Work, family, hobbies or interests are some points of discussion. To keep the ball rolling, you can show that you are really in what they are saying. Once you find common of interest, things will definitely off from there.
Small talk can out to be a pleasant experience. The conversation be brief and casual without turning into a long and boring discussion. Do not let yourself the conversation. Stop worrying about how big of a fool you may appear to be. You may find out later on that you have the “ ” of getting people to open up to you by engaging them in small talk.
A．right B．reason C．result D．sign
A．take B．use C．mean D．serve
A．know B．learn C．recognize D．help
A．what B．whether C．why D．how
A．giving B．leaving C．making D．forcing
A．So B．Instead C．However D．Besides
A．unless B．until C．if D．Though
A．comfortable B．upset C．nervous D．satisfied
A．try B．plan C．wish D．move
A．changing B．rising C．improving D．going
A．know B．share C．do D．show
A．private B．present C．important D．general
A．careful B．surprised C．interested D．encouraged
A．ideas B．experiences C．points D．senses
A．take B．put C．get D．set
A．come B．turn C．find D．figure
A．should B．can C．will D．may
A．start B．complete C．consider D．control
A．still B．even C．ever D．almost
A．right B．advantage C．talent D．Habit
I grew up in a community called Estepona. I was 16 when one morning, Dad told me I could drive him into a___36___ village called Mijas, on condition that I took the car in to be ___37___ at a nearby garage. I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas, and ___38___ to pick him up at 4 pm, then dropped off the car at the ___39___. With several hours to spare, I went to a theater. ___40___, when the last movie finished, it was six. I was two hours late!
I knew Dad would be angry if he ___41___ I’d been watching movies. So I decided not to tell him the truth. When I ___42___ there I apologized for being late, and told him I’d ___43___ as quickly as I could, but that the car had needed a major repairs. I’ll never forget the ___44___ he gave me. “I’m disappointed you ___45___ you have to lie to me, Jason. ” Dad looked at me again. “When you didn’t ___46___, I called the garage to ask if there were any ___47___, and they told me you hadn’t yet picked up the car. ” I felt ___48___ as I weakly told him the real reason. A ___49___ passed through Dad as he listened attentively. “I’m angry with ___50___. I realize I’ve failed as a father. I’m going to walk home now and think seriously about ___51___ I’ve gone wrong all these years. ” “But Dad, it’s 18 miles!” My protests and apologies were ___52___. Dad walked home that day. I drove behind him, ___53___ him all the way, but he walked silently.
Seeing Dad in so much ___54___and emotional pain was my most painful experience. However, it was ___55___ the most successful lesson. I have never lied since.
36. A. lonely B. small C. distant D. familiar
37. A. kept B. washed C. watched D. serviced
38. A. agreed B. planned C. determined D. promised
39. A. village B. community C. garage D. theater
40. A. However B. Then C. Therefore D. Still
41. A. realized B. found out C. thought D. figured out
42. A. went B. ran C. walked D. hurried
43. A. started B. left C. arrived D. come
44. A. word B. face C. look D. appearance
45. A. find B. decide C. believe D. feel
46. A. turn up B. drive out C. go away D. come out
47. A. questions B. problems C. mistakes D. faults
48. A. ashamed B. frightened C. nervous D. surprised
49. A. nervousness B. sadness C. silence D. thought
50. A. you B. myself C. me D. yourself
51. A. where B. how C. why D. when
52. A. meaningless B. useless C. helpless D. worthless
53. A. asking B. persuading C. begging D. following
54. A. physical B. practical C. personal D. natural
55. A. indeed B. always C. also D. almost
A little boy invited his mother to attend his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s ___36___, she said she would go. This ___37___ be the first time that his classmates and teacher ___38___ his mother and he felt ___39___ of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar(疤痕) that. ___40___nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to ___41___ why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were ___42___ by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother ___43___ the car, but the little boy was still embarrassed(尴尬) and ___44___ himself from everyone. He did, however, get within ___45___ of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.
The teacher asked ___46___,”How did you get the scar on your face?”
The mother replied, “___47___ my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was ___48___ afraid to go in because the fire was ___49___ so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked ___50___ but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.
She ___51___ the burned side of her face. “This scar will be ___52___, but to this day, I have never ___53___ what I did. ”
At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great ___54___ of the sacrifice(牺牲) that his mother had made for him. He held her hand ___55___for the rest of the day.
36. A. enjoyment B. disappointment C. surprise D. excitement
37. A. would B. could C. should D. must
38. A. noticed B. greeted C. accepted D. met
39. A. sick B. ashamed C. afraid D. tired
40. A. included B. passed C. covered D. shaded
41. A. talk about B. think about C. care about D. hear about
42. A. impressed B. surprised C. excited D. comforted
43. A. in sight of B. by means of C. by way of D. in spite of
44. A. hid B. protected C. separated D. escaped
45. A. understanding B. reminding C. hearing D. learning
46. A. carefully B. seriously C. nervously D. anxiously
47. A. As B. When C. Since D. While
48. A. so B. much C. quite D. too
49. A. out of control B. under control C. in control D. over control
50. A. helpless B. hopeless C. senseless D. useless
51. A. pointed B. showed C. wiped D. touched
52. A. ugly B. lasting C. serious D. frightening
53. A. forgot B. recognized C. considered D. regretted
54. A. honor B. sense C. happiness D. pride
55. A. quietly B. slightly C. tightly D. suddenly
It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈) from a(n) ___36___ injury. I had___37___ whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was, ___38___for the 3,000-meter run.
“Ready…set…” The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed ___39___ me. I felt ___40___ as I fell farther and farther behind.
“Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest___41___ I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps（圈）ahead of me when she crossed the finish line.
“Maybe I should___42___, I thought as I moved on. ___43___, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran ___44___ and decided not to ___45___in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it, ___46___my foot did heal.
When I finished, I heard a cheer--___47___ than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and___48___, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys. ”
I was leaving ___49___ several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.
“Courage? I just ___50___a race!” I thought.
“I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”
Suddenly I regained___51___. I decided to ___52___ track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always ___53___ in medals and victories, but in the ___54___we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, ___55___ the people who don’t give up when they lose.
36. A. slighter B. worse C. earlier D. heavier
37. A. expected B. supposed C. imagined D. doubted
38. A. late B. eager C. ready D. thirsty
39. A. from behind B. ahead of C. next to D. close to
40. A. ashamed B. astonished C. excited D. frightened
41. A. cheer B. shout C. cry D. noise
42. A. slow down B. drop out C. go on D. speed up
43. A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. Besides D. However
44. A. with delight B. with fear C. in pain D. in advance
45. A. play B. arrive C. race D. attend
46. A. even if B. only if C. unless D. until
47. A. weaker B. longer C. lower D. louder
48. A. well enough B. sure enough C. surprisingly enough D. strangely enough
49. A. while B. when C. as D. since
50. A. finished B. won C. passed D. lost
51. A. cheer B. hope C. interest D. experience
52. A. hold on B. turn to C. begin with D. stick with
53. A. measured B. praised C. tested D. increased
54. A. sadness B. struggles C. diseases D. tiredness
55. A. or B. nor C. and D. but
Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing ___36___ was something she picked up by herself. After her first ___37___, teaching disabled children, she became a part-time writer for IBM. ___38___, writing stories was simply a ___39___ interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher(出版商). ___40___, they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long ___41___ and paid Tracy a $50,000 advance. “A pretty money,” said the publisher, “for ___42___ writer. ”
___43___ Tracy’s characters(人物) are interesting, her stories sometimes ___44___ readers uneasy: those about the supernatural. “My mother believed I could ___45___ the afterlife world,” she told a close friend. “She used to have me speak with my grandmother, who died many years ago. ”
“Can I? I don’t think I can,” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I do have ___46___when things come to me ___47___. ” Once, she was wondering how to complete a ___48___ set in ancient(古代的) China. ___49___the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese ___50___. It came without her having ___51___it.
Though she has published 10 books, Tracy has remained ___52___ by her fame. She lives in the same ___53___ ___ she lived 27 years ago — although in a more comfortable home. There
s more room for ___54___in her life ’t just ___55___.
36. A. skill B. experience C. practice D. method
37. A. duty B. effort C. job D. task
38. A. Instead B. Normally C. Certainly D. Then
39. A. general B. deep C. personal D. lively
40. A. Interested B. Anxiously C. Seriously D. Encouraged
41. A. film B. story C. program D. article
42. A. a foreign B. a popular C. an unusual D. an unknown
43. A. Now that B. Even though C. Just because D. Except that
44. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold
45. A. make up B. connect with C. control D. explain
46. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments
47. A. for no reason B. from a distance C. by accident D. as gifts
48. A. description B. pointing C. scene D. talk
49. A. Surprisingly B. Suddenly C. Expectedly D. Fortunately
50. A. cooking B. history C. play D. medicine
51. A. known B. sent C. realized D. ordered
52. A. unchanged B. excited C. determined D. unmoved
53. A. life B. city C. house D. way
54. A. success B. work C. joy D. variety
55. A. writing B. reporting C. luck D. fun
I played a racquetball game against my cousin Ed last week. It was one of the most ___1___ and tiring games I’ve ever had. When Ed first phoned and ___2___ we play, I laughed quietly, figuring on an ___3___ victory. After all, Ed’s idea of ___4___ has always been nothing more ___5___ than lifting a fork to his mouth. ___6___ I can remember, Ed’s been the least physically fit member in the family, and ___7___ proud of himself. His big stomach has always ballooned out between his T-shirt and trousers. Although the family often ___8___ about that, Ed refused to buy a ___9___ T-shirt or to lose weight. So when Ed ___10___ for our game not only with the bottom of his shirt gathered inside his trousers but also with a stomach you could hardly ___11___, I was so surprised that I was ___12___. My cousin must have made an effort to get himself into shape. ___13___, at the point in our game when I’d have predicted(预计) the score to be about 9 to 1 in my favor, it was ___14___ 7 to 9 — and Ed was ___15___. The sudden realization was painful. We ___16___ to play like two mad men. When the score was 16 up, I was having serious ___17___ about staying alive until 21 years old, let alone ___18___ that many points. When the game finally ended, both of us were lying flat on our backs, too tired to ___19___. In a way, I think we both won: I the game, but cousin Ed my ___20___.
1. A. encouraging B. hopeless C. surprising D. regular
2. A. declared B. mentioned C. persuaded D. suggested
3. A. unforgettable B. unexpected C. easy D. early
4. A. exercise B. preparation C. joy D. fitness
5. A. time-saving B. comfortable C. suitable D. effort-making
6. A. As soon as B. As long as C. When D. Since
7. A. strangely B. personally C. reasonably D. eagerly
8. A. cared B. forgot C. quarreled D. joked
9. A. clean B. larger C. straight D. darker
10. A. set out B. got ready C. arrived D. returned
11. A. notice B. admire C. believe D. measure
12. A. nervous B. curious C. careless D. speechless
13. A. After all B. As a result C. Above all D. At last
14. A. mistakenly B. then C. instead D. naturally
15. A. leading B. coming C. waiting D. counting
16. A. pretended B. stopped C. continued D. decided
17. A. thoughts B. doubts C. situations D. problems
18. A. scoring B. completing C. receiving D. keeping
19. A. play B. start C. sleep D. move
20. A. friendship B. respect C. support D. favor