A
Small talk is a very short conversation used by individual to kill time and make the other person feel comfortable in his presence. However, sometimes you should be careful of your topics.
There are certain “safe” topics that people usually discuss.
The weather is probably the number one thing that people who do not know each other well discuss. Sometimes even friends and family members discuss the weather when they meet or start a conversation.
Another topic that is generally safe is current events. As long as you are not discussing a controversial_issue,_such as a recent law concerning equal rights, it is usually safe to discuss that. Entertainment and sports news is another good topic. If there is something that you and the other person have in common, that may also be acceptable to talk about. For example, if the bus is extremely full and there are no seats available, you might talk about the reasons why. Similarly, people in an office might casually discuss the new paint or furniture.
There are also some subjects that are not considered acceptable when making small talk.
Discussing personal information such as salaries or a recent divorce is unacceptable between people who do not know each other well. Compliments on clothing or hair are acceptable; however, you should never say something (good or bad) about a person's body.
Negative comments about another person not involved in the conversation are also not acceptable. When you do not know a person well you cannot be sure who their friends are. You do not talk about private issues either, because you do not know if you can trust the other person with your secrets or personal information. Lastly, it is not wise to continue talking about an issue that the other person does not seem comfortable with or interested in.
语篇解读：本文主要讲了人们进行闲聊时安全的和不被接受的话题。
1．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．Why do people make small talk?
B．What topics do people choose when making small talk?
C．What is small talk?
D．In which situations do people make small talk?
解析：选B 主旨大意题。文章主要讲了人们进行闲聊时安全的和不被接受的话题。故选B。
2．Which of the following is NOT the best topic when you make small talk?
A．Beautiful day, isn't it?
B．Did you watch the news today?
C．Have you got a boyfriend?
D．What do you think of the new computers?
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据文章最后一段第三句可知，在不太熟悉的人们之间不要谈论有关私人问题的话题。故选C。
3．The underlined part “controversial issue” in the fourth paragraph most probably means “________”．
A．debatable question
B．acceptable question
C．private question
D．interesting question
解析：选A 词义猜测题。从该词后面所给的例子：比如关于人权的法律方面的问题，可知其意为“有争议的问题”。故选A。
