How is it done? Here are several skills （技能）that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you put people at their ease （自在）, and make friends with them quickly.

　　First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businessman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did this morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters. Sometimes What he answers to really personal questions and how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

　　Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they wait for the answer. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what kind of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.

　　Real listening at least means something. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks （坚持）to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he will be really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones （调子）of voice if the voice sounds dull, then it's time for you to change the subject.

　　Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the situation （场合）of parting. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I've really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don't keep it secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.

（　）1. You'll like to stay with certain people because ________ .

A. they know well how they can get along with others

B. you can often get much help from them

C. they are always glad to do anything for you

D. they will never get you into trouble

（　）2. Asking questions might be quite a good way ________ .

A. for you to make more and more new friends

B. to begin your business talks

C. to get the conversation going smoothly

D. for you to make a deep and lasting impression on others

（　）3. After having asked somebody a question, it'll be polite of you to ________ .

A. make clear what kind of person he is

B. listen to his answer attentively

C. wait quietly and patiently for his answer

D. ask another question

（　）4. Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who ________ .

A. are good at making any topic interesting

B. never talk too much or too little

C. always speak in a gentle way

D. know how and when they should change the topic of the talk

（　）5. If you are really happy in meeting someone again, ________ .

A. it seems necessary for you to let him know it

B. you may take him as your lifelong trustworthy friend

C. it's right for you to give him a second handshake

D. it'll be helpful for you to have further understanding of him

Difficult times often bring out the best in people. Many well-known people come to help those who are in trouble. And this was the case for basketball player Yao Ming. He hosted a television show in Shanghai and raised US $ 300,000 to help researchers (研究员) find a medical cure. Fund-raising, or charity, is an act of goodwill(好意) towards others.
Charities in the West have more ways. Look at a typical day for Ruth, a rich woman in the UK, for example. Ruth wakes up in the morning and collects her post. There’s a letter addressed to her with a picture of a half-dead, beaten(筋疲力尽的) horse. It’s from a charity asking Ruth to donate money to save the animals. She turns on the television, and sees a picture of a wide–eyed child dying of hunger in Africa with a request (请求) for money to help the child. The tickets for the charity shows often cost her a lot of money, but she doesn’t mind because most of the money is going to a charity that fights AIDS. She feels good about going because she’s helping the sick.
Edna, a little old lady, looks after a second-hand shop—a charity shop. Any profit (收益) it has made goes to a cancer(癌症) charity. Now that she doesn’t have to work, she has lots of time to offer her services for free.
For people like Yao Ming, Ruth and Edna, charity is a virtue (美德) that holds the same importance in life as faith and hope. “As you look back on your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others,” said Scottish writer Henry Drummond.
【小题1】Yao Ming hosted a television show to _____.