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 great each 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.
【小题1】Small talk ___.

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 great each 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.Small talk ___.

2.The best topic of small talk is about ___.

3.The passage suggests that when we learn a language ___.

4.When we say “Great game, isn't it?” we in fact___.

5.What we learn from the passage is that ___.

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 great each 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. 1.

   Small talk ___.

   1. A.
      is a kind of conversation with short words
   2. B.
      is a greeting when people meet each other
   3. C.
      is to let people disagree about something
   4. D.
      is something we talk about to start a conversation
2. 2.

   The best topic of small talk is about ___.

   1. A.
      the weather
   2. B.
      politics
   3. C.
      Games
   4. D.
      languages
3. 3.

   The passage suggests that when we learn a language ___.

   1. A.
      we should learn about the transport system of the country
   2. B.
      we should only master the grammar and vocabulary
   3. C.
      we should know the culture about the country
   4. D.
      we should grasp the importance of the language
4. 4.

   When we say “Great game, isn’t it?” we in fact___.

   1. A.
      ask a question
   2. B.
      have a conversation
   3. C.
      greet each other
   4. D.
      begin a small talk
5. 5.

   What we learn from the passage is that ___.

   1. A.
      different language has different grammar
   2. B.
      small talk is an important part in a language
   3. C.
      small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation
   4. D.
      in English-speaking countries we should talk about the weather.

While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if younger lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast .

On your English learning "journey （旅行）”, a dictionary Can be a helpful “travel companion"---if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise（否则），you will always depend on your native（本国的）language and end up translating in you head.

A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. it can help you verify （test and check） spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources（资源）.

Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols （符号）.

Understand what the abbreviations （缩写字） mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

1．According to the passage,________________________

A．we should look up each new word we meet while reading

B．dictionaries will be helpful if we use them properly

C．we can't look up any new words we come across while reading

D．we can get everything we want in dictionaries

2．The underlined word "companion" means____________________

A．指南            B．札记            C．工具       D．路标

3．Why do we need a good English-to-English dictionary?

A．Because it is a good friend.

B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost.

C．Because it can help avoid to think in our native language.

D．Because it can help us to start thinking in English and in Chinese.

4．The underlined word "that" in the last paragraph refers to （指） ____________ 

A．pronunciation symbols and grammar rules

B．abbreviations and usage for grammar rules

C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage

D．charts, diagrams and lists

5．According to the passage, we learn that____________________

A．the more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article

B．the more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read

C．the more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more information you can get

D．the better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is