外研版英语选修六Module1课文

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外研版英语选修六课文Module1

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Module1SmallTalk

Introduction

Readthedictionarydefinitionsofsmalltalkandanswerthequestions.

1.Whichdefinitionsmakesmalltalksoundlikeapositivething?

2.Whichdefinitionsrefertoplaceswheresmalltalkmighttakeplace?

3.Whyisitaproblemifsomeonehasnosmalltalk?

4.WhatdoyouthinkistheChinesefor"smalltalk"?

smalltalkinformalconversationaboutthingsthatare

notimportant

MacmillanEnglishDictionary

smalltalklightconversationthatpeoplemakeatsocialoccasionsabout

unimportantthings:Westoodaroundmakingsmalltalk.

CollinsCobuildEnglishLanguageDictionary

smalltalkpolitefriendlyconversationaboutunimportantsubjects

LongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglish

smalltalkconversationaboutordinaryorunimportantmatters,usuallyata

socialevent:Hehasnosmalltalk(i.e.heisnotgoodattalkingtopeopleabout

ordinaryorunimportantthings).

OxfordAdvancedLearner'sDictionary

Lookattheconversationtopicsbelowandanswerthequestions.

careers;cars;examinations;filmstars;music;politics;sport;travel;weather;

food

1.Ifyoutalkaboutthesetopics,istheconversationseriousorsmalltalk?

2.Whichofthetopicsdoyouliketalkingaboutwithyourfriends?

3.Whichofthemdoyoutalkaboutwithyourparents?

4.Whichofthemdoyoutalkaboutwithyourteacher?

5.Whichofthemdoyounevertalkabout?

VocabularyandReading

Completethesentenceswiththecorrectformsofthewordsinthebox.

damage;encourage;impress;prepare;recognise

1.Thesingerwasreallygood!Shemealot!

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2.Hehadanaccidentandhisbicycle.

3.Don'tshoutatthechildren.Youshouldthemtodobetter.

4.MakesureyouforyourEnglishexamination.Domorehomework!

5.Attheparty,Iaboywhousedtoattendmyschool.

Readthepassageanddecidewhatkindofbookitisfrom.Choosefromthislist.Thetextisfrom____.

abooktohelpyouprepareforaspeakingexamination

abusinesscourse

anEnglishteachingbook

abookwhichtellsyouwhattodoatsocialevents

HowGoodAreYourSocialSkills?

Haveyouevercrossedtheroadtoavoidtalkingtosomeoneyourecognise?

Wouldyoulovetogotoapartyandtalkconfidentlytoeveryguest?Doyou

wanttomakemorefriendsbutlacktheconfidencetotalktopeopleyoudon't

know?Andareyounervousabouttheideaofbeingatasocialeventinanother

country?Don'tworry—wecanhelpyou!

Youneedn'tworryaboutsituationsliketheseifyouhavegoodsocialskills.

Andtheyareeasytolearn.Peoplewithgoodsocialskillscommunicatewelland

knowhowtohaveaconversation.Ithelpsifyoudoalittleadvanceplanning.

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Hereareafewideastohelpyou.

Learnhowtodosmalltalk

Smalltalkisveryimportantandpreparesyouformoreseriousconversations.

Beprepared!Havesomelow-riskconversationopenersready.Forexample:

?thinkofarecentnewsstory—nottooserious,e.g.astoryaboutafilm

starorsportsstar

?thinkofthingstotellpeopleaboutyourstudies

?thinkof"safe"thingsyoucanaskpeople'sopinionsabout—music,sport,

films,etc.

?thinkoftopicsthatyouwouldavoidifyouweretalkingtostrangers—

andavoidtalkingaboutthem!Thatway,youdon'tdamageyour

confidence!

Developyourlisteningskills

Listeningisaskillwhichmostpeoplelack,butcommunicationisatwo-way

process—itinvolvesspeakingANDlistening.Alwaysremember—youwon't

impresspeopleifyoutalktoomuch.Herearesomeideastomakeyouabetter

listener:

Do...

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?showthatyouarelisteningbyusingencouragingnoisesandgestures—

smiling,nodding,saying"uh-huh"and"OK",etc.

?keepgoodeyecontact

?usepositivebodylanguage

?askformoreinformationtoshowyourinterest

Don't...

?lookatyourwatch

?yawn

?sigh

?lookawayfromthepersonwho'stalkingtoyou

?changethesubject

?finishotherpeople'ssentencesforthem

AlwaysrememberthewordsofBenjaminDisraeli,BritishPrimeMinisterin

thenineteenthcentury:"Talktoamanabouthimself,andhewillspeaktoyou

forhours!"

Learntherules

Ifyougotoasocialoccasioninanothercountry,rememberthatsocialrules

canbedifferent.Insomecountries,forexample,youhavetoarriveontimeata

party;inothercountries,youdon'tneedto.Inaddition,youneedtoknowhow

longyoushouldstay,andwhenyouhavetoleave.Somehostsexpectflowersor

asmallgift,butinotherplaces,youcantakethings,butyouneedn'tifyoudon't

wantto.Rememberalsothatinsomecountries,youmustn'ttakeflowersofa

certaincolour,becausethey'reunlucky.Inmostplaces,youdon'thavetotakea

gifttoaparty—butfindoutfirst!

Answerthequestions.

1.Accordingtothearticle,shouldpeopleplanwhatthey'regoingtosayatparties?

2.Whatdopeoplethinkaboutthosewhotalktoomuch?

3.Describetwothingsyoushouldn'tdoinaconversation.

4.Whyisitagoodideatonodandsmilewhentheotherpersonistalking?

5.WhatdoesthequotationfromBenjaminDisraelitellyouaboutpeople?

Completethesentenceswiththecorrectformsofthewordsinthebox.

sigh;yawn;nod;avoid;lack;smile

1.WhenImeetstrangers,Idon'tliketotalkaboutmyself,soIanswering

personalquestions.

2.Thereareveryfewforeignvisitorstomytown,sowetheopportunityto

meetpeoplefromothercountries.

3.Isaidthatwedon'thaveenoughopportunitytospeakEnglishandhehis

headinagreement.

4.IthinkthemanIspoketowastired—healot.

5.HelookedverysadwhenIaskedhimabouthishome.Hewhenhe

answeredme.

6.IfeltverywelcomewhenIarrivedattheparty.Thehostatmeand

shookmyhand.

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Lookatthephrasesfromthepassageandanswerthequestions.

1.Ifyoucantalkconfidently,doesthismeanthatyouareworriedabouttalkingto

people?

2.Whatkindofadvanceplanningcouldyoudobeforegoingtoapartyinaforeign

country?

3.Canyougiveanexampleofalow-riskconversationopenerifyouweretalkingto

afriendofyourparents',forexample?

4.Whatencouragingnoisesandgesturescanyoumakewhenyou'rehavinga

conversationinChinese?

5.Whatisanexampleofpositivebodylanguage?

6.Aresocialrulesthesameineverycountry?

Discussyouranswerstothequestions.

1.Whichoftheideasinthereadingpassagedoyouthinkareusefulinyoursociety?

2.Arethereanyconversationtechniquesthatyouthinkyouwilluseinthefuture?

3.Whichofthelisteningskillsareyougoodat?

4.Whichofthesocialskillsdoyouneedtoimprove?

5.WhataresomeoftheusualsmalltalktopicsinChina?

Function

Readthepairsofsentencesandanswerthequestions.

1.Youmustarriveontimeataparty.Youhavetoarriveontimeataparty.

2.Youmustn'ttakeyellowflowersforthehost.Youdon'thavetotakeyellowflowersforthehost.

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3.Youdon'thavetotakeagift.Youdon'tneedtotakeagift.

1.Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthefirstpairofsentences?

Thefirstoneisanobligation,thesecondoneisasuggestion.Theybothindicateanobligation.

Theyareonlysuggestionsaboutwhattodo.

2.Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthesecondpairofsentences?

Thefirstoneindicatesthatsomethingisagainstthelaw.

Theymeanthesamething.

Thefirstoneisanobligation,thesecondoneindicatesalackofobligation.

3.Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthethirdpairofsentences?

Thesecondoneisanobligation,thefirstoneisn't.

Theymeanthesamething.

Thefirstoneisanobligation,thesecondoneisn't.

Writethreerulesforasocialeventinyourcountry.

Ifyougotoasocialeventinmycountry,

1.youhaveto____.

2.youdon'thaveto____.

3.youmustn't____.

4.Lookatthetwosentencesanddecidewhichexplanationiscorrect.

1.Weallknoweachother.Wedon'tneedtoworryaboutsmalltalk.Thismeans____.

itisn'tnecessarytoworryaboutit

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unfortunatelyweworryaboutit

2.Thepartyisinformal.Youneedn'twearatie.Thismeans____.

wemustnotwearatie

wecanwearatieifwechoose

Completethesentenceswithverbstoexpressobligationorlackofobligation.

1.Stop!Yougiveyellowflowerstothehost!It'sunlucky!

2.Don'tworry.Youeatanythingyoudon'tlike.

3.I'msorry,youcan'tleave.Youwaituntiltheprizeshavebeengiven.

4.Itakesomefoodtotheparty?

5.Youtakeagifttothehost,butshewillbeverypleasedifyoudo.

ReadingandListening

Readandmatchtheconversationswiththeplaces.Thereisoneextraplace.

atasummerschool;duringajobinterview;inabusinessmeeting;onaboat

1:

A:Wonderful,aren'tthey?

B:Er...I'msorry?

A:Thecliffs.

B:Oh,yes,theyare.

A:Beenherebefore?

B:Pardon?

2:

A:So...youwroteinyourapplicationformthatyou'reinterestedinmountains.

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B:Yes.

A:Haveyoueverclimbedamountain?

B:No.

A:Haveyoueverreadanybooksaboutmountain-climbing?

B:No.

3:

A:Whendidyouarrive?

B:Yesterday.

A:Nicejourney?

B:Verynice.

A:Didtheimmigrationpeopleasktoseeyourvisa?

B:Ididn'tneedtogetavisa.

A:Really?Whynot?

B:BecauseIwasbornhere.

A:Ohyes,ofcourse!

Answerthequestionsabouttheconversations.

1.Doyouthinktheconversationsarebetweenpeoplewhoknoweachother?Givereasonsforyouranswers.

2.Whichoftheconversationswouldyoucallsmalltalk?

3.Whatdoyouthinkabouttheanswersintheinterview?

a.Theanswersshowthattheintervieweeisinterestedinthejob.

b.Theanswersaretooshort.

c.Theanswersareimpolite.

Listentothewholeofthefirstconversationandanswerthequestions.

1.DothepeoplebothspeakEnglishasafirstlanguage?

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2.Whydidthewomanhaveproblemsunderstandingwhatthemanwassaying?

3.Howdidthemanhelphertounderstandhimbetter?

4.Listenandcheck.Choosethecorrectendingstothelinesfromtheconversation.

1.Sorry,Icouldn't____.

hearwhatyousaid

understandwhatyousaid

2.Ididn't____.

likewhatyousaid

catchwhatyousaid

3.Couldyou____?

repeatwhatyousaid

explainwhatyousaid

4.Youneedn'thave____.

spokentome

spokensoslowly

5.Ijustneededafewseconds____.

togetusedtoyourvoice

tounderstandyourvoice

Grammar

Readthesentencefromthelisteningpassageandanswerthequestions.

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Youneedn'thavespokensoslowly.

1.Whosaidthis?

thetourist

theEnglishperson

2.Whydidshesayit?Chooseoneofthesepossiblereasons.

Theotherpersonwasspeakingtooquickly.

Theotherpersonwasspeakingtooslowly.

Theotherpersonwasspeakingslowlyanditwasn'tnecessary.

Rewritethesesentencesusingneedn'thavedone.

1.Itwasn'tnecessaryforyoutobringsomeflowers!

Youneedn'thavebroughtsomeflowers.

2.Thankyoufortidyingtheroom—butitwasn'tnecessary.

.

3.Therewasnoneedforyoutobuytheboxofchocolates.

.

4.Whydidyougotoschool?It'sSunday!!

5.Thankyouforbringingthebooktoshowme,butIalreadyhaveit.

.

Readthesentenceanddecidewhichendingsarepossible.

Ididn'tneedtobuyagiftformyhostfamily____.

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soIdidn'tgetone

becauseIalreadyhadone

soIboughtone

soItookitbackandgotarefund

Completethesentencesusingdidn'tneedtoorneedn'thavedone.Example:ItwasaninformalpartysoIdidn'tneedtowear(wear)asuit.

1.Webroughtsomefoodtothepartybuttherewastoomuch,sowe(bring)any.

2.MyfriendspokegoodMandarinsoI(translate)thespeechforhim.

3.Theofficehadalreadyopenedwhenwearrivedsowe(wait)outsideinthestreet.

4.Igottothepartyat6p.m.buttherewasnoonethere,soI(arrive)soearly.

5.Itoldthehostallaboutmyhometownandthenhetoldmehe'd

beenthere.I(tell)himanything!

ReadingandWriting

Readtheemail.

Hi!Howareyou?Ihopeyouandyourfamilyarewell.

Ihaveafavourtoask.Nextweek,I'mgoingtoareceptionattheChinese

EmbassyhereinLondonandI'mreallylookingforwardtoit.I'mgoingtomeet

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someseniorhighschoolstudentsandtheirteachers.TheonlyproblemisthatI'mnotverygoodatsmalltalkwithpeopleIdon'tknow—I'malwaysworriedaboutsayingthewrongthingormakingpeoplefeelbored.

IneedtoknowwhatIcantalkaboutwiththeChinesepeoplethatImeet.Iwonderifyouwouldbekindenoughtoanswerthesequestions.

HereinEngland,therearecertainquestionsthatyoushouldn'treallyaskpeoplethatyoudon'tknow—"Howoldareyou?"forexample,and"Howmuchdoyouearn?"Arethereanyquestionsthatyoushouldn'taskpeopleinChina?

WhatsortofthingsdoChineseteenagersliketalkingabout?Sport?Music?Films?Andwhatsortofthingsdotheyfindboring?Politics?Theweather?

Lookingforwardtoyourreply.

Alex

Writeareply.Answerthemainquestionsandofferotheradvice.Usesomeofthefollowingsentencestostartandfinishyouremail.

?Verynicetohearfromyou.

?Thankyouforyourinterestingemail.

?Howareyou?It'salongtimesinceIheardfromyou.

?Ihopethisinformationhasbeenuseful.

?BestofluckattheChineseEmbassy.

?Lookingforwardtohearingfromyouagainsoon.

ReadingandVocabulary

You'regoingtoreadastoryaboutasaleswoman.Discusswhatkindofsmalltalkyou

needasasalesperson.

TheWrongKindofSmallTalk

EstherGreenbaumwasasaleswomanforafirmoffaxmachinesandbusiness

supplies.Butshewasalsothemostoutspokenhumanbeingintheworld—well,

WestchesterCounty,atleast.Hermottowas"EverytimeIopenmymouth,Iput

myfootinit."

EstherGreenbaum'smajorshortcomingwasthatshehadacompleteabsence

ofsmalltalk.No,that'snotquitetrue.Shehadsmalltalk,butitwasthewrong

kind.Infact,shehadneverlearntthebasicrulesofsocialcommunication,andas

aconsequence,shemadesystematicmistakeseverytimesheopenedhermouth.

Itwasnocoincidenceeitherthatshewasn'taverygoodsaleswoman.

Onedayduringameeting,Estherwasintroducedtoanimportantcustomer,a

maturewoman.

"Nicetomeetyou,"shesaid."Howoldareyou?"Thecustomerlooked

awkward.

"Forty?Forty-five?"saidEsther."Youlookmucholder.Andyourfriend...

she'solderthanyou,butshelooksmuchyounger!"

Onanotheroccasion,Estherteasedatypist,"Hey!When'syourbabydue?"16/26

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ThetypistwentredandcontradictedEsther."Actually,I'mnotpregnant,"she

said.

"Oh,sorry,"saidEstherwithoutanyapology."Justputtingonalittleweight,

huh?"

Estherwasnevercautiousaboutotherpeople'sfeelings.Oneofher

acquaintances,asalesmaninthefirm,wasgoingthroughaverymessydivorce

andwasverydepressed.Shetriedtocheerhimup.

"Forgether!Shewasacompletefool.Noonelikedheranyway."

Muchofthetime,Esthersaidthefirstthingtocomeintoherhead.Onedayat

work,aclerkcameintotheofficewithanewhairstyle.

"Nicehaircut,"saidEsther."Howmuchdiditcost?"

Thewomanreplied,"I'drathernotsay."

Estherreplied,"Well,anyhow,eitheryoupaidtoomuchoryoupaidtoo

little."

Shemetaveryfamouswriteronce."Hey,whatacoincidence!"shesaid.

"You'rewritingabookandI'mreadingone!"

ThetroublewithEstherwasshesaidwhatshethought,anddidn'tthinkabout

whatshesaid.Ayoungmanwastryingtobemodestabouthisnewjobmany

milesaway.

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"Iguessthecompanychosemesothey'dgetsomepeaceintheoffice,"he

smiled.

"No,Iguesstheychoseyoutodiscourageyoufromspendingyourwhole

careerwithus,"Estherrepliedsweetly.

Once,Estherwenttoabrunchpartytomeetsomeoldschoolfriendsonthe

anniversaryoftheirgraduation.Shegreetedthehostess.

"Doyourememberthatguyyouweredating?Whathappenedtohim?"she

asked."Youknow,theuglyone."

Atthatmoment,amancameupandstoodbyherfriend."Esther,I'dlikeyou

tomeetmyhusband,"shesaid."Charles,thisis..."

Estherinterruptedher,"Hey,soyoumarriedhim!"

Readthepassageandanswerthequestions.

1.WhatdidEstheroftendowhenshespoketoothers?

2.Whatdoyouthinkare"thebasicrulesofsocialcommunication"?

3.Whydidthecustomerlookawkwardwhenshewasaskedhowoldshewas?

4.HowdidthetypistcontradictEsther?

5.WhatwaswrongaboutEsther'sadvicetothesalesman?

6.WhatdidEstherthinkoftheclerk'shaircut?

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7.Whydidtheyoungmanthinkthecompanygavehimanewjobmilesaway?

8.WhatdidEstherthinkofheroldschoolfriend'shusband?

Readthepassageandfind:

1.threethingsyoucansaywhenyoumakesmalltalk

2.twothingsyoushouldnotsay

3.onewayofreplyingtoquestionswhichyoudon'twishtoanswer

4.Thestyleofthispassageismeanttobehumourousandexaggerated.

Youlookmucholder.Andyourfriend,she'solderthanyou,butshe

Example:looksmuchyounger!

5.Lookformoreexamplesofhumourandexaggerationinthepassage.

Lookatthenewwordsinthebox.

absence;acquaintance;anniversary;apology;awkward;brunch;cautious;clerk;

customer;fax;firm;fool;haircut;hostess;humanbeing;interrupt;mature;messy;

motto;outspoken;pregnant;saleswoman;shortcoming;tease;typist

Findwordsfor:

1.aplaceofwork:

2.peopleorjobs:;;

;

;

;

;

;

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3.thingsyousayorwrite:;

4.personalcharacteristics/appearance:;;;;

5.aphysicalstate:

6.ameal:

Note:Notallthewordsfitthesecategories.

Answerthequestionsaboutthewordsinthebox.

absence;acquaintance;anniversary;apology;awkward;brunch;cautious;clerk;

customer;fax;firm;fool;haircut;hostess;humanbeing;interrupt;mature;messy;

motto;outspoken;pregnant;saleswoman;shortcoming;tease;typist

1.Whenisthenextimportantanniversaryinyourlife?

2.Dopeopleeverteaseyou?

3.Canyouthinkofapersonalmotto?

4.Whenwasthelastapologyyouhavegivenorreceived?

5.Whatareyoucautiousabout?

6.Doyouknowanyonewhoisoutspoken?

Discussthequestionsandgivereasonsforyouranswers.

1.Issmalltalkimportantinyoursociety?

2.Isitasimportantas"real"conversation?

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3.DoyouthinksmalltalkismoreorlessimportantinEnglishthaninyourlanguage?

ReadingPractice

Lookatthetitleofthepassageandthewordsinthebox.Choosefivewordsand

guesswhatthewriterusesthemtosay.

argument;compliment;conversation;curious;disagreement;dull;

embarrassment;factual;genuine;hospitable;lively;relationship;sensitive;

secretive;silence;spy;topic;violate;wealth

MakingFriendsintheUSA

IntheUSA,conversationislesslivelythaninmanyothercultures,where

everyonetalksatthesametime.Whensomeonetalks,everyoneisexpectedto

listen,nomatterhowdulltheperson'sspeakingmaybe.

Ifyou'renotsurewhattotalkabout,youcanaskwhatpeopledo.We're

definedbyourjobsandwe'reusuallyhappytotalkaboutthem,unlessyou'rea

spy!

SomepeoplesaythatAmericanstalkabouttheirfeelingsmorethanAsians,

butaremoresecretiveaboutfactualmatters.Youcansafelyaskquestionsabout

families,whereyoucomefrom,leisureinterests,aswellasthelatestmovies.

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We'reinterestedinpeople'sethnicbackgroundtoo.Butit'sbesttoavoidpolitics,

religionandothersensitivetopics.

Ahighlypersonalconversationcantakeplaceafteraveryshortperiodof

knowingsomeone,butthisdoesn'tmeanthatyou'reclosefriends,orthe

relationshipisverydeep.Butalotofpeopleareveryfriendlyandhospitable,and

thefamousinvitation"Ifyou'reeverinMinneapolis/SanDiego/Poughkeepsie,

docallbyandseeus!"isnevermadewithoutagenuinedesiretomeetagain.

ButwhilefewAmericanswillworryaboutthequestionsyoumayask,

particularlyifyouclearlyshowyou'reawareofculturaldifferences,theymay

hesitatebeforetheyaskyousimilarquestions.Infact,it'sasignthattheydon't

wishtoviolateyourprivatelife.So,manyAmericanswilltalkaboutsafetopics

becausetheydon'tdaretobetoocuriousorpersonal,butwillhappilytalkabout

moreprivatemattersifyoutakethelead.

Generallywedislikearguments,andweavoidtopicswhichleadto

disagreement.It'seasytoreturntodiscussingtheweather:"DoyouliketheUSA?

Howdoyouliketheweather?"ormakingcompliments:"Whatlovelyflowers

andwhatabeautifulvase!""That'safabulousdressyou'rewearing."Youshould

acceptcomplimentsgraciouslyandsay"Thankyou!"

Thereareacoupleofdangeroustopicsofconversation:ageandmoney.Age

isnottreatedassomethingveryspecial,unlesssomeoneisveryold:"Isn'tshe

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wonderfulforherage!"andtherearenospecialrulesorsignsofextrarespectfor

elderlypeople.Anyway,Americansalwayswanttolookyoungerthantheyreally

are,sodon'texpectanaccuratereply!

Incomeisaveryprivatematter,andyou'ddowelltoavoidaskinghowmuch

peopleearn,althoughsomepeoplemaynotonlybeopenaboutit,butshowoff

theirwealth.Wedon'taskhowmuchthingscost,either.

Butwhatwedon'tlikeissilence,andalmostanythingisbetterthanthe

embarrassmentofaquietpartyandsilentguests.

Readtheadviceonsmalltalk.Isittrueforyou?

1.Youcanaskaboutfamilies,whatpeopledoandlike,etc.

2.It'sOKtotalkaboutreligionandpolitics.

3.Youshouldn'ttalkaboutyourfeelings.

4.Don'taskpersonalquestions.

5.Makesureyoudon'ttalkabouttheweatherorgivecompliments.

6.Youcantalkaboutpeople'sageandtheirincome.

7.Choosethecorrectanswers.

1.Whenadullpersontalks,youshould____.

notaskpersonalquestions

askquestions

changethetopicofconversation

listen

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2.It'salwaysOKtotalktoAmericansabout____.

ageandmoney

theirwork

religionandpolitics

theirprivatelife

3.WhenAmericansmakeaninvitationtovisit,____.

theygenuinelywanttoseeyouagain

theydon'treallymeanit

Theywanttofindoutmoreaboutyou

youshouldacceptit

4.Thebestwaytotalkaboutpersonalthingsisto____.

discusstheweather

talkaboutyourownprivatelifefirst

ta