9．Being seated next to a stranger at a large dinner party can be a socially stressful situation．If you start with light topics and listen carefully，however，the small talk can be enjoyable and even turn into something more meaningful．
If you find yourself sitting in silence next to a stranger during a dinner，take the initiative to start a conversation．Your dinner partner may not know how to break the ice and will likely appreciate your starting things off．Begin by introducing yourself and asking his or her name．The same interests are good starts of a conversation．From there，conversation should start flowing more easily．
By definition，a small talk should focus on light，non-controversial topics．Since your conversation partner is either a stranger or a mere acquaintance，you don't want to potentially offend him or her by bringing up politics，religion or complex philosophical questions．If the person you're talking to knows the host from work，ask him or her about his or her job．A good small talk requires reading the situation at hand and finding topics of conversation that interest both parties．
Once you've got a comfortable conversation，it's important to show that you're interested in what your partner has to say．Maintain eye contact and respond to his or her thoughts with physical signals like nodding and smiles．In addition，it's necessary that you show that you are also interested in sharing your own experiences and opinions with your partner．If he or she asks you about your job or hobbies，give detailed answers that he or she can respond to rather than simple one-word answers．
The most successful small talk sessions turn into something more meaningful．If your small talk conversation is going well，attempt to make the transition into a more meaningful discussion．The small talk will allow you to get a good feeling for the other person and open the door to something more meaningful．With some luck，you will find yourself in an exciting conversation and by the end of the night your dinner partner will no longer be a stranger．
46．Which of the following can be a good start of a conversation？A
A．Introducing yourself and asking your partner's name．
B．Talking about religion．
C．Asking complex philosophical questions．
D．Talking about your political belief．
47．What does the underlined phrase mean in Paragraph 2？C
A．Take the risk B．Take the responsibility C．Take the lead D．Take the place．
48．What does Paragraph 3mainly tell us？D
A．The meaning of small talk．
B．How to start a small talk．
C．How to show you're interested in small talk
D．The topics a small talk should focus on．
49．How can you show that you're interested in what your partner says？C
A．You should turn around．
B．You should give him or her one-word answers．
C．You should maintain eye contact with him or her．
D．You should lower your head and keep quiet．
50．In which part of a website might the passage appear？B
A．Sports World B．Social Life C．Literature World D．Education News．
分析 本文主要講述和陌生人如何開始閑聊，以及在閑聊時應該注意什么．
解答 ACDCB
46 A 細節(jié)題． 根據(jù)文章第二 段Begin by introducing yourself and asking his or her name． 可知我們可以通過介紹自己和詢問他的名字來開始聊天，故選A．
47 C 猜測詞義題． 根據(jù)文章第二 段 take the initiative to start a conversation．可知我們應該首先開始聊天，故選C．
48 D 細節(jié)題． 根據(jù)文章第三 段a small talk should focus on light，non-controversial topics 可知閑聊應該專注在非爭議的話題上，故選D．
49 C 細節(jié)題． 根據(jù)文章第四 段，it's important to show that you're interested in what your partner has to say．Maintain eye contact and respond to his or her thoughts with physical signals like nodding and smiles．可知為了表示對伙伴感興趣，我們應該保持眼神的交流，故選C．
50 B 細節(jié)題． 通讀全文可知本文主要講述和陌生人如何開始閑聊，以及在閑聊時應該注意什么．這屬于社會生活方面的話題，故選B．
點評 學生需要認真閱讀原文，把握文章大意，對文章脈絡有整體的了解，能仔細查找文中細節(jié)，并能根據(jù)文章內容進行合理的推測判斷．
