Although Americans are well known for getting down to business, Indians working in overseas teams, MNCs, and BPOs should know the importance of small talk. While Indians have a true interest in talking to Americans and getting to know them, they also hesitate to do so for some reasons. Americans engage in less personal small talk than Indians. And the topics and questions used in English vary widely based on language differences and cultural differences. Here are three things to keep in mind while you are trying to make small talk with your American clients and colleagues.

Amencans love to ask about, and then complain about the weather. They may talk about how the weather prevented them from having fun or how the weather supported their outdoor events. You can talk about the weather with them to begin a conversation. While talking, they always try to follow up on their answer by asking another open-ended question or make a statement, such as "Wow, that sounds like fun ! " or "You went to St. Louis. In which state is that?" Be creative in your questions. Feel free to ask one or two, but not very personal ones about relations. Stick to the facts or events that were already referred to.

Sometimes, some words used in India will totally confuse an American. For example, Americans use the word "weekend" instead of "holiday" for Saturdays and Sundays ( non-working days) , and use the word " vacation" or " days off" instead of " out-of-station" .

Always be interested, optimistic and happy. Talk with a smile! Vary the sound of your voice. Do not sound like a computer. If you are unsure how you sound, a good tip is to record yourself and listen to it later. Doing this helps you know how your voice sounds, and if you don't sound as you want to be heard, it may be time to work on enhancing your voice.

1.For Indians, having small talk with American colleagues is .

A. boring B. useless C. important D. interesting

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. What Americans like talking about in their daily life.

B. How Americans usually start a conversation with others.

C. Why talking about the weather is good to begin a conversation.

D. What people can say when having small talk with Amencans.

3.What does the underlined word "enhancing" in the last paragraph mean?

A. Lowering. B. Replacing. C. Improving. D. Examining.

4.What’s the writer's purpose in writing the passage?

A. To prove that having small talk is not very hard.

B. To explain why Indians hesitate to talk with Americans.

C. To show the differences between Americans and Indians.

D. To tell how to make small talk with American clients and colleagues.

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年青海西寧市高一12月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

More than 30,000 people went to the White House on Monday for the 136th Easter Egg Roll (復(fù)活節(jié)滾彩蛋). President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama held the event by inviting thousands of kids to color and look for eggs. The theme(主題) of the day was “Hop Into Healthy, Swing Into Shape.” It was part of the First Lady s“Let' s Move!”program to reduce obesity rates (肥胖率) among American kids. Mrs. Obama spoke to young reporters about her goal(目標(biāo)) to get children to eat right and keep moving.

“We are working to make sure that kids born today grow up healthy, learn how to have balanced meals, and get more physical activity into their lives,” she said.

Mrs. Obama said she wants children across the nation to understand that "exercise isn't just hard work, it' s play. If you're running around with your dog, you're getting exercise. If you walk up the stairs, that's exercise. But if you're sitting in front of the TV or on a computer game, you're not exercising.”

The First Lady said that for kids who have balanced meals most of the time, having a special snack, like chocolate, will not hurt. "And if you are active, you can splurge (揮霍) a little more," she said. Mrs. Obama’s favorite "splurge food" is French fries. But she balances her splurging by exercising almost every day. She loves to play tennis and she practices yoga.

“A lot of kids look up to(敬仰) athletes, and I think it's important for athletes to share their good habits,” Mrs. Obama said. "Kids aren' t just going to wake up and be LeBron James. He's practicing and eating right and working out and training. Our athletes can be really good messengers to kids who look up to them — they can say to kids, ‘If you really want to be like me, then you really do need to eat your vegetables.’”

1.The purpose of the “Let’s Move!” program is to ________.

A. help kids keep healthy

B. train more young reporters

C. encourage kids to eat more eggs

D. invite kids to visit the White House

2.In Mrs. Obama’s opinion, exercise ________.

A. can be fun to do

B. means hard work

C. should be done outdoors

D. requires special equipment

3.“Splurge food” is allowed to be eaten when ________.

A. you don' t hurt yourself

B. you have a special snack

C. you never eat French fries

D. you eat right and stay active

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. All kids want to be LeBron James.

B. It is very easy to form good habits.

C. Athletes can set a good example for kids.

D. Kids like the messages the athletes give them.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年吉林省吉林市校高一5月考英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Most people agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be difficult. Now, there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their health and their dining out experience.

OpenTable app

OpenTable app helps people choose restaurants when they want to go out to eat. It is a free service that shows users restaurant available based on where and when they want to dine. It gives users points when they make reservations, which can add up to discounts on restaurant visits.

Max McCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing app

Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing app can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and suggests wines to pair with each. Max McCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing app is free.

HappyCow app

Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The HappyCow app is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world.

LocalEats app

Restaurant chains, like McDonalds, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. The LocalEats app is designed for that. It can help you find local restaurants in major cities in the US. and in other countries. It costs about a dollar.

WhereChefsEat app

Where Chefs Eat is a 975-page book. Most people would not want to carry that around. But there is a much lighter app version of the same name for just $15. Six hundred chefs provide information on 3,000 restaurants around the world on the WhereChefsEat app.

1.What can users get when making a reservation with OpenTable app?

A. prizes. B. books. C. points D. cheeses.

2.Happycow app is designed for those who prefer _____.

A. local foods. B. wine and cheese

C. vegetables D. animal meat

3.What app costs you most according to the text?

A. OpenTable. B. Where Chefs Eat

C. LocalEats D. Max MeCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年湖南永州四中高一下期末綜合水平檢測英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond．The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools．The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (發(fā)起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998．Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.

In Chicago, the mayor appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program．As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city．Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character．

The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

Ultinatelas Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

1.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

2.Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They had little interest in reading.

B．They were too busy to read a book.

C．They came from many different backgrounds

D．They lacked support from the local government

3.According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity.

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

4.According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by ________.

A．the careful selection of a proper book

B．the growing popularity of the writers

C．the number of people who benefit from reading.

D．the number of books that each person reads.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年四川省高二12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項(xiàng)(A、B、C和D)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。

It was early when Mom Racer awoke. Quietly she out of bed and moved through the silent house.

In the hallway she stopped at the bedroom of her younger son, Mike. She entered and saw him peacefully in his bed; it had been a long time he had done so, since nightmares had been44for him because of the accident.

Not wanting to his sleep, Mom continued down the hallway. at the next door that was closed, she quietly entered the room. It was painfully the same, and Mom's breath caught in her throat at the of empty, still-made bed before her.

For some reason, unknown even to her, Mom had her older son to be in it. Brushing away a tear from her cheek, she went to the bed and the pillow. Holding it , she was able to catch the of her lost child.

to be in her son's room any longer, Mom put down the pillow and left the room.

As she passed the glass door to the backyard something outside her eye and made her stop in her tracks.

It was a single white rose bud(蓿蕾) lying on a sheet of paper. She went outside and picked up, and a had been written on it. The handwriting was very , and Mom had tears in her eyes as she read it. " Dear Mom, I love you. "

Mom wasn't sure how, but reading those words, she saw that Rex had given her a message that he was with them.

Yes, it's who you will always think of and no matter you are happy or depressed, rich or poor, mother's love will always stay with you.

1.A. jumped B. slipped C. brought D. pulled

2.A. laying B. singing C. sleeping D. playing

3.A. when B. while C. before D. since

4.A. common B. ordinary C. normal D. regular

5.A. interruptB. disturb C. wake D. infect

6.A. Staying B. Listening C. Stopping D. Bowing

7.A. still B. hardly C. never D. often

8.A. sight B. scene C. view D. gesture

9.A. complained B, doubted C. waited D. expected

10.A. tore at B. threw away C. picked up D. glanced at

11.A. close B. hard C. slowly D. heavily

12.A. clothes B. smell C. foot D. eyes

13.A. Unknown B. Unable C. Unhappy D. Unsatisfied

14.A. excitedlyB. suddenly C. hurriedly D. quietly

15.A. escaped B. caused C. caught D. drove.

16.A. word B. note C. sign D. picture

17.A. strange B. familiar C. messy D. bad

18.A. upon B. over C. beyond D. in

19.A. somehow B. anyhow C. anyway D. somewhat

20.A. brother B mother C. child D. son

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆江西上高縣二中高三上第四次月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

Tips to Increase Your Productivity

Want to get more done in your day? Of course you do. 1. The good news is that everyone can increase the amount of tasks they accomplish in a day. Here are some tips to help you have a more productive day.

Make a plan for your day. Make sure you know how you want your day to go in advance, even before you start. 2. To work best, create the next day’s plan the night before so that every morning you spend time performing, not planning.

Break large tasks down into bits accomplished easily. Do you have a large project that’s just so big that you keep putting it off? Or maybe you’re just unsure of where to begin, so you put it off. 3. Therefore, you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you check the items of your list.

Always set your priorities (優(yōu)先事項(xiàng)). 4. Figure out what must be done, do that first and rank the rest of your work according to importance. If you don’t get to the items at the end of your list, it won’t be a big problem, and you can do them another time.

5. If you are the most productive in the morning, that’s when you should hit it hard and do as much as you can. If you work better in the afternoon, take care of some things like emails in the morning and then accomplish the important projects in the afternoon. Keep on top of your work habits, and you’ll be more productive.

A. A good way is to break the project down into more manageable ones.

B. It’s important to accomplish the most important tasks first.

C. This can provide you a roadmap for the day.

D. To stay competitive in any industry, you need to improve your productivity.

E. Be aware of when you are the most productive.

F. Reward yourself if you are productive.

G. It’s tough to meet depressed people who are productive.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年山西太原五中高二12月段測英語試卷（解析版） 題型：語法填空

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容(一個單詞)，或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

We often hear people say “You’ve a greater chance 1. (hit) by lightning.” It is used to describe something 2. (likely) to happen. However, 3. truth is that lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths among natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 Americans are struck by lightning each year, of 4. about 70 people die. In fact, there are more deaths 5. (cause) by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes. And in India, at least 2,000 people 6. (kill) in lightning strikes since2005.

Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention 7. other disasters. The US has made June 22-28 National Lightning Safety Week, aiming to deepen the public’s 8. (understand) of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms.

“If you hear thunder, you are in danger of lightning,” said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross. “The most important thing is to seek a 9. (hide) place. If you are near wide, open places, move indoors as 10. (quick) as possible and stay there until after the storm has ended.”

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆寧夏銀川市高三上期第三次月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：書面表達(dá)

假如你是李華，最近你的朋友張紅因考試成績不理想情緒低落，學(xué)習(xí)消極應(yīng)付，請你用英語給她寫一封信勸慰她，鼓勵她努力學(xué)習(xí)，并結(jié)合自身實(shí)際，提出有效的應(yīng)對方法。

注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；

2.可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3.開頭和結(jié)尾已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

Dear Zhang Hong,

I’m sorry to hear that ______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Yours ever,

Li Hua

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年山西陽高縣一中高二上期第三次模塊考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。（注意：此題16-20的答案要寫到答題卡上）

Ways to protect cell phones from damage

While people use cell phones frequently, very few take the necessary measures to prevent damage. 1. Here are some simple ways for you to protect your cell phone from damage.

Keep cell phones out of the rain

If you must talk on the phone while it’s raining, try to move indoors. 2. Otherwise, you may have trouble with the numbers or the cell phone speaker. Imagine dialing (撥打) one number and getting different results.

3.

Many people like to put their cell phones in the pants or jeans pocket. However, storing a cell phone there will put it at risk of damage. You may forget that it is still in your pocket and just sit on the cell phone. As a result, your cell phone screen will get damaged.

Do not handle cell phones while eating

4. This is especially true for those times when you are eating messy things and get the ingredients on your hands. One accident can cause lots of damage for your cell phone.

Get a protective cell phone case

There are many kinds of cases available on the market. 5. It will provide a protective cushion (墊子) that may save you from paying money to fix or buy a new phone.

A. Do not put cell phones in your pocket

B. Do not throw cell phones onto hard surfaces

C. Many people often talk on the phone in the rain.

D. You can also cover the phone up with your hand.

E. Just choose one that fits the size of your cell phone.

F. One mistake may end up costing you more money.

G. Food and drinks should not be near your cell phones

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案