Weather talk wins for people in US My Chinese friend is going to the US and he is nervous about what to talk about. "Talk about the weather," is my advice.
"How are you?" is often followed by comments(评论) about the weather. "Nice day today."
"Cold/hot enough for you?" "Will it ever stop raining?" "Some winter we're having." "Can't remember a winter/summer so cold/hot." "Whew, it's hot out there."
These statements are often followed by a long conversation entirely about weather conditions. Past, present and the future.
Our fascination with weather might seem silly, but the real purpose behind those endless discussions is small talk. Weather's a safe topic of conversation. As a group, we Americans seem to enjoy chatting with those around us. Whenever we stand in line at the grocery store, we like to take part in this kind of conversation with other people standing in line with us. If I were seated next to another American on any form of public transport, I'd expect both of us to make a harmless comment about the weather as a way of greeting each other. At parties, the weather is a common topic, especially with those you are meeting for the first time.
In contrast (相反),we are taught to avoid certain topics like religion (宗教)and politics. Weather is everywhere, it affects everybody and it's a fairly objective, neutral (中性的)topic； You don't have to have an opinion about it, just make a state of a fact. What is truly interesting is the fact that we can go on and on about it.
My Chinese friend has a hard time understanding why we put so much effort into this topic-and why I warn him about bringing up much more "interesting" subjects like salaries(薪资) or how much something costs.
Sometimes it is tricky (棘手的) to make one's on winding cultural roads, especially those that are never taught in books.
1. What does the underlined word "fascination" in Paragraph 4mean?| A．Advice | B．Prediction |
| C．Strong interest. | D．Wild imagination. |
| A．Americans don't like to talk about other topics except weather |
| B．Weather affects everyday choices like clothes and changes a lot |
| C．Weather is quite an objective topic and doesn't cause bad feelings |
| D．Americans use it as a greeting when they can’t bring up much more interesting subjects |
| A．Weather is a good topic of conversation all over the world. |
| B．Cultures that are not taught in books should be written about more. |
| C．Topics for conversation should be well considered in the United States |
| D．The more topics you are interested in, the better you can be at small talk. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】On New Year’s Day, many people eat special food for good luck.
1 In Spain and some Latin American countries, people eat twelve grapes for good luck at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Each grape stands for one month of the new year.
2 Chinese people eat dumplings. Some are made with coins inside. Everyone tries to find the coins for luck and money in the new year. Of course they don’t eat the coins.
3 Japanese people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve and their birthdays. It may bring them good luck and long life.
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）误（F）。
1. People in different countries eat the same food to celebrate the new year’s coming.
2. In Europe, people eat a bag of grapes for good luck in the new year.
3. Chinese people like to eat roast duck on New Year’s Eve.
4. The Japanese eat noodles not only on New Year’s Eve but also on their birthdays.
5. Chinese people eat dumplings in order to get many coins.
【推荐2】Can you speak English? Maybe you know a lot of English words. You can read, speak and understand English, but there is another kind of language—the language of the body. All over the world, people “talk”, with their hands, their heads, and their eyes. When Japanese people meet, they bow. When Indians meet, they put their hands together. When British and American people meet someone for the first time, they shake hands. They do not usually shake hands with their friends. Women sometimes kiss their women friends, and men kiss women friends on the cheek(脸颊). When a man meets a man friend. he just smiles, and says “Hello”. Men do not kiss each other, or hold hands. Even fathers and sons do not often kiss each other.
1. From the passage we know it is important to ________.| A．know English words | B．read and write English | C．know body language |
| A．they bow | B．they shake hands | C．they put their hands together |
| A．kiss women friends on the cheek | B．smile to men friends | C．kiss men friends |
| A．shakes hands | B．says “Hello” | C．says “How do you do” |
| A．Read English with friends in class. | B．Wave hands to stop a taxi. | C．Talk with a man. |
【推荐3】The food in Britain (英国) is very different from our Chinese food. For example, they eat a lot of potatoes. They like to eat them every day. They eat bread for breakfast. They eat their bread with butter, cheese (奶酪) or jam (果酱). And those things we don’t eat much in China. Cheese and butter are made from (由……制成) milk. They drink a lot of milk, too. They drink the milk cold or hot, and they put it in their tea. They put sugar in their tea, as well. They are the world’s biggest tea drinkers. They like Chinese tea, but they drink mostly strong black tea from India and Sri Lanka (斯里兰卡). They don’t eat much rice. For their main meal they like meat or fish with potatoes and one or two vegetables. They serve all these together. After the main meal they always have something sweet. They call this dessert. They don’t have jiaozi in Britain.
1. People in Britain usually eat ________ for breakfast.| A．bread | B．rice | C．dumplings | D．sugar |
| A．butter | B．cheese | C．jam | D．all the above (以上都是) |
| A．meat | B．fish | C．milk and sugar | D．vegetables |
| A．often eat | B．like eating | C．make many | D．don’t eat |
【推荐1】My name is Nana! I’m a middle school student. I have a good friend. Her name is Tmall Genie, and I call her Tianmao Jingling.
She is a white box. In the morning, I say, “Tmall Genie, good morning!” She says, “Good morning.” And then she reads the news to me. In the evening, she plays nice music. When I can’t find my phone. I say, “Tmall Genie, please find my phone.” “What’s your telephone number?” she says. After I say the number, she calls it.
Tmall Genie is not only（不仅仅）my good friend. ________. She can be my grandmother’s radio. She loves news very much. She can be my mom’s library. She read books to Mom every day. She can also help my sister Dora with English. She is Dora’s dictionary（字典）. For my dad, Tmall Genie always says, “It’s 8:50. You can watch football game on CCTV-5 now.”
Life is interesting when Tmall Genie is with us. We all like her.
1. Which of the following is Tmall Genie?A． | B． | C． |
| A．play music | B．play football | C．find the library |
| A．My parents love her | B．All my family love her | C．Tmall Genie can do everything |
| A．Happy family | B．My best friend | C．Hello, Tmall Genie |
【推荐2】Rose is an English girl. Now she is in Beijing with her parents. Let’s ask her some questions and see how she answers (回答) them.
①_________
I have milk and eggs for breakfast. I think they are healthy. I don’t like bread. I don’t want to be fat.
②_________
Yes. I eat chicken and rice at school. Sometimes (有时) I eat salad for lunch. I don’t like eating hamburgers. They are not healthy food.
③________
I like oranges, bananas and strawberries very much. But I don’t like apples. I think apples are not delicious (美味的) for me.
④________
Sure, I like playing volleyball after school. I play it with my classmate Chen Hong. I think it’s interesting and relaxing. Sometimes we play ping-pong, but it’s difficult for me.
⑤________
I always finish (完成) my homework (家庭作业) first in the evening. Then I read (阅读) books. I don’t play computer games or watch TV. I think they are boring for me. I go to bed at 10:30 p. m.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Rose’s parents. | B．Some questions. | C．Rose’s classmates. | D．Computer games. |
| A．Because she doesn’t want to be fat. | B．Because she thinks they’re not healthy. |
| C．Because they’re not healthy food. | D．Because she thinks they’re not delicious for her. |
| A．She thinks it’s difficult for her to play ping-pong. |
| B．She thinks it’s difficult for her to play computer games. |
| C．She thinks it’s difficult for her to finish her homework. |
| D．She thinks it’s difficult for her to play volleyball. |
a. Do you play volleyball after school? b. What do you have for breakfast?
c. What’s your favorite subject? d. What do you do in the evening?
e. Do you eat lunch at school? f. What fruit do you like?
g. When is your birthday?
| A．①-a ②-b ③-d ④-f ⑤-g | B．①-e ②-c ③-b ④-a ⑤-f |
| C．①-b ②-e ③-f ④-a ⑤-d | D．①-c ②-a ③-b ④-f ⑤-g |
| A．Rose’s family. | B．Rose’s school. |
| C．Rose’s friends. | D．Rose’s life habits (生活习惯). |
【推荐3】I’m John. I’m a tidy boy. In my room, the books are always on the desk. My computer game is always there, too. My shoes are always under the bed. My schoolbag is always on the sofa. I’m tidy but Cookie, my dog, is not. Look at my room. It’s in a mess now. The books are everywhere—on the bed, on the sofa and under the desk. My computer game is on the bed. My shoes are on the sofa. Where is my schoolbag? Oh, it’s under the bed. Where is Cookie? Is he under the bed? Is he under the sofa? No, he is not in the room now.
1. John’s books are always ________.| A．in the bookcase | B．under the bed | C．on the desk | D．in his schoolbag |
| A．On the sofa. | B．On the bed. | C．Under the bed. | D．On the desk. |
| A．整洁 | B．杂乱 | C．美观 | D．破旧 |
| A．shoes | B．schoolbag | C．jacket | D．computer game |
| A．he is John’s brother | B．he is always tidy |
| C．he’s under the bed now | D．he isn’t in the room now |
【推荐1】My name is Kate. I’m twelve years old and I’m a middle school student. I live in a happy family. My mom and dad are workers, they go to work from Monday to Friday. I have a lovely brother, he’s Bill and he’s nine years old. He likes playing with me and we often enjoy Peppa Pig together. On weekends, our family goes to the park(公园) near our home and do some exercise（锻炼）.
I like my school, it's very beautiful. There are forty students in my class, and twenty-five are boys. We have our classes from 8: 00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m. I have a good friend in my class. Her name is Lily. We often go home together after school. Our Chinese teacher, Miss Su, is from China. She is kind and we like her very much. We have three Chinese classes a week, now we think Chinese is very interesting.
1. Kate’s parents are ________.| A．teachers | B．workers | C．doctors | D．actors |
| A．eight | B．eleven | C．nine | D．twelve |
| A．Lucy | B．Lily | C．Daisy | D．Nancy |
| A．China | B．America | C．English | D．Japan |
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．six |
【推荐2】Everyone has a hobby. My hobby is keeping a diary in English.
When I was nine years old, I began to have this hobby. At first it seemed hard for me, but now it is easy. I know it’s possible to learn English well. After school I often go to the school library to read English stories or articles. Sometimes my English teacher introduces some interesting things to me. I collect information for my diary by doing these.
After I finish my diary every day, I always try to correct mistakes with the help of the dictionary. Now my English is very good.
I love my hobby. It helps me a lot to learn English well.
1. I began to keep a diary ________.| A．when I was nine years old | B．before I was nine |
| C．when I was eight years old | D．for nine years |
| A．Now | B．Usually | C．At last | D．At first |
| A．keeping a diary | B．more reading | C．more speaking | D．more listening |
| A．My teacher often reads English stories or articles to me. |
| B．My teacher sometimes introduces some interesting things to me. |
| C．I often go to the cinema. |
| D．I often watch TV. |
| A．bad | B．boring | C．helpful | D．careless |
【推荐3】An old man had a monkey. The monkey was very clever. And he often helped the old man do many things. So the old man liked it very much. One hot afternoon, the old man was sleeping in his chair in the garden. A fly (苍蝇) came and sat on the old man’s nose. The monkey drove it away. Soon the fly came back and sat on the old man’s nose again. Again, the monkey became very angry. He jumped up and ran to find a large stone and held it in his hand. When he came back, the fly was on the old man’s nose again. The monkey hit it with that stone. The fly fell off (掉落).
Well, many people sometimes do things just like the monkey. They do things too quickly but they don’t think much before they do. Maybe they sometimes bring us trouble, although they mean to do something good.
根据语篇内容，判断下列句子正误，正确的写“T”，错误的写“F”。1. The monkey didn’t help the old man do anything.
2. A fly came and sat on the old man’s face.
3. The old man became angry because the fly always came.
4. The monkey tried to make the fly move away.
5. From the passage, we know that we should think much before we do things.
【推荐1】It was Emily's 10th birthday. She was 10 years old. She was so happy. “I'm so happy, ”she said“I'm finally 10. Ten is two numbers. Ten is an adult number .Ten is a grown—up number. I'm an adult now. I'm a grown—up. I used to be nine. Nine is a kid number. Nine is for kids. I'm not a kid any more ” Her sister Irene said,“Of course you're still a kid. Teenagers are kids .You're not even a teenager yet. You're in the fifth grade. The fifth grade is for kids. The twelfth grade is for kids too. When you are 18, you will be in the twelfth grade. You will be a kid. You will be a kid for eight more years” Emily said, “No, you’re a kid. You’re only seven. Seven is a kid” Irene said she wasn't seven. She said she was seven and a half.
1. How old is Emily?| A．She is eighteen. | B．She is ten. | C．She is nine. | D．She is seven. |
| A．Because she thought she was not a kid. | B．Because she was older than Irene. |
| C．Because she was in the twelfth grade. | D．Because her sister liked her very much. |
| A．幼儿 | B．学生 | C．未成人 | D．成人 |
| A．12 | B．10 | C．19 | D．18 |
| A．happy | B．kind | C．excited | D．angry |
【推荐2】It is well-known that silk was discovered in China. It is wonderfully strong, light and soft. As one of the best materials for clothes, silk has a perfect look and feel that no other materials can match.
There is a story about how silk was discovered. Lei Zu, the wife of Huang Di, was having tea under a mulberry tree when a silkworm cocoon (蚕茧) fell into her cup. As she tried to take the cocoon out, it started to unwind (展开) and the “line” seemed endless. She realized that the strong line could be used to make clothes. Then Lei Zu taught her people how to raise silkworms and how to get silk. In this way, the silk industry was born.
For hundreds of years after that, silk was only used by rich people. It was a symbol of identity and status (身份和地位). With the development of the silk industry, more silk was produced. It was no longer just for rich people. In the Han Dynasty, silk was transported as far away as Spain, Rome and many other countries. The trade road was famously known as the Silk Road, which connected China with the rest of the world.
Today, silk can be used for many kinds of things, not just for clothes but also for paintings, writing brushes, kites and even fishing nets. Wherever silk goes around the world, it is always warmly received.
根据短文内容，判断句子正(T)误(F)。
1. Silk is one of the best materials for clothes.
2. Huang Di discovered silk could be used to make clothes by accident.
3. As more silk was produced, it reached more people’s homes.
4. The silk industry was born because of the Silk Road.
5. This passage mainly talks about the history and the popularity of silk.
【推荐3】In China, people think the tiger and the cat are good friends. They also think the cat is much smarter than (比) the tiger, so the tiger wants to learn from cats. After three months, the tiger can do the same things as the cat can.
One summer afternoon, the cat sleeps and the tigers sits by him. Looking at the cat, the tiger thinks, “Since (既然) I can do the same things as the cat can, why should I keep being friends with him?” Then he wants to kill the cat for his dinner. At that time, the cat wakes up. He runs quickly away and climbs up to a tree.
The next day, when the tiger meets the cat, he asks the cat why he doesn’t teach him to climb a tree. The cat says, “I want to teach you, but I don’t want to teach you how to kill me.”
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。
1. It takes the tiger three months to learn from the cat.
2. The story happens (发生) on a summer afternoon.
3. The tiger kills the cat.
4. The cat is not smart.
5. “The Tiger and the Cat” is the best title (题目) of this passage.
