have you ever crossed the road to avoid talking to someone y

Have youever crossed the road to avoid talking to someone you meet?Would you love togo to a party and talk confidently (自信地) to every guest?Andare you nervous about the idea of being at a social situation in anothercountry?Don’t worry — we can help you!
You needn’tworry about situations like these if you have good social skills.And they areeasy to learn.Here are a few ideas to help you.
u Learnhow to do small talk
Small talkis very important and prepares for more serious conversations.Be prepared!Have some low-risk (低风险的) conversation openersready.For example:
Ø think of a recent newsstory — not too serious,e.g.a story about a film star or sports star
Ø think of “safe” thingsyou can ask people’s opinions about — music,sport,films,etc.
Ø think of topics thatyou would avoid if you were talking to strangers — and avoid talking aboutthem!That way,you don’t damage your confidence!
u Developyour listening skills
Listeningis a skill which most people don’t have,but communication is a two-way process— it includes speaking and listening.Always remember — you won’t impress (留下印象) people if you talk too much.Here are some ideas to make you abetter listener:
Do…
Ø show that you arelistening by using encouraging noises and gestures — smiling,nodding,saying“uh-huh” and “OK”,etc.
Ø keep good eye contact(交流)
Ø ask for more informationto show your interest
Don’t…
Ø look at your watch
Ø look away from theperson who is talking to you
Ø change the subject
Ø finish other people’ssentences for them
Alwaysremember:Talk to a man about himselfand he will speak to you for hours!
u Learnthe rules
If you goto a social situation in another country,remember that social rules can bedifferent.In some countries,for example,you have to arrive on time at aparty; in other countries,you don’t need to.In most places,you don’t have totake a gift to a party — but find out first!
52.We canencourage the speaker to go on talking during a conversation by _____.
A.Saying“uh-huh” B.Avoiding eye contact
C.Lookingat the watch D.Changing the subject
53.Todevelop our listening skills,we’d better________.
A.thinkof a news story about a sports star
B.rememberthe social rules are different
C.lookaway from the person talking to us
D.smilefrom time to time to show our interest
54.Whatdoes the underlined sentence tell you about people?
A.Menlike to show off through stories.
B.Peopleare more interested in topics about themselves.
C.Men aregood at being good listeners.
D.Peoplewill speak if they know each other very well.
55.Wheremight you read a passage like this?
A.In anEnglish teaching book on how to help students talk.
B.In abusiness course on how to make people happy.
C.In abook which tells you what to do at social situations.
D.In abook which helps you prepare for an opening talk.
A D B C