Module 1 Small Talk

跟踪导练（一）

阅读理解

“When someone is rude to you， it can put you in a bad mood. It may even lead you to be rude to someone else， creating a chain of rudeness. In fact， this troubling chain may even be caused by simply seeing someone be rude to another person. You don’t even have to be the target of the bad behavior， ” stated a researcher.

The researchers worked with 81 persons， with occupations ranging from security to business to medicine， who were asked to complete online surveys over a 10-day period. Participants recorded their moods when they woke up; and in the evening， they described their experiences over the course of that day.

Each morning the participants also viewed a short video， describing workplace interaction of some kind. Half of the mornings， the video included some kind of rudeness while the other half had some kind of warm interaction in the workplace. Rudeness was conveyed through various means， including a lack of eye contact or unpleasant language.

Participants who watched the rudeness videos reported seeing or experiencing rudeness during the day， and they were also more likely to escape from fellow employees to avoid being the victims of rudeness themselves. They reported their overall （总体的） work suffered that day as a result.

Not all participants were affected by the rudeness videos， however. A few weeks before the study began， the participants completed an evaluation that measured their self-confidence and emotional stability among other things. The participants who scored higher on this evaluation were significantly less likely to be influenced by the rudeness.

Consequently， one of the researchers recommended that companies hire managers who can limit exposure to rudeness， provide plenty of positive reinforcement （强化） and build a civil workplace environment. This， in turn， could help employees build their confidence levels and help them better handle workplace rudeness.

1. What is Paragraph 1 intended to tell us？

A. The great harm of rudeness. B. Different kinds of rudeness.

C. A regular cause of rudeness. D. A new finding about rudeness.

2. Why do the researchers play short videos for the participants？

A. To make them spread rudeness.

B. To educate them on workplace interaction.

C. To expose them to various aspects of rudeness.

D. To teach them how to use right body languages.

3. What is the probable effect of watching the videos on some participants？

A. Being unwilling to work. B. Poor ability to do their work.

C. Serious emotional sufferings. D. Less interaction with others.

4. Who may not be affected by the rudeness videos？

A. People positive and kind to themselves.

B. People keeping calm in stressful situations.

C. People owning confidence in others’ ability.

D. People participating in the rudeness experiment.

阅读七选五

How to Make Conversation with a Group of Strangers

One of the most common fears is speaking to strangers. While most people don’t naturally enjoy talking to strangers， it is an art that you can learn. When you learn how to make conversation with a group of strangers， you never have to stand by yourself at a party again.

1 Say hi and tell the group your name. Don’t focus on how boring you think you sound. Remember that others in the group are probably just as self-conscious as you are. Doing so to a group of strangers may result in making others feel comfortable enough to open up. They may secretly be glad that you made the first move.

Practice talking to as many strangers as possible throughout the day. 2 Soon it will be second nature for you to walk up to a group of strangers and introduce yourself.

Make a comment about something interesting in the environment. This may be something as simple as the decorations for the party or the band providing the entertainment. 3

Ask for an opinion. People enjoy giving their opinion on any subject. 4 Asking for an opinion works immediately to break the ice and encourages the entire group to talk with you.

Learn to listen. Making conversation is about more than trying to find the right words to say. 5 And then find out the next thing you should say. Make sure that your response invites another response.

A. Introduce yourself.

B. Try to catch strangers’ attention.

C. Ask about book ideas， gift ideas or dining ideas.

D. Each time you do this， you will feel more confident.

E. Develop the habit of listening to others carefully to understand them.

F. A comment like this gives the group something in common to discuss.

G. Ask the group to share what they do for a living or whether they enjoy their work.

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

跟踪导练（二）

完形填空

I had just recovered from a serious illness when I received an invitation to a writer’s conference in Orlando， Florida. My family persuaded me that a（n） 1 might be just what the doctor ordered， so off I 2 .