You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.

“Hey, David, how are you?” one of the senior partners at the firm asks you.

“Good, thank you, Dr. Greer,” you reply. You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight.

“So Arnold”, your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏縮), “So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you’re a Niners fan, right?” The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U. S. , and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.

There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U. S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it—with peers，men，women，and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk.

What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U. S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨練)your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don’t have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic. But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable.

1. The author introduces the topic of the passage by __________.

A. raising an interesting question

B. telling a small jokes

C. making comparisons

D. describing an interesting scene

2.What do we know about German people?

A. They usually make small talk in work breaks.

B. They don’t make so much small talk.

C. They hate making small talk.

D. They are good at making small talk too.

3. What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?

A. The role small talk plays in work settings.

B. American workers’ attitude towards superiors.

C. The special meaning of small talk.

D. American workers’ ability to make progress.

4.What does “backfire” underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A. be difficult B. be helpful

C. have the opposite effect D. have a good result

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆遼寧實驗中學(xué)分校高三12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

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11.A. If B. When C. Though D. Since

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Texting (發(fā)短信) is nearly universal among people with cell phones. While texting can be a great way to stay in touch and to share the feelings of daily life, it sure has a downside. 1. Read on to learn why it is time to put the phone down — even if it’s just for an hour or an afternoon.

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書面表達

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注意：1．詞數(shù)100左右；

2．可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3．開頭語和結(jié)語已為你寫好。

Dear Sir or Madam,

I'm I.i Hua,a student from Guangming Middle School.

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A. Witches are still badly treated all over the world.

B. Witches were terribly treated in the European history.

C. Some people still have been using magic in daily lives.

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書面表達

假如你是李華，前幾天你收到網(wǎng)友Jim的來信，詢問你的高三生活，你打算在回信中介紹以下三個方面的內(nèi)容：1、生活安排； 2、學(xué)習(xí)計劃； 3、理想的大學(xué)及專業(yè)。

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Dear Jim,

I’m very glad to hear from you.

Yours sincerely,

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