Transcript What is small talk?

中学英语(选修6)
Module 1
Small Talk
Reading and Vocabulary
导学案
Words
Preview
small talk 闲谈，聊天
informal adj.非正式的
serious adj.严肃的
Warm up
Which
conversation in
the pictures is a
“small talk”?
Discussio
What
is
small
talk?
n
1.Light conversation: polite conversation
about matters of little importance,
especially between people who do not
know each other well
2. Small talk is pleasant conversation
about common interests.
3. Polite conversation about trivial or
uncontroversial matters.
4. Casual or trivial conversation.
5. Light informal conversation for social
occasions
small talk (from Cambridge Advanced
Learner's Dictionary): conversation
about unimportant things, often between
people who do not know each other well:
I don't enjoy parties where I have to make
small talk with complete strangers.
How to make small talk
Small talk can be a big challenge, but a
little preparation and confidence is all
you need.
Famous Dictionaries
Macmillan
English Dictionary
Longman Dictionary of
Contemporary English
Collins Cobuild English
Language Dictionary
Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary
1 Read the dictionary definitions of
small talk and answer the questions.
1
Which definitions make small
talk sound like a positive thing?
The Longman definition.
2 Which definitions refer to places
where small talk might take place?
The Collins/Oxford definitions.
•3 Why is it a problem if someone
has no small talk?
•They find it difficult to make new
friends.
•4 What do you think is the Chinese
for “small talk”?
•闲谈，聊天。
Discussion and Speaking
2 Read the words.
careers cars
examinations film stars
food music politics sport
travel weather
1 If you talk about these topics, is the
conversation serious or small talk?
2 Which of the topics do you like talking
about with your friends?
3 Which of them do you talk about with
your parents?
4 Which of them do you talk about with
your teacher?
5 Which of them do you never talk about?
Words Preview
confidently
make friends
Lack
(be) nervous
about
advance
think of
nod
adv.自信地
交朋友，建立友谊
v.缺乏，缺少
对……焦虑不安
adj.预先的，在前的
想起，回忆起
v.点头
body language 身体语言，肢体语言
yawn v.打哈欠
sigh v.叹气，叹息
look away from 把目光从……移开
social rules 社交规则
in addition 除此之外，另外
find out 了解，找到（信息）
opportunity n.机会
1 Complete the sentences with the
correct form of the words in the
box.
damage encourage impress
prepare recognise
1 The singer was really good! She
_________
impressed me a lot!
2 He had an accident and damaged
________ his
bicycle.
3 Don’t shout at the children. You should
encourage
_________ them to do better.
prepare for your English
4 Make sure you _______
examination. Do more homework!
5 At the party, I _________
recognised a boy who used
to attend my school.
Skimming the passage
Decide
It
what kind of book it is from.
is from a book which tells you
what to do at social events. We can
guess from the title “How Good Are
Your Social Skills” and subtitles
“Learn how to do small talk”,
“Develop your listening skills” and
“Learn the rules”.
The
This
general idea:
passage is about social skills. It
tells us how to have a conversation
and how to do small talk and when
we go to a social occasion, we
should pay attention to social rules
in different countries.
Careful Reading
The main idea of each paragraph:
Part 1 (Paras.1-2) Introduction to the
body of the passage by asking
questions
Part 2 (Para.3) How to do small talk
Part 3 (Paras.4-6) Dos and don’ts
while listening
Part 4 (Paras.7-8) The social rules
3 Read the passage again and
answer the questions.
1 According to the article, should
people plan what they’re going to
say at parties? Yes, they should
prepare some topics to talk about.
2 What do people think about those
who talk too much?
They are not impressive.
•3 Describe two things you shouldn’t
do in a conversation.
•Look at your watch; yawn ( sigh,
look away, change the subject, finish
other people’s sentences).
•4 Why is it a good idea to nod and
smile when the other person is
talking?
•To show that your are listening.
5 What does the quotation from
Benjamin Disraele tell you about
people?
People like talking about
themselves.
五、学生质疑
学生主动提问，教师解答。
六、课下自我测评
4 Complete the sentences.
sigh yawn nod avoid lack smile
When I meet strangers, I don’t
like to talk about myself, so I avoid
_____
answering personal questions.
2 There are very few foreign
visitors to my town, so we lack
____ the
opportunity to meet people from
other countries.
1
•3 I said that we don’t have enough
opportunity to speak English and he
______ his head in agreement.
nodded
•4 I think the man I spoke to was tiredyawned a lot.
he _______
•5 He looked very sad when I asked him
sighed when he
about his home. He _____
answered me.
6 I felt very welcome
when I arrived at the party. The host
smiled at me and shook my hand.
______
5
Look at the phrases from the passage
and answer the questions.
 1 If you can talk confidently, does this
mean that you are worried about
talking to people?
 No, it doesn’t.
 2 What kind of advance planning
could you do before going to a party in
a foreign country?
 You could find out what the social
conventions are about arriving, leaving
and bringing gifts.
•3 Can you give an example of a lowrisk conversation opener if you were
talking to a friend of your parents’,
for example?
•“Did you watch the Cup Final last
Saturday?”/ “Have you seen the new
James Bond film?”
•4 What encouraging noises and
gestures can you make when you’re
having a conversation in Chinese?
•Smiling, nodding, saying “Yes” and
“Oh, really?” etc.
•5 What is an example of positive
body language?
•Facing the person who is speaking
and making eye contact.
•6 Are social rules the same in every
country?
•No, they aren’t.
Discussion and Speaking
1
Which of the ideas in the reading
passage do you think are useful in your
society?
 2 Are there any conversation techniques
that you think you will use in the future?
 3 Which of the listening skills are you
good at?
 4 Which of the social skills do you need to
improve?
 5 What are some of the usual small talk
topics in China?
We
also learnt
some social
rules
and
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七、学后反思
在本节课你学到了哪
些知识、哪些活动你
积极参与了、哪些地
方需要改进？