Hello, everyone. Today I'm going to talk about small talk--that is, short conversations people often have with strangers they meet,
哈喽,大家好。今天我要讲的是闲聊——就是人们经常与他们遇到的陌生人进行的简短交谈,
such exchanges occurring at bus stops, on buses, on a waiting line, almost anywhere that strangers gather close together.
这种交流会发生在车站、公交车上、排队时,几乎可以是任何陌生人聚集在一起的地方。
As a matter of fact, these short conversations are a good way for people to say hello and express friendliness.
其实,这种简短的对话是人们打招呼和表示友好的很好的方式。
Such conversations usually cover a wide range of topics.
这样的谈话通常涉及广泛的话题,
The topics include weather, customer service, movies, TV shows, local sports or latest news.
话题包括天气、客户服务、电影、电视节目、当地体育或最新新闻。
But you should always keep it in your mind that private questions about salaries, family life, religious beliefs and politics should be avoided during these conversations.
但你要时刻记住,在谈话中要避免涉及薪水、家庭生活、宗教信仰和政治等私人问题。
Besides, it's better to ask open-ended questions.
此外,最好问一些开放式的问题。
If you ask visitors "Do you like our city?" They may say simply "Yes".
如果你问游客“你喜欢我们的城市吗?”他们可能会简单地说“喜欢”。
On the other hand, if you ask, "What do you think of our city?" They would have more freedom to answer it.
另一方面,如果你问,“你觉得我们的城市怎么样?”那么他们会有更多的自由来回答这个问题。
This kind of question also shows that you're interested in them.
这类问题也表明你对他们感兴趣。
If you appear interested in what people are saying, they feel more comfortable talking with you.
如果你表现出对他们所说的话感兴趣,那么他们会觉得和你交谈更自在。