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1、精选优质文档-倾情为你奉上外研英语选修6全部阅读课文原文（每个模块4篇）Module 1 Small TalkHow Good Are Your Social Skills?Have you ever crossed the road to avoid talking to someone you recognize? Would you love to go to a party and talk confidently to every guest? Do you want to make more friends but lack the confidence to talk to pe
2、ople you dont know? And are you nervous about the idea of being at a social event in another country? Dont worry we can help you! You neednt worry about situations like these if you have good social skills. And they are easy to learn. People with good social skills communicate well and know how to h
3、ave a conversation. It helps if you do a little advance planning. Here are a few ideas to help you. Learn how to do small talk. Small talk is very important and prepares you for more serious conversations. Be prepared! Have some low-risk conversation openers ready. For example: Think of a recent new
4、s story not to serious, e.g. a story about a film star or sports star. Think of things to tell people about your studies. Think of “safe” things you can ask peoples opinions about music, sport, films, etc. Think of topics that you would avoid if you were talking to strangers and avoid talking about
5、them! That way, you dont damage your confidence! Develop your listening skillsListening is a skill which most people lack, but communication is a two-way process it involves speaking AND listening. Always remember you wont impress people if you talk too much. Here are some ideas to make you a better
6、 listener: DO Show that you are listening by using encouraging noises and gestures smiling, nodding, saying “uh-huh” and “OK”, etc. Keep good eye contact Use positive body language Ask for more information to show your interest DONT Look at your watch Yawn Sign Look away from the person whos talking
7、 to you Change the subject Finish other peoples sentences for them Always remember the words of Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister in the 19th century: “Talk to a man about himself, and he will speak to you for hours!” Learn the rules If you go to a social occasion in another country, remembe
8、r that social rules can be different. In some countries, for example, you have to arrive on time at a party; in other countries, you dont need to. In addition, you need to know how long you should stay, and when you have to leave. Some hosts expect flowers or a small gift, but in other places, you c
9、an take things, but you neednt if you dont want t. remember also that in some countries, you mustnt take flowers of a certain colour, because theyre unlucky. In most places, you dont have to take a gift to a party but find our first!The Wrong Kind of Small TalkEsther Greenbaum was a saleswoman for a
10、 firm of fax machines and business supplies. But she was also the most outspoken human being in the world well, Westchester County, at least. Her motto was “Every time I open my mouth, I put my foot in it.” Esther Greenbaums major shortcoming was that she had a complete absence of small talk. No, th
11、at not quite true. She had small talk, but it was the wrong kind. In fact, she had never learnt the basic rules of social communication, and as a consequence, she made systematic mistakes every time she opened her mouth. It was no coincidence either that she wasnt a very good saleswoman. One day dur
12、ing a meeting, Esther was introduced to an important customer, a mature woman. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “How old are you?” The customer looked awkward. “Forty? Forty-five?” said Esther. “You kook much older. And your friend shes older than you, but she looks much younger!” On another occasion,
13、Esther teased a typist, “Hey! Whens your baby due?” The typist went red and contradicted Esther. “Actually, Im not pregnant,” she said. “Oh, sorry,” said Esther without any apology. “Just putting on a little weight, huh?” Esther was never cautious about other peoples feelings. One of her acquaintanc
14、es, a salesman in the firm, was going through a very messy divorce and was very depressed. She tried to cheer him up. “Forget her! She was a complete fool. No one liked her anyway.” Much of the time, Esther said the first thing to come into her head. One day at work, a clerk came into the office wit
15、h a new hairstyle. “Nice haircut,” said Esther. “How much did it cost?” The woman replied, “Id rather not say.” Esther replied, “Well, anyhow, either you paid too much or you paid too little.” She met a very famous writer once. “Hey, what a coincidence!” she said. “Youre writing a book and Im readin
16、g one!” The trouble with Esther was she said what she thought, and didnt think about what she said. A young man was trying to modest about his new job many miles away. “I guess the company chose me so theyd get some peace in the office,” he smiled. “No, I guess they chose you to discourage you from
17、spending your whole career with us,” Esther replied sweetly. Once, Esther went to a brunch party to meet some old school friends on the anniversary of their graduation. She greeted the hostess. “Do you remember that guy you were dating? What happened to him?” she asked. “You know, the ugly one.” At
18、the moment, a man came up and stood by her friend. “Esther, Id like you to meet my husband,” she said, “Charles, this is” Esther interrupted her, “Hey, so you married him!”Making Friends in the USAIn the USA, conversation is less lively than in many other cultures, where everyone talks at the same t
19、ime. When someone talks, everyone is expected to listen, no matter how dull the persons speaking may be. If youre not sure what to talk about, you can ask what people do. Were defined by our jobs and were usually happy to talk about them, unless youre spy! Some people say that Americans talk about t
20、heir feelings more than Asians, but are more secretive about factual matters. You can safely ask questions about families, where you come from, leisure interests, as well as the latest movies. Were interested in peoples ethnic background too. But its best to avoid politics, religion and other sensit
21、ive topics. A highly personal conversation can take place after a very short period of knowing someone, but this doesnt mean that youre close friends, or the relationship is very deep. But a lot of people are very friendly and hospitable, and the famous invitation “If youre ever in Minneapolis / San
22、 Diego / Poughkeepsie, do call by and see us!” is never made without a genuine desire to meet again. But while few Americans will worry about the questions you may ask, particularly if you clearly show youre aware of cultural differences, they may hesitate before they ask you similar questions. In f
23、act, its a sign that they dont wish to violate your private life. So, many Americans will talk about safe topics because they dont dare to be too curious or personal, but will happily talk about more private matters if you take the lead. Generally we dislike arguments, and we avoid topics which lead
24、 to disagreement. Its easy to return to discussing the weather: “Do you like the USA?” How do you like the weather?” or making compliments: ”What lovely flowers and what a beautiful vase!” “Thats fabulous dress youre wearing.” You should accept compliments graciously and say “Thank you!” There are a
25、 couple of dangerous topics of conversation: age and money. Age is not treated as something very special, unless someone is very old: “Isnt she wonderful for her age!” and there are no special rules or signs of extra respect for elderly people. Anyway, Americans always want to look younger than they
26、 really are, so dont expect an accurate reply! Income is a very private matter, and youd do well to avoid asking how much people earn, although some people may not only be open about it, but show off their wealth. We dont ask how much things cost, either. But what we dont like is silence, and almost
27、 anything is better than the embarrassment for a quiet party and silent guests.The AAAIt is estimated that 80% of all conversation in English is small talk. A very important function of small talk is to establish a relationship between people who dont know each other very well, or dont know each oth
28、er at all. Psychologists say that the most successful formula for small talk between people like this is the AAA model. AAA = answer, add and ask. This is how it works. Imagine a situation where two strangers are talking to each other after someone they both know has left the room, or the caf or par
29、ty, etc. the first person asks a question: A: Do you live near here? The second person replies by answering the question, adding some extra information and then asking another question: B: (Answer) Yes, I do. (Add) In an apartment on Brown Street. (Ask) Do you live nearby too? The first person does
30、the same, answer, add and ask: A: (Answer) No, I live in Bristol. (Add) Im just visiting London. (Ask) Have you lived here long? B: (Answer) Not so long. (Add) I moved here three years ago. (Ask) Whats the purpose of you visit to London? The speakers may have difficulty at first, but they soon reali
31、ze that the important thing is that they are saying something. By continuing with the AAA model, the conversation continues. Because the thing they both want to avoid is an embarrassing silence. The conversation can continue in this way for a long time. However, something can happen that completely
32、changes the atmosphere. B: Why do you live in Bristol? A: Im studying there. History. Are you a student? B: Yes. And I know some people who are studying at Bristol. Do you know a girl called Helen Brown? A: Helen Brown? Yes! Shes on of my best friends! How do you know her? B: Shes my cousin. At this
33、 point, the AAA model stops. Because they used this very useful technique, they found something they have in common at last.Module 2 Fantasy LiteratureThe Cat That VanishedWill was stupefied with exhaustion, and he might have gone on to the north, or he might have laid his head on the grass under on
34、e of those trees and slept; but as he stood trying to clear his head, he saw a cat. She was a tabby, like Moxie. She padded out of a garden on the Oxford side of the road, where Will was standing. Will put down his shopping bag and held out his hand, and the cat came up to rub her head against his k
35、nuckles, just as Moxie did. Of course, every cat behaved like that, but all the same Will felt such a longing to turn for home that tears scalded his eyes. Eventually this cat turned away. This was night, and there was a territory to patrol, there were mice to hunt. She padded across the road and to
36、wards the bushes just beyond the hornbeam trees, and there she stopped. Will still watching, saw the cat behave curiously. She reached out a paw to pat something in the air in front of her, something quite invisible to Will. Then she leapt backwards, back arched and fur on end, tail held out stiffly
37、. Will knew cat-behaviour. He watched more alertly as the cat approached the spot again, just an empty patch of grass between the hornbeams and the bushes of a garden hedge, and patted the air once more. Again she leapt back, but less far and with less alarm this time. After another few seconds of s
38、niffing, touching, whisker-twitching, curiosity overcame wariness. The cat stepped forward, and vanished. Will blinked. Then he stood still, close to the trunk of the nearest tree, as a truck came round the circle and swept its lights over him. When it had gone past he crossed the road, keeping his
39、eyes on the spot where the cat had been investigating. It wasnt easy, because there was nothing to fix on, but when he came to the place and cast about to look closely, he saw it. At least, he saw it from some angles. It looked as if someone had cut a patch out of the air, about two metres from the
40、edge of the road, a patch roughly square in shape and less than a metre across. If you were level with the patch so that it was edge-on, it was nearlyinvisible, and it was completely invisible from behind. You could only see it from the side nearest the road, and you couldnt see it easily even from
41、there, because all you could see through it was exactly the same kind of thing that lay in front of it on this side: a patch of grass lit by a street light. But Will knew without the slightest doubt that that patch of grass on the other side was in a different world. He couldnt possibly have said wh
42、y. He knew it at once, as strongly as he knew that fire burned and kindness was good. He was looking at something profoundly alien. And for that reason alone, it enticed him to stoopp and look further. What he saw made his head swim and his heart thump harder, but he didnt hesitate: he pushed his sh
43、opping bag through, and then scrambled through himself, through the hole in the fabric of this world and into another. He found himself standing under a row of trees. But not hornbeam trees: these were tall palms, and they were growing, like the trees in Oxford, in a line along the grass. But his wa
44、s the centre of a broad boulevard, and at the side of the boulevard was a line of cafes and small shops, all brightly lit, all open, and all utterly silent and empty beneath a sky thick with stars. The hot night was laden with the scent of flowers and with the salt smell of the sea. Will looked arou
45、nd carefully. Behind him the full moon sone down over a distant prospect of great green hills, and on the slopes at the foot of the hills there ere houses with rich gardens and an open parkland with groves of trees and the white gleam of a classical temple. Just beside him was that bare patch in the
46、 air, as hard to see from this side as from the other, but definitely there. He bent to look through and saw the road in Oxford, his own world. The turned away with a shudder: whatever this new world was, it had to be better than what hed just left. With a dawning light-headedness, the feeling that
47、he was dreaming but awake at the same time, he stood up and looked around for the cat, his guide.The Story of J.K. Rowling and Harry PotterThe elder stateswoman of British fantasy literature is J.K. Rowling, the gifted creator of Harry Potter. Joanne Rowlings roots are in the southwest of England, where she grew up. But the idea for Harry Potter came to her while she was on a delayed train between Manchester and London. She wrote down her ideas on the back of an envelope. She then went to teach English in Portu