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1、外研英语选修 6 全部阅读课文原文（每个模块 4 篇）Module 1 Small Talk How 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 people you d
2、ont 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 have a conversat
3、ion.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 news story not to serious,
4、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 them!That way,you dont damage you
5、r confidence!Develop your listening skills Listening 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 idea s to make you a better listener:DO Show that you are listen
6、ing 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 to you Change the subject Finish other peopl
7、es 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,remember that social rules can be different.In some count
8、ries,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 can take things,but you neednt if you dont want t.remember als
9、o 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 Talk Esther Greenbaum was a saleswoman for a firm of fax machines and business supplies.But she was also the m
10、ost 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,that not quite true.She had small talk,but it was the wrong kind.In fact,she
11、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 during a meeting,Esther was introduced to an important customer,a mature woman.“Nice t
12、o 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,Esther teased a typist,“Hey!Whens your baby due”The typist went red and contradicted Esther.“Actual
13、ly,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 acquaintances,a salesman in the firm,was going through a very messy divorce and was very depressed.She tried to cheer him up.
14、“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 with a new hairstyle.“Nice haircut,”said Esther.“How much did it cost”The woman replied,“Id rather not say.”Esther replied,“Wel
15、l,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 reading 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
16、 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 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 o
17、f 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 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
18、 him!”Making Friends in the USA In the USA,conversation is less lively than in many other cultures,where everyone talks at the same time.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.We
19、re defined by our jobs and were usually happy to talk about them,unless youre spy!Some people say that Americans talk about their 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 la
20、test movies.Were interested in peoples ethnic background too.But its best to avoid politics,religion and other sensitive 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.Bu
21、t a lot of people are very friendly and hospitable,and the famous invitation“If youre ever in Minneapolis/San 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
22、show youre aware of cultural differences,they may hesitate before they ask you similar questions.In fact,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 pri
23、vate matters if you take the lead.Generally we dislike arguments,and we avoid topics which lead 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 yo
24、ure wearing.”You should accept compliments graciously and say“Thank you!”There are a 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 resp
25、ect for elderly people.Anyway,Americans always want to look younger than they 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
26、 much things cost,either.But what we dont like is silence,and almost anything is better than the embarrassment for a quiet party and silent guests.The AAA It is estimated that 80%of all conversation in English is small talk.A very important function of small talk is to establish a relationship betwe
27、en people who dont know each other very well,or dont know each other 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
28、someone they both know has left the room,or the caf or party,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
29、 you live nearby too The first person does 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 f
30、irst,but they soon realize 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 happe
31、n that completely 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
32、 point,the AAA model stops.Because they used this very useful technique,they found something they have in common at last.Module 2 Fantasy Literature The Cat That Vanished Will was stupefied with exhaustion,and he might have gone on to the north,or he might have laid his head on the grass under one o
33、f 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 knuckles,jus
34、t 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 towards the bushes jus
35、t 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.Will knew cat-behaviour.He
36、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 sniffing,touching,whisker-twitching,
37、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 eyes on the spot where the cat had been invest
38、igating.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 edge of the road,a patch roughly square in shape and l
39、ess 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 there,because all you could see through it was exactly the s
40、ame 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 why.He knew it at once,as strongly as he knew that fire burned and
41、 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 shopping bag through,and then scrambled through himself,through the hole i
42、n 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 was the centre of a broad boulevard,and at the side of the boulevard was a line of
43、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 around carefully.Behind him the full moon sone down over a distant prospect of great green
44、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 air,as hard to see from this side as from the other,but definitely there.He bent to look
45、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 he was dreaming but awake at the same time,he stood up and looked around for the cat,his guide.The
46、Story of J.K.Rowling and Harry Potter The 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 Manch
47、ester and London.She wrote down her ideas on the back of an envelope.She then went to teach English in Portugal,where she continued to add flesh to the bones of the first Harry Potter story.But her name is forever associated with Edinburgh in Scotland,where she lived and developed the format for the
48、 whole series of seven books.There are many anecdotes about how,in 1990,J.K.Rowling began the first draft of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.She had the extra burden of looking after her baby daughter while she worked,and because she was too poor to own a typewriter,she wrote by hand.She spe
49、nt many hours over a single cup of coffee in a warm cafeteria in Edinburgh because she had no money to pay for the heating at home.Success was not swift and Rowling might have given up.But she was stubborn and overcame all the difficulties.It was only in 1997 that she completed the first Harry Potte
50、r story,which,because the publishers in the USA requested an adjustment to the title,was also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.Rowling always intended that her output would be a book every year until she had finished the series.In fact,it took her about ten years to complete.But after t