Small Talk
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2009-03-04 00:35 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Reader question: What's "small talk" exactly?

My comments:

Small talk is gossip, chitchat, unimportant chatter1, small being the significant adjective pointing to its, well, insignificance2.

In terms of the media, all the gossip columns are small talk. They shouldn't be in newspapers but they are, and on television also, as well as over the radio and the Internet. Take gossips about celebrities3, for example. Does it really matter if that famous model Loulou (never mind who she is – I'm making it up) frolics with her boyfriend in the sea half-clad in a bikini? I mean, even if "half-clad in a bikini" is a grammatically sound description, why should the public be told about it? Why shouldn't we be told instead more of the important issues such as what all the politicians are saying? Or business scandals, for that matter, or traffic accidents, coal mine explosions or any other natural calamity4 or bad news.

Well, you got me there. I admit pictures of a half-naked – can I say naked? – Loulou on the beach would beat, say, ranting5 politicians all day, such being the current state of affairs we're in. I too realize that sometimes small talk is the best talk anywhere in the newspaper, on television and over the radio. So therefore, let's gossip a bit about "small talk" with examples culled6 from the Internet.

1. from itpub.net:

Small Talk: Who, What, Where, When, Why?

WHY do people make small talk?

There are a few different reasons why people use small talk. The first, and most obvious, is to break an uncomfortable silence. Another reason, however, is simply to fill time. That is why it is so common to make small talk when you are waiting for something. Some people make small talk in order to be polite. You may not feel like chatting with anyone at a party, but it is rude to just sit in a corner by yourself. After someone introduces you to another person, you do not know anything about them, so in order to show a polite interest in getting to know them better, you have to start with some small talk.

2. from USA Today (September 9, 2001):

Small talk, big payoff

They say talk is cheap, but chatting up strangers you meet on business trips is sometimes profitable.

It was for medical equipment salesman Douglas Ruby7.

Last November, Ruby struck up a conversation with Rod Ferrand, a seatmate on his flight who turned out to be in a similar line of work. At the flight's end, Ruby and Ferrand exchanged business cards and parted.

It wasn't until June, when Ruby was laid off and looking for work, that he dug up Ferrand's card and mailed him his resume. Coincidentally, Ferrand's company, Merit Medical Systems, had an opening. Ruby got the job, beating out 150 other applicants8.

"Don't be scared of talking to strangers," says Ruby of New Orleans. "That guy I met on the plane is now my boss."

3. from Guardian9 Unlimited10 (December 7, 2007):

Small Talk with Kelly Dalglish

- It's a dilemma11, all right. Finally Kelly, can you tell us a joke?

- OK, so this vampire12 bat goes back into the cave, and his face is covered in blood, and all the other vampire bats are really, really jealous. So they're asking: "Where did you get that from, where have you been?" And he says, "Come, I'll show you all my secrets", and they fly out and they go over the dark forest, and he says: "You see that big oak tree over there?" The vampire bats say: "Yes", and he says: "Well I didn't." 



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 chatter BUfyN     
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战
参考例句:
  • Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
  • I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
2 insignificance B6nx2     
n.不重要;无价值;无意义
参考例句:
  • Her insignificance in the presence of so much magnificence faintly affected her. "她想象着他所描绘的一切,心里不禁有些刺痛。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • It was above the common mass, above idleness, above want, above insignificance. 这里没有平凡,没有懒散,没有贫困,也没有低微。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
3 celebrities d38f03cca59ea1056c17b4467ee0b769     
n.(尤指娱乐界的)名人( celebrity的名词复数 );名流;名声;名誉
参考例句:
  • He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
  • a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
4 calamity nsizM     
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件
参考例句:
  • Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
  • The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。
5 ranting f455c2eeccb0d93f31e63b89e6858159     
v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 );大叫大嚷地以…说教;气愤地)大叫大嚷;不停地大声抱怨
参考例句:
  • Mrs. Sakagawa stopped her ranting. 坂川太太戛然中断悲声。 来自辞典例句
  • He was ranting about the murder of his dad. 他大叫她就是杀死他父亲的凶手。 来自电影对白
6 culled 14df4bc70f6bf01d83bf7c2929113cee     
v.挑选,剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
  • The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句
7 ruby iXixS     
n.红宝石,红宝石色
参考例句:
  • She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
  • On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。
8 applicants aaea8e805a118b90e86f7044ecfb6d59     
申请人,求职人( applicant的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
  • He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。
9 guardian 8ekxv     
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者
参考例句:
  • The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
  • The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
10 unlimited MKbzB     
adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的
参考例句:
  • They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
  • There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。
11 dilemma Vlzzf     
n.困境,进退两难的局面
参考例句:
  • I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
  • He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。
12 vampire 8KMzR     
n.吸血鬼
参考例句:
  • It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆,而是个吸人血的妖精!
  • Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说,孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。
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