王强口语 第二册 Read Text 023

　　口语部分
文化篇
Read the text carefully and be prepared to answer the question:
Conversational¹ Style
People from some cultures are suspicious of the glib² way Americans talk, and think of us as being insincere.  Someone that has something to say about everything can't really know very much, right?  But Americans think highly of people who have quick minds and can comment on anything.  They make for a lot of merry chatter³, especially among friends.
But there are also those, like the French, for example, who think that Americans are tiresome⁴ talkers.  Ask one question, and you're sure to get a long, tedious reply, they say.  But we think that if you ask us something, you want all the information we have.  To us, talk isn't simply a meaningless discussion; it's an exchange of facts.  In some cultures, people only listen to the opinion of a close friend.  Not Americans.  We want all the information so that we can form our own opinions.  To those who study American culture, this is obvious in our love for statistics.
But we hate silence.  If there is a break in conversation and no one has anything to say, there is an uncomfortable pause until somebody comes up with a new topic to talk about.  For party on the edge of an awkward silence, almost any topic of conversation will be accepted.  Americans are not all smooth talkers.  Many young people spend their growing years glued to the television, and don't show much conversational skill.  But these youngsters are not the best of their generation and will not do well, no matter where they end up.

1 conversational   

adj.对话的，会话的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
• She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。

2 glib   

adj.圆滑的，油嘴滑舌的

参考例句：

• His glib talk sounds as sweet as a song.他说的比唱的还好听。
• The fellow has a very glib tongue.这家伙嘴油得很。

3 chatter   

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。

4 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。