阅读理解。 |
Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between be does all he can to make a noise in the world, and be fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and is number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards him-self as a failure,a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest- headed chatterbox (喋喋不休的人).He knows that ninety nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure (蜡塑人像). The aim of conversation is not. For the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito (蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors. Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people's ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel. At the end of an evening, during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time. They just prove themselves to be successful conservationists. |
1. According to the author, people make conversation to _____. |
A. exchange ideas B. prove their value C. achieve success in life D. overcome their fear of silence |
2. By "the buzzing of a fly " (Para.1),the author means"_____ ". |
A. the noise of an insect B. a low whispering sound C. meaningless talks D. the voice of a chatterbox |
3. According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors _____. |
A. about whatever they have prepared B. about whatever they want do C. in the hope of learning something new D. in the hope of getting on well |
4. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? |
A. To discuss why people like talking about weather. B. To encourage people to join in conversations. C. To persuade people to stop making noises. D. To explain why people keep talking. |