阅读训练：与陌生人聊天

‘It’s good to talk’, so some people say. When I commute into London, there are certainly plenty of people conversing on their mobile phones – sometimes too loudly – discussing and sharing personal details with a friend. For me, it’s strange that they talk as though the person is sitting next to them, when they don’t even acknowledge the person who is actually sitting beside them.

Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute, or sitting in a park or a cafe. But most of them remain just that – strangers. However, new evidence has shown that plucking up the courage to strike up a conversation might be good for our health.

Nicholas Epley from the University of Chicago and Juliana Schroeder from the University of California are behavioural scientists. They looked at this silent relationship and whether solitude is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers, or if people misunderstand the consequences of distant social connections. They found that many people feel uncomfortable and intimidated talking to others and their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation “we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us.” It seems we carry a negative voice in our head telling us all the things that could go wrong and why someone wouldn’t want to converse with us.

Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters and found that “every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat.” From this and other research, the conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant and it has a positive impact on our wellbeing. Gillian Sandstrom, a social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, told the BBC that “people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however minimal.” It’s true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health.

However, if you’re an introvert, the thought of speaking to someone new might make you anxious. But the American research found “both extroverts and introverts are happier when they are asked to behave in an extroverted manner.” So maybe, if you’re a loner, it’s time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger – it could be the beginning of a new friendship.

词汇表

 

converse  交谈，对话

pluck up the courage  鼓起勇气

strike up  开始（交谈）

solitude  独处

interact  交往，交流

social connections  社会关系

uncomfortable  不舒服的，难受的

intimidated  发怵的，害怕的

underestimate  低估

negative voice  （头脑里）负面的声音，消极的思想

chat  聊天

connect with  与……建立良好的关系

wellbeing  健康

mood  心情

introvert  性格内向的人

anxious  焦虑的

extroverts  性格外向的人

come out of your shell  变得不再自闭，融入外部世界

(make) small talk  闲聊，寒暄

1、阅读课文并回答问题。

2、选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

Our train broke down and we were stuck on board for hours, so I decided to _______ a conversation with the other passengers.

We _______ how much it would cost to move house and now we’re broke!

When I started university, I was _______ by the clever and talented people I was surrounded by – but now most of them are my friends.

Our intern was quite nervous when he started but now he’s _______ and fits in really well.

Dan is definitely an _______ - every time we go out, he’s the first to get up and sing at the karaoke bar!