Readtheshortpassageandfinishtheexercises.Inmostlanguages,agreetingisusuallyfollowedby“smalltalk”.Smalltalkmeansthelittlethingswetalkaboutatthestartofaconversation.InEnglish-speakingcountriespeopleoftenmakesmalltalkabouttheweather:“Niceday,isn’tit?”“Terribleweather,isn’tit?”Butthereissomethingspecialaboutsmalltalk.Itmustbeaboutsomethingwhichbothpeoplehavethesameopinionabout.Thepurposeofsmalltalkistoletbothpeopleagreeonsomething.Thismakesmeetingpeopleeasierandmorecomfortable.Peopleusuallyagreeabouttheweather,soitisasafetopicforsmalltalk.ButpeopleoftendisagreeaboutreligionorpoliticssothesearenotsuitabletopicsforsmalltalkinEnglish.Thetopicsforsmalltalkalsodependonwheretheconversationistakingplace.Atfootballmatches,peoplemakesmalltalkaboutthegametheyarewatching:“Greatgame,isn’tit?”Atbusstops,peoplemaycommentaboutthetransportsystem:“Thebusserviceisterrible,isn’tit?”Greetingsandsmalltalkareanimportantpartofconversationinanylanguage.Thewaypeoplegreeteachotherandthethingstheytalkabout,however,maybedifferentfromonelanguagetoanother.Thisshowsthatthereismuchmoretolearnwhenwelearnalanguagethanjustthevocabularyandthegrammarofthelanguage.Wealsohavetolearnthesocialbehaviorofthepeoplewhospeakit.InEnglish-speakingcountries,thefavoritetopicofsmalltalkisabout________. A: games B: politics C: languages D: theweather