如何跟陌生人“搭讪”（上）

 　　小时候，爸妈总告诉我"不要和陌生人说话".这份"不要XX"名单还包括："不要接受陌生人的食物和糖果"、"不要上陌生人的车"等等。

　　WHEN I was a child, my parents always told me that I should never talk to strangers. This was part of a whole list of things I should never do: Never accept food or candy from strangers, never get in a car with strangers, and so on.

　　可如果我们不试着与陌生人讲话，就交不到新朋友，连份工作也找不到，还将错过与陌生人分享另一种生活的乐趣。

　　If we didn't start a conversation with strangers, we'd never make new friends. We'd never get a job. We'd miss out on the joy that comes from talking with unfamiliar¹ people about their lives.

　　当你旅游时，注重与当地人沟通能让你了解该处风土人情。此外，和其他同行者谈天说地也不错，这不仅能带来实用的建议，听到一些精彩冒险故事，说不定你还可以找到将来一起出行的旅伴！

　　Whenever you travel, it's important to converse² with the locals to learn what life in the place you're passing through is like. It's also good to strike up a conversation with other travelers. You can get some useful advice, hear amazing adventure stories, and maybe even pick up a partner for future trips!

　　同样的道理也适用于本地社交活动。在咖啡馆、俱乐部与陌生人搭讪也能让你交到新朋友，幸运的话甚至可以找到一个恋人。而且，这总比你一个人枯坐整个下午或晚上有意思多了。

　　The same thing applies to social settings³ closer to home. Talking with a stranger at a café or club could get you a new friend or even a romantic⁴ partner. It's also a much more entertaining way to pass the afternoon or evening than sitting alone by yourself.

　　更何况，在如今这个社会，想在事业上出人头地就一定要有良好的人脉关系。你认识的人越多，就越有可能碰到那些能帮你带来机会的人物。

　　And, in a world where getting ahead professionally⁵ often depends on personal connections, the more people you know, the more likely you are to find someone who can help you find opportunities.

　　下文将提供一些社交指南，教你如何与陌生人搭讪。读了这个，你就知道什么该说，什么不该说，以及怎样最大限度地把握每一场谈话。

　　The following pages offer you the ultimate⁶ social guide, with some advice on how to mingle⁷ with strangers. You'll learn what to say, what not to say, and how to make the most out of each conversation.

　　开场白：如何打破沉默

　　Try breaking the ice

　　别只顾着低头看鞋，走过去和生人打个招呼。当你意识到自己正与文化背景迥异的人面对面，以下这些开场白将帮你度过尴尬时刻。

　　Don't just stare at your shoes. Go say "Hi" to that new guy. The ice-breakers that follow will help you get through the embarrassing⁸ moments when you find yourself in front of people from different cultures:

　　英式开场白：天气不错，对吧？

　　British: 'Beautiful day, isn't it ?'

　　英国的天气变化莫测。因此，天气是英国人最关心的话题之一。谈论天气时有个简单的秘诀：无论你是否同意说话人的观点，都要回答"对".这是因为英国人常以天气为开场白，以达成一致立场，继而转谈其他话题。

　　The weather in Britain is unpredictable. So, it's one of the topics the British care most about. And there's a simple rule governing weather-speak: Say, "Yes" whether you agree with the person's comment on the weather or not. That's because the British start a conversation using the weather so that they can find common ground and move on to something else.

1 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

2 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

3 settings   

n.镶嵌( setting的名词复数 )；环境；装置；（某事、戏剧、小说等的）背景

参考例句：

• to study behaviour in laboratory and naturalistic settings 研究实验室里的以及仿自然环境中的行为
• This machine has two settings: fast and slow. 这种机器有两种可调的速度：快速和慢速。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 romantic   

adj.浪漫的，风流的，传奇性的，夸大的，想象的，浪漫派的

参考例句：

• She thinks it will be romantic to be an actress.她认为当个女演员会很浪漫。
• Her husband is very romantic.她丈夫非常浪漫。

5 professionally   

adv.职业地；专业地

参考例句：

• You need a complete change,both professionally and personally.你需要在工作上和自身两方面有彻底的改变。
• A professionally installed alarm will cost from about ￡500.请专业人员安装的警报器要花费至少500英镑。

6 ultimate   

adj.最远的；最后的；终极的；根源的，基本的

参考例句：

• What was his ultimate goal?他的最终目标是什么？
• The sun is the ultimate store of power.太阳是能量之本。

7 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

8 embarrassing   

adj.使人尴尬的，令人为难的v.（使）窘迫，（使）局促不安( embarrass的现在分词)

参考例句：

• His jokes didn't even raise a smile, which was embarrassing. 听了他讲的笑话，都没人笑一下，真是太尴尬了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was in the embarrassing position of having completely forgotten her name. 当时我完全忘记了她的名字，很是尴尬。 来自《简明英汉词典》