How to open a good conversation:
1) Immediately show an interest in the other person.
2) Try to extract an opinion of some sort, and reasons for it. Never disagree with it openly, but try to construct a dialogue based on it.
3) Never ask intimate questions, unless invited to do so.
4) Always be the one to change the subject if the going gets rough.
5) Try to leave the conversation in good repair should it be interrupted.
Five of the worst conversational openings:
1) You must be very busy these days.
2) Do you live round here?
3) Do you have any children?
4) Will it never stop raining?
5) Gosh, this party is boring.
【重点单词及短语】
tap on 在……上轻敲
ubiquitous adj. 普遍存在的;无所不在的
gaze at 盯住;凝视
etiquette n. 礼节，礼仪;规矩
intimate adj. 亲密的;私人的
compromise n. 妥协;让步
F-word n. 粗话;脏话
public discourse 公共话语;公共讨论
contention n. 争辩;争论
crave for 渴望
congregation n. 集合;集会
revive v. 复活;复兴
pilgrimage n. 漫游;朝圣
commune with 与……谈心
morass n. 困境
zest n. 强烈的兴趣
courtesy n. 礼貌;好意;恩惠
obsessed with 非常喜欢;着迷于
faddish adj. 风行的;流行一时的
deep down 实际上;心底里
知识拓展：
Samuel Johnson：塞缪尔·约翰逊，18世纪英国作家。
David Hume：大卫·休谟，18世纪英国哲学家、历史学家、经济学家与美学家。
George Orwell：乔治·奥威尔，20世纪英国左翼作家，新闻记者和社会评论家。
Burning Man：由一个名为“Black Rock City，LLC”的组织发起的反传统狂欢节，为期八天。自1986年开创以来，年年举行，举办地选在美国内华达州黑岩沙漠，来自世界各地的Burner每年同一时间在这个寸草不生的荒漠里凭空兴建起一个只有8天的寿命 “城市”，城市内唯一提供的设施是厕所，唯一售卖的物品只有冰和咖啡。8天过后，“居民”离开，所有垃圾自己打包带走，片甲不留，城市人间蒸发。Burning Man的高潮是众人在空地上围成一个很大的圈，圈的中间燃烧起一个12米高的木制男人雕像，这就是“Burning Man”名字的来历。
Coachella：美国最大的音乐节之一，每年在加州Indio沙漠举办。
Question time:
1. What does the author think of Facebook and Twitter?
2. Does the author suppose people obsessed with faddish connectivity and personal avoidance hate conversation?