根据下列内容，回答211-215题。

"Hi there. How's it going? "

"Oh, fine. Fine. How about this weather, huh? "

"Well, I guess we can alway use the rain."

What is that?This story?Oh, just a little look at small talk. You know, those seeminglymeaningless conversations you have dozens of times a day. Maybe you're waiting for the elevator,or in a line at the bank. It all seems pretty trivial. Idle chatter about traffic doesn't do much morethan fill the air with empty words that are quickly forgotten. But you should know that small talkactually has a big place in our lives.

Pat Oliver, assistant professor on arts, says that, "Left unchecked, small talk can be aninvasion. It's so powerful. It does something to you."" Every morning after spending an hour and ahalf on the freeway I start the day with small talk with my secretary, "Oliver says, "If I don't makesmall connection with another person, I can't work."

What causes it?As a rule, you're either trying to force something into your life, or you'reusing conversation as an invisible force field to keep them out. You can be wanting to connect withanother person, and small talk is your introduction to more meaning conversation. The way peopleuse small talk is usually determined by where they happen to be at the time.

Take the elevator, for instance. Now there's prime territory. Nobody knows anyone and there'sno reason to start a conversation, but invariably, someone does."Making conversation in suchpeaceful social settings," according to Oliver,"can confirm your territory. It's a way of feelingliked and accepted."

The topics of small talk don't matter. In fact, you don't want anything more taxing than theweather or the traffic. It's non-threatening talk in a threatening situation. However, the ruleschange quickly when you're with lots of people doing lots of talking.

Let's say you're at a party. Now it's time to use small talk as a way of making others feelmore comfortable around you, so don't look silly standing by the food table alone all night.

"Small talk", as interpreted by the author,__________.

• A.has no real function in communication at all
• B.is usually meaningless and therefore useless
• C.is not as idle as it may seem to be
• D.is restricted to certain topics only