Small talk like "What do you have there？Ice-cream？" or "The weather today is beautiful，isn't it？" is a waste of time，according to some people.But scientists believe that it is actually useful.
   For example，talking to the stranger can be scary and silly when you are on a train or a plane.But a study by the University of Chicago found that people who chat to strangers enjoy a better ride than those who sit in silence or keep playing their phones.
   In the study，researchers asked people at Chicago train stations to start conversations with strangers.Most of them refused to do that at first because they didn't expect to get a friendly answer.But the result is the opposite---most strangers didn't refuse to be talked but were glad to talk to.
  "Human beings are social animals，" Nicholas Epley，one of the researchers said. "Other people's feelings are the same as you.And they'd like to get to know you."
   What's more，small talk with strangers can help you feel related to your surroundings（周围环境）.Some studies found when people are often smiled at and spoken to，they will have more chances to have a stronger feeling of belonging（归属感） instead of feeling like they are being forgotten.
   However，if you are already comfortable enough to make small talk with strangers，you should try to develop it into something "bigger".
   A study proved（证明） that having a deep and meaningful conversation gives you even more happiness than small talk.Participants（参与者） in the study reported that compared with some simple greetings and replies，they were a lot happier when they went on with the small talk and further it into deep conversations.
   But deep conversations can start with small talk，can't they？So the first step is to start talking，no matter what the topic is.And even if you start with topic as simple as "I like your hat"，you can also lead to a deep conversation and learn a lot.

（1）Why do scientists believe that small talk is actually useful？

D

D

A．Wasting less time.
B．Getting more smiles.
C．Staying away from phones for a little while.
D．Helping you feel related to your surroundings.
（2）Which of the following is not true？

B

B

A．Talking to the stranger on a train or a plane help you enjoy a better ride.
B．Those who sit in silence or keep playing their phones enjoy a better ride.
C．Most strangers didn't refuse to be talked but were glad to talk to.
D．People would like to get to know others by small talk.
（3）Why should you try to develop small talk into something "bigger"？

C

C

A．Deep conversations can help you be remembered by strangers.
B．Deep conversations help you have a stronger feeling of belonging.
C．Having a deep and meaningful conversation gives you even more happiness.
D．Deep conversations make you feel like you are being useful.
（4）What's the writer's opinion according to the passage？

C

C

A．The writer thinks there is no need to have a small talk.
B．The writer believes small talk is useless without deep conversations.
C．The writer thinks to start talking is the first step no matter what the topic is.
D．The writer thinks only deep conversations can make you feel better.