It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation w

It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson’s famous ment that“When two English meet，their first talk is of weather.”Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago，most mentators fail to e up with a convincing explanation for this English weather­speak.
Bill Bryson，for example，concludes that，as the English weather is not at all exciting，the obsession with it can hardly be understood.He argues that“To an outsider，the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply，the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman，however，disagrees with Bryson，arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.Bryson is wrong，he says，because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena.“The interest is less in the phenomena themselves，but in uncertainty.”According to him，the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for mon misconceptions about the weather­speak among the English.Both mentators，somehow，are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all.English weather­speak is a system of signs，which is developed to help the speakers overe the natural reserve and actually talk to each other.Everyone knows conversations starting with weather­speak are not requests for weather data.Rather，they are routine greetings，conversation starters or the blank “fillers”．In other words，English weather­speak is a means of social bonding.
【小题1】The author mentions Dr.Johnson’s ment to show that    .A．most mentators agree with Dr.JohnsonB．Dr.Johnson is famous for his weather observationC．the ment was accurate two hundred years agoD．English conversations usually start with the weather【小题2】What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?A．A social trend.B．An emotional state.C．A historical concept.D．An unknown phenomenon.【小题3】According to the passage，Jeremy Paxman believes that    .A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weatherB．there is nothing special about the English weatherC．the English weather attracts people to the British IslesD．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty【小题4】What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?A．To explain what English weather­speak is about.B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather.C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable.D