12. 두 사람의 대화 중 가장 어색한 것은?

Women are experts at gossiping, and they always talk about trivial things, or at least that’s what men have always thought. However, some new research suggests that when women talk to women, their conversations are far from frivolous, and cover many more topics (up to 40 subjects) than when men talk to other men. Women’s conversations range from health to their houses, from politics to fashion, from movies to family, from education to relationship problems, but sports are notably absent. Men tend to have a more limited range of subjects, the most popular being work, sports, jokes, cars, and women. According to Professor Petra Boynton, a psychologist who interviewed over 1,000 women, women also tend to move quickly from one subject to another in conversation, while men usually stick to one subject for longer periods of time. At work, this difference can be an advantage for men, as they can put other matters aside and concentrate fully on the topic being discussed. On the other hand, it also means that they sometimes find it hard to concentrate when several things have to be discussed at the same time in a meeting.

• 1
   A: I’m so nervous about this speech that I must give today. B: The most important thing is to stay cool.
• 2
   A: You know what? Minsu and Yujin are tying the knot! B: Good for them! When are they getting married?
• 3
   A: A two-month vacation just passed like one week. A new semester is around the corner. B: That’s the word. Vacation has dragged on for weeks.
• 4
   A: How do you say ‘water’ in French? B: It is right on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t remember it.