避免尷尬沉默的五個話題【羅馬篇】(圖文來源:CNN GO)

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"No, it was not off side!"

1. Transportation
Rome is one of the most congested cities in the world, and locals are notoriously bold behind the wheel.

Most Romans are used to it, but getting off the street and onto the city's buses, trams and Metro brings a whole new set of headaches, as public transit strikes are frequent and unpredictable.

Many a disgruntled commuter will arrive at a destination and rant about their day being ruined, and why can't someone do something about it? (See also: How bad the government is.)

2. The weather
Rome's winters are largely temperate, and snow is rare; but that doesn't mean Romans don't remark on the weather at any lapse in conversation.

There's no shortage of weather-related talk in hot and humid July and August, when many locals flee the city altogether -- leaving those who remain to lament about what misfortune is keeping them in town.

3. Food
You're in Rome. Of course you're going to talk about food.

Nearly everyone has a passionately held opinion on where the city's best pizza in is, where the best place to get gelato is or who makes the best pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar ragu).

Don't argue. Listen closely. Then go try them all.

4. How bad the government is
Italians have many colorful things to say about their famously unstable government. At least the blame can't all be placed at the feet of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who resigned last year.

Any Roman can give you an earful about the inefficiency of government bureaucracy and how woefully long it takes to repair damaged roads. How long it takes to repair anything, for that matter.

Maybe this is why Rome wasn't built in a day.

5. Football
Since 2001, Rome's marquee football team, Roma, has been a perennial runner-up in the race for the Italian Serie A title. But the club's fortunes may be changing.

When current owner Thomas DiBenedetto took control in 2011, he installed new coach Luis Enrique (subsequently dismissed), signed high-profile players and announced plans for a lavish stadium.

While it's not looking totally rosey, there's plenty to keep you in the game with Roma fans as they wonder: what will the stadium look like? Who will prevail in the next match between Roma and its controversial intra-city rival Lazio?

And will Roma ever win the title?

 congested a. 擁塞的  earful n. 滔滔不絕的話
 disgruntled a. 不高興的  bureaucracy n. 繁文褥節
 rant v. 大聲嚷叫  woefully ad. 悲哀地
 lapse n. 時間的間隔  marquee n. (劇院入口處的)遮蓬
 flee v. 逃走  perennial a. 常年的、一再的
 lament v. 悲嘆  prevail vi. 戰勝
 gelato n. 義式冰淇淋  controversial a. 爭論的、有爭議的
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