i think multi spot metering and av works best, but if shooting more than one shot, its good to read what setting av gave and turn to M. too bad your camera doesent have multi spot metering
its pretty much impossible to say what settings you should use, it depends on the situation(angle you use, light, you preferences for dof etc.). use M if you like shooting M and got the time to change settings manually all the time, use AV if you like AV and dont have enough time to meter and change settings yourself. use fast enough shutter speed to get sharp photos(and note that when shooting close ups, you should use faster shutter speeds because camera shake shows easier). use spot meter if you know how to use it properly and like to use it, use some other metering mode if you cant(or dont prefer to) use spot metering. best way to meter without multi spot metering is to meter different spots and calculate the right exposure yourself, but since you are asking this sort of advice, you probably cant do it.