Become a confident speaker. How to improve your English speaking skills and make you able to communicate more easily and effectively? The following tips will help you to become a more confident speaker.
Practice where you can and when you can. And practice is good — whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It’s important to build up your confidence. If possible, use the simple sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to experiment with the English you know. Apply (应用) words and phrases you know to new situations. Native English speakers are likely to correct you if you use the wrong word. They usually don’t mind if you use wrong grammar.
Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.
Never translate everything into your own language. It takes you much time and you’ll find it difficult to find an English answer right away. You don’t know how to do well. The more you want to act well, the more slowly you act. This will make you hesitant.
If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that ‘fill’ the conversation. This is better than remaining completely silent. Try using ‘um’, ‘er’, if you forget the word.
Don’t speak too fast! It’s important to use a natural rhythm (节奏) in speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try to relax when you speak, and you’ll find that your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. Speak English at a normal speed.
Final tips: Try to become less hesitant. Don’t be shy to speak — the more you do it, the more confident you’ll become. Remember to be polite — use “please” and “thank you” if you ask someone to do something for you.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Good ways of studying English well. |
| B．Suggestions on becoming a confident speaker. |
| C．Things to pay attention to when speaking English. |
| D．How to correct your mistakes as you speak English. |
How many tips does the author offer in this text?
| A．9. | B．10. | C．11. | D．12. |
In this passage, the underlined word “hesitant” in the sixth paragraph means “________”.
| A．sure about what to do |
| B．fast to make a good decision |
| C．successful in answering questions |
| D．uncertain about how to express yourself |
This text is most probably written for ________.
| A．English beginners | B．native English speakers |
| C．English teachers | D．language experts |
Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidate.
Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude tests, which are designed to assess thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional tests to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer of ability.
In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight as at A-level. Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional tests to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the endpoint the admission process,” he said. “The potential to achieve three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3000. A survey of 16830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private school last year showed that 2860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests—a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges—to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
| A．Approving |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Opposed |
| D．Neutral |
Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?
A.Harvard
B.Oxford
C.Cambridge
D.Washington D.CWhat can we know about the A-level system?
| A．It can indicate the brightest candidates. |
| B．It was designed to assess students’ thinking skills. |
| C．It is no longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities. |
| D．It was recommended by the National Foundation for Education Research. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The reform is more popular in America colleges than the British ones. |
| B．The reform will be applied by all universities in the future. |
| C．Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students. |
| D．Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets as. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to get into leading universities. |
| B．The disadvantages of the A-level system. |
| C．Different ways to identify students’ abilities. |
| D．Universities using extra exams to choose students. |
Choose your Virginia
Rock House Museum
Rock House Museum. Take a journey through history with a visit to the exciting museum and historic sites of Wytheville. The Rock House Museum offers glimpses into daily life in the 19th century. The museum is part of the 50 structures featured in the Wytheville’s Historic Walking Tour. 540/223-3330.
Natural Bridge of Virginia
Natural Bridge of Virginia, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Caverns of Natural Bridge, guided tours of underground wonders; Natural Bridge Inn and Conference Center, Indoor Heated Pool, Largest Gift and Souvenir Shop in the east. Information 800/533-1410.
Grand Caverns
Grand Caverns is America’s Oldest showcave. Beautiful and massive formations. Union troops visited the caverns. Thomas Jefferson visited— you should too! Open weekends in March, daily April—October, 9 a.m.—5p.m. Hour tour leave every 30 minutes. 703/249-5705.
The Museum
The Museum in Arlington, the world’s only interactive museum of news. Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters, see today’s news as it happens on a block-long video news wall, and be taken behind the scenes to see how news is made. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10a.m.—5p.m. 888/NEWSEUM.www.Newseum.Org.
Kenmore Plantation and Gardens
Kenmore plantation and Gardens, visit over two hundred years of history from Revolutionary War, Civil War and into 21st century. Home of Betty Washington, George Washington’s only sister, and Pariot Col. Fielding Lewis. Explore this historic building and city block of restored gardens. Tea and ginger cookie served. 540/373-3381.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach offers 11000 hotel/motel rooms, plus cottages and camp grounds. Enjoy miles of clean beaches and a variety of family attractions. Fine restaurants, various shopping areas, exciting nightlife, and special events are offered through out the year. 800/822-3224.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Virginia. |
| B．To encourage people to settle in Virginia. |
| C．To introduce historic sites in Virginia. |
| D．To give people a general description of Virginia. |
What way is the Newseum defferent from Rock House Museum?
| A．It is larger |
| B．It is more exciting. |
| C．Visitors can act in it. |
| D．Visitors can see more in it. |
If you want to enjoy yourself in the evening, you may go to ______.
| A．The newseum |
| B．Kenmore plantation and Gardens |
| C．Grand Caverns |
| D．Virginia Beach |
Which of the following places is not open in the winter months?
| A．Natural Bridge of Virginia |
| B．Grand caverns |
| C．Virginia Beach |
| D．Kenmore plantation and Gardens |
Which of the following is NOT true about the Virginia Beach?
| A．Tourists can camp in the open air. |
| B．Tourists can enjoy special events there. |
| C．Tourists can not go there in their own cars. |
| D．Tourists can enjoy themselves on the clean beach. |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-coloured flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the prefer picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper colouring with words that shaded my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that shaped my childhood; I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was _____.
| A．doing shopping |
| B．having a debate |
| C．reading a message |
| D．leaving for Wyoming |
The author’s inspiration for the gift came from _____.
| A．a photo of a flower |
| B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother |
| D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _____.
| A．the father |
| B．the author |
| C．William Blake |
| D．Edgar Allan Poe |
The author made the gift by _____.
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colours |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
You just think you know what will make you happy. Researchers in the new science of happiness know better. They have evidence that married people on average end up being no happier than they were before the wedding. Winning the lottery (彩票) will probably reduce your pleasure in ordinary events that used to make you happy. And being in good health isn't as much of a factor as the right genes when it comes to satisfaction.
Soligman and Diener studied 222 Illinois college students to find out what the happiest 10% had in common. It turned out they were extroverts (外向的人), had more friendships and romantic relationships, but didn't exercise more and didn't feel they had more good events in their lives than those who weren’t as happy.
Some of the results come as a surprise. A classic study of lottery winners and people with spinal (脊骨) cord injuries, for instance, found that neither event changed their lives as much as observers thought they would.
Gilbert is looking into how accurately people predict what will make them happy, he turns out, not accurately at all. What we think will ring us pleasure – a new car, the home team winning the NCAA championship, a move to California-usually doesn't bring us as much as we expected, and the positive impact doesn't last as long. The good news is that we also over estimate the impact of catastrophic (灾难性的) events. Even with data from research pouring in, scientists still don't have an easy answer to what we all want to know: How do I get long-term life satisfaction? The answers they do have are often the same ones that philosophers and priests have been giving us for centuries. It's just nice to have them backed up with hard data.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．A research on happiness. |
| B．The level of happiness. |
| C．The secrets of happiness. |
| D．The prediction of happiness. |
The happiest people have the following characters except that _____.
| A．they are rich |
| B．they are outgoing |
| C．they are very sociable |
| D．they don’t pay more attention to exercise |
According to the passage, we can know if the hurricane happens, it will cause _____.
| A．more suffering than people expect |
| B．as much suffering as people expect |
| C．less suffering than people expect |
| D．nothing is mentioned about it |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．We ourselves know what makes us happy the best. |
| B．The happiest 10% in the world have nothing in common. |
| C．People can predict the things that make them happy accurately. |
| D．We just need to do what the philosophers and priests tell us to keep happy. |
A spiraling (呈螺旋形的) tower made from thousands of books in dozens of languages is the later landmark in Buenos Ares, named the World Bok Capital this year.
Called the Tower of Babel, the 25-metrehigh tower by Argentine artist Marta Minujin is made from 30,000books, donated by readers, libraries and more than 50embassies.
Climbing up its seven floors, visitors to the tower hear music composed by Minujin and the voice of the artist repeating the word “book” in scores of languages.
“Building this tower is really a wonder,”Minujin said, standing before the structure as curious passers-by looked at a downtown city square. “A hundred years from now, Peple will say 'there was a Tower of Babel in Argentina... and it didn't need translation because art needs no translation'.”
Minujin, who worked with US artist Andy Warhol, built a full-scale mode of the Parthenon in Buenos Aires in1983, using books banned by the military dictatorship(专政) that ended that year.
This year's book tower marks Buenos Aires' naming as the 2011 · World Book Capital by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“We've been laying books for 10 days straight,” said Sebastian Atienza, 26, who works for the company that built the tower under Minujin's command. “But it's worth it. It's where all languages come together.”
When the exhibit ends later this month, Minujin said literature lovers will be allowed to come and pick one book each. The rest will be brought down to start a new archive (档案馆) that has already been named The Library of Babel, the name of a story by Argentina's most famous author, Jorge Luis Borges.According to the passage, the Tower of Babel _____.
| A．is made from 30,000 books from nearly 50 countries |
| B．is designed by American artist Marta Minujin |
| C．will hold the book exhibition for 10 days |
| D．has a height of twenty-five metres |
After the book exhibition, most books will be _____.
| A．handed out among visitors |
| B．donated to UNESCO |
| C．sent to Argentina’s new archive |
| D．bought by Jorge Luis Borges |
The passage is probably taken from a(n) _____.
| A．advertisement |
| B．tourism guide |
| C．textbook |
| D．newpapers |