Students in American schools learn from an early age to give presentations(演讲) as part of their regular classroom activities. Children as young as five years old often give brief talks about objects they bring in to school – called “show and tell,” and this training is a basis for later public speaking. Even so, many native English-speaking adults are afraid to speak or give presentations in front of a large group.
Speaking English in public meetings is necessary for many students and employees. The best way to improve is to practice public speaking in a friendly environment. Learners need to receive feedback about what they are doing well and about their mistakes. One group that gives members the chance to practice is Toastmasters. Toastmasters is an international organization that holds weekly meetings. At the meetings, members each give a speech and give others advice about their speeches and speaking style.
Charles LeBeau is a public speaking professor and consultant. He began his career in Japan in 1982. Currently, he teaches at two universities and at the Toshiba International Training Center. He has also written books on the subject.
English language learners around the world use his book Speaking of Speech. Speaking of Speech tells about a method of teaching public speaking for non-native speakers. Mr. LeBeau says a simple approach helps English learners.
“The approach that I’ve taken is to simplify and break it down. First if we look at a presentation, what’s going on, there are basically three messages that the presenter is giving the audience, all simultaneously(同时). There’s what I call the physical message. Physical message is basically body language. It’s the way that my body, as a speaker, is talking to the audience. And then there’s also the visual message. The visual messages are the slides that we now make and show the audience. The third message is the story message. The story message is the content of our presentation. So another way we can think of the story messages is that it’s the verbal message, and it’s what we say to the audience. The story message also includes how we organize our ideas to present to the audience,” LeBeau said. Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The best way to improve is to practice public speaking in an unfriendly environment. |
| B．Toastmasters is an international organization that holds meetings every two weeks. |
| C．Only non-native English-speaking adults are afraid to give presentations in front of a large group. |
| D．At the meetings of Toastmasters, members give not only a speech but also advice. |
What are the three messages given in Mr. LeBeau’s simple approach that helps English learners?
a. the physical message
b. the visual message
c. the story message
d. the verbal message
e. the basically body language
| A．a b c | B．b c d | C．a b e | D．c d e |
The book Speaking of Speech by Charles LeBeau is mainly intended for___________.
| A．children as young as five years old |
| B．non-native English speakers |
| C．native English speakers only |
| D．students in American schools |
Which could be the best title for this passage?
| A．Necessity of Speaking English in Public Meetings |
| B．Toastmasters, an international organization |
| C．Tips for Public Speaking |
| D．Charles LeBeau, a public speaking professor and consultant |
Before you make friends, you have to decide who you want to be your friends．Most people like to have friends who like to do the same kind of things they do.
The quickest way to make a friend is to smile．When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to．It may not be easy at first to smile, but remember most people will stay away from a scared or angry looking face.
One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say something nice about him．Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you．Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person?
Ask your new friends questions about themselves．Who’s their favorite singer, where do they live, what do they do after school are all good questions to start a conversation．Make sure you have something to add to the conversation, too．When someone asks you a question, do have an answer for them．There’s nothing that will stop a conversation quicker than a shrug (耸肩) for an answer.
Kids who show an interest in other kids and who are kind and friendly make good friends．Remember, everyone wants to be around people who like to do similar things and people who are nice to them.This passage gives us some advice on _________.
| A．how to make friends |
| B．what kind of person you can make friends with |
| C．how to start a conversation |
| D．the importance of smile |
Most people like to make friends with those______.
| A．who are sad every day. |
| B．who share the same interest |
| C．who are fond of talking |
| D．who say bad things to them |
According to the third paragraph, most people enjoy talking to one _______.
| A．who is always smiling |
| B．who seems to be friendly |
| C．who praises them |
| D．who points out their shortcomings. |
The underlined (划线的)part in this passage means “_______”.
| A．being very proud | B．making no answer |
| C．knowing nothing | D．not hoping to answer |
With the development of society, the choice of food and drinks for children is more diversified(多样化) than ever before．However, every coin has two sides．Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the statistics(数据统计)．I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame（责怪）the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices．This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves．If there were fewer of these restaurants then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight．I agree to this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops．If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation．Children these days take very little exercise．They do not walk to school．When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers．Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food．What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as guiding them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.What is suggested by the author to deal with “overweight”?
| A．Blaming the shops selling unhealthy and fatty foods. |
| B．Asking young children to walk to school every day. |
| C．Living an active life and giving up bad eating habits. |
| D．Not watching TV or playing computer games after school. |
Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
The author writes the passage to ______________
| A．show people a social problem |
| B．provide facts for government |
| C．advise solutions to a problem |
| D．compare opinions with people |
Finished school for the summer? It’s great to kick back and relax after the school year-and you deserve it! －but it might also be the time to start building that resume(履历) to help you impress the college of your choice．Having a great resume doesn’t just mean getting a summer job; lots of activities can help you stay active and gain valuable experience over the summer months.
| ·Work Getting a job is one of the most practical ways to build your resume and impress colleges, even if working during the school year is not an option（选择）, look out for specific holiday jobs, like residential（寄宿的）summer camps that look for help during the summer months．Any job is good, but working in a leadership position or in an academic area looks particularly good on your resume．The more a job challenges you, the more it builds the skills that colleges and future employers are interested in seeing in applicants(申请者). |
| ·Volunteer Give back to gain resume points．Community service is another great way to gain valuable work and leadership experience．Nonprofit（非利益性） organizations such as soup kitchens and animal shelters are always looking for volunteers, and it shouldn’t be difficult to find a volunteer organization near your home that could use an extra pair of hands for a few hours a week during the summer. |
| ·Travel This may not be a viable（可行的）option for everyone, but if you can afford it, summer travel can be an exciting way to enrich your mind and improve your resume．Visiting and exploring（探索） foreign places will broaden your horizons（视野）, allowing you to expand your awareness of other people and cultures．It’s also a great chance to develop your language skills. |
| ·Take Classes “School” might be the last thing you want after a hard year of studying, but summer school isn’t always a bad thing．Colleges may look kindly upon applicants who take the initiative（主动）to further their education over the summer．There are a variety of options available for high school students wishing to take summer courses, both at their own schools and at local colleges．If your high school offers summer classes, they could be a great way to advance your math or language skills, two areas that are often lacking on students’ college applications．Local community colleges also offer summer courses for high school juniors and seniors that cover a variety of introductory-level topics．They not only look great on your transcript（成绩单）,but also provide a chance to improve your preparations for college and allow you to explore possible career options. |
What is the main benefit of summer activities according to the text?
| A．To enjoy yourself to the full． |
| B．To enrich your resume. |
| C．To develop certain skills． |
| D．To improve your academic performance. |
What is the most practical activity to do during summer vacation?
| A．Getting a job． |
| B．Traveling overseas. |
| C．Doing volunteer work． |
| D．Attending classes. |
According to the text, “soup kitchens and animal shelters” .
| A．are places that you can travel to |
| B．might be included in summer courses |
| C．are recommended（推荐）as part-time jobs for the summer |
| D．can be good volunteer jobs |
Why is “taking classes” recommended in the article?
| A．It only takes a few hours a week． |
| B．It can enrich your career experience. |
| C．It can prepare you for further study． |
| D．It can raise your cultural awareness. |
As children enter their teens, they usually begin to pay more attention to their peers (同龄人) or friends．Peer pressure (压力) can be direct or indirect, but it is almost always present．Learning to deal with peer pressure makes a teen mature (成熟的), and able to get along well with others.
Bad peer pressure is when teens feel pressured to do something that they know is wrong, such as smoking, drinking, or drugs (毒品), and it can remain (保持) with them into adulthood．This is the main reason teens have to learn how to deal with it.
Some of the things you can do to deal with peer pressure include:
● Choose friends who share your values．Good friends use positive (正面的) peer pressure to help you be your best self.
● Keep away from situations where people are doing things you don’t want to do.
● Think about your reasons for doing things．Are they good reasons? Are you being true to yourself and your values?
● Practice ways of saying no, giving excuses if necessary.
● Talk to your parents, or other trusted adults, about the kinds of peer pressure you face, and listen to their advice.
● Let the adults know when you need help to get out of a bad situation, and don’t know what to do about it.
Remember that if just one teen stands up to (对抗) peer pressure, usually others will join him or her．Learning to deal with peer pressure will make you confident and mature.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Peer pressure includes direct and indirect pressure. |
| B．Peer pressure comes from smoking, drinking and using drugs. |
| C．Teens facing pressure can’t tell right from wrong. |
| D．Teens who face pressure are more mature than those who don’t |
Teens should learn to deal with peer pressure mainly because ______.
| A．it can keep them from making serious mistakes |
| B．it can influence them even when they have grown up |
| C．learning to deal with it can help them get along well with others |
| D．learning to deal with it can make them mature and confident |
According to the passage, teens should ______.
| A．stay away from people who don’t share their values |
| B．have good reasons for anything they do |
| C．say no more often than yes |
| D．ask adults they trust for help |
Which column(专栏) of a magazine may the passage be from?
| A．Social problem． | B．School news． |
| C．For teens． | D．Science. |
After an absence of thirty years, I decided to visit my old school again．I had expected to find changes, but not a completely different building．As I walked up the school drive, I wondered for a moment if I had come to the right address．The dirty red brick houses had been swept away．In its place stood a bright, modern block．A huge expanse of glass extended (延展) across the face of the building, and in front, there was a well-kept lawn (草坪) where previously there had been “an untidy gravel (沙石) yard”.
I was pleased to find that it was bread time and that the children were all in the playground．This would enable me to meet some members of staff(职员)．On entering the building, I was surprised to hear loud laughter coming from what appeared to be the masters’ common room．I could not help remembering the teachers in my time, all dressed in black gowns (长袍) and high collars (领子)．And above all, I recalled Mr Garston whom we had nicknamed “Mr Ghastly”, the headmaster who had iron discipline(纪律) on staff and pupils alike．I knocked at the common room door and was welcomed by a smiling young man who introduced himself to me as the headmaster．He was dressed casually in a sports jacket, and his cheerful manner, quickly dispelled (驱散) the image of Mr Ghastly．After I had explained who I was, the headmaster presented me to the teachers all of whom were a little younger than himself, and said he would take me round the school.
Here the biggest surprise of all was in store for (在等待)me．Gone were the heavy desks of old with their deeply carved names; gone too, were the dark classrooms with their ink stained, dark brown walls, and their raised platforms for the teachers．The rooms now were painted in bright colors, and the children, far from sitting straight in their places, seemed almost free to do as they liked．I looked with envy(嫉妒) as I remembered how, as a child, I had looked at the blackboard hardly daring to whisper to my neighbor.“Mr Ghastly” must be ______.
| A．the writer’s teacher |
| B．a serious old man |
| C．the strict headmaster |
| D．a naughty boy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．He had expected that the school had completely changed. |
| B．In the writer’s time, all the teachers were dressed in black gowns and high collars. |
| C．There was a well-kept lawn in their school when he visited it. |
| D．An untidy gravel yard had disappeared. |
From what is said in the passage, it seems clear that the writer ______.
| A．disapproved of all the changes that had taken place |
| B．felt sorry for the children in the school |
| C．was glad that the school was still the same |
| D．felt that conditions at the school had improved a lot |