Common public speaking problems

The use of "I feel", "I think" and "maybe"

In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like "I feel", "I guess", "I hear", "maybe" and "perhaps".

These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view.1.

Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point, 2.. Instead of the empty-sounding "I guess", using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

Using only one speaking style

Don't stick to the same tone.3.

For example, when they spoke about their dreams, some sounded romantic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

Irresponsible answers

Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words. 4.So you should think twice before you talk. Don't be like the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion.5.

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

C. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

D. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

G. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.

The Belief of a Teacher

When I say all children can learn, people sometimes misunderstand.

They think I am saying that_______you give a bright kid from a poor family good education, he can succeed. That's absolutely true, but that's not_______I mean.

I believe that all kids can learn, I believe it, I've seen it and I've even_______it.

Back in 1975 when I graduated, I worked for emotionally_______kids, kids that everyone—_______——their parents—had given up on.

What we would do was cook with the kids. These children didn't tell baking powder_______table salt, but_______they had eaten a warm biscuit, they wanted to learn how to make some more.

Suddenly, kids who couldn't focus were_______eyeballing ingredients（配料）as we measured them out, learning _______math and spelling lessons we could slip in along the way. By the end of the summer, I remember parents ________ when they saw the progress their children had ________.

Today I still remember the lesson they taught me: that if we, the adults, can find the right________for a child, there's hope for that child's education.

I don't accept excuses about kids not learning. That's________the kids with problems are not going to________start teaching themselves. We have to help them by finding out what________them and exploiting(利用) it shamelessly.

When I was growing up poor, I probably looked like I was heading ________. And I would have ended up dead or in jail________a couple of teachers. They________my fascination with reading and made sure I had great books________.

Because of that, I have devoted my life to the poorest communities _________making sure kids like me don't get written off.

(NPR's Tell Me More, November 6,2008.)

1.A. though B. if C. while D. unless

2.A. which B. where C. what D. that

3.A. tasted B. teased C. trusted D. tolerated

4.A. unexpected B. disturbed C. delighted D. unaffected

5.A. never B. always C. even D. ever

6.A. like B. in C. of D. from

7.A. once B. before C. until D. since

8.A. unwillingly B. carefully C. quickly D. strangely

9.A. interesting B. complex C. challenging D. simple

10.A. working out B. breaking down C. building up D. pulling up

11.A. made B. searched C. accepted D. provided

12.A. attention B. decision C. motivation D. determination

13.A. how B. when C. why D. because

14.A. relatively B. suddenly C. finally D. secretly

15.A. upsets B. inspects C. excites D. comforts

16.A. somewhere B. everywhere C. anywhere D. nowhere

17.A. but for B. because of C. regardless of D. except for

18.A. laughed B. shared C. equipped D. spotted

19.A. to read B. read C. reading D. being read

20.A. for B. or C. and D. but

High school students have defeated1.artificial intelligence device designed to pass the national college entrance exam, in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.

Forty-three students from liberal arts classes at Chengdu Shishitianfu High School joined the two-hour contest 2.(finish) a math test in the standard national entrance exam against the robot, the brainchild of four years' research by Zhun Xing Yun Xue Technology Co.Ltd.

Students scored 106 points3.average, outperforming the computer program that had 93 points. She Yujia, a student in the contest, said she felt like4.(fight) the program on behalf of humans, especially after Google's AlphaGo 5.(beat) professional Go player Lee Sedol of South Korea last year.

Researchers who developed the AI test taker, 6.is also part of a project by the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the failure was due to a poor understanding of concepts in some math problems.

Lin Hui, CEO of the developing company, said more efforts 7.(make) to fix bugs and improve performance of the program in the near future, with a focus on math 8.(apply).

Chinese students are usually separated into science and liberal arts classes at high school, a practice that allows them to stay 9.(compete) in the college entrance exam by choosing 10.(prefer) subjects. Math tests for liberal arts students are usually easier than those given to science students.

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Great changes have taken place in the way of communication in people's life in recent years.

In the past, people kept in touch with each other mainly by written letters or using the public telephone. But now almost everyone have his own mobile phone. People can communicate for each other almost at any place and at any time. What's more, people have easy access to the Internet, what enables them to send and receive e-mails whatever they like.

With this changes, people's pace of life has been quickened and people's work has been made more efficiently. It is used to take several days to hear of each other, but now it takes only several minutes, even if they are on two different continents. In word, people have an easier life nowadays.

假定你是李华，请用英文写一封申请，申请作为“志愿家庭”接待来你校交换学习的英国中学生Johnson，内容包括：

1.自我介绍；

2.家庭条件及个人优势；

3.安排英国朋友参加的活动。

注意：1.词数100左右；

2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3.参考词汇：host family（接待家庭）

Dear Sir or Madam,

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

As a teacher, you shouldn't _________ those students who behave badly in school. What you should do is help and love them.

A. look forward to B. look up to

C. look back on D. look down upon

It was _________he came back from Africa that year_________he met the girl he would like to marry.

A. when; then B. not; until

C. not until; that D. only; when

This journal is widely _________among teenagers in our country.

A. spread B. circulated

C. circled D. expands

_________they grow they make sure that what is left in the ground after harvesting_________a natural fertilizer for the next year’s crop.

A. Whatever; become B. Whichever; become

C. Whatever; becomes D. Whichever; becomes

This house is so big and beautiful. I think the rent must be _________as the other one.

A. three times as more B. three times as much

C. as much three times D. as three times more