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.

1.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.

2.How many tips does the author offer in this text?

A．9.               B．10.               C．11.              D．12.

3.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

4.This text is most probably written for ________.

A．English beginners                       B．native English speakers

C．English teachers                        D．language experts

 

补全对话：_k.&s~5*u

—Hello. Can I speak to Wu Ming please？

    —________

    —Hello，Wu Ming. This is Wang Hong. Sorry to ring you so late in the evening，but I’ve only just got home.

    —_______  What’s the news？

    —I‘d like to ask you about some stamps. Do you still have the cock year stamp？You had it when I last saw you.

    —I‘m afraid I don’t have it. I sold it last week.

    —________

    —I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted it. ________

    —Yes，please. Thank you. It’s very kind of you.

    —________

    —Thank you very much.

    —Bye-bye.

    A. Do you like collecting stamps so much？

    B. That’s all right.

    C. Sorry，Wu Ming is out.

    D. Do you want me to find one for you？

    E. Oh，what a pity！

    F. Yes，speaking.

G. OK，I’ll ring you if I have any news.

完形填空

　　Every summer, a great many students travel to other countries looking for work and adventure. Most of the 1 are in seasonal work, mainly connected with tourism and 2 . The pay is usually poor, but most people work abroad for the 3 of travel. You can pick grapes in France, entertain kids on American summer camps, and, of course, there are 4 jobs in hotels and restaurants.

　　But it is not easy now to find work.“ 5 you speak the language of the country well, there will be very few openings,”says Anthea Ellis, an adviser on 6 for students. If you work with a family in Italy, you'll have to speak Italian. When you wash dishes in a restaurant in Paris, the owner will expect you to speak 7 . British students only have a language advantage 8 jobs in the USA and Australia. 9 Enjoys the experience. Sarah James was employed to help forty American children in Europe. The two teachers with the children had never been 10 . One child lost his passport another became seriously ill and was 11 home; the whole group was thrown out of one hotel because of the 12 they made, and Sarah herself was robbed on her only 13 evening of the entire trip.“I did visit a lot of new places,”she says,“but it wasn't worth it. The pay was 14 and it really was a 24-hour a day job. The kids never slept!”

　　“The trouble is, students except to have 15 time of it,”Anthea Ellis points out.“ 16 , they see it as a holiday. In practice 17 you have to work hard. At the same time, all vacation work is casual work. You'll have a job when the hotel, the restaurant, or the campsite is busy. 18 , you'll work if it's convenient for the company that employs you. But you have 19 employment rights. As soon as the holiday season 20 they'll get rid of you.”

1．

[　　]

A．work　　　　　　B．luck

C．chances　　　　　D．services

2．

[　　]

A．agriculture　　　B．industry

C．hotels　　　　　D．restaurant

3．

[　　]

A．pains　　　　　B．comfort

C．difficulty　　　D．excitement

4．

[　　]

A．always　　　　　B．hardly

C．never　　　　　 D．seldom

5．

[　　]

A．If　　　　　　　B．Unless

C．Because　　　　 D．Although

6．

[　　]

A．health care　　　 B．vacation work

C．language studies　D．tourist safety

7．

[　　]

A．Italian　　　　　B．English

C．French　　　　　D．Spanish

8．

[　　]

A．of　　　　　　　B．on

C．from　　　　　　D．for

9．

[　　]

A．No one　　　　　B．None

C．Not everyone　　D．Everybody

10．

[　　]

A．abroad　　　　　B．employed

C．alone　　　　　 D．respected

11．

[　　]

A．driven　　　　　B．ridden

C．left　　　　　　D．flown

12．

[　　]

A．friends　　　　B．decision

C．noise　　　　　D．damage

13．

[　　]

A．busy　　　　　　B．free

C．tiring　　　　　 D．pleasant

14．

[　　]

A．nice　　　　　　B．reasonable

C．fair　　　　　　D．poor

15．

[　　]

A．a hard　　　　　B．an easy

C．a demanding　　 D．an adventurous

16．

[　　]

A．After all　　　 B．Worse still

C．However　　　D．Therefore

17．

[　　]

A．besides　　　　B．altogether

C．though　　　　D．until

18．

[　　]

A．In a word　　　　B．In other words

C．And what's more　D．More or less

19．

[　　]

A．few　　　　　　 B．little

C．many　　　　　　D．much

20．

[　　]

A．starts　　　　　 B．lasts

C．goes　　　　　　D．finishes

Friends play an important role in our lives, and although we can’t be more familiar with the fact of friendship, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends, especially with Americans. Here are some pieces of advice on making friends with Americans:
　　1. Visiting places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, restaurants, parks and sports clubs.
　　2. Be willing to take the first step. Don’t wait for them to get close to you. Americans in China may not know you speak English. They may be uncomfortable if they can’t speak your language.
　3. Use small talks to open the conversation. Ask them where they’re from, why they come to China, etc. . Remember: Be careful not to ask personal questions about age, salary and so on.
　　4. Show an interest in their culture, their country or their job. Americans like to talk about themselves!
　　5. Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific(明确的)time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Let’s go out for dinner sometime. ”Often this is just a way to be friendly. It is not always a real invitation.
　　6. Don’t expect too much at first. Maybe they’re being friendly. But maybe they want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell.
【小题1】According to the text, Americans like to visit the following places except＿＿＿＿.

A．shopping centers	B．parks
C．sports clubs	D．churches

【小题2】What should you say when meeting an American for the first time?

A．What’s your age?

B．How much do you get in a month?

C．Nice to meet you! Are you from America?

D．Let’s get together sometime. I want to ask you some questions.

【小题3】What is mainly discussed in the text?

A．It’s very important to be a good friend of an American.

B．Some advice on how to make friends with Americans.

C．Something about the friendship in America.

D．Friendship is the most important in our life.

【小题4】Which is the best way to make friends with an American?

A．To ask him if he is willing to make friends with you.

B．To spend a long time learning about him.

C．To wait until he tells you his thoughts.

D．To ask him to join you for dinner.