You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention (民主党全国会议). It was a great speech — poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. There are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in a straightforward, natural way.
Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer – his two memoirs (回忆录) have become best sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use languages to have a powerful influence on his audience. A famous American musician even turned one of Obama’s early speeches into a song during the election campaign.
Secret weapons of Obama
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. Then listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Make fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.
Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written and just right for each occasion.
【小题1】The third and fourth paragraph mainly talk about _______.

A．why Obama’s speeches are praised

B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability

C．what subjects Obama’s speeches are about

D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

【小题2】What do we know about Obama’s writing team according to the passage?

A．They always seek advice from the ordinary people.

B．They analyze the speeches given by former US Presidents.

C．They usually have to finish writing a speech in a short time.

D．They try not to mention Obama’s past mistakes in the speeches.

【小题3】When delivering a speech, Obama __________.

A．usually starts with some famous saying

B．sometimes turns his speech into a song

C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience

D．is very strict most of the time

【小题4】What’s the author’s attitude towards Obama’s speeches?

A．negative

B．indifferent(漠不关心的)

C．positive

D．doubtful

You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention (民主党全国会议). It was a great speech — poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.

Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. There are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in a straightforward, natural way.

Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer – his two memoirs (回忆录) have become best sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.

As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use languages to have a powerful influence on his audience. A famous American musician even turned one of Obama’s early speeches into a song during the election campaign.

Secret weapons of Obama

Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. Then listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.

Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.

Make fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.

Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written and just right for each occasion.

1.The third and fourth paragraph mainly talk about _______.

A．why Obama’s speeches are praised

B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability

C．what subjects Obama’s speeches are about

D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

2.What do we know about Obama’s writing team according to the passage?

A．They always seek advice from the ordinary people.

B．They analyze the speeches given by former US Presidents.

C．They usually have to finish writing a speech in a short time.

D．They try not to mention Obama’s past mistakes in the speeches.

3.When delivering a speech, Obama __________.

A．usually starts with some famous saying

B．sometimes turns his speech into a song

C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience

D．is very strict most of the time

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards Obama’s speeches?

A．negative

B．indifferent(漠不关心的)

C．positive

D．doubtful

 

To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write．Lenin and his wife Krupskaya translated a long English book into Russian．But when they went to England in 1980, English people couldn’t understand what was said to them．These days more foreigners are coming to China and more and more Chinese are going out to foreign countries to work or study．So the spoken language is becoming more and more important．

Speaking, of course, can’t go without listening．If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly．The sounds of the Chinese and English language are not exactly the same．If you don’t listen carefully, you’ll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers．

Well, what about writing? Like speaking, it’s to exchange ideas．People generally use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing．The important thing is to make your idea in your head and then to write it in clear lively language．

Chinese students read far too slowly．If you read fast, you understand better．If you read too slowly, by the time you have reached the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about．When you meet with new words, don’t look them up in the dictionary．Guess the meaning from the context．You may not guess quite correctly the first time, but as new words come up again and again in different contexts, their meaning will become clearer and clearer．If you look up every word, you’ll never finish a book．

Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they’re studying．They should study these subjects in the foreign language, not only in translation．In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time．

1．How many points are there in the passage?           ．

A．Two                    B．Three                C．Four                    D．Five

2．In his first point the writer told us        ．

A．how to speak English               B．how to read and write

C．why spoken English is important     D．why English people couldn’t understand Lenin

3．In his last point the writer advised us        ．

A．to kill two birds with one stone

B．to learn two languages at a time

C．to study all the subjects in a foreign language

D．to get some knowledge of the foreign country whose language you are studying．

4．In the fourth paragraph the writer gave some advice on        ．

A．how to read faster            

B．how to guess the meaning from the context

C．how to look up new words in the dictionary

D．how to grasp the general meaning of a passage

5．“To kill two birds with on stone” means        ．

A．to get some particular knowledge                B．to get more than what one pays

C．the stone is too big                           D．the birds are blind enough

To master a language，one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write．Lenin and his wife Krupskaya translated a long English book into Russian．But when they went to England in 1890, English people couldn’t understand what was said to them．These days more foreigners are coming to China and more and more Chinese are going out to foreign countries to work or study．So the spoken language is becoming more and more important．

Speaking, of course, can’t go without listening．If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly．The sounds of the Chinese and English language are not exactly the same．If you don’t listen carefully, you’ll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers．

Well, what about writing? Like speaking, it’s to exchange ideas．People generally use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing．The important thing is to make your idea in your head and then to write it in clear lively language．

Chinese students read far too slowly．If you read fast, you understand better．If you read too slowly, by the time you have reached the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about．When you meet with new words, don’t look them up in the dictionary．Guess the meaning from the context．You may not guess quite correctly the first time, but as new words come up again and again in different contexts, their meaning will become clearer and clearer．If you look up every word, you’ll never finish a book．

Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they’re studying．They should study these subjects in the foreign language, not only in translation．In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time．

1．How many points are there in the passage?           ．

A．Two                B．Three          C．Four                  D．Five

2．In his first point the writer told us        ．

A．how to speak English              

B．how to read and write

C．why spoken English is important   

D．why English people couldn’t understand Lenin

3．In his last point the writer advised us        ．

A．to kill two birds with one stone

B．to learn two languages at a time

C．to study all the subjects in a foreign language

D．to get some knowledge of the foreign country whose language you are studying．

4．In the fourth paragraph , the writer gave some advice on        ．

A．how to read faster                  

B．how to guess the meaning from the context

C．how to look up new words in the dictionary

D．how to grasp the general meaning of a passage

5．“To kill two birds with one stone” means        ．

A．to get some particular knowledge         B．to get more than what one pays

C．the stone is too big                    D．the birds are blind enough