Making a public speech is the thing that most people don't want to do. The reason is that we are all afraid of making mistakes in front of others. The more important the speech is, the more frightened we will be. But forget it now. Public speaking is easy. It's just a simple talking, Although I'm a shy man, I've been making speeches and talking on radio and television for more than 30 years. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some of the lessons I have learned:

    Keep your speech simple. Your audience can't take all of your main ideas, and they can only remember one or two of them, not ten or twenty. So you should prepare one or two of your main ideas very well. But if you can't express what you want to say, then your speech will not be paid attention to. And if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, your audience won't, either.

    Organize your speech well. No matter how long or short your speech is, you have to organize your speech—how you are going to open or begin, what main points you want to make and how you're going to close or end. A strong close is usually very important and critical(关键的): the last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. If not, they will be confused.

    Keep your speech not long. The standard (标准的) length of a speech is usually 12 minutes. Most people can't put their minds in one thing for too long time, which will make them tired and lose their interest. If you pay no attention to your audience's reaction(反应)，the audience will get bored. Of course, your speech will fail.

    Following these suggestions above, you can make a good speech in public, and you will be an excellent speaker, I think.

    How do you feel when you go to a birthday party? What about making a speech in front of the class? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you think you are too shy and want to be a little braver, try the following. You can make it!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There is no need to hide(隐藏) it. When they get to know you're a shy kid, they'll understand you better. This also helps you feel more at ease(自在) in talks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to. Remember that other people have feelings, too. And most people will stay away from an angry- looking person.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    If you find it hard to start talks, say something nice about people around you. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Think more about ways to enjoy the party or the game. Don't waste( 浪费) time worrying about your looks or whether people like you or not.

A. Hobbies: reading, listening to music and watching birds
    Purpose: asking for spare copies of textbooks, teaching materials or journals

B. Hobbies: reading, singing and traveling
    Purpose: learning about ideas of teaching professionals in the world

C. Hobbies! Role-playing, listening to music and collecting nice things
    Purpose: communicating with new friends among English teachers from the UK and USA

D. Hobbies: reading, and exchanging fancy gifts and ideas about local customs and conventions
    Purpose: exchanging ideas on teaching methods

E.  Hobbies: listening to western pop music, exchanging gifts and collecting things
    Purpose: making friends with both teachers and the students of English around the world

F. Hobbies: swimming, cycling and raising cats and dogs
   Purpose: finding pen friends all over the world and communicating in English

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Dear Editor,

    I am a secondary school teacher of English. I would like to have pen friends all over the world for my students. They are aged 15~19 and good at swimming, cycling and rising cats and dogs. If students in your country are interested in communicating with Turkish students in English, please tell them to write to my address. so that I can send their letters to my students who are willing to have friends and are in need of practice.

    Ms. Imbat

    81030, Istanbul Turkey

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Dear Editor,

    I am interested in talking with other TEFL teachers and researchers about professional development. I would like to share ideas with those teachers from English-speaking countries throughout the world. My hobbies are reading, listening to music and watching birds. Since I live in a rather isolated area, I would appreciate any spare copies if text books, teaching materials or journals that other teachers would be able to send me. .

    Ms. Juliana Sirait

    21214, Kisaran Indonesia

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Dear Editor,

    I am a 33-year-old secondary school teacher of English in Hungary. I would like to make new friends among English teachers mainly from English, the USA, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. I am interested in role-playing and team work. I would also like to communicate with teachers all over the world with the same hobbies as mine: collecting nice things, listening to music, reading and traveling.

    Mariann Nyari

    6724, Szeged, Tavaszl／B Hungary 21214, Kisaran Indonesia

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Dear Editor,

     I am a 23-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer teaching secondary English in Equatorial Guinea. This is my first experience teaching formally, so I would like to know some of the ideas of all you professionals Out there in the world. Letters do not have to be all business. When the school day ends. I would enjoy hearing from you. I enjoy reading, singing, traveling and so on.

    Kury W. Cobham

    Ap Box 456 Equatorial Guinea

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Dear Editor,

    I'm a 30-year-old teacher of English at a middle school. I'd be happy to make friends with both teachers and students of English around the world. I also wish to find pen friends for my students between 13 and 20 years old. My interests are letter writing, listening to western pop music, exchanging gifts, and collecting stamps, maps, picture postcards and coins.

    Mrs. Thevachandra

    47／1, Kalm Unai Sri Lanka

    Volunteering is fun and rewarding(有益的), but if you want to be a good volunteer, you need to learn more.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be well-trained. Know what you're doing as a volunteer. If you need to learn about your job. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you're good at your job, it will be easier to help others.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Work as part of a team and make sure everyone works together and shares the work. If someone asked for help, just give a hand. If you need some help, ask politely for it.

    Be understanding.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be friendly. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}To be a volunteer, you might meet new people who want to make friends with. You might just meet someone who becomes a friend for the rest of your life.

    It was Saturday again. Grace and Karen disliked, Saturdays. Unlike their classmates, they had to get up early at seven every Saturday to prepare for their lessons. Grace had to attend the drawing lesson and Karen had to attend her ballet lesson. "How I wish I could do something different today," said the twins with one voice. All at once, an idea came to Grace and Karen at the same time. "Do you want to be me for a day?" they asked each other. It seemed like a wonderful plan to them. After giving each other a description of their own friends, Grace put on Karen's ballet dress while Karen put Grace's brushes and paints into her bag. Then they left for their classes.

    When the drawing lesson started, Karen was lost. Unlike Grace, Karen was poor at drawing. When the drawing lesson finally ended, Karen didn't dare to hand in her work.

    Meanwhile, Grace was struggling in the ballet class as well. As she had no idea about the dance steps, she had to follow her classmates blindly. As a result, she kept knocking into them. Their ballet teacher became impatient with her, "Karen, you should remember the basic steps. You can't rely on copying what others are doing."

    When Karen and Grace got home, they were tired out. They decided that they would never try to be someone else they were not. It seemed that the grass was not always greener on the other side.