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{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 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{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, when they spoke about their dreams some sounded romatic. 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{#blank#}4{#/blank#}So you should think twice before you talk. Don't belike 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{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Moving abroad cab be a challenging experience. You leave your family, friends and everything you know behind. You enter a new culture where the customs and sometimes the language are different.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's a time to discover new things, make new friends and begin a new adventure.

    So what are the best ways to involve yourself in the new culture while living abroad?

    Live with a native speaker

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} First, you have a friend! Living alone can be a lonely experience, especially if you're far from home. I've also had the opportunity to meet my housemate's friends and socialize with them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In addition, you have someone to tell you about the cultural customs and interesting places in this area.

    Volunteer

    Volunteering is a great way to meet people of different ages in your local area. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This is a insightful(具有洞察力的)experience and speaking with homeless people about their life stories is improving my French vocabulary and understanding. I am also able to form relationships with people that I may not have met otherwise.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    The food in France is amazing and discovering new food is a fun experience. I've tried things that I've never tried before. My knowledge of the different bread and cheese types has grown greatly.

A.Try the local food

B.But it's also exciting

C. I currently cook French food for myself

D.You can speak the local language every day

E.Improve my French vocabularyand understanding

F.There are many advantages to living with a native speaker

G.I currently volunteer with homeless people through my local church

    Each of our experiences impacts us, either in a positive way or a negative way. Negative experiences can leave us in trouble and make us upset. However, positive experiences can greatly improve our daily motivation.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some ways to increase your daily motivation and you can achieve so much more in your life:

    Having goals is vital. They are the key motivator that drives you to succeed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Important and meaningful goals motivate you to take inspired action toward achieving what you desire and keep you focused and driven when you come across challenges and difficulties.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Breaking a goal down into small steps will prevent you becoming overwhelmed and help maintain a positive attitude to keep you moving forward.

    Life at times will be hard, but you should remember that these hard times are temporary.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Have daily inspiration to live life to the full and achieve all you can. A desire and motivation to live life to the full is the least you can give in return.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Your dreams and goals will never be realized unless you acquire a continuous drive and daily motivation to take inspired action that keeps you moving forward.

A. Your mind is extremely powerful.

B. Good times are always just around the corner for you.

C. They help us achieve our goals and become better people.

D.A life without goals is like a boat without a compass moving aimlessly.

E. Feed your mind with positive thoughts and you will gain whatever you want.

F. After setting a goal, you must take small progressive steps toward achieving it.

G. If you want to achieve more in life, you have to do whatever you can do to make it happen.

    Getting your children to study can be a little like getting them to eat their vegetables.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make a study time and have it at the same time every day. This will help your kids to learn to schedule their day and will give them a sense of control over how they spend their time.

    Allow them to study in blocks of time，such as for half an hour with a five-minute break in the middle{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ideal (理想的) study times are after dinner or right after school before dinner.

    Never allow your children to study in front of the television，as that will encourage passive activity.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You'll also need to help your kids find the right place to study. After you've set up a good study time for little learners，set up a good place where they can get those creative juices flowing.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Make sure there is a table or a desk and a comfortable chair.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}This includes helping them out with their homework sometimes and being there for them with the answers to any questions. The input you give your children during study periods will help form a bond and help make studying enjoyable.

A. Pick a place where your children can study properly.

B. Hold them to the schedule they create for themselves.

C. Finally, spend time with your kids when they're studying.

D. Keep the atmosphere light and offer lots of encouragement, too.

E. Instead, use TV as a treat or a reward when the homework is completed.

F. Try to stop this bad habit by offering some sort of reward.

G. One of the best ways to form good study habits for your kids is to design a schedule that they keep to.

    Learning how to use new words well will make it easier to learn a language and make you more knowledgeable.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. If you are committed to building your vocabulary, set a goal for yourself. Try to learn three new words a day and use them in your speech and writing. With great efforts, you can learn several thousand new words that you will remember and use.

    Write more. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Actively exercising your writing muscles will keep your vocabulary strong. Write letters to old friends and use lots of specific details. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. If you typically avoid composing memos or writing group emails or participating in group discussions, change your habits and write more. You might as well get paid while you are building your vocabulary.

    Use flash cards or post-it notes around your house. If you're going to make a habit of learning new words, try some simple memorization techniques. Hang post-its with the definition of a particular word you hope to memorize above the coffee maker, so you can study it while making your morning cup. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Even if you're watching TV or doing other activities, keep some flash cards with you and study your new words.

    Use accurate adjectives and precise nouns. The best writers aim to keep it short and accurate. Get out the dictionaries and use the most accurate words possible in your sentences. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. A word is a useful addition to your vocabulary if it reduces the number of the words in a sentence.

    Why Ultra-pure(超高纯的)Water Is Actually Bad for Your Health Many people are surprised to hear that drinking purified water on a regular, daily basis is actually dangerous. So why is 100% ultra-pure water not good for us? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There is no such thing as truly pure water in the natural world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When these minerals dissolve(溶解)in water, they form what we commonly refer to as electrolytes(电解质).They allow us to perform all the "bioelectrical" functions such as moving, heart-beating, thinking, and seeing.

    But pure water fails to provide these fundamental electrolytes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can think of it this way: imagine a room with no gravity, split in half down the middle. You throw a couple hundred balls into the left side of the room. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But if you cut a bunch of holes in the barrier, they will slowly start to spread over to the right side. Eventually, they will be evenly distributed across the entire room.

    The water in your organs stays at very specific levels of minerals. When you drink ultra-purified water, it pulls the minerals out of your blood just like the right side of the space room pulled some of the bouncy balls over from the left. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Purified water can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of purified water is a bad idea.

A.Purified water is an active absorber.

B.Since there's no gravity, they bounce around everywhere.

C.It actually tries to rob your body of them when you drink it.

D.Even water in the purest lakes contains small amounts of minerals.

E.If you drank enough of it, the lack of minerals would eventually kill you.

F.The simple answer is that ultra-pure water doesn't provide the natural minerals we need.

G.This is why materials tend to move from more concentrated areas to less concentrated ones.