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.

    My sister Alli and I have been trying to get people to stop dropping cigarette butts (烟蒂) for seven years.

    One day, we were walking in our hometown and saw hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    They made the town look so ugly that we decided to start a group to make people stop dropping butts. We called it "No Butts About It!"

    At first, we drew pictures with "The Earth Is Not Your Ashtray (烟灰缸) " written on them. We put the pictures around our hometown--in parks, by beaches, and along roads.

    We wanted to make people understand that dropping butts does harm to the environment. Most smokers don't think that dropping butts harms the earth.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Later, we wrote to companies and asked them for money to help us. We used the money to buy ashtrays to give smokers.

    We wanted smokers to carry the ashtrays with them so they didn't have to drop butts.

    At the moment, we are trying to get cigarette companies to put an ashtray in each pack of cigarettes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Many people have started to join our group since it began.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And there are even groups in England, Australia and India !

    Many newspapers have written about my sister and I over the last seven years. And we have won many prizes for our good work.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}We just want to make the earth a better and cleaner place for animals, plants and people.

    One day it will be.

A. My sister and I set up a "No Butts About It" group.

B. But we are not interested in prizes.

C. Today there are 45 other "No Butts About It" groups in America.

D. They made the ground dirty.

E. But it does! All rubbish does.

F. Many smokers like to drop butts here and there.

G. Some companies would like to do it.

Dear Alan,

    Guess what? I have a chance to choose my new place to live! I'm excited and a little nervous. Could you please give me some help?

    I'm not sure whether I should live in a house or in an apartment. On one hand, a house will be too big for just one person, so maybe I should rent an apartment. On the other hand, if I rent a house, I could find someone else to share with me. The only problem is that a house full of people might be too noisy for me. I prefer to have my own space. The city has some nice apartments, but they are also too expensive. However, if I could find a two-bedroom apartment and get a roommate, that would make it more affordable. I just need to search for a roommate who is neat and quiet. You know I can't live with someone who is loud and messy. I don't have a car, so I also need to think carefully about the location. I probably need to look for somewhere near a bus stop or an underground station. That way I will have more time to study and spend less time travelling.

    I'm looking forward to your reply.

Love,

Victor

    This teenager can be a good boy and his mum's very happy with him

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} He goes to school, does his homework, meets his friends and enjoys playing sports. But between 5: 30 and 6: 30 from Monday to Friday, Tom does something different. He cooks dinner for all the family: mum, dad, younger brother Joe and elder sister Emma.

    "{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Maths and English are important, of course, but they need other skill to help them in today's world. First I taught Tom how to cook easy meals like pizza or egg and chips. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Yesterday he made vegetable soup. It was good!

    We all liked it very much. "Toms mum says

    "I love cooking and I think I'm really good at it.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} I don't know why, it isn't difficult and it's great fun! "Tom says

    In the past, Tom didn't help out at home and his mum wasn't pleased with him.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    When you are in a group with good classmates, it can be very good for you. You should always be prepared when going to school, but there are days when you forget a pencil or a notebook. You can then borrow one from your classmate. If you're having trouble understanding a certain question, classmates can be quite helpful. Having a difficult math problem explained to you by a fellow student will be much easier than asking your teacher, because your teacher can't be always with you. Some teachers will not tell you homework if you've missed a class. Having a classmate who will let you review his note can help you a lot in a situation like this. If you happen to have a classmate who lives nearby, you might be able to carpool (拼车) to and from school. Not only will this save some money, but also it will help protect the environment as well. Students who enjoy their surroundings and get along well with their fellow classmates are usually much happier than those who are not.

    Every student spends lots of time studying and almost everyone would like their study to be more efficient (高效的). Here are two ways to help you manage your time better when studying.

Your study environment

    Watching TV while studying is a bad idea and makes your study ineffective (无效的). So you'd better turn off the TV while you're studying. Some students like listening to music while studying. Music is OK, but whether it helps or hurts depends on whether it can keep your mind at peace. Make sure that any music you listen to is actually helping you study, but not drawing your attention away. Good lighting and temperature are necessary, too. When it's too hot or too cold, it will be harder for you to give all your attention to what you are working on.

    Full attention for at least 40 minutes at a time

    One of the most important things you can do to study efficiently is to give all the attention to your study for at least 40 minutes at a time. Don't let anything else draw your attention away from the study during the period. Then have a rest and relax. Don't study for too long a time because your brain gets tired and it needs a rest.

    If you choose these ways, you will make an improvement in how you manage your time for study.