阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Learning English used
to be about developing four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
After all, that's {#blank#}1{#/blank#}
the exams are designed—with four skills
tested separately.
But over
the years, educators have come {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (realize) that these four skills should
never have been separated, but practiced all at once. And the best way to do
that is, perhaps, through public speaking.
According
to Mei Deming, a professor of English at Shanghai International Studies
University, giving a speech in an international language {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (require)a
speaker to integrate (使成为一体)
knowledge and content {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (mental)and express the result
systematically. Speakers must draw on the beauty of the language as a whole in
order to communicate with an audience.
This is
why the annual China Daily "21st Century Cup" National English
Speaking Competition has been gaining in popularity since it began in 1996. "This
competition has worked {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a model for developing students'
public-speaking skills in English and provided ideas for English teaching in
schools and in learning in a broader sense," said Mei.
Shi
Guohua, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}
English teacher at Shanghai Qibao High School, held a similar view. He said
that key competence in acquiring English today comes from the ability to
express oneself rather than in simply passing exams.
He also {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (stress)
that communication should go both ways since traditional English speaking
education has focused too much on getting messages out while {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (ignore)the
receiver of these messages—the audience. "It's
important to understand the audience and build the link between the content
being delivered and the interests of the audience," he said. "It's
also important to create an impressive opening to a speech."
As China
continues to play an important role in global conversations, there will be more
{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (chance)
for young Chinese people to present China and tell attracting stories. And in
order to tell Chinese stories {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (well), we first need to develop a more
overall English skill. Working on public speaking is, perhaps, the place to
start.
