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.

    Have you heard of the story of The Legend of White Snake (《白蛇传》)? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's a love story between White Snake and Xu Xian. It has a connection (联系) with the Dragon Boat Festival in China.

    Once upon a time, there were two snakes, White Snake and Green Snake. They had magical powers and turned into two beautiful young ladies. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} White Snake quickly fell in love with him. They got married soon and lived happily.

    The Dragon Boat Festival came. On that day, people drank realgar wine (雄黄酒). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If she drank the wine, she would turn into the snake again. However, Xu Xian didn't know anything about it, so he asked his wife to drink realgar wine. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When Xu Xian entered the room, he couldn't find his wife. He only saw a huge white snake on the bed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Later, White Snake recovered (恢复). In order to save her husband, she went to steal the magical herb (药草). In the end, the god was so moved by her true love that he saved Xu Xian. What a moving love story!

    As we all know, the "rice bowl" culture of China has influenced some Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam since we started to use chopsticks while eating food.

    Chopsticks are usually two long thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. ⑴The most important thing is that chopsticks are a great invention in China.

    Five thousand years ago people usually cooked their food in large pots, using twigs (小树枝) to remove it.   ⑵    the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces. ⑷Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs by people. And twigs were gradually changed into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the famous scholar Confucius living from about 551 BC to 479 BC pushed the development of chopsticks. Confucius believed that using chopsticks instead of knives would remind people to stay away from killing and violence at table.

    We enjoy our delicious food with our family members or friends while feeling the peaceful and people-loving world by using chopsticks at table anytime.

    Tom went to a beautiful beach on Monday with his friends on vacation. It was sunny and hot. ①So they had great fun playing in the water. In the afternoon, they went shopping. But the shops were crowded, they didn't really enjoy it.

    The next day, it was rainy, so he went to a museum. It was boring. Tom found a small boy crying in the corner. The boy was lost. He helped the boy find his father. Tom was very happy. ②But the had no money for a taxi. So he had to walk back to the hotel. That made him very tired.

On Wednesday, the weather was very cool. So he played tennis. He played all morning. It was really fun.

    As a mother of three young girls, Alison Cowan worried about her daughters growing up too fast. From asking for the latest toy to wanting to wear make-up, it seemed to Alison and her husband. Alan, that their children were never satisfied with what they had.

    The girls would ask for a toy, but would lose interest in it as soon as their friends had something new. Birthday parties were no longer just a few party games and blowing up balloons. All the parents seemed to invite professional performers and compete over who could give the most expensive party bag. At just seven years old, Amy and her friends were paying more and more attention to their appearance. It was a feeling that many parents would have.

    However, few would dream of leaving a comfortable family life and a comfortable house to move their family 3. 000 miles away to Africa in search of a simpler life. But last June, Alison and her husband, Alan, moved with their daughters to Kampala in Uganda, to show them a different lifestyle.

    For almost a year, the girls play in the red, dusty streets with local children and visit markets to buy fresh fish and vegetables for dinner. They have been able to play and use their imagination away from the distractions(分心) of the consumer-driven society. Now, instead of competing over who has won a computer game, the girls think about things like the frequent water shortages and electricity cuts in certain areas. "At times, we've been without water for five days. The girls always accept it, though. Their world before had been so small, but now they understand 93."

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