For most people, public speaking is the most feared activity. According to a survey conducted among American students, it is considered a more common fear than loneliness or even death. While common advice may suggest that you should "just be yourself," this ＿（1） ＿ works. Therefore, drama schools recommend that the best strategy is to act. There are three main pieces of advice for effective public speaking. First, treat presenting as a ＿（2） ＿activity. Kate Walker Miles advises speakers not to stand with their legs locked straight, ＿（3） ＿is a posture that can reduce stability and increase nervousness**. Instead, slightly bending the knees provides better stability. ＿（4） ＿, vowel sounds play an important role. It helps to open the jaw more widely than we naturally tend to. Second, slow down the pace of your delivery. One helpful technique is called “finger-walking.” This involves walking your index and middle fingers across the table as you speak, taking a step only when you know what your next word or point will be. This practice helps ＿（5） ＿ during pauses. Third, avoid focusing too much on yourself. Instead, aim to connect emotionally with your audience. In conclusion, by applying these three acting techniques, public speaking may no longer feel so intimidating.
- (A) similarly (B)shortly (C)traditionally (D)rarely
- (A) physical (B)cultural (C)spiritual (D) psychological
- (A) what (B)which (C)what (D) that
- (A) However (B) Instead (C)Additionally (D) Therefore
- (A) eliminate (B)evaluate (C) forbid (D) combine
Reading comprehension
1 What is the passage mainly about?
(A) The physical and emotional benefits of acting in drama school.
(B) Techniques that can help people become better at public speaking.
(C) A comparison between public speaking and other common fears.
(D) The reasons why people fear public speaking more than death.
2 Why is it better to bend knees when speaking in public?
(A) It helps improve stability.
(B) It makes your posture more attractive.
(C) It helps you appear less nervous.
(D) It draws more attention from the audience.
3 Which of the following statements is NOT true?
(A) Some people fear public speaking more than death.
(B) Drama schools suggest acting as a way to improve public speaking.
(C) Finger-walking is used to help speakers avoid using filler sounds.
(D) Focusing on yourself can help you feel more confident while speaking.
Answer: 1-3 BAD
4 Please fill in the blanks with the correct words and make grammatical changes if necessary.
One common piece of __________ is to "be yourself," but this rarely __________ when it comes to public speaking.
Answer: advice；works
5 Which word in the passage refers to sounds like "um","ah" or "like" that people often use when pausing during speech?
Answer: filler sounds
