IMAGINE that you are in school, giving a speech to your class.
Now think what it feels like when stammering(口吃)makes it a struggle to communicate your thoughts and feelings to other people.
The King’s Speech, which won the best picture at
the Academy Awards, highlights(突出) stammering along with other speech-related problems. The movie tells the story of Britain’s King George Ⅵ, who became king after his brother Edward Ⅷ gave up the crown to marry an American woman.
As a result of British actor Colin Firth’s performance, people are starting to realize that stammering can damage a person’s self-confidence and cause him/her to escape from life.
“The problem is unseen and unheard,” said Norbert Lieckfeldt, an expert at the British Stammering Association, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.
“Stammering masks(遮盖) your ability,” he said, “It's a serious disability(残疾).”
Most stammerers face bullying(欺负) in school, something that is “usually carried over into the workplace”.
George Ⅵ’s stammer took away his confidence as a speaker. But Samantha Mesango, a speech coach based in the UK, believes that speech problems are more common than most people realize. “Some simply don't like the sound of their own voice; others are scared of speaking in public,” she said.
Travis Treats from Saint Louis University’s department of communication sciences in the US, praised The King’s Speech. He said it shows that “how one’s speech does not mean what one is inside”.
He also added that people who stammer need to be heard and our society should recognize that they have a lot to give to the world.
1. What is the point of the first two paragraphs?
A. To tell readers about speech speaking.
B. To show how harmful a stammer is.
C. To draw the attention of readers to the problem of a stammer.
D. To show how a stammer makes a person popular
2. According to the article, King George Ⅵ _____.
A. was a hero during World War Ⅱ
B. took the place of his brother
C. married a divorced American woman
D. was a failure because of his stammer
3. What is Norbert Lieckfeldt’s view of the challenge of a stammer?
A. A stammer can destroy a person’s self-confidence.
B. A stammer is a serious problem for many people but it is often ignored.
C. People who stammer need to have their own voice.
D. People who stammer do better in work than in school.
Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times, but I could hardly claim to know my way around, the continent. , my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.
I . How would I, unable to speak the language, familiar with local geography or transportation systems, conduct interviews and do
research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable I sat down to write a letter rejecting the . Halfway through, a
ran through my mind: you can't learn if you don't try. So I the assignment.
There were some bad . But by the time I finished the trip, I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most places, without guides or advance bookings, confident that somehow I will .
The point is that the new, the different, is almost by definition . But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning , the world opens to you.
I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a(n) . And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept worry as another name for and I believe I can wonders.
1. A. aboardB. abroad
C. awayD. out
2.A. claimB. declare
C. hopeD. deny
3. A. SomehowB. However
C. InsteadD. Moreover
4.A. accustomedB. added
C. limitedD. suited
5.A. resignedB. hesitated
C. trembledD. suspected
6. A. only tooB. more than
C. apart fromD. far from
7. A. operationsB. experiments
C. researchD. business
8. A. regretB. doubt
C. terrorD. disappointment
9. A. requestB. job
C. trustD. assignment
10. A. reactionB. thought
C. meaningD. conflict
11. A. accomplishedB. received
C. acceptedD. resisted
12. A. exchangesB. conditions
C. tripsD. experiences
13. A. remoteB. accessible
C. interestingD. crowded
14. A. stillB. everC. evenD. yet
15. A. doB. manageC. makeD. fit
16. A. astonishingB. frightening
C. fascinatingD. exciting
17.A. comes upB. shows up
C. piles upD. steps up
18. A. airportB. motorboat
C. surfboardD. balloon
19. A. goalB. opportunity
C. struggleD. challenge
20. A. workB. own
C. winD. achieve
I find it absolutely _______ that you didn’t like it.
A. astonishedB. astonishing
C. to astonishD. being astonished
—Excuse me, could you tell me where I could make a call?
—Sorry, I’m a stranger here.
—_______.
A. Thanks a lotB. Thanks anyway
C. That’s a pityD. I’m sorry to hear that
(2012·九江高二检测) The aim of the project is to encourage students to _______ new ideas on networks.
A. figure outB. let out
C. try outD. make out
The US military is in _______ control of the entire region.
A. reasonableB. complex
C. effectiveD. sharp