单选题 We are all called upon to make a speech sometime in life, but most of us don't do a very good job. We may get nervous, forget what we want to say, or talk too long and bore our audience. Later we may think, "Thank goodness, it's over. I'm not good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again."
It doesn't have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech-making, First of all, it is important to plan. Find out everything you can about your subject. And, at the same time, find out as much as you can about your audience. Who are they? Why are they coming to hear you speak? Put yourself in their shoes as you prepare your speech.
Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? There are many possible speaking roles, and each one has its own special characteristics. Don't spoil your speech by confusing one speaking role with another.
When you are making your speech, try to relax. Speak slowly and clearly and look at people in your audience. Use simple vocabulary and expressions whenever possible. Pause for a few seconds now and then to give your audience a chance to think about what you have said.
If you follow these steps, you'll see that you don't have to be afraid of public speaking.

单选题 According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. We may make mistakes when making a public speech.
B. Most of us don't know how to make a good public speech.
C. Every one of us hopes to have the chance to speak in public.
D. We may think that we can never make a good speech.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】推理题。根据第一段可以推断人们经历了公共演讲的失败后，往往灰心丧气，不希望再演讲。因此C项为不正确的陈述。

单选题 What does "put yourself in their shoes" (Line 4, Para. 2) mean?

A. Be sure to wear nice clothing when you give your speech.
B. Try on their shoes to see if they fit you.
C. Try to imagine how they think and feel about your speech.
D. Take your shoes off when making your speech.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】词组理解题。意为“设身处地地为他人想想”。

单选题 What if you confuse one speaking role with another?

A. You will ruin your speech and make it a failure.
B. Your speech will become a complete success.
C. You will spoil your audience.
D. You will spoil yourself.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】词汇理解题。参见第三段最后一句Don't spoil…with another，此处spoil意为“破坏”．spoil your speech意为“把演讲搞砸了”。C和D项是干扰项，spoil与人连用时意为“把某人宠坏”，文章并无此意。

单选题 While making a speech, you are NOT supposed to ______.

A. speak slowly and clearly
B. look at people in your audience
C. use simple vocabulary and expressions whenever possible
D. be serious

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】细节题。参见第四段。要特别注意该题中的NOT，提示要选出的是不符合文章意思的一项，做题时须谨慎。

单选题 What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to improve your speaking ability.
B. One should always make a short speech.
C. How to overcome your tension.
D. The pleasure in making a public speech.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】主旨题。本文是一种归纳法的写作手法，每一段提出一个问题，最后一句为结论句If you follow these steps，you'll see that you don't have to be afraid of public speaking，总结全文。因此我们可知，本文主题为公共演讲技巧，所以A项是正确的答案。