One day, a math teacher asked her seven-year-old student, Laiq, a question. "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Immediately (立刻地), Laiq replied confidently, "Four!" The teacher was disappointed because she was expecting a correct answer, three. "Maybe the child did not listen to me clearly," she thought.
She repeated, "Laiq, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Laiq had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated (计算）with his fingers. And within his heart, he was also searching for the answer that would make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that would make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly (犹豫地) he replied, "Four."
The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Laiq liked strawberries. She thought maybe he didn't like apples, so he got the wrong answer. This time with excitement in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, how many strawberries will you have?" As he saw the teacher become happy, young Laiq calculated with his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. With a hesitating smile, young Laiq replied, "Three."
The teacher now had a smile. Her method had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple, how many will you have?"
"Four!" answered Laiq.
"How Laiq, how?" she asked in an angry voice.
In a voice that was low and hesitating, young Laiq replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."
When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect, don't think they are wrong and give them a chance to explain. There shall be an angle that you may not have thought about yet.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It is a set of meetings, held in various (不同的) cities around the world every year. TED meetings invite speakers to give reports on different topics. The speakers are from different parts of the world. They are usually experts in their fields and talk about new ideas and recent developments that are important to their work. The speakers are often also well-known with people such as Microsoft giant Bill Gates and the world-famous expert, Jane Good all, having given talks. There are many talks on environment and international development, aid work, and how to help poor people with all kinds of new ideas. There are also a number of talks about education and education reform (改革).
As the talks cover a wide variety of topics, all speakers have a strict time limit — each report must last no longer than 18 minutes.
Like all organizations, however, TED has had its downs as well as ups. Some people think the organization is turning intelligent members of the scientific and other communities into entertainers (表演者). What else, those who attend must be very privileged (有特权的) with tickets for TED events costing about $ 6,000 (or more).
However, www.ted.com, the organization's website can make many great talks become accessible to everybody who has an Internet connection. Every weekday, a new video is uploaded (更新) from a TED event, allowing people around the world to listen to the talks for free. At only 18 minutes, even if the video is not that interesting, you know you are not going to waste too much time.
Most TED talks are in English but there are talks available in other languages, too. As a result, the site is excellent for practicing English and learning new vocabulary, especially in a topic that you find interesting and enjoyable.
A.Use correct language that you know. B.Slow down! C.Look at the examiner's face and eyes when you speak. D.Speak as much English in class as possible. E.Remember that everyone feels nervous in exams. F.Speak clearly so that the examiner can hear you. |
Speaking exams can be stressful! What if you don't understand the examiner (考官)? What if you don't get the exact word you need? Don't panic (惊慌)! Remember that everyone gets nervous in exams, especially oral exams. So, don't worry and our tips will help you feel more confident in a speaking exam.
★ Listening to as much English as possible will help to improve your speaking. Listening to songs, and watching films, TV series or video clips will help you feel more confident about speaking.
★ If you speak English regularly in class, you will find it easier to speak in an exam.
★ It's not a race. Before you speak, think carefully about what to say and speak a little slower than normal.
★ Use words and expressions you have used before. If you don't know a word, think of another way to say it.
★ If you find this difficult, practice with a friend at home. Stand at opposite ends of a room and speak to each other in English. Or speak to each other in English on your computers.
★ So, take some deep breaths before the exam and try to relax.
I have been living in Spain for just over a month now. This week my1came from England to visit me. They were here from Monday to Friday 2, my dad hired (租用) a car in order to get around the area easily. So, we visited Zaragoza, and went to see beautiful vineyards (葡萄园) and wine factories. My family3. came to the school I worked in during the day to meet my teachers.
We had such a 4 time together and I was so happy to5my new life with them. The trips were a lot of fun. It was my sister who actually put the reason6. the trips had been so special into words, "Cindy, I have loved staying here7. the people who you know and the people who we have met are all so welcoming and lovely — it's 8. who have made the trips so special."
She was 9, of course. One of my best memories from that 10. was taking my family to visit my Spanish family. Though my family couldn't speak Spanish and my host family couldn't speak English, somehow (不知为什么) (with me acting as a11. for two different languages) everyone seemed to get along really well. They even managed to start making fun of me. Another fact of making the trips so12. was when we visited the vineyards in a village. One of my colleagues (同事) told me that her parents would open the Church for us to see. This was a fantastic experience we wouldn't be able to have13.the people here weren't so welcoming and friendly.
On future trips to new places, I will14to ask people around for help because they can always make my trips special. It is the15on the trips in our life. Try to ask people around for advice and you can always get a surprise.
