口语资料-1 for students

1. Making Serious Attempt in Oral English

(S-- a student P a professor)

S: I have been studying English for years but I have no idea why my oral English is still poor.

P: I've often heard students complain about having studied English for many years but still not being able to speak the language. My response is: have you ever made any serious attempt to speak it?

S: What do you mean by "serious attempt"?

P: What I mean here is that some students don't get fully involved in oral English. So make a serious, determined effort and be bold when trying to speak English. Don't be afraid of making mistakes or being laughed at. Making mistakes is natural in the learning process.

S: What is the particular problem for Chinese learners of English?

P: In China, the biggest problem for English learners is the lack of a helpful language learning environment. There is little chance of meeting or talking with native speakers of English. There is often no easy and adequate access to English TV or radio programs, or English newspapers and magazines. What's to be done is to create an environment.

S: How to create the language environment?

P: When you're alone, try to practice reciting or reading aloud. Y ou can read or recite a text, a short story, a news item, or a poem. If you have a partner with you, try to practice a dialogue. If there arc more people around, try to start a discussion or a debate. Don't be bothered if your partner's English is better than or not as good as yours. Y ou can always benefit from dialogues or discussions.

S: What should we talk about?

P: Well, in fact there's so much going on at any given time that you can virtually talk about anything and everything as long as it's of common interest or common concern. Y ou can choose a different topic every day. It could be about an international, national or local event. It could also be about your life and studies. S: What else can we do to improve our oral English?

P: Take part in any activities that involve speaking. I believe that many schools and institutions have English speaking activities such as English Corner, English Salon, and English Club, or English speech contests, recitation contests, forums, debates, and performances. Try to play an active role in these.

2 How to Give a Good Speech

We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life.

But most of us don't do a very good job. Here are some suggestions on how to give a good speech.

First of all, it is important to plan. Do your homework. 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?

What do they know about your subject? Do they have a common interest? Why