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 SpeechWe 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? Whyare they coming to hear you speak? Put yourself in their shoes as you prepare your speech. Just remember to be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion.Let us suppose that you have been asked to introduce the main speaker at a meeting. First, find out the most important and interesting things about the speaker. Then, summarize this Information in a few words. Remember you are not the main speaker; you are introducing the main speaker.If you are giving a lecture or explaining an idea, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of time doing your research. Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible. And use pictures or charts if they will help you make your points clearer. Never forget your audience. Don't talk over their heads. And don't talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.If you follow these simple steps, you'll see that you don't have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you ask to make more speeches! Y ou're not convinced yet? Give it a try and see what happens.3. Truth about College LifeAre you freaking out about going to college'? Y es, college is more difficult than high school. In college, you are responsible for your own education. College, you are on your own. To help you out, here are some of the differences you can expect.Y ou don't have to go to class. That's awesome, right? Not really. To many students, skipping class is too big a temptation to resist, especially if it's a big lecture hall class where the professor doesn't know you. Here's the scoop: if you don't go to class all or most of the time, you'll do poorly.Y ou need to manage your time. In high school, your teacher will toll you to read pages 35 to 48 for class tomorrow and to start working on your paper. In college, the professor hands you a syllabus. It tells you when readings need to be done and when assignments are due. Y ou need to take the syllabi from all of your classes and figure out how to best divide up your time.The reading load is heavier and tougher. Expect many more pages and many more big words. And don't expect the professor to go over all the readings in class, the readings may overlap with the lecture, but not always, so you have to do the reading and learn it on your own. And yes, it will be on the test.Taking notes is more difficult In high school, your teacher will probably give you an outline of his or her lecture and tell you what points will be on the lest. In college, the professor often just talks.It's your responsibility to write everything down and know what is important.Help is available, but you have to seek it out. People will be happy to help you, but you need to seek out their assistance. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your professors and classmates, and seek additional help from academic advisors, the campus study skills comer, and the writing lab.Y ou need to balance work and play. Y our social life bas to come second to yourschool work, and your parents and teachers won't be around to make sure that happens.Y ou choose most of your classes and you’re major. In high school, many or most of your classes are chosen for you. In college, you get to choose your major and your plan of study. This can be intimidating, but also rewarding.Sounds painful? At times, it will be, especially at first. The first semester in the freshman year is about learning how to be a college student. If you work diligently and hold yourself up to high expectations, the work will seem easier with time.4 A Briefing to freshmenHi fellow students.I am a sophomore from the Business English of our college. Now, I would like to say a few words to you. Which I hope would be of some help to you.To begin with, the change of ideas is of most importance for the freshman to adapt to campus life. One of the features of college life requires the young to think, judge and act on his own. Though we can still turn to teachers and parents for help when encountering difficulty, it is ourselves who have the final say. Here I want to stress the ability to teach ourselves.What's more, to build a good relation net is another mission we should place emphasis on. Learning to get along with classmates and forming new friendships improve the quality of campus life and help our future career.Third, we should develop a sound attitude towards pressure and stress. It is reported that many college students suffer from psychological problems. The ability to relax and lighten up is as important as the ability to learn.Last but not least, confronted with so many courses, most of which are demanding and profound, you should know better than to be satisfied with classroom learning; learning outside of the class is not only necessary but also determines the level of our success. For example, learning a foreign language well is a must for a college Student. With a good command of English or other languages, we will open a door leading to a new world. In brief, it is up to you to become a success or a failure in the years ahead, but to get well prepared is half done. Here, I wish good luck to all of you.Passages for Reading and group discussionDirections: Read the passages and then discuss the following questions with your partner or group members. Be actively involved in group discussion.1. On-campus Living vs Off-campus LivingFor many international students, coming to the United States and living here and studying can be quite a daunting experience, especially when finding housing on campus or off campus. And fortunately, there are a variety of options that students can look to. And I'd like to talk just briefly about on-campus living, off-campus living, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.Well I think first of all for first-time students, coming and living on campus in dormitories can provide a certain level of security because of its proximity to campus facilities since commuting without a car can be quite an experience, especially whenyou have to commute long distances. Often in dormitories, meals might be provided, and this can allow students to devote time to their studies, rather than housekeeping. But students should also be aware that they'll be required to abide by certain regulations dealing with student conduct as part of the, till, the contract of living on campus.Another option is off-campus living in apartments, and like living in dormitories, living in an apartment requires little or no maintenance specifically because usually it is handled by someone else. Also when you live off campus, there might be a certain amount of flexibility in choosing roommates, which you might not have when living on campus. But you should be aware that tenants may be responsible for furnishing their own apartments.Well, of course, the choice is up to you, but be careful to review both the advantages and disadvantages of living on campus and off campus.Questions for group discussion1. What are the possible advantages of on-campus living?2. With regard to on-campus living, what should students remember?3. What are the possible advantages of oft-campus living?4. In your opinion, what kind of apartment do students usually rent?5. Which do you prefer, on-campus living or off-campus living? Why?2. Getting Along with Y our RoommatesRoommate conflicts arc at the top of most students' lists in terms of frequency and potential for annoyance. Study shows these conflicts often make the excitement of campus life grow stale. In extreme cases, roommate conflicts can lead to serious violence.Most roommate conflicts spring from small, irritating differences rather than from grand disputes over abstract philosophical principles. When personalities don't mix, the specifics can tear roommates apart. Roommate conflicts are harmful and need to be settled. Here arc some tips for getting along with your roommates.●Be assertive when your basic rights and needs are an issue.●Do not let little annoyances or "quirks" bother you, especially things that yourroommate cannot change.●If your roommate starts to get on your nerves, leave for a while to blow off somesteam. When you return, you can confront him/her or perhaps you will not even remember what was bothering you in the first place. A potential fight is avoided.●Remember that you have a right to be treated with respect.●Y our roommate also has a right to be treated with respect.●Make a contract with your roommate to spell out rules for housecleaning, smoking,overnight guests, borrowing items, and quiet hours.●Be tolerant of each other.●Compromise. All good relationships are based on equal amounts of give and take.●Learn from each other. Be open-minded to your roommate's point-of-view andlisten to his or her side if conflicts with your roommate become too intense, you may need to involve a third to help both of you release the conflict.Questions for group discussion1. In what ways do roommate conflicts affect students?2. Where do these conflicts usually stem from?3. Which tip do you think is the most important in getting along with yourroommates?4. Have you experienced a roommate conflict in your life? If yes, how did you deal with it?5 What can you do to get along with your roommates?3. Managing Y our StressStress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust in our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches upset stomach, rashes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.As we have seen. Positive stress adds anticipation and excitement to life, and we all thrive under a certain amount of Stress. Deadlines, competitions, confrontations, and even our frustrations and sorrows add depth and enrichment to our lives. Our goal is not to eliminate stress but to learn how to manage it and how to use it to help us. Insufficient stress acts as a depressant and may leave us feeling bored or dejected; on the other hand. Excessive stress may leave us feeling "tied up in knots". What we need to do is to find the optimal level of stress which will individually motivate but not overwhelm each of us.There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. We are all individual creatures with unique requirements. What is distressing to one may be a joy to another. And even when we agree that a particular event is distressing, we ate likely to differ in our physiological and psychological responses to it. However, it has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. If you are experiencing stress symptoms, you have gone beyond your optimal stress level: you need to reduce the stress in your life and improve your ability to manage it.1. How do you understand that stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience?2. What arc the positive and negative aspects of stress?3. According to the author, when has a person gone beyond his optimal stress level?4. Do you think stress is inevitable?5. As a college student, where does your stress come from and how do you deal with it?4 A Briefing to freshmenHi fellow students.I am a sophomore from the Business English of our college. Now, I would like to say a few words to you. Which I hope would be of some help to you.To begin with, the change of ideas is of most importance for the freshman to adapt to campus life. One of the features of college life requires the young to think, judge and act on his own. Though we can still turn to teachers and parents for help when encountering difficulty, it is ourselves who have the final say. Here I want tostress the ability to teach ourselves.What's more, to build a good relation net is another mission we should place emphasis on. Learning to get along with classmates and forming new friendships improve the quality of campus life and help our future career.Third, we should develop a sound attitude towards pressure and stress. It is reported that many college students suffer from psychological problems. The ability to relax and lighten up is as important as the ability to learn.Last but not least, confronted with so many courses, most of which are demanding and profound, you should know better than to be satisfied with classroom learning; learning outside of the class is not only necessary but also determines the level of our success. For example, learning a foreign language well is a must for a college Student. With a good command of English or other languages, we will open a door leading to a new world. In brief, it is up to you to become a success or a failure in the years ahead, but to get well prepared is half done. Here, I wish good luck to all of you.Talk 1: Discuss with your partner or group members about the style and the content of the above briefing.Task 2: Deliver a short speech on "An Introduction to My Campus Life" and in your speech you may say something about the name of your school, its locationand architecture, your classmates, teachers, academic study and leisureactivities.News Reports for Oral PracticeDirections: Based on the following news reports, discuss with your partner and then give a short talk on each of the topics for two to three minutes.News Report 1China's Ministry of Education has banned university students from renting private accommodation during their studies, telling all students that they must share four-to-seven-person dormitories on campus. It also rules that students sharing dormitories should be classmates with the aim of making it easier for teachers to monitor students' lifestyles outside the classroom.But some students have voiced their discontent at the freedom of choice being taken away just two years after the government relaxed regulations on student accommodation which allowed the renting of private apartments off campus.Topic: Should off-campus living be banned?Questions for reference:1. Do you like to live on campus or off campus?2. What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of on-campus living and off-campus living?3. Do you think students should be banned from renting private accommodation while at college? Why or why not?News Report 2Nowadays, campus romance is getting popular and there are more and more lovers appearing on our campus. It's not uncommon to see young lovers wandering around us hand in hand, shoulder by shoulder. It seems that campus love has already become a kind of fashion, which has been taken for granted too much by college students. Some students say "love can be bred everywhere and campus is no exception."Topic: Romance in the classroomQuestions for reference:1. What do you think of campus love?2. Why is campus romance getting increasingly popular over recent years?3. Do you think campus love is really a must in our four-year college life? Why or why not?News Report 3Internships during college days are an important part of gaining experiences for life after college. While unpaid internships may not be appealing, they are sometimes worth the sacrifice in salary. On the other hand, depending on a student's financial situation, taking an unpaid internship may impact his ability to save, pay bills and purchase supplies.It is almost the end of the school year and both paid and unpaid internship opportunities are getting filled with qualified applicants quickly. Xu Jun, an English major, is going through the options he has and for some reason he is seeing more advertisements for unpaid internships in his field than paid opportunities. Topic: Paid or unpaid internships?Questions for reference:1. What do internships refer to?2. In what ways do internships benefit students?3. If you fail to find a paid internship, will you take an unpaid one or continue to look for paid internship opportunities? Why?Topics for Oral PresentationDirections: Talk on the following topics for at least five minutes. Be sure to make your points clear and your supporting details adequate. Y ou should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. Y ou need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with "My name is...", "My registration number is...".Topic 1: How do you manage your money while at college?Questions for reference:1. Apart from living allowance from your parents or relatives, do you have any other source of income? If yes. what is it?2. Which do you think is the best policy on money management, being economical on daily expenses, overdrawing or making a budget?3. Can you tell us something about how you manage your money while studying at college?Topic 2: Is multimedia teaching superior to traditional teaching?Questions for reference:1. What are the possible benefits of multimedia teaching'?2. Are there any drawbacks of this kind of teaching? If yes, what are they?3. According to your experience, which is more effective in the process of learning, multimedia teaching or traditional leaching?Topic 3: Bilingual education in China's universities and collegesQuestions for reference:1. What do you know about bilingual education'?2. What subjects would you like to be taught with English as a medium?3. Is it very difficult to train a college student to become bilingual?。