How to prepare a lecture

Being invited to give a lecture is an honor．It means that people regard you as an authority on a given field, subject, or issue．It means you are worth listening to．1.   You have to make sure your lecture is interesting, and full of wisdom, from which the audience can take valuable insights．This is why it is important for you to prepare your lecture well．

1．Think of a good topic．

You most likely will be assigned to talk about a certain topic．If that's the case, you only need to make an outline and do some research．But in some cases, you will have to think of your own topic．Although it gives you more freedom to do it, thinking of a topic can be tricky．2.   Or pick a topic that is timely and socially relevant．

2．Make an outline for the lecture．

Start by listing down the points that you will discuss, and then fill in each point with subpoints．If necessary, make a research about your topic．3.   But if in so doing you end up with a very long outline, figure how you can shorten the topic or cut where cutting is needed．

3．4.  

Statistics, figures, medical information, historical accounts, and similar information should all be checked and it will save your credibility as an authority on the subject you are talking about．

4．Add humor．

Don't engage your audience in a dragging soliloquy （独白）．5.   Humor will interest your audience．Of course, make sure the elements in your lecture are in line with your main topic and are not nonsense, racial, and offensive jokes．

A．Check your lecture for accuracy．

B．Giving a lecture is challenging, though．

C．If necessary, provide your contact information, such as an email address or blog site．

D．Instead, make your audience smile, or burst into laughter at certain points in your discussion．

E．To make it easier, consider what will interest your audience．

F．It should summarize your whole talk in one sentence．

G．Don't be afraid of exploring the topic, as this will allow you to discover other points that need discussion．

----- What do you think of the advice ______ by our English teacher?

----- No one has given me _________. We’d better take it strictly.

I used to feel very nervous when I stood up in front of others, but now I feel quite ______when giving a speech to the school．

A．at random   B．at length        C．at ease           D．at sight

A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.

“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”

Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”．

When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”

Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”

Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”

The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.

She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.

Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”

Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.

Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.

So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

1.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.

A．her English was poor

B．it’s easy to master English

C．it’s difficult to make money

D．people there weren’t very friendly

2.In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?

A．A task is completed successfully.

B．Players perform badly in a match.

C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.

D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.

3.According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.

A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman

B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy

C．originally came from a yearly report of a company

D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978

4.What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?

A．Their use.? B．Their meaning.

C．Their origin.? D．Their popularity.

A report, published in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a fatal(致命)accident as a teenager driving alone. By contrast, the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger.
The author also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased dramatically after 10 p. m.,and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car,the driver was even more likely to die in a late night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with "really stupid behavior" than with just a lack of driving experience. "The basic thing, "he says, "is that adults who are responsible for issuing(发放) licenses fail to recognize how skilled a task driving is. "
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to reduce the harm is to have so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a slower process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving at night with a limited number of passengers before graduating to get a full driving license.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies. About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have number limitation on passengers. California is the strictest, with a new driver prohibited from carrying any passenger under 20 for the first six months.
76.Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?
A. Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p. m.
B. A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car.
C. Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.
D. A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.
77.According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly due to_______.
A. their frequent driving at night         B. their lack of driving experience
C. their improper way of driving         D. their driving with passengers
78.Which of the following statements is true according to Paragraph 3 ?  
A. Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive.
B. Driving is a skill too difficult for teenagers to learn.
C. Teenagers should be limited in taking driving lessons.
D. People issuing license are partly responsible for the accidents.
79.A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers'driving accidents is that_______
A. driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule.
B. they should be forbidden to take on passengers
C. they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p. m.
D. the licensing systems should be improved
80.The present situation in about half of the states is that the graduated licensing system_______.
A. is under discussion              B. is about to be set up
C. has been put into effect                 D. has been perfected