Have you ever wished that you could make your little sister’s teddy bear talk to her? Or have you ever wanted to bring a puppet (木偶) to life? If so, you may be interested in learning the art of ventriloquism (腹语术). A ventriloquist can make an ordinary object seem to be alive by giving it a personality, movement, and speech.
Your object can be a puppet, or a doll. Give your new “friend” a name, and then decide on the personality that he will have. The next step is to give your friend movements that agree with the personality you have chosen.
Now you can learn to make your “friend” talk. A ventriloquist will control his mouth and lips so that it will appear that his voice is coming from the object he is using. This will take practice, but you can do it.
First, decide on a voice that is different from your own. It could be higher or lower than yours, or could even have a special accent. Then, find a clean teaspoon and hold the handle between your front teeth. Now, using the voice you created for your friend and holding the handle of the teaspoon tightly between your teeth, look into a mirror and talk. Practicing with the spoon in your mouth will help you learn to keep your mouth from moving. Now try telling a joke in your normal voice and have your friend speak in his voice. Practice those words until you can say them without your lips moving at all.
Ventriloquism is fun. It also requires hard work to become good at it. The most important thing to do is practice. But if you are willing to take the time to give your friend an interesting personality, to practice lively movements, and to work on good mouth control, then you will be well on your way to becoming a ventriloquist!
1.According to the text, a ventriloquist .
A. is a person who can make puppets
B. needs to work with another person
C. can speak without using his mouth
D. can make an object seem to speak
2.You need to hold the handle of a teaspoon between your front teeth so that .
A. your voice will change
B. your mouth won’t move
C. you can look humorous
D. you can feel your mouth’s movements
3.If you want to be good at ventriloquism, you .
A. need to spend much time practicing
B. must learn from famous ventriloquists
C. should learn at least one special accent
D. must have a great doll to practice with
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to tell jokes
B. How to make puppets
C. Secrets of ventriloquism
D. Tips on making friends
Imagine that you are in school, giving a speech to your class. Now think what it feels like when stammering (口吃) makes it a struggle to communicate your thoughts and feelings to other people.
The King’s Speech, which won the best picture at the Academy Awards in March, 2011, focuses on stammering along with other speech-related problems. The movie tells the story of Britain’s King George VI, who became king after his brother Edward VIII gave up the crown to marry an American woman.
As a result of British actor Colin Firth’s performance, people are starting to realize that stammering can damage a person’s self-confidence and cause him or her to escape from life.
“The serious problem is unseen and unheard,” said Norbert Lieckfeldt, an expert at the British Stammering Association, in an interview with a news reporter.
“Stammering masks your ability,” he said. “It's a serious disability.”
Most stammerers face bullying (欺负) in school, something that is “usually carried over into the workplace”.
George VI’s stammer took away his confidence as a speaker. But Samantha Mesango, a speech coach based in the UK, believes that speech problems are more common than most people realize. “Some simply don’t like the sound of their own voice; others are scared of speaking in public,” she said.
Travis Treats from St．Louis University praised The King’s Speech. He said it shows that “how one’s speech does not mean what one is inside”. He also added that people who stammer need to be heard and our society should recognize that they have a lot to give to the world.
1.The author writes the first 3 paragraphs to .
A. show how harmful stammer is for common people
B. introduce a famous movie winning great awards
C. tell the story of the king who suffers from stammer
D. draw readers’ attention to the problem of stammer
2.We learn from the passage that .
A. stammerers face bullying in school but not in the workplace
B. Edward VIII gave up his crown because he was a stammerer
C. stammerers should be understood and can contribute to the world
D. the sufferings caused by stammer haven’t been found yet
3.According to Norbert Lieckfeldt, ．
A. the voice of stammering people cannot be heard
B. people who stammer do better in work than school
C. there are a lot of things that stammering people can give to us
D. the serious problem of stammering remains unseen and unheard
4.The paragraph that follows the last will probably talk about ．
A. the success the king made by overcoming stammer
B. the medical treatments given to the stammerers
C. doctors’ opinions upon the serious stammer problem
D. how popular the movie The King’s Speech will become
A little boy invited his mother to attend his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s 36 , she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher 37 his mother and he felt 38 of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that 39 nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to 40 why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were 41 by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother
42 the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and 43 himself from everyone. He did, however, get within hearing of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.
The teacher asked 44 , “How did you get the scar on your face?”
The mother replied, “ 45 my son was a baby, he was in a room that 46 fire. Everyone was 47 afraid to go in because the fire was 48 , so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself 49 him trying to protect him. I was knocked 50 but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us. ” She 51 the burned side of her face. “This scar will be 52 , but to this day, I have never 53 what I did.”
At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He 54 her in his arms and felt a great sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand 55 for the rest of the day.
1.A. enjoyment B. disappointment C. sorrow D. joy
2.A. noticed B. greeted C. accepted D. met
3.A. sick B. ashamed C. afraid D. tired
4.A. included B. passed C. covered D. shaded
5.A. talk about B. think about C. care for D. hear about
6.A. impressed B. surprised C. excited D. comforted
7.A. in sight of B. by means of C. by way of D. in spite of
8.A. hid B. protected C. separated D. escaped
9.A. carefully B. seriously C. nervously D. anxiously
10.A. As B. When C. Since D. While
11.A. caught B. set C. lit D. made
12.A. so B. much C. quite D. too
13.A. out of control B. under control C. in control D. over control
14.A. under B. at C. to D. over
15.A. helpless B. hopeless C. senseless D. useless
16.A. pointed B. showed C. wiped D. touched
17.A. ugly B. lasting C. serious D. frightening
18.A. forgot B. recognized C. considered D. regretted
19.A. grasped B. held C. put D. caught
20.A. quietly B. slightly C. tightly D. suddenly
John has put on so much weight recently that his mother has to ______ all his trousers to his measure.
A. let out B. give away C. bring in D. make up
— My son failed to be accepted by the firm after the interview.
— Now that he wasn’t well prepared, he might as well ______.
A. not try B. not to have tried C. not to try D. not have tried
— What do you mean saying “The boy is overgrowing”?
— I mean that he is tall his age.
A. about; with B. as to; for C. by; for D. by; to
