American English | CEFR B1+ | Approximately 350 Words
Contents 目录
Reading 阅读
Questions 题目
Vocabulary 词汇
Useful Structures 常用结构
Comprehension Questions 阅读理解问题
Reading 阅读
Finding the Courage to Speak Up
When sixteen-year-old Emily learned that her teacher had selected her for the school’s annual speech competition, she felt more frightened than excited. Although she performed well in most subjects, speaking in front of an audience had always been her greatest fear. Even answering simple questions in class sometimes made her nervous.
Emily immediately considered refusing the opportunity. She worried that she would forget her words or embarrass herself in front of hundreds of students. However, her English teacher, Mrs. Wilson, encouraged her to accept the challenge. She explained that confidence was not something people were simply born with but a skill that could be developed through practice.
At first, preparing for the competition was frustrating. Emily struggled to organize her ideas and often spoke too quickly. Whenever she made a mistake, she would stop and start again. Mrs. Wilson suggested that she focus on communicating her message rather than delivering a perfect performance.
Over the following weeks, Emily practiced in front of a mirror and recorded herself speaking. She also asked two close friends to listen to her speech and provide honest feedback. Gradually, she became more comfortable expressing her ideas, although her nervousness never completely disappeared.
On the day of the competition, Emily’s hands were shaking as she walked onto the stage. When she began speaking, she suddenly forgot her next sentence. For a moment, she stood silently, convinced that everyone was judging her. Then she remembered her teacher’s advice, took a deep breath, and continued in her own words.
Emily did not win the competition, but she received warm applause from the audience. More importantly, she realized that making a mistake did not necessarily mean failing. Her ability to recover from an unexpected difficulty mattered more than delivering every sentence perfectly.
Afterward, Emily began participating more actively in classroom discussions. She still occasionally felt anxious, but she no longer allowed fear to prevent her from expressing her opinions.
The experience taught her that courage was not the absence of fear. Sometimes, being courageous simply meant taking action despite feeling afraid.
Questions 题目
Part 1: True / False / Not Given
Questions 1–5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
1. Emily had always felt comfortable speaking in front of large groups.
Answer
FALSE
2. Mrs. Wilson believed that confidence could be developed through practice.
Answer
TRUE
3. Emily practiced her speech by recording herself and asking friends for feedback.
Answer
TRUE
4. Emily’s parents attended the speech competition to support her.
Answer
NOT GIVEN
5. Emily became more willing to express her opinions in class after the competition.
Answer
TRUE
Part 2: Multiple Choice
Questions 6–10
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C, or D.
6. Why did Emily initially consider refusing to participate in the competition?
A. She believed the competition would interfere with her academic studies.
B. She was afraid of forgetting her words and embarrassing herself.
C. She thought her classmates were better speakers than she was.
D. She had already agreed to participate in another school activity.
Answer
B
7. What was Mrs. Wilson’s main advice during Emily’s preparation?
A. She should memorize every sentence of her speech.
B. She should avoid speaking about unfamiliar subjects.
C. She should concentrate on communicating her message rather than being perfect.
D. She should practice alone instead of asking others for help.
Answer
C
8. What happened when Emily began speaking on the stage?
A. She forgot part of her speech but managed to continue.
B. She became so nervous that she immediately left the stage.
C. She realized that the audience was smaller than expected.
D. She discovered that she had brought the wrong speech.
Answer
A
9. What did Emily learn from her performance?
A. Winning competitions is necessary for developing confidence.
B. Nervousness disappears completely after sufficient practice.
C. Public speaking becomes easy once a person memorizes a speech.
D. Recovering from mistakes can be more important than avoiding them.
Answer
D
10. Which statement best expresses the central message of the passage?
A. Students should participate in competitions only when they feel confident.
B. Courage involves taking action even when someone feels afraid.
C. Successful public speaking depends mainly on natural talent.
D. People should avoid situations that make them uncomfortable.
Answer
B
Part 3: Sentence Completion
Questions 11–15
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.
11. Emily’s teacher encouraged her to __________ rather than refuse the opportunity.
Answer
accept the challenge
12. During her early practice sessions, Emily often spoke __________.
Answer
too quickly
13. Emily asked two close friends to provide __________ on her speech.
Answer
honest feedback
14. When Emily forgot her words, she remembered her teacher’s advice and took a __________ before continuing.
Answer
deep breath
15. Emily discovered that making a mistake did not necessarily mean __________.
Answer
failing
Vocabulary 词汇
| annual | /ˈænyuəl/ | 每年的；一年一次的 |
| audience | /ˈɔdiəns/ | 观众；听众 |
| embarrass | /ɪmˈbærəs/ | 使尴尬；使难堪 |
| confidence | /ˈkɑnfədəns/ | 自信；信心 |
| challenge | /ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ | 挑战 |
| frustrating | /ˈfrʌstreɪtɪŋ/ | 令人沮丧的 |
| communicate | /kəˈmyunɪkeɪt/ | 交流；传达 |
| performance | /pərˈfɔrməns/ | 表现；表演 |
| feedback | /ˈfidbæk/ | 反馈；意见 |
| gradually | /ˈɡrædʒuəli/ | 逐渐地 |
| recover | /rɪˈkʌvər/ | 恢复；重新振作 |
| courage | /ˈkərɪdʒ/ | 勇气 |
Useful Structures 常用结构
be afraid of doing something 害怕做某事
Emily was afraid of speaking in front of a large audience.
艾米丽害怕在众多观众面前讲话。
consider doing something 考虑做某事
Emily immediately considered refusing the opportunity.
艾米丽立刻考虑拒绝这个机会。
encourage someone to do something 鼓励某人做某事
Mrs. Wilson encouraged Emily to accept the challenge.
威尔逊老师鼓励艾米丽接受挑战。
struggle to do something 做某事有困难
Emily struggled to organize her ideas.
艾米丽很难把自己的想法组织起来。
focus on doing something 专注于做某事
Emily learned to focus on communicating her message rather than delivering a perfect performance.
艾米丽学会了专注于传达自己的想法，而不是追求完美的表现。
become more comfortable doing something 做某事变得更加自在
Emily gradually became more comfortable expressing her ideas.
艾米丽在表达自己的想法时逐渐变得更加自在。
prevent someone from doing something 阻止某人做某事
Emily no longer allowed fear to prevent her from expressing her opinions.
艾米丽不再让恐惧阻止自己表达观点。
despite doing something 尽管做某事；即使做某事
Emily continued speaking despite feeling afraid.
尽管感到害怕，艾米丽还是继续讲了下去。