Look after your voice
Often speakers at a meeting experience dry mouths and ask for a glass of water. You can solve the problem by activating the saliva in your mouth. First gently bite the edges of your tongue with your teeth. Or, press your entire tongue to the bottom of your mouth and hold it there until the saliva flow. Or you can imagine that you are slicing a big juicy lemon and sucking the juice.
Before you begin your talk, be kind to your voice. Avoid milk or creamy drinks that coat your throat. Keep your throat wet by drinking a little sweetened warm tea or diluted fruit juice.
If you sense that you are losing your voice, stop talking completely. Save your voice for your speech. You may feel foolish using paper to write notes, but the best thing you can do is to rest your voice. If you need to see a doctor, perhaps you can get some advice from a professional singer. In the meantime, do not even talk in a low voice.
What about drinking alcohol to wet your throat? I advice you not to touch alcohol before speaking. The problem with alcohol is that one drink gives you a little confidence. The second drink gives you even more confidence. Finally you will feel all-powerful and you will feel you can do everything, but in fact your brain and your mouth do not work together properly. Save the alcohol until after you finish speaking.
Perhaps you want to accept the advice, but you may wonder if you can change the habits of a lifetime. Of course you can. Goethe, who lived before indoor skating rinks or swimming pools, said, " we learn to skate in the summer and swim in the winter'. Take this message to heart and give yourself time to develop your new habits. If you are willing to change, you will soon be able to say that you will never forget these techniques because they became a part of your body.
1. To solve the problem of dry mouths, one is advised to take cool milk.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. The first paragraph mentions three ways of activating the saliva in the mouth.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. The writer suggests that you go to see a doctor when you feel you are losing your voice.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. The writer's advice about alcohol before you make a speech is to take one or two drinks so as to give yourself some confidence.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5.Due to the effect of alcohol, your thought and your mouth will not coordinate properly.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
6. Geothe often did outdoor skating and swimming.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. The writer cites Geothe to prove that one can change one's habits.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
参考答案：
1. B。利用带有修饰词的短语结构“dry mouths/口干”和“cool milk/凉牛奶”作为答案线索词，在第一段发现含有线索词“口干”的相关句，接着在第2段第2句中发现“不要吃那些会给你嗓子盖上一层膜的牛奶或乳脂饮料。”在随后的句子中发现作者介绍用于保持嗓子湿润的饮料，所以判断答案为B。
2. A。问题句说“第一段提到了刺激唾液分泌的三种方法。”。利用特征词“saliva”作为答案线索，这样在第一段中我们发现这样的字眼：first, or, or 这样的词是在引导出三种刺激唾液分泌的方法。
3. B。利用句子中的新信息结构“lose your voice/失音”和“see a doctor/看医生”作为答案线索词，于是在第3段发现答案相关句，相关句中作者只是说“如果你需要看医生。。”，并没有建议你去看医生。
4. B。问题问讲话前饮酒的问题。利用特征词“alcohol/酒”作为答案线索词，在第4段最后一句中发现作者说“把酒留到讲完话后再说”。
5. A。该题与上一题相关，同样利用“酒”作为答案线索词，发现在第4段中作者说“思想和嘴”不能协调，与问题句的说法一致。
6. C。利用特征词Geothe作为答案线索词，发现文章说Geothe生活的时代还没有室内溜冰场或室内游泳池，并没说Geothe做户外的滑冰和游泳。该题是考察对句子结构的分析。
1.A。该题也与前一题相关。文章最后一句说“如果你愿意改变，新技能将成为你生活的一部分”，该句也反映出作者引用Geothe的目的。