A speech is a wonderful opportunity to inform, persuade or entertain. The best speeches often take on a combination of all three of these components. However, before you can go about the writing of a great speech, it is important to set goals. Goals keep you, your speech and your audience focused.

What a goal is

In the context of a speech, a goal is the purpose of the speech, and what it hopes to accomplish. For example, the goal of a eulogy (颂歌) might be to celebrate the life of a loved one. The goal of a speech at a political gathering would be to inform the crowd about the political position of a candidate and persuade them to vote and campaign for the candidate in question.

Why a goal is important

Without a goal, a speech is without direction. The goal informs the structure and content of the speech. For example, if a speech’s goal is to convince people that smoking is bad for them, the speech will be structured with persuasive arguments to back up the goal. A speech with a goal of informing the audience will keep the information fair and factual.

A goal is incredibly important to the speech’s ability to connect with an audience. If the speaker is unaware of the goal of the speech, the audience will likely be unaware as well. This severely reduces the effectiveness of the message.

Aside from informing the audience of the content and structure, a speech’s goal drives the speaker to greater heights. If a speaker is asked to speak on a specific subject, but never establishes the goal, they won’t know where to start in the research, organizing and writing of the speech.

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If you have been charged with (被委以) delivering a speech, establishing a goal can seem difficult at first. There are several things to take into consideration. First, think about who you will be speaking to. The demographic (人口统计) of your audience will likely determine whether you will be able to persuade them, or whether they will be able to sit through. Second, think about the topic itself. If the topic is something controversial, it may worth your while to consider an informative approach to present both sides of the issue. Finally, consider your resources. A speech with an informative or persuasive goal usually requires a great deal of research, and sometimes takes more time to write.

63. According to the passage, what three components does the best speech combine?

A. Informing, delivering and entertaining.              B. Informing, persuading and entertaining.

C. Informing, writing and delivering.                     D. Informing, writing and persuading.

64. The goal of a speech at a political gathering might be _______.

A. to persuade the audience to vote for a candidate  B. to celebrate the life of a person you admire

C. to entertain the audience with humor and magic  D. to persuade the audience to buy new products

65. All the following indicate the importance of a speech goal EXCEPT that _______.

A. a speech will lose its direction without a goal

B. a speech goal can help keep the audience aware of the speech

C. a speech goal can help the speaker know about the research, organizing and writing

D. a speech goal makes it possible for the speaker to achieve whatever he wants in life

66. Which of the following can be filled into the blank as the subtitle for the last paragraph?

A. How to achieve a speech goal                      B. How to deliver a difficult speech

C. What to consider to establish a goal             D. What to consider to deliver a speech

D

Kepler 22b, a planet more like Earth than any yet discovered, has been identified as a potential future home for mankind.

Kepler 22b contains both land and water and has temperatures which average around 22℃. It also contains the right atmosphere to potentially support life.

It is, however, 600 light years from Earth. The planet, where a year lasts 290 days, was first spotted two years ago.

However, NASA scientists using the agency’s Kepler space telescope have now concluded that it offers the best hope yet for future human habitation outside the Solar System.

One of the key standards for a planet to be habitable is that it remains roughly the right distance from its main star to be neither too cold nor too hot.

This range of ideal temperatures is known to scientists as the “Goldilocks” zone, as the temperature is “just right” for life.

Bill Borucki, Kepler principal investigator at NASA Ames Research Centre, said: “We have now got good planet confirmation with Kepler 22b. We are certain that it is in the habitable zone and if it has a surface it ought to have a nice temperature.”

There are now three planets outside the system, known as exoplanets, which experts believe could potentially be colonised (建殖民地) by future generations.

In May, French astronomers identified Gliese 581d, which is far closer at around 20 light years away. It is about six times the mass (质量) of Earth and is one of a family of at least six planets.

In August, a team from Switzerland reported that another planet called HD 85512b and 36 light years away seemed to be habitable.

The planet is in the constellation of Vela, measuring around 3.6 times the Earth’s mass.

According to an online catalogue that indexes bodies outside our solar system, a total of 47 exoplanets and exomoons are potential habitable candidates but not enough research has been done to be sure.

67. Whether a planet is suitable for mankind to live on doesn’t depend on ________.

A. whether there are proper temperatures               B. whether it is close enough to Earth

C. whether there is atmosphere around it               D. whether there is land and water on it

68. In what way is Kepler 22b like Earth?

A. Its mass.                    B. Its size.               C. Its conditions.            D. Its shape.

69. It can be learnt from the passage that ________.

A. Kepler 22b is closer to Earth than Gliese 581d

B. Kepler 22b is most likely to be habitable of all

C. Kepler 22b’s year lasts longer than the earth’s

D. Kepler 22b’s mass is greater than HD 85512b’s

70. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. the farther a planet is away from the earth, the more likely it is to be habitable

B. the longer a year of a planet lasts, the farther it is away from the Solar System

C. the smaller mass a planet has than the earth, the less possibly there is water on it

D. the more potential habitable exoplanets are found, the more research we should do

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