How to improve your English speaking skills?Here are some tips.

    Find native English speakers.Talking to actual native speakers is the most effective way to improve your English skills.Your progress will be greater if you use this way.

    Slow down. If you want to be understood,slow down.If you speak more clearly,your listeners can understand you better.

    Record yourself.Though we hear ourselves all the time,we don't quite know what we sound like.So record yourself!And then you can focus on what you need to improve.

    Take different classes.One class is good.But if you can take more than one class—of different styles—that's even better.

    Speak English at home.Make a plan to speak it at home.Talk to yourself in English.You can also narrate your actions.While you're washing the dishes,say what you're doing,thinking,or feeling.It keeps your brain thinking in English.

    Create opportunities.English speakers are everywhere.You have to find them. You can call up an English hotline.Call a phone company and make small talk about phone plans.Start a blog.Get into English chat rooms.There are ALWAYS opportunities to be found.

衣服能给人体增加热量，所以冬天我们要多穿衣服。（  ）

    “Daily Star, sir,” called Jason, carrying some news-papers under his arm. The little boy had been running up and down the street, but there were still twenty 1left. His voice was almost gone and his heart was 2. The shops would soon close, and all the people would go home. He would have to go home too, carrying the papers 3 money. He had hoped to sell more papers tonight to make more money to buy a 4for his mother and some seeds for his bird. That was why he had bought the papers with all his money. He 5 as he thought of his failure to sell all his papers.

    “You don't know the 6 of selling papers. You must shout, 'Hot news! Bomb bursting!'” another newsboy Chad told Jason. “7 it's not in the paper at all,” replied Jason. “Just run away quickly 8 they have time to see, and you'll 9out and get your money,” Chad said.

    It was a new 10 to Jason. He thought of his bird with no11and the cake he wanted to buy for his mother, but was12 that he would not tell a lie. Though he was 13 a poor newsboy, he had been 14 some good things.

    The next afternoon Jason went to the office for his papers15. Several boys were crowding around Chad, who declared with a 16 smile that he sold six dozen the day before. He added that Jason 17 money because he would not tell a lie. The boys 18 at Jason. “You wouldn't tell a lie yesterday, my boy?” A gentleman at the office came up and patted Jason's shoulder 19, “You're just the boy I am looking for.” A week later Jason started his new 20. He lost the sale of twenty papers because he would not tell a lie, but got a well-paid job because he told the truth.

他发现了最早的“中国”

——记何驽博士

    山西省临汾市襄汾县陶寺遗址连续发掘出土了陶寺早、中期城址，宫殿区核心建筑，墓葬区出土了精美的玉器、彩绘陶器等随葬品，以及以观象授时为主并兼有祭祀功能的观象台。文物考古专家进一步考证，证实襄汾县陶寺遗址极可能就是4000多年前尧时代的“唐尧帝都”。完成这一艰巨而神圣任务的是中国社会科学院考古研究所山西队队长、陶寺城址发掘领队何驽博士和他的队员们。

    何驽博士上中学时就喜欢语文、英语和历史，特别是对文物考古一直很感兴趣。1981年，他义无反顾地选择考古专业，考入了北京大学考古系。2001年7月提前完成博士研究生学业的他，毕业后被分配到中国社会科学院考古研究所工作。但他更愿意到考古一线。后来，他主动要求下基层。在湖北荆州工作期间，他撰写了《中国文明起源考古研究思考点滴》等50余篇有价值的论文。他常给同事们讲:“‘纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行。’要想印证较大和深奥的理论，就必须到考古实践中去，掌握大量的考古实证，只有到都城遗址去考古，才能发现更有价值的东西。”

    野外工作条件一般都是比较艰苦的，但这些对何驽来说似乎已经习惯了。他说:“在野外工作，我不奢求什么，只要晚上有个住的地方，白天有个一日三餐就足够了。”他在陶寺一住就是四个春秋。作为领队，他经常带着队员日出而作，日落而息。他总是白天在田野里搞发掘，晚上在灯下读书、思考、写论文，经常熬到夜里十一二点。四年中，他撰写了40多篇有一定影响力的论文，引起了学术界的高度重视。

    何驽的发现，为唐尧时代在天文历法上的贡献进一步提供了佐证。因为没有这一发掘，尧舜禹时代只能是神话传说，而何驽所做的一切，等于为印证陶寺遗址成为“唐尧帝都”提供了确凿的历史证据，这就让神话传说与考古结论相吻合，使“文明始祖”尧在中华文明的历史上具有了更加独特而重要的地位。

    何驽在事业上是成功的，也是令人叹服的。但谈起四年多的陶寺考古历程，他总是感慨万千。2002年，陶寺被纳入中华文明探源工程与研究项目，而他就是这个项目重点——陶寺遗址的牵头人，具体挖掘工作从哪里下手，大家都在看领队。他深感自己肩上责任的重大，但工作能不能取得实质性进展，他心里当时几乎没有谱。他知道应该相信文献，但也绝不能拘泥于现有的东西而裹足不前。他认为，考古工作既要有大胆的设想，又要有科学的态度。他从小就养成了明知山有虎，偏向虎山行的倔强性格，遇到事情总爱刨根问底。何驽和队员们在陶寺遗址发现了一个建筑遗址，猜测该建筑可能用于观测日出。冬至时，考古队员冯九生专门来到建筑遗址现场进行观测，结果发现日出时，太阳并不在观测缝中，于是陷入茫然。何驽认为很可能是观测点位置有偏差，该建筑应该是有观测冬至功能的。何驽的观点一时在考古界引起了轩然大波，当时各种说法不一，质疑声如潮水般涌来:“何驽所提到的观测缝，是不是有意识做出来的?”“目前学术界很浮躁，想搞点轰动效应的人太多，何驽莫非是想制造爆炸性新闻贪图出名?”……不管周围的人怎么想，怎么讲，何驽并没有因此懈怠和放弃。之后何驽又邀请15名国内著名天文学专家亲临现场进行论证，基本确认该遗迹是天文观测遗址。而这前前后后的两年中，何驽的付出却是令人难以想象的，因为他的工作已经超出了考古专业的范围，涉足了天文学等领域，可想而知，没有百折不挠的精神，没有对事业的执着追求，不注重学习、研究、设想、推断，是很难有所作为的。

    2005年11月10日，世界顶级刊物《自然》杂志第438期刊登了陶寺发现古观象台的消息。英国、法国、德国、日本、波兰的学者对此表现出极大的兴趣并予以赞赏。

(有删改)