Speaking is different among the four skills in learning English．The other three you can do alone on your own，but you can’t really speak alone．Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous" because men in white coats may come and take you away！Then how can you practice speaking？ Where can you find people to speak English with？

At school-If you pay to go to a language school，you should use the chance to speak．If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs with other students，try to say as much as possible．Don’t worry about your mistakes．Just speak！

Cafes and bars-There are American，British，Irish and Australian bars in many big cities．If you can find one，you will probably meet many people speaking English as their first or second language．

Songs and videos-Repeat the words of an English song singing with the music until it becomes automatic（不假思索）．It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles（肌肉） that you need for English．

Language is all around you--Everywhere you go，you will find language．Shop names，notices，and car numbers……When you walk down the street，practice reading the words and numbers that you see．Say them to yourself．It’s not exactly a conversation，but it will help you to "think" in English．

1．The purpose of this passage is to

    A．tell us that you can speak English alone

    B．tell us that English is all around you

    C．give us some advice on how to practice speaking

    D．tell us speaking is the easiest of the four skills in learning English

2．What does the writer mean by saying "Speaking to yourself can be dangerous"？

    A．The writer is joking- perhaps a doctor will come and take you to the hospital．

    B．It’s dangerous to practice speaking with foreigners．

    C．When you speak alone， you have to put on a white coat．

    D．Men in white coats will cause an accident．

3．The writer advises you to go to cafes and bars because

    A．you can enjoy yourself there

    B．you can listen to English songs there

    C．it will not be dangerous if you speak to yourself there

    D．you will meet many English speakers there

4．Why does the writer give the advice "Songs and videos"？

    A．It’s good practice for your memory．

    B．It’s good for the mouth muscles that you need for English．

    C．It’s good for you to sing well．

    D．Both A and B．

How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?
Shyness means feeling nervous or afraid when you’re around other people. Experts have found that more than 80% of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences(经历).
It’s OK if it takes you a while to feel yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It’s just a case of how much.
Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won’t go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.
If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.
You see, being shy isn’t all bad. But remember not to let good opportunities(机会) pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “to feel yourself again” in the third paragraph means “________”.