IMAGINE that you are in school, giving a speech to your class.
Now think what it feels like when stammering(口吃)makes it a struggle to communicate your thoughts and feelings to other people.
The King’s Speech, which won the best picture at
the Academy Awards, highlights(突出) stammering along with other speech-related problems. The movie tells the story of Britain’s King George Ⅵ, who became king after his brother Edward Ⅷ gave up the crown to marry an American woman.
As a result of British actor Colin Firth’s performance, people are starting to realize that stammering can damage a person’s self-confidence and cause him/her to escape from life.
“The problem is unseen and unheard,” said Norbert Lieckfeldt, an expert at the British Stammering Association, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.
“Stammering masks(遮盖) your ability,” he said, “It's a serious disability(残疾).”
Most stammerers face bullying(欺负) in school, something that is “usually carried over into the workplace”.
George Ⅵ’s stammer took away his confidence as a speaker. But Samantha Mesango, a speech coach based in the UK, believes that speech problems are more common than most people realize. “Some simply don't like the sound of their own voice; others are scared of speaking in public,” she said.
Travis Treats from Saint Louis University’s department of communication sciences in the US, praised The King’s Speech. He said it shows that “how one’s speech does not mean what one is inside”.
He also added that people who stammer need to be heard and our society should recognize that they have a lot to give to the world.
小题1: What is the point of the first two paragraphs?
A．To tell readers about speech speaking.
B．To show how harmful a stammer is.
C．To draw the attention of readers to the problem of a stammer.
D．To show how a stammer makes a person popular小题2: According to the article, King George Ⅵ _____.
A．was a hero during World War Ⅱ
B．took the place of his brother
C．married a divorced American woman
D．was a failure because of his stammer小题3: What is Norbert Lieckfeldt’s view of the challenge of a stammer?
A．A stammer can destroy a person’s self-confidence.
B．A stammer is a serious problem for many people but it is often ignored.
C．People who stammer need to have their own voice.
D．People who stammer do better in work than in school.
