2024届高考英语阅读理解五步法专项带练(45)讲义

①As you read this, pause to reflect on your recent interactions．As a politician, husband, and father, I encounter various spoken language styles: analytical or chatty, formal or informal, pointed or gentle, cooperative or decisive. Talk is the currency of politics．It is our way of negotiating, debating, and persuading．Talk is also the currency of learning-how we develop our ideas, deepen our thinking and share our feelings． ②That’s why I want speaking skills, sometimes called “oracy”, to play an important part in Labor’s plans for a reformed school curriculum（课程）． ③Employers value speaking skills equally with reading and writing．The ability to speak well and express yourself should be something every child should master．But the curriculum doesn’t allow us to provide this．This is short-sighted．An inability to express your thoughts fluently is a key barrier to getting on and doing well in life． ④Oracy is in part about good public speaking and debating skills, but in reality, it’s about teaching young people to make strong arguments, choose wise words, understand their audience, form meaningful social connections, and use facial expressions and body language to convey their message．Above all else it’s about finding your voice．To work out who you are and what you believe．If reading opens up a world of imagination and possibility, then speaking and listening opens up a lifetime of empowerment-a chance for those who feel invisible in their own country to be heard．It is about the confidence to speak out, to call out injustice or harm． ⑤And the other side of speaking is listening, which can also be taught．Listening, truly listening, develops tolerance and understanding．And as parents we can play our part．We’ve all been there, at mealtimes, silent as we all stare at our devices．Our job, all of ours, is to get off our screens and give young people, and adults, the gift of listening. ⑥So, oracy—speaking and listening—needs to be placed firmly at the heart of school life． 【素材