A Speech You Have Heard Tell me about a speech you have heard .
You should say: what the speech was about
who gave the speech
what you thought about the speech
and what you learned from it.
.
When? Who gave the speech? Crazi Li
.
What was the speech about?
.
Is he famous? Why?
.
What was special about the speech?
· What makes a good speech?
A few weeks ago, I was watching CCTV 9, which is the national English TV channel, and I
came across a program about Li Yang, the famous Chinese man who came up with the
unconventional idea of Crazy English.
Li, or Crazy Li as people nicknamed him, believes that students who want to improve their
English should shout English words out loud anywhere, anytime. He believes it is an efficient way
to retain
(=
remember) new words and to gain confidence when learning a second language. Crazy
Li created a brand called "Crazy English" and opened training centers all around China. He also
wrote books to encourage people to overcome their shyness
.
On TV they showed us how Li Yang managed to bring together thousands of people on
Tian'anmen Square and asked them to yell English phrases together. It was quite impressive. He
emphasized the fact that if they learned English well, they could use their language skills to make
money in the future
.
He persuaded students to practice his technique by going behind buildings or
on rooftops and shouting English. And because everyone was doing it, they wouldn't be
embarrassed.
Although it seems a bit weird and unorthodox (=atypical), believe it or not, his rallies were
extremely popular. The technique still relies on repetition and recitation, which are common
methods used in schools in China. Li Yang has become famous and I learned that his schools have
around twenty million students across China. He is a good lecturer: he's passionate and energetic,
which means he can convince the crowds that his ideas are good.