My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I tried incredibly hard to focus on the words that I spent hours putting down on paper. I tried to conquer my fear of speaking in public on numerous occasions throughout my life. During college and at my first few jobs, I would get ridiculously nervous when I had to give a presentation or lead a meeting. Public speaking had been my nemesis for as long as I could remember.

Then in my mid-thirties, I decided to join the public speaking group Toastmasters. At every meeting, we were rated and forced to compete with other speakers for an award. You would think that I would walk away from these experiences as a polished speaker, but nothing seemed to work.

It wasn’t until recently, when science and scientific institutions were being attacked for unfair reasons during the pandemic, that I decided I must speak out. Science has made this country a place where dreams come true — this is why we all need to protect science. In addition, as a science writer, I try to get readers to understand how science is related to their daily lives.

So I ended up on that frightening stage on that sunny Saturday in April — Earth Day. Despite the body shakes and fear, I persevered. That day, I looked out into the crowd of like-minded science supporters and I felt comfort.

Reaching that milestone goal of getting through a speech truly changed me. At almost forty, I learned that passion can set off a flame in my heart to do things I never dreamed possible. The darkness that led to my speech is sure to lead to new opportunities and adventures.

【小题1】Which of the following can replace the underlined word “nemesis” in Para. 1?

A．Advantage.

B．Annoyance.

C．Preference.

D．Confusion.

【小题2】How did the author behave about public speaking after leaving Toastmasters?

A．He began to feel less worried.	B．He became a polished speaker.
C．He remained a shy speaker.	D．Things became worse for him.

【小题3】What made the author want to speak out on Earth Day?

A．It was a good chance to learn science.

B．He must rise up to defend his profession.

C．It was a project organized by Toastmasters.

D．He couldn’t have people attacking science.

【小题4】What lesson did the author draw from his successful speech?

A．Passion can motive us to achieve the unachievable.

B．Any difficulty can be overcome with great effort.

C．Science can lead us to make wonderful changes.

D．Frustration can be stepping stones to success.