Speech conclusions

These are the three things you should try to do in your speech’s conclusion:

1 Summarize your main points

2 Stimulate a response or action

3 Provide a sense of closure

 

And here’s an example:

[Conclusion for a speech about good things to eat and fun things to do in three night markets in Taipei]

[1] As you can see, there’s good eating and good fun in these three Taipei night markets. [2] So the next time you find yourself with a free evening, take your pick and go with a friend. You can try some of the food and entertainment options I’ve described. [3] If you do follow my suggestions, and find them to your liking, well, you know who to thank. And if you don’t find them to your liking? I say “to each his own”! Night markets are full of choices and I’m sure you’ll find something delicious and entertaining… Thank you very much.

New knowledge quiz

aggressive : behaving in an angry and violent way towards another person  • birthmark : a brownish or reddish mark which is on a person’s skin from when they are born  • chew : to bite something with your teeth, usually in order to taste its flavor  •  conceive : to become pregnant, or to cause a baby to begin to form  • designer : made by a famous or fashionable designer  • director : a person who is in charge of a film and tells the actors how to play their parts  •  district : an area of a country or town which has fixed borders that are used for official purposes, or which has a particular feature that makes it different from surrounding areas  •  enforce : to make people obey a law, or to make a particular situation happen or be accepted  •  equivalent : something having the same amount, value, purpose, qualities, etc as something else  •  feature : a typical quality or an important part of something  • furnishings : the furniture, curtains and other decorations in a room or building  • genre : a style, especially in the arts, that involves a particular set of characteristics  • kidney : either of a pair of small organs in the body which take away waste matter from the blood to produce urine  •  lack : to not have or not have enough of something that is needed or wanted  •  likely : describes something that will probably happen or is expected  •  manicure : treatment for the hands which involves softening the skin and making the fingernails look better by cutting, smoothing and possibly painting them  • mane : the long thick hair that grows along the top of a horse’s neck or around the face and neck of a lion  •  mate : an animal’s sexual partner  • nipple : the dark part of the skin which sticks out from the breast of a mammal and through which milk is supplied to the young  •  overall : in general rather than in particular, or including all the people or things in a particular group or situation  •  penis : the part of a male’s body which is used for urinating and in sexual activity  •   pest : an insect or small animal which is harmful or which damages crops  •  profit : money which is earned in trade or business, especially after paying the costs of producing and selling goods and services  •  promiscuous : having a lot of different sexual partners or sexual relationships, or (of sexual habits) involving a lot of different partners  •  prone : tending to show a particular negative characteristic  • raw materials : materials that have not been processed or are in a natural state  • relative : being judged or measured in comparison with something else  •  reveal : to make known or show something that is surprising or that was previously secret  • search engine : a computer program which finds information on the Internet by looking for words which you have typed in  •  sidewalk : a path with a hard surface beside one or both sides of a road, that people walk on  • specific : relating to one thing and not others; particular  •  spit : to force out the contents of the mouth, especially saliva  • user interface : way of showing information to a user  • worthless : unimportant or useless

01 What proportion of Europeans was conceived in an Ikea bed?

A Around 2 or 3 out of 100.

B About 1 in 10.

C Roughly a third.

What kind of bed do you sleep in? Do you own any home furnishings from Ikea? How often do you go to Ikea? What do you think of Ikea’s design sense? How is your home furnished?

02 What preference do female lions have about their mates?

A That the male be able to run fast.

B That the male have a dark brown mane.

C That the male be smaller in size than they are.

Do you like a mate who is athletic? What preferences do you have about hair color? What about height or weight? What other specific preferences do you have in a potential mate?

03 “I jump out of planes, I could be covered in cockroaches, I do all sorts of things, but I just don’t like the feel of ________’ bodies,” says Nicole Kidman, explaining why she is afraid of ________. What is she scared of?

A Black guys.

B Butterflies.

C Cats.

Which of the things mentioned are you scared of? Would you be willing to jump out of plane? What are some other things that frighten you? 

04 What does the length of a man’s fingers relative to his overall body size reveal?

A His intelligence.

B The length of his penis.

C How physically aggressive he is.

May I see your fingers, please? What do you think of the way your hands look? Have you ever gotten a manicure? Do you pay much attention to the way other people’s fingers or hands look? Do you think fingers or hands can be sexy? What kinds of fingers or hands are sexiest?

05 What does one in every 18 people have?

A A third eye.

B A third nipple.

C A third kidney.

Is there anything unusual about your body—for example, an interesting-looking birthmark? If you had to have one of the extra body parts, which would you choose and why? If you could choose, where would you put it?

06 How many pieces of chewing gum are there for every square meter of sidewalk in the London district of Westminster?

A 3.

B 20.

C 76.

Do you think there should be a law against spitting out gum onto sidewalks and that it should be strictly enforced? How often do you chew gum? When you do chew gum, what flavor, brand, or type do you prefer? Do you chew gum mostly for the taste, to freshen your breath, or for some other reason? During the day, do you pay attention to keeping your breath fresh? What do you do to keep it fresh?

07 What word is most often misspelled when Internet search engines are used?

A Foreign.

B Restaurant.

C Separate.

Do you have any trouble spelling any of these words? What English words’ spellings give you trouble? What Chinese characters do you find hard to remember how to write? What search engine do you use when you want to find something on the Internet? Why do you use this search engine? What tricks do you know for finding the information you need easily and quickly? What kinds of information do you most often use search engines to find?

08 How do the chances of being bitten by a human and by a rat compare?

A You are 10 times more likely to be bitten by a human.

B You are 10 times more likely to be bitten by a rat.

C You are about equally likely to be bitten by either.

Have you ever been bitten by an animal? How about by a human? Have you ever bitten anyone? Have you ever had rats in your home? What did you do to get rid of them? What pest problems do you have in your home now?

09 How much in raw materials is needed to make one mobile phone?

A 1.5 kilograms.

B 75 kilograms.

C 250 kilograms.

What kind of mobile phone do you use? How long have you been using it? Why did you choose it? What do you think of its features? What about its appearance? How about its user interface? Would you recommend it? What other phones have you used in the past, and how do they compare to your current phone? What mobile phone network do you use? Do you use any special services? What do you think overall of this network?

10 What is the most profitable film ever made?

A Deep Throat (深喉嚨).

B Gone With The Wind (亂世佳人).

C Shrek 2 (史瑞克2).

Which of the movies have you seen? What did you think of them? What was the last movie that you saw? What are a few of your favorite movies? Do you have any favorite directors, actors/actresses, or genres? How do you generally choose a movie to watch? 

11 What does research on first- and last-born children reveal?

A The former are less creative but more stable, while the latter are more promiscuous.

B The former are less prone to psychological problems and enjoy better overall health, while the latter tend to achieve more in their careers.

C The former are more self-confident but lacking in social skills, while the latter are more intelligent.

Were you either the first- and last-born child in your family? How are the first- and last-born in your family most different? Which of the descriptions mentioned in the answer choices describes you best? If you had to choose between the being the first-born and last-born child described in each of the answer choices, which would you choose and why?

12 What does the Japanese word chokuegambo mean?

A The act of describing something as worthless.  

B A situation where two people are waiting for the other to do what neither person wants to do.

C The wish that there were more designer-brand shops on a given street.

Which of the answer choices define a word that you would probably find most useful? How often do you find yourself in the situation described by answer choice B? How often do you have the wish described in answer choice C? Do you know any English words with unusual meanings, or that don’t have a good equivalent in Chinese? Do you have any favorite words (in any language)?

ANSWERS : 01-B | 02-B | 03-B | 04-C | 05-B | 06-B | 07-B | 08-A | 09-B | 10-A | 11-A | 12-C

WARM-UP QUESTIONS : How much do you keep up with the current state of knowledge in the field in which you work? How about the field you studied in school? In general, how familiar are you with recent additions to our knowledge?

SOURCE : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4566526.stm

Unusual expressions

adultery : sex between a married man or woman and someone who is not their wife or husband  •  ax : a tool used for cutting wood and which consists of a heavy iron or steel blade at the end of a long wooden handle  •  bush : a plant with many small branches growing either directly from the ground or from a hard woody stem, giving the plant a rounded shape  •  bucket : a container with an open top and a handle, often used for carrying liquids  •  bullet : a small, metal object that is fired from a gun  •  candid : truthful and honest, especially about something difficult or painful  •  consequence : an often bad or inconvenient result of a particular action or situation  •  courage : the ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation  •  deceive : to persuade someone that something false is the truth; to keep the truth hidden from someone for your own advantage; to trick  •  get to the point : say the thing that is most important  •  good luck charm : an object that is thought to possess the ability to bring good luck  •  grind : to rub something against a hard surface, in order to make it sharper or smoother  •  lack : to not have or not have enough of something that is needed or wanted  •  pointless · Something that is pointless has no purpose and it is a waste of time doing it  •  reckless · doing something dangerous and not caring about the risks and the possible results  •  revenge : harm done to someone as a punishment for harm that they have done to someone else  •  sheet : a large thin flat especially rectangular piece of something, especially a piece of cloth used for sleeping on  •  suspect : to think or believe something to be true or probable  •  tactic : a planned way of doing something  •  ulterior motive : a secret purpose or reason for doing something

0 Beat around the bush

Actual Meaning:  Avoid getting to the point

Origin:  It comes from hunting, where hunters would carefully beat around bushes hoping to drive out their prey instead of just going in after it.

Example Sentence:  Stop beating around the bush and tell us if you have a new boyfriend or not!

What types of questions do you dislike answering? How do you deal with the situation when you are asked these questions—for example, by beating around the bush, refusing to answer, or something else? When you are beating around the bush, do you have any specific tactics? In general, how candid a person do you see yourself as being?

1 Face the music

Actual Meaning:  Accept the consequences of your actions

Origin: Soldiers who were dishonorably discharged from the army were forced to march slowly between ranks of their peers while drums and other instruments marked the somber occasion.

Example Sentence: Your parents already know you lied to them, so you might as well go home now and face the music.

When you have done something wrong, do you try to avoid facing the music? What about when you were a child and had misbehaved? Can you think of a recent occasion when you had to face the music for something that you had done?

2 Three sheets to the wind

Actual Meaning:  Be drunk

Origin: Back in the old days, wooden ships were generally outfitted with four masts and four sets of sails (or sheets) to ensure maximum speed and performance. Sometimes, however, the fourth set of sheets was not unfurled, causing the ship to rattle and roll like a drunk after an all-night bender. Sailors and landlubbers who displayed this same tendency were henceforth described as being “three sheets to the wind.”

Example Sentence: When Steve started taking off his clothes at the KTV, we knew he was three sheets to the wind.

What is the drunkest you have ever gotten? What did you do while you were drunk? Would you describe it as a pleasant experience? Have you ever been with someone who was extremely drunk? What did they do? How did you feel?

3 Play the field

Actual Meaning:  Date more than one person at a time

Origin: In the world of horse racing, gamblers who are unsure of the outcome of a particular race will often play it safe by betting on multiple horses on the same field.

Example Sentence: After I get married, I plan to be faithful to my wife, so I’m going to play the field while I’m still single.

If you’re single, are you playing the field? If you’re married, did you play the field back when you were single? Do you think it’s a good idea to play the field while single? Do you think it’s possible to play the field without lying to anyone or hurting anyone? If so, how?

4 On a roll

Actual Meaning:  Experience continual good luck or success

Origin: This phrase owes its humble beginnings to the game of craps, in which players try to earn big money with a successful roll of the dice.

Example Sentence: I’ve won big the last three times we’ve played poker, so I’m really on a roll.

Have you had the experience of “being on a roll”? Do you believe in luck? How much of a gambler are you? Do you have any good luck charms, or other things such as colors that seem to bring you good luck? How good do you think your luck has been so far in life?

5 Bite the bullet

Actual Meaning:  Face a difficult situation with courage

Origin: Casualties during the U.S. Civil War were so staggering that field doctors often didn’t have enough painkillers — or alcohol — to administer to the wounded. So, when supplies ran low, they would give soldiers a soft-lead bullet to bite into while they did their best to amputate their limbs. It wasn’t pretty, but war (just like your last girlfriend) seldom is.

Example Sentence:  He finally bit the bullet and asked his boss for a raise.

Do you consider yourself to be a courageous person? What do you think is probably the most courageous thing you have ever done? What are some things that you would like to do, but so far have lacked the courage to actually do?

6 Kick the bucket

Actual Meaning:  Die

Origin: This quaint little idiom comes to us from an old-school suicide technique. A man would tie a noose around his neck, securing the other end to a tree branch or an overhead beam while he propped himself up on a bucket. When he wanted to bid adieu to the world, he would kick the bucket out from beneath himself, sending him to his maker, and no doubt leaving behind an inconvenient little mess for the maid to clean up.

Example Sentence:  My old uncle finally kicked the bucket at right after this 100th birthday.

What do you think of people who kill themselves—for example, feel sorry for them or think they’re being selfish? Have you ever thought of committing suicide? If you did commit suicide, how might you do it?

7 Hold your horses 

Actual Meaning:  Show patience

Origin: This phrase is believed to have originated in America during the 19th century and was uttered to keep everyone in line at the beginning of a coach race. Other horse-related idioms include “throwing your weight around,” “keeping up the pace” and the ever-popular “hung like a horse.”

Example Sentence:  Hold your horses! I’m not ready to go yet.

How patient a person are you? What kinds of situations or people cause you to easily lose patience? Do you feel impatient about the progress your English is making? What goals are you pursuing now, or events are you waiting to happen, and how much patience are you exercising?

8 Have an ax to grind 

Actual Meaning:  Have selfish or ulterior motives

Origin: According to myth, when Benjamin Franklin was just a young man, he was approached by a stranger who stopped to admire the family grindstone. The stranger expressed great interest in the otherwise commonplace device and asked Franklin to show him how it worked by sharpening one of his axes for him. Once the ax was sharp, the stranger walked off laughing merrily at his ingenious ploy. Since then, anyone with a hidden motive has been said to have “an ax to grind.”

Example Sentence:  I really didn’t want to meet my ex-wife for dinner, because I was sure she had an ax to grind.

If the teacher suddenly asked if he could treat you to dinner, what would you think? Would you suspect that he might have an ax to grind? If you learned that he did, but didn’t know what it was that he wanted, what might you guess?

9 Fly by the seat of your pants

Actual Meaning:  Decide what to do moment by moment

Origin: Early aviation jargon. Aircraft initially had few navigation aids and flying was accomplished by means of the pilot’s eyesight and judgment (possibly related, therefore, to the phrases “pulling it out of your ass” and “having a horseshoe up your ass.”)

Example Sentence:  I lost all the handouts before class started, so I just flew by the seat of my pants.

Do you like flying by the seat of your pants in certain situations? If you had to teach a Chinese conversation course tomorrow to a group of foreigners, what would you prepare? How well do you think you could do by just flying by the seat of your pants? Have you ever flown by the seat of your pants in some situation and either succeeded brilliantly or failed miserably?

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

What are some of your favorite words or expressions in English? What unusual words or expressions do you know? What do you most like about English? What do you least like English?

How much star quality do you have?

admire · to respect and approve of someone or their behavior, or to find someone or something attractive and pleasant to look at  •  appearance · the way a person or thing looks to other people  •  approval · when you have a positive opinion of someone or something  •  cool with · to be happy to accept a situation or suggestion  •  crave · a strong or uncontrollable desire  •  creative · producing or using original and unusual ideas  •  criticize · to express disapproval of someone or something  •  distinctive · Something that is distinctive is easy to recognize because it is different from other things  •  emulate · to copy something achieved by someone else and try to do it as well as they have  •  get off on something · to find something exciting, especially in a sexual way  •  get somebody down · If something gets you down, it makes you feel unhappy and dissatisfied  •  interview · a meeting in which someone is asked questions about themselves for a newspaper article, television show, etc  •  into · enthusiastic about or interested in  •  justified · having a good reason for something  •  keep up with · to be able to understand or deal with something that is happening or changing very fast  •  life of the party · someone who is energetic and amusing and at the center of activity during social occasions  •  on the fly · If you do something on the fly, you do it without having prepared or thought about it first  •  outgoing · friendly and energetic and finding it easy and enjoyable to be with others  •  perform · to entertain people by dancing, singing, acting or playing music  •  pop culture · music, TV, cinema, literature, etc. that is popular and enjoyed by ordinary people, rather than specialists or highly educated people  •  project · a piece of planned work or an activity which is completed over a period of time and intended to achieve a particular aim  •  put somebody down · to make someone feel foolish or unimportant by criticizing them  •  role model · a person whom someone admires and whose behavior they try to copy  •  sense of humor · the ability to be amused by things, the way in which people see that some things are amusing or the quality of being amusing  •  stage fright · Actors or performers who have stage fright are nervous because they are about to perform  •  take something in stride · to deal with a problem or difficulty calmly and not to allow it to influence what you are doing  •  talent · a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught  •  trend · a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving  •  unique · being the only existing one of its type or, more generally, unusual or special in some way

01 Do you think you have your own distinctive look?

In what way is your appearance distinctive? What about the way you look do you think is most special—for example, your eyes, clothing, hair? What do you like most about the way you look? What do you like least? Besides your appearance, what is the most distinctive about you?

02 Do people often describe you as outgoing?

Are you usually the life of the party when you’re with friends? Can you easily “get crazy” (sing, dance, jump around) when you want to have fun? What words do other people most often use to describe you? Do you think these words really describe you well?

03 Do people often say that you have your own unique style?

How would you describe your “style”? In what areas is your style most unique—for example, the way you dress, the way you talk, or the way you work? What star has a style that you admire? What do you think is most unique about you?

04 Are you cool with other people seeing you as a role model?

What about you do you think is the most worth emulating? How many people see you as a role model? Who are some of your role models? Who was your role model when you were growing up?

05 Do you have any special performing talents—such as singing?

What do you think are your greatest talents? What star’s talent do you most admire? If you could have one talent that you don’t already have, what would it be? Why?

06 Are you good at answering questions on the fly?

What star do you think is good at answering questions on the fly? Are there any stars you know who can’t do this very well? Have you ever been interviewed? Do you think you have a good sense of humor? If you have to lie, can you do it well?

07 Do you spend a lot of your free time working on creative projects?

If so, what are some examples of creative projects that you are working on now? Do you have any plans for such projects in the future? Do you think in general that you are a very creative person?

08 Do you try to keep up with the latest trends in pop culture?

What area of pop culture is most important to you—fashion, music, or something else? How fashionable do you think you are? Who is the most fashionable person you know?

09 Do you get off on performing in front of other people?

Do you usually spend more time singing than your friends do when you go to a KTV? How often do you go to KTVs? Which is your favorite? Do you have any songs that you can sing particularly well? Have you ever performed in front of many strangers? How much stage fright did you experience?

10 Do you crave the approval of others?

Whose approval is most important to you? Do you feel you get enough approval from your family? How about at work? How about at school? Have you ever failed to get the approval of someone you needed or wanted approval from? 

11 When other people put you down or say unkind things about you, are you able to take it in stride without letting it get you down?

How do you usually react when you are criticized? What qualities or actions have you been criticized for? How justified do you think the criticism was? 

12 Would you be into being famous?

Given a choice, would you rather be famous or rich? Why? What do you think would be the best thing about being famous? What about the worst thing?

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

Who is your favorite star? Why do you like him or her? Do you know anyone personally whom you think might be a  star?

RESULTS

Score 1 point for each yes answer.

10~12 Can I have your autograph? If you’re not a star already, you ought to be!

7~9 You definitely have star quality.

4~6 You have an average amount of star quality.

0~3 No way. You have no chance of being a star.

Speech check list

POSTURE: How is the speaker standing or sitting? What kind of attitude does it convey?

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: Did the speaker smile before she spoke? What kind of a smile was it? What kind of facial expressions did the speaker use during her speech? What did they convey to you about the speech, or the speaker?

BODY MOVEMENTS AND GESTURES: What kind of gestures did the speaker use? What kind of story do you think she was telling-for example, happy, funny, frightening? When not gesturing, what did the speaker do with her hands? Did she show any nervous tics?

SPEAKING VOLUME: How loudly did the speaker talk? Was it loud enough, too loud, or not loud enough?

VOCAL FILLERS: What vocal fillers did the speaker use, and how often did she use them?

TONE OF VOICE: Did the speaker show confidence and calm through their voice? Did she say anything that showed nervousness or a lack of confidence? Did the speaker use her voice to make her speech more lively and emotive? If not, what improvements would you suggest?

Dating trivia quiz

When was the last time you went out on a date? Where did you go? What did you do? Was it a good date? How knowledgeable about dating and sex do you think you are? How often do your friends ask you for advice about either? What advice have you offered?

ancestor · a person, plant, animal or object that is related to one existing at a later point in time  • artifact · an object that is made by a person, such as a tool or a decoration, especially one that is of historical interest  • cave · a large hole in the side of a hill, cliff or mountain, or one that is underground  • cheat on · If you cheat on your husband, wife or usual sexual partner, you secretly have a sexual relationship with someone else  • chimpanzee · a small, very intelligent African ape with black or brown fur  • commit · to promise or give your loyalty, time or money to a particular principle, person or plan of action  • contraceptive · any of various devices or drugs intended to prevent pregnancy  • crocodile · a large hard-skinned reptile that lives in and near rivers and lakes in the hot wet parts of the world. It is like an alligator, but it usually has a longer and narrower nose  • drag · to move something by pulling it along a surface, usually the ground  • feces · the solid waste excreted from the body of a human or animal through the bowels  • foreplay · the sexual activity such as kissing and touching that people do before they have sex  • gender · the physical and/or social condition of being male or female  • gorilla · a large ape that comes from western Africa  • harem · especially in the past in some Muslim societies, the wives or other female sexual partners of a man, or the part of a house in which they live  • mate · an animal’s sexual partner  • mixture · a substance made from a combination of different substances, or any combination of different things  • mud · earth that has become wet and sticky  • monogamy · when someone has a sexual relationship or marriage with only one other person at a time  • offspring · the young of an animal  • paternity · the fact of being a father or connected with being a father  • penguin · a black and white sea bird which cannot fly but uses its small wings to help it swim  • percentage · an amount of something, often expressed as a number out of 100  • physical · connected with the body  • plug · a small piece of rubber, plastic, wood, etc. that fits into a hole in order to close it  • polygamy · the fact or custom of being married to more than one person at the same time  • prehistoric · describing the period before there were written records  • promiscuous · (of a person) having a lot of different sexual partners or sexual relationships, or (of sexual habits) involving a lot of different partners  • rank · to have a position higher or lower than others, or to be considered to have such a position  • session · a period of time or meeting arranged for a particular activity  • sexual intercourse · the act of having sex  • spouse · a person’s husband or wife  • submissive · describes someone who allows themselves to be controlled by other people  • typical · showing all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things  • vary · If things of the same type vary, they are different from each other, and if you vary them, you cause them to be different from each other

01 According to research, which gender has the more romantic view of male-female relationships?

A Men.

B Women.

C The two genders are about the same.

Do you think you are a very romantic person? Why or why not? In your current or past relationships, have you been the more romantic partner? What would you say is the most romantic thing you have ever done? What do you think is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?

02 Which of the following do men say is most important for them in a romantic partner?

A Face.

B Body.

C Personality.

How do you think most women would rank the three things? Which of these things are most important to you in a romantic partner? How important are the other two things to you? Which of the three things–face, body, personality–do you think is your strongest point? Which do you think is your weakest point?

03 What type of man do most women prefer?

A A man who is about as physically attractive as themselves.

B A man who is more physically attractive than themselves.

C A man who is less physically attractive than themselves.

Do you think men prefer someone more physically attractive than themselves, less physically attractive than themselves, or just as physically attractive as themselves? Which type of partner do you prefer? How would you compare yourself and your current or last romantic partner (or someone you are or were attracted to)? 

04 Which of the following do the most women say would hurt them most?

A A partner being in love with another woman, even though there was no sexual contact.

B A partner having a relationship with another woman purely for sex, with no emotion involved.

C A partner having a close friendship with a former lover.

Why did you choose the answer that you did? Do you think most men would answer the same way that most women do? Which would you be most hurt by? Can you explain why? Do you think you could forgive your partner if he or she had an emotional affair? How about a purely sexual affair?

05 According to studies done in several different Western countries, what percentage of children are not actually the offspring of the man who believes he is the father (usually the husband of the mother)?

A Less than 1 percent.

B About 10 percent.

C It varies widely depending on the country, from almost none to nearly a third.

What do you think the percentage would be in Taiwan? Do you think it would be a good idea to test the paternity of every child born? Do you think either men or women cheat on their partners much more often? Do you think the reasons that men and women cheat are usually different or similar?

06 Based on artifacts and cave paintings, which of the following best describes prehistoric women?

A They were submissive to men and dragged around by the hair.

B They had sex only to make babies.

C They enjoyed sex as much as their male mates.

07 The sex lives of our prehistoric ancestors were most likely similar to which kind of animal’s?

A Monogamous penguins.

B Promiscuous, no-commitment bonobo chimpanzees.

C Polygamous, harem-loving gorillas.

Do you think men are naturally promiscuous? Do you think if promiscuous women were not viewed negatively by society that most women would be promiscuous? Do you think women enjoy sex as much as men do? If so, why do you think men usually have to do the persuading? Are you a penguin, bonobo chimpanzee, or gorilla (haha)? If you could have a harem or multiple spouses, would you?

08 In 2000 BC, what did Egyptians use as a contraceptive?

A Plugs made of crocodile feces.

B Mud.

C A mixture of lemon, milk, and flowers.

If you were an ancient Egyptian, would you rather use one these things for contraception, or just take your chances? According to studies, Taiwanese use contraception less often than the citizens of any other advanced country—why do you think this might be? Do you think children should be taught about contraception in school? If so, at what age should they be taught? Where did you learn about contraception?

09 At what age does the average American girl first have sexual intercourse?

A 14.

B 17.

C 20.

What do you think is probably the average age at which Taiwanese girls first have sexual intercourse? Do you think parents should try to control when their children have their first sexual experience? If so, how should they do this?

10 What percentage of women say they would rather have chocolate than sex?

A 8.

B 26.

C 70.

What do you think the percentage would be for men? If you were willing to answer, which would you prefer? How much chocolate do you eat? Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate?

11 How long does the typical lovemaking session last?

A About 15 minutes: about 10 to 12 minutes of foreplay and around 3 to 5 minutes of intercourse.

B About 15 minutes: about 3 to 5 minutes of foreplay and around 10 to 12 minutes of intercourse.

C About 5 minutes of foreplay and 20 to 30 minutes of intercourse.

Do you talk about sex with your friends? If you do, how much detail do you go into about your personal experiences? According to studies, women talk about their sexual experiences with friends in much more detail than men do with their friends—why do you think this might be? Would you mind if your partner were talking about your sex life with his or her friends?

12 Of the men who die while having sex, what percentage are having sex with someone who is not their spouse? 

A 10.

B 50.

C 85.

Do you think dying while having sex is a good way to go? Can you think of a better way to go?

// answers

01 A : Research has found that men fall in love earlier in a relationship and cling longer to a dying love affair. Men also commit suicide three times as often as women over disastrous love affairs.  • 02 C  • 03 A  • 04 A  • 05 B  • 06 C  • 07 B  • 08 A  • 09 B  • 10 C  • 11 A  • 12 C