INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Generally, being sick is really taxing on your body! Your body works hard to fight off stomach viruses and other fever-causing ailments so you'll need to show your guardians that your body is hard at work because you're "really" sick. Some well-known symptoms of a fever include body aches, fatigue and muscle weakness. You can show that your tired by moving slower than normal, laying down on the couch or resting your head on the table at dinner. When you're tired, your body temperature may drop slightly causing you to feel colder than normal. Get a blanket that's heavier than normal to put over yourself when you're sitting on the couch. If you know that your guardians will want to touch your face or use a thermometer to check for a fever, you first need to elevate your body temperature. A fever is also known as a "high temperature." You have a fever when your temperature rises above its normal range, which is about 98.6 F (37 C). Depending on what's causing your fever, additional fever signs and symptoms might include: Sweating Shivering Headache Muscle aches Loss of appetite Dehydration General weakness Pretending you have an increased body temperature should be done by demonstrating that you have the symptoms of a fever and by showing that you have above-average body temperature. You want your face looks red and to feel hot to the touch. Put on a sweater or heavy clothing to begin making your body warm. Without anyone seeing, do jumping jacks, high-knees, or mountain-climbers for one minute. If you're not hot after one minute, repeat your method until you start to feel hot and sweaty. Don't overdo it! You don't want to push yourself too hard and risk injury. Be careful and only perform until you feel hot. Take off your added layer of clothing and immediately go to your guardians and say you don't feel well. They will see that you're sweating and if they touch your cheek, they will feel that you're hot. If you show that you're consistently warm, your guardians will be more likely to believe you're sick. Run a cloth under hot water and put it on your face and neck when no one is looking. Be sure that the water isn't too hot, because you risk burning yourself. Pat off the excess water with a dry towel. You want to seem warm and have a little bit of water remaining. This will make it look like you've been sweating. If you don't have access to a cloth, rub your face with your hands. This will create friction and warm your face quickly, as well as make it red. Ask your guardians to feel your head or cheek. Once you've warmed up, tell your guardians you don't feel good again and let them touch your hot forehead. If you know your guardians will want to measure your temperature, you'll have to plan ahead to make the thermometer hot to show your temperature is elevated. Rub the tip of the thermometer with your fingers. The faster you move your fingers, the faster the thermometer will heat up to the temperature you want. If you have a heat source nearby, like a light bulb, put the thermometer next to it for a few moments. If your thermometer is one with mercury inside, then you can also raise the temperature by soaking it in hot water. Make sure that the water isn't boiling hot, as this could cause the mercury thermometer to explode. The water temperature should only be a few degrees hotter than your body temperature, around 99.5F.

SUMMARY: Feign tiredness. Feign a temperature increase. Increase your body temperature. Make your face red and your neck hot whenever possible. "Trick" the thermometer.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You may have to give a speech or presentation for school or work, or you may be invited to speak on a subject you are an expert in or are passionate about. Keep the reason for your speaking engagement in mind as you prepare so that your focus remains on what you want to teach the audience or what you hope to accomplish with your speech. If you have to speak in front of a group as a school assignment, carefully review the rubric and guidelines to ensure that your speech meets all of the requirements. In order to keep the audience engaged, it's important to cater your speech to them. Whenever possible, find out the ages, backgrounds, and education levels of the audience members. Think about their beliefs and values as well as their attitude toward the topic you're speaking about so that you can tailor your speech toward these specific people to make it more effective. Talk to various audience members beforehand to get an idea of what's important to them and why they're attending your speaking engagement. For instance, giving a speech to a group of middle schoolers may require simpler language and more humor, while speaking in front of a military audience might require more decorum. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to research your topic before you begin writing. Then, create an outline that covers all the main points you want to convey. Include facts and a few statistics as well as personal anecdotes and even a joke or two if you think they would be received well. Write out your entire speech on notecards so you can rehearse it. Remember why you're speaking about this topic and make sure all parts of your speech focus on your overall goal or call to action. A really engaging opening, or hook, is key. Share a story, statistic, or fact that will grab your audience's attention and make them want to learn more. Present your main points in a logical order so the audience can follow your argument. Use transitions to guide your listeners to the next idea. End your speech with a provocative anecdote, fact, or call to action so that your audience continues to mull over what you said even after your speaking engagement is over. If your speaking engagement is a timed event, make sure your speech is within the limits. Practice your speech at a few different speaking speeds and time each delivery so you know if you need to cut anything. In most cases, shorter is better! Generally, a 5-minute speech contains around 750 words while a 20-minute speech might have between 2,500 and 3,000 words. The key to speaking in front of large groups of people is to be prepared. While you can start practicing by reading what you've written down, the goal is to memorize your speech, or at least the key points, so you don't have to rely on your notes when you speak in front of the audience. Don't always rehearse from the beginning of your speech. Try starting at various places so you memorize each point independent of one another. That way, if you get sidetracked or lose your place, you'll be familiar with picking up your speech in the middle. You can practice your speech in front of a mirror, in the car, or while you're gardening, shooting hoops, cleaning, shopping, or doing nearly anything else. This can help you memorize it better and give you ample time to rehearse.

SUMMARY:
Determine why you want or need to speak. Learn about your audience so you can tailor your speech to their interests. Keep your goal in mind as you craft your speech. Stick to the time limit, if applicable. Practice until you don't need your notes.