Final answer:
a) The government officials. Based on the given options, the speaker was most likely hoping that government officials would hear and/or read the speech.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is referring to a speech and is wondering who the speaker was hoping would hear and/or read the speech. The given reference material does not provide the specific details of the speech or the speaker. Therefore, without further information, it is difficult to determine the exact audience the speaker had in mind.
However, based on the given options, we can make an educated guess. If the speech was given by a government official, such as a president or a prime minister, then it is most likely that the speaker was hoping that government officials would hear and/or read the speech (option a).
Keep in mind that this is just a guess and the correct answer may vary depending on the context of the speech.