1.
Weekends
What do you do in your spare time?
What do you usually do at weekends?
Well, I work hard during weekdays, so I think I deserve a break at the weekend. Sometimes,
I just spend my Saturdays and Sundays lounging around, but sometimes reading books to
enrich knowledge.
What will you do next weekend?
Did you do anything special last weekend?
Actually, it was quite an uneventful weekend for me. I did a little bit of reading and
cooking…
Do you think it is important to make the most of your weekend?
2. Holidays
Do you like holidays? Why?
For me, nothing is better than a holiday. These days, people, especially in the city, tend to
be constantly on tight schedule with crushing workload and I’m no exception. So once in a
while/ occasionally I would go on holiday to relieve stress. It’s important for both your
physical and mental well-being to take a break, I suppose.
What do you usually do on holidays?
When I’m on vacation, one thing I always do is going on a trip far away. I’m especially into
discovering new places with different people, trying local specialities, involving myself in
their cultural activities to diversify my experience. It is an effective means of escape from
the everyday treadmill of school and homework.
Which public holiday do you like best?
3. Environmental Protection
How can we protect the environment?
Ways/ methods/ solutions/ take measures to…/ take action…
avoid using plastic bags
decompose
- Conserve/ preserve the environment
- Public transportation instead of private vehicles – reduce carbon emissions
- Fewer plastics especially single-use items, which is currently a threat to the Earth and
the survival of many species
Do you think you have done enough to protect the environment?
Is there education about environmental protection at school?
- As far as I know
- Environmental conservation
- Regardless of those efforts, I don’t think that has made a big difference in the
behaviours.
4. Advertisement
What kinds of advertisements do you watch?
Where can you see advertisements?
Advertisements are ubiquitous. I mean they can be seen everywhere when I either go
out on the street, watch TV or surf the Internet. Being bombarded with ads, sometimes
I feel a little bit annoyed, especially when the products advertised are not of my interest.
Have you ever bought something because of its advertisements?
Certainly yes, I have. Even though I am quite frugal when it comes to spending money,
there were times when the advertisements were so enticing that I decided to purchase
the advertised products immediately. Last year, after watching a commercial advertising
iPhone 12, I rushed to the store to buy it right away, although I hadn’t thought of
purchasing a new phone since my old one was still perfectly functional.
Do you watch advertisements from the beginning to the end?
It tends to depend on how intriguing the advertisements are. If the content is funny or
the ad has a lot of eye-catching images, I will watch the ads till they finish. However, if
the content is tedious or is something I’ve been familiar with, I will skip it right away
when possible, which is what I often do while watching Youtube videos.
*** Tips to score high
1. Paraphrase the words in the question
2. Use complex (when, although, because...) (remember to pay attention to
the sentence structure)
3. Use linking words (to be honest, I mean, I suppose, you know…)
4. Use both active and passive voice
5. Don’t speak too fast or too slowly
PART 2:
[Link] an ambition that you have had for a long time.
You should say:
what it is
what you did for it
when you can achieve it
and explain why this ambition is important to you.
Play the guitar
Participated Had to stop
Because of studying schoolwork
Not enough free time to play to continue
Vocabulary
Graduate
Fluency not satisfactory enough
Practice hard
Spare some time playing it again
Suggestion for vocabulary:
- Ambition = desire = goal = aspiration (n)
- Burning ambition (n)
- (to) harbour an ambition
- (to) fulfil one’s ambition
PART 3
Do you share your ambitions with others?
Is it important for us to have ambitions? Why?
Do you think it is important for the youth to have ambitions? Why?
What kinds of ambitions do people have in your country?
Do you think children should consult their parents before setting their goals?
Ups and downs understand strengths and weaknesses
Experience independence
What can be the result of failures?
Opportunities
Mistakes
Proper purposes
Do you think without any ambition, our growth may come to a standstill? Why?
Why do many people lose their ambition gradually as they grow up?