Numbers
1. In your country, do any numbers have special meaning? 2. What's your favourite number?
3. Are there any numbers or dates that you think are important to remember? 4. How do people remember numbers?
5. Which do you think are easier to remember, names or numbers?
Collecting
1. Did you collect anything (such as stamps or CDs) when you were a child? 2. Do you still collect them now?
3. Do you collect anything as a hobby now? 4. Why do you like collecting things?
5. Do people in your country like to collect things? 6. Why do you think people like collecting things?
7. What are some examples of things that some people collect (as a hobby)? 8. Do you think you will collect anything in the future?
9. If you had a lot of money, what would you like to collect? 10. Have you ever collected anything?
11. Is collecting a popular pastime in China? 12. Does anyone in your home collect anything? 13. What are the benefits of collecting?
14. Do boys and girls usually collect the same things?
Films
1. Do you like to watch films?
2. How often do you watch a film? (=go to a cinema?) 3. What types of films do you like?
4. Are there any types of films that you dislike?
5. What kinds of films did you like to watch when you were a child? 6. Where do you prefer to watch films?
7. Do you like to watch films in a cinema? (Why?/Why not?) 8. Do you prefer to watch films at home or in a cinema? (Why?) 9. Are most of the people in the cinema usually children or adults? 10. How much time does it take to watch one film? 11. How much time do you spend watching films? 12. Who do you usually watch films with?
Painting
1. Do you like drawing / painting? 2. Do you ever paint pictures? 3. Have you ever painted pictures?
4. Did you do any painting (or drawing) when you were a child? 5. Do you think you will paint any pictures in the future?
6. What do you think are the benefits of painting (or drawing; or art) for children? 7.
Do you think painting (or drawing) is important for adults?
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8. Why do some people like to draw (or paint)?
9. Have you ever taken a class in (drawing or) painting?
10. When you were a child, did you have art classes at school?
11. Have you kept any of your drawings or paintings (from when you were a child)? 12. Do you think children should learn drawing / painting (from a young age)? 13. Do you think children should have art classes in school? 14. Do you think art is necessary (or, important) in society? 15. Why do you think people buy paintings?
16. Why do you think people like to have a painting (or other artwork) in their homes? 17. Do you ever buy paintings (or, have you ever bought a painting)?
Flowers
1. Do you like flowers? (Why?)
2. What flowers do you like? (Why?) 3. Which/What is your favorite flower? 4. Do you think flowers are important?
5. On what occasions are flowers important?
6. What are the occasions when people send or receive flowers? 7. When was the last time you gave (or, sent) flowers to someone? 8. When was the last time you yourself bought flowers? 9. When was the last time you bought flowers for yourself? 10. Where did you buy these flowers? 11. Where do (can) people buy flowers?
12. What meaning do flowers (= does giving flowers) have for Chinese people? 13. What flowers have special meaning in China? 14. Do you like to have flowers in your home? 15. Do you (ever) grow flowers at home?
16. Do many people in your country grow flowers at home? 17. Do people in China like growing flowers?
18. Does anyone in your family like growing flowers? 19. Do old people in China like gardening?
Science
1. Are you very interested in science? 2. Do you like science?
3. Is there anything about science that you dislike?
4. What science do students learn at school in your country?
Activities
1. Do you like outdoor activities?
2. What outdoor activities do you (most) like to do? 3. How often do you do that?
4. What kinds of outdoor activities do you do in your daily life?
5. Do people in your country prefer to spend time indoors or outdoors? 6.
What (types of) outdoor activities are popular in your country?
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7. Do people in your country have enough time to spend on outdoor activities?
Birds
1. How do you feel about birds? (Why do you feel that way?) 2. How do Chinese people feel about birds? 3. Are there many birds near your home?
4. Have you seen many different kinds of birds? (near your home)?
5. Do any birds have any particular significance in China? For example, does China have a national bird? 6. Do you think birds should be protected? (Why? / Why not?) 7. Do Chinese people like raising (keeping) pet birds? 8. Have you ever kept a pet bird? 9. What did you feed it?
Concerts
1. Have you ever been to a live concert?
2. Are concerts ever held in your hometown?
3. When was the last time you attended a concert?
4. Did you listen to this concert on TV or did you listen to it live? 5. Would you like to go to (or watch) a concert in the future?
6. Would you prefer to watch a concert on TV or to attend a live concert? 7. Will you watch this concert on TV or watch it live?
8. Which would you prefer, to attend a concert of your favourite artist or to buy a CD of this artist?
Gifts
1. Do you ever give people gifts? 2. Do you ever receive gifts?
3. Do you prefer receiving a gift or giving a gift? 4. Who did you last give a gift to?
5. When was the last time you received a gift?
6. Do you think it's difficult to choose what gift to give to people? 7. Do people in China like to give gifts (to other people)? 8. On what occasions do people in China give gifts?
9. What kinds of things do people (in China) give each other as gifts? 10. Do you and your friends or family members give each other gifts? 11. What sorts of gifts do you give to your friends? 12. Have your friends ever given you gifts?
13. Do you think it's difficult to choose what gifts to give people? 14. Do you think gift-giving is very important?
15. Would you say it's necessary to buy expensive gifts for people? 16. Have you ever given a gift that you made yourself?
Handicrafts
1. Did you ever make anything by hand when you were a child? 2. Do children in your country often make things by hand?
3. Do you think it's very useful for children to make things by hand?
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4. Is there anything that you would like to make by hand in the future?
Housework
1. Do people in your country do much housework? 2. In your home, who does (most of) the housework?
3. Do you do much (or, any) housework? (If yes, what? Why?/Why not?) 4. What housework do you like to do?
5. What housework did you do when you were a child?
6. Do you think children should (learn to) do housework? (Why?/Why not?) 7. Do people in your country spend much time doing housework?
8. Do you feel people in your country have enough time to do housework? 9. Do you think people like doing housework by them? 10. Do you usually do any housework?
11. Who usually does the housework in your home? 12. Do you like to do housework? (Why?/Why not?) 13. What housework does you least like doing? (Why?)
14. When you were a child, did you ever do any housework?
15. Do you think it's important for children to do some housework?
16. If a child helps do some of the family housework, how do you think this affects the child's development? 17. What do you do to help the family?
18. Have there been any changes in the housework people do since the time when your parents were your age? 19. Do you think people should be paid to do household chores?
Names
1. Does your name have any special meaning? 2. Who gave you your name?
3. Why did they choose that name?
4. When Chinese people name their children, are there any special customs that are followed?
5. Are there any special names (or, special types of names) that Chinese parents choose for their children? 6. Is there any special ceremony when babies are given their names? 7. How are Chinese names and Western names different?
8. What names do people at home (your family members) call you? 9. Do many people in China have a nickname?
10. Are there any big differences between people's names today in China and people's names many years ago? 11. Are there any names that are very commonly used? 12. Do Chinese people like to have common names?
13. Why are some Chinese names very similar to each other? 14. Do Chinese people today usually have a third name? 15. Is your surname very common in China? 16. What's the most common surname in China?
17. Do Chinese people attach a lot of importance to (their) names? 18. Is your name very important to you? 19. Do you like your name?
20. Do people in China ever change their names? 21. Would you like to change your name?
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Photograph
1. Do you like to take photographs? (Why?)
2. How (why) did you become interested in photography? 3. In what situations do you take photographs? 4. What kind of photos do you like to take? (Why?)
5. Do you prefer to take pictures of people or of scenery? 6. Who do you take photos of? 7. How do you keep your photos?
8. Do you keep your photographs on your computer? 9. Are there any photos on the walls of your home?
10. Do you frame (or have you framed) any of your photos? Do you prefer to send postcards to people or to
send photos that you took yourself? (Why?) 11. Is photography a popular hobby in China?
12. Why do (you think) some people do not like taking photographs?
13. Why do you think some people like taking photographs when they visit another place?
14. Do Chinese people like to visit photograph exhibitions? What kind of photos do they like to look at? 15. Do you think being a photographer would be a good job? (Why?/Why not?) 16. What factors make a good photograph?
Meals
1. How do people in your country usually eat a meal?
2. Do you prefer to sit together as a family for a meal, or to eat separately? 3. What are the benefits of doing that?
4. Which meal do you prefer, lunch or dinner (supper)? (Why?) 5. What do you usually eat for lunch?
6. What do you usually eat for your evening meal?
7. Do you prefer to eat three full meals a day or do you prefer to eat many snacks throughout the day? 8. Which meal of the day do you think is the most important? (Why?) 9. Do you think breakfast is important? (Why?/Why not?) 10. What do you usually eat for breakfast?
11. Is there any special food that you particularly like?
12. Would you like to try any new food? (If yes, give an example &/or say why.) 13. Do you like cooking (or, preparing your own meals)? (Why?/Why not?)
Computers
1. What do you use computers for? 2. Do you think computers are important? 3. Do computers have much impact on your life? 4. What computer skill(s) would you like to learn? 5. Do you use computers very much? 6. When do you use a computer? 7. What do you use computers for? 8. When did you start using computers?
9. What was your impression (or feeling) when you used a computer the first time? 10. How did you learn to use a computer?
11. Have computers changed your life in any way? (If yes, how?)
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