An Enjoyable Phone Conversation
Describe an enjoyable conversation you had with someone by mobile phone. You should say:
who you spoke to
when you had this conversation what you spoke about
and explain why this conversation was enjoyable.
Telephones
? Do you think telephones are important for communication?
? Do people in China use telephones (including cell-phones) very much? ? Which do people in China use more, cell phones or fixed line phones? ? Which do you think is better, cell phones or fixed line phones? (Why?)
? What changes has the introduction of cell phones brought to people's lives? ? Some people don't like using cell phones very much. Can you suggest why?
? Some people don't like telephones (both cell-phones and fixed line phones). Can you suggest some reasons
why they feel that way?
Communication Methods/Tools
? Do you think communication is important in a relationship?
? Do you think people today communicate with others more than before? ? Compare emails as opposed to cell-phones as a means of communication.
? What impact have modern communication technologies such as mobile phones and the internet had on
people's work lives?
? With the increasing use of computers for communication, what do you think the eventual result might be? ? Do you think the skill of handwriting might one day disappear?
? How do you think people will be communicating with each other in the future?
A Musical Show
Describe a musical event you attended or saw on TV that you liked. You should say:
what kind of musical event it was when you saw it where you saw it
and explain why you liked it.
People's Musical Preferences
? What is the importance of music in people's lives?
? Do you think that music adds something to people's lives? ? What's your favourite style of music?
? What are the differences between the music old(er) people like and the music young people like? ? How does music affect people's mood?
? Do you think aggressive music has an effect on people? ? What kinds of music are popular in your country? ? Is Beijing (Peking) Opera very popular?
? Do you think it's good for children to study music?
? Is there any difference between children studying music today and in the past?
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The Music Industry
? Do you think music can become commercialized?
? Is the internet having any effect on the music industry?
? Do you think this will (or could) have an effect on the music industry? Being a Pop Singer or Musician
? Would you like to work in the music industry?
? Many young people go through a stage when they dream of being a being a pop singer or a musician. Why
do you think they have this dream?
? Do you think it's reasonable to say that since you love music, you would like to make it your profession?
A Park or Garden
Describe a beautiful park or garden that you have visited. You should say:
where it was when you saw it. what you did there
and explain why you thought it was beautiful.
Public Parks ? How do you feel about parks?
? What kinds of people most often go to parks? ? What are the functions of city parks?
? Do you think it's better to have parks in the middle of the city or to have them on the edge of the city or
even just outside the city?
? Which is better, to have a park that is beautiful or a park that is functional? ? Should people pay to use parks? (Why?/Why not?) ? How should parks be paid for?
? Who should pay for public parks, the government or local citizens? ? Do you think it's important to have gardens or green spaces in cities? ? What role do these places have in the lives of city people? Growing Things / Gardening
? Do many people in your country have a garden? ? Was this the same several generations ago?
? Do you think it's useful to teach children about growing things? (or, gardening)?
? What about planting trees? Do you think it's useful to teach children how to plant trees? ? Do you think planting trees is important? The Environment
? How do human activities affect the environment?
? Do you think it’s important for governments to do something about the environmental changes happening
today? (Why? How?)
? Do you think people play a role in causing climate change today? (Why? How?) ? In China, have there been any changes in the urban (city) climate in recent years? ? How do you think big cities affect the (rural) areas surrounding them?
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A Place You’d Like to Travel to
Describe a place that you would like to travel to. You should say:
where you would like to go how you would go there who you would go with
and explain why you would like to go to this place.
Travel
? Would you prefer to travel with your parents or with some friends? (Why?) ? What are the differences between traveling alone and traveling in a group? ? Do Chinese people prefer to travel in groups or individually?
? Would you prefer (do you prefer) to travel alone or with a friend? ? What are the qualities of a good travel companion?
? If you were going to go on a trip, who would you most like to go with? (Why?) ? Who would you most dislike going with? (why?)
? What are some possible problems that a person might have while travelling? Travel Destinations
? What are the benefits of travelling to new places?
? If you had the choice, where would you like to travel to? (Why?) ? What are some of the best travel destinations in China? ? Which places are Chinese people most interested in visiting?
? How have attitudes about international travel changed in China in the past 20 years? ? Do you think the government should encourage people to make trips overseas?
? Compare the types of travel destinations that people your age choose and the destinations that people your
parents' age choose.
Tourism
? Is tourism an important industry in China?
? How can people benefit from visiting new places?
? When many people visit a particular place, what effects can that have on this place? ? What difficulties might a foreigner have while travelling as a tourist in China?
A Foreign Film
Describe a foreign film that you recently enjoyed watching. You should say:
what film it was who the actors were what the film was about
and explain why you enjoyed this film.
Film-watching Preferences in Your Country
? What kinds of films are most popular in your country?
? What kinds of films do young people (i.e., people aged 15 to 25) like to watch? ? What kinds of films do children (i.e., people aged 4 to 12) like to watch? ? What kinds of films do you prefer to watch?
? Do you think films have much influence on young people?
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What about children - what impact do films have on children? ? Do you think films that show violence can affect children?
? Do you think parents should supervise what films their children watch? ? Do you ever learn anything from watching a film?
? Do you think that you can learn about other (foreign) cultures from watching films? ? In what ways can a country's culture be represented in a film? ? To what extent do films influence a country's culture?
? How could a film enrich (or, strengthen) a country's culture? The Film Industry
? In your opinion, what is a \? In your opinion, what is a \
? Do you think it's necessary for film-makers to spend a lot of money in order to produce a successful (or, a
good) film?
? Do you think we will continue to have cinemas in the future?
? In the future, do you think that cinemas will be replaced by DVD's (and/or films downloaded off the
internet)?
? What do you think would be the result if everyone watched films on DVD (instead of going to the cinema)?
?
A Job that Would Make the World Better
Describe a job that you know about that makes the world a better place. You should say:
what job this is
how you know about this job
what types of people do this job (or, can do this job)
and explain why you think this job makes the world a better place. Jobs
? In general, what kinds of jobs do people prefer to do (if possible)? ? Do you think the salary is important in a job?
? Can you think of any dangerous (or, unpleasant) jobs that some people do? ? Why do these people do those dangerous (or unpleasant) jobs? ? What jobs help ensure public safety? ? Are those jobs dangerous?
? If the jobs are meant to ensure public security, why are we told that we are in danger? ? Do you think people who do those jobs should be paid more than other people? ? In what ways do you feel that the world needs to be improved? ? Can you suggest any ways to bring about these improvements?
A Magazine or Newspaper
Describe an article you recently read in a newspaper or magazine. You should say:
what magazine or newspaper it was when you read it
what the article was about
and explain why you remember this article.
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Magazines and Newspapers in Your Country
? Which do you prefer to read, magazines or newspapers? ? In your opinion, why do people like reading magazines?
? What (types of) information can people get from magazines? ? Do you think the news in magazines is reliable?
? Is there much difference between newspaper articles and magazine articles? ? Do you think it's important to read newspapers?
? What sections of the newspaper do you (or, do people) prefer to read?
? What are some of the different types of magazines (and newspapers) that exist in your country? ? Is it easy to buy magazines in in your city?
? In China, do people from 'different walks of life' (different jobs) read the same magazines and newspapers? ? What types of magazines do you (or, do people) prefer to read?
? And what about different age groups in China – do everyone read the same (kinds of) newspapers and
magazines?
? Who do you feel is more interested in reading magazines, men or women? ? What topics (or, subjects) do these magazines cover?
? Many girls spend a lot of time reading fashion magazines. What's your opinion about this? ? Do you think that (all) magazines are interesting (or suitable) for young people? ? What kinds of articles are you most interested in reading? ? What impact do magazines have on young people?
? Can you think of any positive and any negative things about magazines for young people? ? Do you think fashion magazines are beneficial?
? Do you think fashion magazines tend to make people all the same?
? What kinds of magazines do you think will be the most popular in the next 20 or 30 years? ? Why do many people prefer to read newspapers rather than magazines? ? What do you think of the future of newspapers?
? Do you think newspaper readership will change very much in the future? News in Different Media
? How do most people (in China) get their news?
? Is there much difference between news articles in newspapers and the news on TV?
? Which information do you think is the easiest to understand, that in newspapers, magazines, on TV or the
information on the internet?
? Which news stories do you think are more interesting, those on TV or those in magazines and newspapers? ? Which news articles make a deeper impression on you, those in newspapers or those in magazines?
A Sport You Took or Watched
Describe a sports competition that you took part in or watched. You should say:
what the competition was (or, what the sport was) who was competing
what you did during this competition
and explain how you felt about this competition.
Recreational Sport in Your Country
? Do you often take part in sport?
? Does everyone play a sport in your country?
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