Speaking B2.docx

Speaking B2-C1 ( Code 1-10)( ĐỀ 1

Part 1:

1. What did you do on your last holiday? I went to the beach with my friends on my last holiday. The beach is beautiful and I had a great time there. 2. Who do you prefer spending your holiday with? Relatives or friends? I prefer spending my holiday with my friends. Traveling with the people who are at the same age with me makes me more comfortable. 3. Do you prefer going on holiday broad? In my own opinion, traveling is a good opportunity for me to experience new things. I like both traveling within Vietnam and going on holiday abroad. 4. How many hours a day do you watch television? I watch television approximately one hour a day. 5. Which programmes do you like? I like some English programs on Star world channel. By watching them, I can improve my English speaking and listening skill. 6. Do you prefer watching television alone or with other people? Why? I prefer watching television with other people. Since it is a chance for me to spend more time with my family, it makes us closer. Part 2: Situation: If you won the lottery of 1 billion VND, what would you do with the money? If I won the lottery of 1 billion VND, I would start a business. Firstly, having my own business is my dream. Next, getting the profit from the business can help me not only buy a new house but also do charity. It is safe to deposit the money in the bank but it will not give me a chance to challenge myself. Last but not least, investing money is a way to promote economic growth. Part 3 Online courses have changed the way people learn. Firstly, they provide new learning experience. It is totally with the traditional teaching method that the teachers give you the knowledge with the lessons on class. Besides, online courses can help you to invent the new ideas, promote yourself. You can have your own ideas, not only the same old knowledge. Also, it is more convenient for you to study with online courses. You can study everywhere with a laptop or a mobile. Last but not least, they can help you to be more independent in learning. You can be active in learning. 1

1. What advice would you give someone on how to study English? Studying English is a process and you need to study it everyday. Watching English movies, listening to English songs can help you to improve your English. 2. Do you think being a student is the best time of your life ? Why? Why not? Being a student is the best time of my life. I can be carefree and do not have a pressure in getting a job, making money and promoting to a upper position in my jobs. 3. Should a student’s university education be free or should the student have to get a loan? Explain your choice? A student' s university education should be free to encourage more people to study. It can help to decrease economy pressure for students who do not have a good economy condition. ĐỀ 2 Part I: SOCIAL INTERACTION -1. When is your birthday? My birthday is on 29th February 2. What do you usually do on your birthday? I still work as usual in the day time. In the evening, my family gathers to cheer up my birthday. My family sings Happy birthday song and give me many best wishes. We talk all about interesting topic and enjoy the warm atmosphere. It is such a memorable time for me in a year. 3. What is your favorite family celebration? Why? My favorite family celebration is our holiday in summer. We have chance to travel to a natural attraction such as beach or mountain areas. It brings joyful family occasions for everyone in my family. 4. What is the best way to travel in your town/city? I live in a big city. The best way to travel in my city is by motorcycle. It is very convenient as we can travel through narrow streets and almost everywhere in the city. Besides, it does not cost so much by this kind of transport. - What is your favorite mean of transportation? My favorite mean of transportation is bicycle. I love biking as I love exercising and it is good for my health. - Do you think people should use public transportation more? Why? Why not? I think that people should use public transportation more for some reasons as below: Public transportation helps reduce air-pollution This mean of transportation also help us save money compared to private transport Travelling by public transportation is safer as it helps reduce injuries caused by car or motorcycle accidents. Part II: SOLUTION DISCUSSION You have just received a sum of money from your father as a birthday present. How would you use the money? If I receive a sum of money from my father as a birthday gift, I will buy a laptop to my study for some reasons as below: Firstly, through the laptop, I can study anywhere I want. I also can get eBook or learn online from an enormous source of knowledge. 2

Secondly, I can check my email and contact with people around the world to exchange knowledge with very low cost. Thirdly, if I need to make a presentation at my class, laptop is very useful. I can carry my file along with the laptop to my class. Besides, there are many useful applications and software which are available to download to the laptop. Excel, word document, PowerPoint or dictionary are very helpful for my study at the school. Moreover, by using laptop, I can get the information about anything around the world. I can learn English with native English speaker and watch the videos of different countries. Above are the reasons why I choose laptop which is very important and beneficial for my study. Part III: TOPIC DEVELOPMENT Time consuming First of all, it takes time for an exam. Teachers need to spend long time collecting the questions and exercises for the exam. All of the questions are checked, reviewed and take a period of time to be approved. Students also need to spend quite a long time to revise their knowledge. The exam itself also takes time which may last for one day, one or even some weeks. If students are not able to pass the exam in the first time, they may need to wait for a period of time to retake and it may affect their plans. Unfair Besides, exam has a poor quality because they only judge a student’s ability under set conditions and limited time. A good and very hard working students who often has good performance in the long term may feel nervous and worried under strict exam conditions may not get good result. On the other hand, lazy students may review only some kind of exercise with the hope that they will meet the same questions in the exam. Or some prepare document with purpose to cheat in the exam. They may get good result if they are luck during the exam. Costly Moreover, some exams are very costly for students. They need to pay a high fee to attend the exam. If they are not able to pass the exam, they need to retake and it costs them more fee on it. Not also students but school may also face loss of state funding for the exam. There are some costs related to operation such as salary to the examiner, exam equipment or venue for the exam. Your own ideas Last but not least, there would be a lot of stress on the students to pass the exam. This results in a lot of student getting depressed. Some students who are not confident and under stress may be sick and even cannot attend the exam. For some who get bad result even though they study very hardworking, they may feel disappointed and bet bored with studying. 1. Why do you think schools are necessary? Why? Why not? Schools are very necessary as it brings many benefits for students. Students learn things and become educated. The knowledge that students obtain will have a variety of application later in life. By graduating from school, students obtain a diploma which is useful for future work that students are qualified for some jobs. Schools are also places for students to learn from each other, they may become good friends and help each other not only in study but also in their lives. 3

2. How do modern technologies change the way people study? Technologies bring lot of changes to the way people study in this modern life. Firstly, using technologies, people can study anywhere. They also search for any information online and learn online from an enormous source of knowledge. Teachers and students to not need to write on the board but use power point for teaching and presentation. This method save time and can deliver great amount of knowledge. Besides, there are many useful applications and software which are available to download to the laptop. Excel, word document, PowerPoint or dictionary are very helpful for my study at the school. Students may not need to study at class but attend online course. Sitting in front of a computer or a laptop, they can connect to not only national but also international course. It save much time and cost but still effective for students. Do you think that traditional schools will disappear in the future because of the development of modern technology? In my opinion, technology does not make traditional schools disappear in the future but it helps the education of traditional schools more effective. People can not only study online for the whole time without any communication in person with teachers and classmate. It is much better and effective if people can attend at class, interact and learn by talking with each other. They can get more knowledge, information which they may not share by learning online. Besides, people also get closer by attending at class and study together. Their relationship can brings benefit by helping each other in studying, in their work or in their lives. ĐỀ 3 PART 1: 1. Do you like music? If yes, what kind of music do you like best? Why? If no, why not? I do like music. I listen to music everyday. Among many kinds of music, Pop is the one I like most because it is very catchy and fun. 2. What is the most popular kind of music in your country? For a country that has a very young population like Vietnam, Pop is indeed the most popular. 3. How is music good or not good for people? Personally, I think music is very good for people. Listening to music can help people feel relaxing after a long hard working day. Sometimes, a good joyful song can easily cheer people up and change their moods. 4. Did you learn English at secondary school? Yes, I did learn English at secondary school, when I started Grade 6 5. What do you think about how English is taught at school now? English is better taught at school now as there are so many teaching materials, facilities and equipment to support teaching 4

6. In what ways has children’s English much improved today? Children now learn English at very young ages. They start from Kindergarten and interact with many English documents or media everyday. That makes them more natural at learning English. As a result, their English is much better on average, especially speaking. PART 2: What do you think is the best option for secondary school? The best option for secondary school students is certainly swimming. The rate of drowning deaths in Vietnam is very high. Most of the reasons is that children do not know how to swim. Therefore, teaching swimming at school is essential. It is not just a subject but also a surviving skill that matters in real life. I do not think photography is necessary because not every student can afford a camera to practice. Meanwhile, boys normally show no interests in dancing. That makes dancing a boring subject to them. PART 3: In my opinion, it is very good to learn about the culture when you learn a language. First of all, language is the best means of culture. Through language such as poem, stories or lyrics of songs, culture is best displayed. You will know more about a country and its culture when you read its folk tales or legends. You will understand more about the people when you listen to their songs. Secondly, as you understand the people and their culture more, your communication with them will become much better. There will be more common topics about the country for you to talk about; and you might no longer have no idea about their jokes as before. Thirdly, learning about the culture will surely help you avoid culture shock. You will be well prepared when moving to live in a new country or just simply for daily interaction with the foreigners. 1. Do you think it’s good to understand other people’s culture? Why? It is always good to understand other people’s culture. The reason is that you will easily avoid the misunderstanding and misbehaviors due to the culture differences. 2. What would you introduce first to a foreigner about the Vietnamese culture? I would introduce the street food culture of Vietnam to my International friends. Sitting on the small stools and eating in the street is a part of our daily life and it would be a great way to explore our excellent cuisine. 3. What would you like to learn about English-speaking cultures? I always want to learn about how they are very independent as an individual and how they dare to speak their minds. That is very different from our country. And I think I could learn something from them. ĐỀ 4 Part 1: Social Interaction (3 mins) Let’s talk about your favorite places. 5

Q: Where do you usually go when you have spare time? A: When I have free time, I often go out with my friends. We usually go to some nice restaurants or some coffee shop to talk to each other about our daily life. Sometimes we go to the cinema and shopping center as well. Q: Are there many interesting places where you live for people to go at weekends? A: I think any city has its own interesting places. All I have to do is to keep my eyes wide open to see its beauty. In my city, at weekends people who have children can go to the park to take a walk; the youth can go to the suburbs to take picture or to just enjoy the fresh air. Q: In what way is café a great place for people to enjoy their free time? A: Café is really an ideal place for both who want to enjoy themselves or hang out with friends. Just imagine, you sit in a comfortable sofa with a hot coffee or tea, surrounded by your close friends, talking about everything in life. I think life at that moment cannot be better. Alright. Thank you Now let’s talk about the subjects taught in schools in Vietnam. Q: What subject did you like most when you were at school? A: I like to learn English the most because to get to know English can give me opportunity to communicate with many people from many other cultures. English now becomes an international language. So, if I can speak English, I can travel to other countries easily without language barrier. Q: Do you think English is a good subject for all students to learn at school? Why? A: English is not only a good but also an essential subject for all students to learn at school. Being good at English can give students many chance to find a good job. For students who desire to get a higher education abroad, English is a mandatory requirement to study abroad. Q: Do you think students are learning too many subjects at school now? A: No I don’t think so. In my opinion, each subject has its own importance and value for students. Students don’t have to learn every subject at advanced level but they should learn at least the basic knowledge of each subject at school. Part 2: Solution discussion: You are going to take your secondary students to a private cinema. Three options of movies are suggested: -Cartoon - Action movie -detective movie Which do you think is the best option for these students? 6

I am going to take my secondary students to a private cinema to watch a detective movie. I think that kind of movie is suitable for the age of my students to watch. It can encourage students’ imagination and critical thinking. While watching the movie, students can imagine themselves as a detective to solve the situation. They might not find out the solution but if they keep thinking about it throughout the movie, they will understand better when the answer is given. The reason why I didn’t choose cartoon movie or action movie because cartoon movie is no longer suitable for teenagers. Most of cartoon movies do not have any educational aspect. On the other hand, action movie usually contains many violent scenes. It may affect students’ behavior. They can do the same thing in the real life.

Part 3: Punishment by teachers at school is good for students for many reasons. The first one is to make them to obey teachers. We all know that teachers have a tough job. They are typically dealing with many students in their class. Students will misbehave at some point, even a perfect child. If teachers do nothing, then the other children may misbehave as well, because they saw no consequence for the bad behavior. No matter what stage you are in your life, there are consequences for your actions and school is no exception. Teachers need to be able to set boundaries in their classrooms. The next one is to minimize misbehavior. If a bad behavior of a student is punished in front of the class, other students will understand that it is the consequence for doing misbehavior. As a result, they will avoid doing similar things or the same mistake again. While teachers punish students with misbehavior, they should praise students with good behavior at the same time to encourage others to follow. The third reason for supporting punishment at school is to help students concentrate better on study. If all students behave well and obey their teachers’ instruction, they will obviously understand how important learning is. This set of mind will help them to concentrate on their study only, not on any other kinds of how to cheat teachers or how to pass the exam without studying. The last reason why students with bad behavior should be punished is to make them become a good civil. School is just a social in a small scale. Students should understand that no matter where they misbehave, they will eventually get punishments. Q: Do you think punishment by teachers to students at school should be encouraged? A: Yes, of course. I don't have a problem with teachers punishing students, as long as it's a fair punishment. Punishment should always be age appropriate. The classrooms would be complete chaos if there were no consequences for bad behavior. I think that teachers should consider giving extra school work as a punishment. Maybe the children should be required to write an essay about respect, good behavior, punishment, peer pressure or anything else that could make them think about why the punishment needed to be issued. Q: Do all students obey their teachers whenever they receive punishment? A: Not all students obey their teachers whenever they receive punishment. Some will continue to misbehave to prove that they are right and what their teachers say is not true. However, punishment is still needed for

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this type of students. Teachers may meet their parents to discuss further about how to punish and encourage them at the same time. Q: What are the downsides of overuse of punishment at school? A: It can elicit aggressive or other emotional side effects. It may result in the students being punished using escape or avoidance behaviors. It can be negatively reinforcing for the teachers resulting in overuse or misuse. In particular consider children, their observational skills play a major role in their development of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, therefore if they observe aggressive behavior they are more likely to engage in this behavior themselves. Punishment also raises serious ethical issues. Đề 5:

Part 1:

1.Where do you come from?

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I come from Hanoi, the capital city. I have lived there since I was born. Do you like living in Hanoi? Yes, I do. It is very convenient to live here. Besides, the people here are very friendly. What is it famous for? Hanoi is famous for many things, such as food (pho, bun cha), beauty spots (Old quarters, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, One pillar Pagoda, Literature Pagoda), and recreation (puppet show, night life in Night market and Old quarters area)

2. What is your job?

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I am an English teacher at Kim Dong primary school How long have you been working as an English teacher? I have been teaching for 5 years. Why do you like your job? I like my job because my passion is teaching, especially English; and because I love children. Teaching kids new language is very interesting and it is the great feeling in the world.

Part 2: your school, college or workplace is organizing an Open Day.When visitors come to see and find out about the place, people will be asked to help with various aspects of the events. There are THREE options for you to choose: -

A tour guide A traffic instructor A master of ceremony Which job do you think would be most suitable for you?

In order to help my workplace in organizing in the Open Day, I will choose to be a master of ceremony because Ihave experiment in it. I used to be a MC for a “Singing contest” and the “Talent program” at my university. I’m very good at handling situations on stage and very confident so I think I can do this job well. However, I cannotdo a job as a tour guide or a traffic instructor because first, I am not good at remembering places and showing directions, I may make the visitors get lost. Second, I have sinusitis

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symptom so I cannot be outside in the winter for long time. I will have a running nose and red eyes. And that will make me in bad condition to help other visitors. Part 3: Smoking should be banned in public area In my opinion, it is a good policy to ban smoking in the public area. Firstly, smoking has a bad effect on smoker’s health. They can easily have serious problem with their respiratory system and even worst, they can have lung cancer. Secondly, it not only affects the smoker’ health, it also affects to the secondhand smoker’s health. Study showed that second-hand smoker sustains the same harmful chemicals that smoker inhale. Secondhand smoke can be harmful in many ways. For instance, it affects the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke in non-smokers. Lastly, smoking costs money as cigarette is expensive. The cost of smoking cigarettes is not only a daily financial cost; it can lead to higher costs for health and life insurance, high health care costs due to smoking related diseases. -

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Do you smoke? No, I don’t. I hate smoking Why do many people want to smoke? I think the reason many people want to smoke is because cigarette contains nicotine, which helps them to reduce stress and be conscious for temporary. What should you do to prevent smoking in public area? In order to prevent smoking in public are, I think smokers should not be allowed to smoke there. In case of insisting smoking in public areas, they must get fined at high price. ĐỀ 6

Hobby

1. What do you like doing in your free time? I like swimming in my free time. I do it twice a week. 2. Why do you like doing it? How much time do you spend doing that? There’s a very good pool just around the corner from my office. I swim for an hour and do about 40 lengths. I like swimming the most because it is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits. Swimming is a lifetime sport that benefits the body and the whole person. Study English 1. Do you like English? I really enjoy studying English. My country is not an English-speaking country. And I like to learn English because learning English can open up my perception of the world in general. English language can really bridge the global communication and unlock us to the new media. 2. When did you start learning English? I started studying English since primary school. 3. How do you improve your English? 9

I improved my skills by many ways such as watching TV series, listening to music, reading English news or simply hanging out with my foreign friends. They helped me a lot to correct my mistakes and fixed my pronunciation. Part 2: Your family is making a plan for this weekend. There are THREE options for you to choose: -

Going to the cinema Having dinner in a restaurant Going to the beach Which plan do you think is the best choice for your family?

In my opinion, having dinner at the restaurant would be the best plan for my family this weekend. The family that eats together stays together. It’s important to sit and have meals together with family. It’s the best time to interact and have fun with all the family members. My family has our favorite restaurant which is not too far from our house. They serve Vietnamese cuisine there with very reasonable prices. We all love the place. The reason why I did not choose going to cinema was that we would not have time to talk to each other and that activity is more suitable for hanging out with friends than with parents. Going to the beach or some vacation takes time to plan and it is more expensive and complicated than going to some local restaurants. I hope that in the future, I will have time and money to take my whole family to a long vacation on the beach and we will surely have a good time there to relax and go for sightseeing. Part 3:Describe a teacher who has influenced you? -

When did she/ he teach you? Do you still keep in touch with her/ him? How often do you see him/her?

I consider myself lucky to get several very good teachers throughout my academic years. Among them I'd like to talk about Mr. Dung who was an extraordinary teacher, a really good mentor and who has a great influence in my education. I met Mr. Dung when I was in class 9 and he was our English teacher. Initially we thought that he would be a moody teacher and we would have to be very polite in front of him. This impression came mostly because of his serious face and tidy dress-up. But soon we found that, he is a very friendly person and teaches us very well. He never made things complicated and tried over and over again to explain something to us. He had a very unique way of teaching. Seems like he would start an interesting story and later we would find that he would relate our English lesson with the story. Thus everything we learned from him was interesting and that's why we remember most of English grammar and lessons he taught us. I'd say he has a great influence in my education because he made a very strong foundation on English. Later on I studied English as my major. I have always been good at English and that' mainly because of Mr. Dungh who had a major role on making the subject interesting to me. Before I learned English from Mr. Smith, my impression on English was not good and I considered English to be a very difficult and uninteresting subject. But his teaching and influences changed my way of thinking about English and later on English became my one the most favourite subject. 10

I still keep in touch with him since then. Mr. Dung is now retired and stays home with his children. My classmates and I visit him annually on Teacher’s Day as he is our class’s favorite teacher. ĐỀ 7 Part I: -

When is the best time to come to your hometown? Why?

My hometown is former Ha Tay province. It's a part of Hanoi city now. The best time to visit my hometown is after lunar new year when the Perfume Pagoda festival is held. It's a very big festival and also the longest festival in Vietnam. It lasts 3 months after the new year. -

What do you like best about your hometown?

My hometown location is very convenient and I like it the best. It's less than 1 hour drive away from Hanoi city center which makes it very easy for us to work and study in the city and go back every weekend. Besides, there are many beautiful sightseeing places in my hometown such as Perfume Pagoda, Ba Vi national Park, AoVua and so on therefore my family go out for short vacation at least once a month to those places. -

Do you think your hometown is the best place to grow up? Why?

In my opinion, my hometown is a very good place to grow up but not the best. Although we learn a lot of different things growing up in the countryside such as farming, fishing and so on, we don't have access to the best educational facilities. We didn't have computer and internet as early as Hanoi. There was no library at my high school until last year. -

What does your best friend look like?

My best friend is Ngoc. She was in my high school class. She is very beautiful like a supermodel. She is 1.7 meter with nice body figures. Her face is round with big black eyes. Her hair is silky black. Her beauty made her very popular in our school but she has always been friendly with everyone. -

How did you meet your best friend?

I studied with her in high school. From the first day at school she was always sitting next to me in every class. We became very close since then. -

In your opinion, what is the best quality of a good friend?

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In my point of view, listening is the best quality of a good friend because she or he can't always help you when you're in trouble, and she or he doesn't need to always do. However she or he should always be there for you and listen to both your problem and your good news. Part II:

Solution discussion

Your friend is going to have his first date this weekend. He would like you to give advice on where to go. There are THREE options for you to choose: -

Restaurant

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Cinema

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Shopping malls

Which do you think is the best place for the first date? Answer: If I have a chance to give an advice on where to go on my friend’s first date, I would love to suggest a restaurant. My ideal first date is always a romantic dinner with red wine, flowers, candles and some beautiful love songs. During the meal, the couple can spend time talking about a lot of topics such as food, fashion, music, friends or family. That will help them know each other better and find out their similarities on some special aspects of life. Unlike going to the cinema, most of the time, both of them will focus on the film and have no opportunity to talk much. I also never choose shopping mall on that day because normally on the first day together, guys always want to show off by offering to pay some items for girls. I myself don’t expect things to go that way. For all of that reason, a dinner in a restaurant is the most perfect choice for your first date. Part III:

Topic: Airplane is the best transport means to travel long distance.

Despite some recent high-profile airplane losses and accidents, flying still continues to be one of the most favorite methods of transportation. There are some reasons to discuss. First, using airplane will help passengers save much more time than other kinds, especially for long distance travel. For example, you are planning to travel from Vietnam to United State of America, there is no other choices for you but flying. Second, if you’re lucky enough to get a window seat, you are often treated to some great views just out the window. There is nothing quite like soaring over the countryside, while lakes, rivers, mountains, and other beautiful landscapes pass beneath. Even at night, when darkness shrouds the sky, it is fun to look out and see the islands of light that spread across the world below. Sure, you can get good views from other forms of transportation as well, but there is nothing that compares to the bird’s eye view you get from an airplane. Last, we can't forget to mention its safety. Despite some recent 12

accidents, airplane still remains to be the safest mean of transport. Out of those means, the chance of having crash between airplanes was the least. -Do you think airplane is the most important transportation mean all the time? Why? Why not? Yes, in my opinion, airplane is the most important mean of transportation. Because it brings a lot of benefits to passenger such as safety, time saving and comfort. -Are there any disadvantages of traveling by airplane? Of course anything has pros and cons, so as flying. Even though it is the safest way to travel but we can’t ignore some airplane accidents that were reported recently. Besides, we all know that air ticket is much higher than other means' ticket, not many travellers can afford. -What are some ways that airlines can improve flying experience for passengers? There are plenty of things can be done to make the airlines better. First, they should offer wide range of services in the plane that can attract more customers. Moreover, training for air crew should be strengthened in order to bring better service to passengers. Đề 8: Part 1:

1.-What do you often do in your free time?

I often practice playing football in my spare time as I want to be good at it. -

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Have your leisure time activities changed since you were a child? Yes, they have. When I was a child, I had three to four times per week for playing football and badminton. However, since I become older with a lot of responsibility to my job and my family, I have no time for leisure activities. Do you prefer to spend your leisure time alone or with other people? Why? I prefer to spend my leisure time with my best friends because I like being surrounded with them and share every moment with each other.

2. -

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What kind of books you like to read? I like fiction and romantic novels because I find them very interesting to read Do you read the same kind of books now that you read 5 years ago? Yes, I do. I still read fiction novels now. For example, I like Harry Potter novel when I was in high school and now, sometimes I still reread it when I have free time. It is a very good novel. When do you think is the best time to read? Why? I think the best time to read is in the evening because in the evening, my house is quiet. I can pay attention in reading and not being disturbed by others.

Part 2:Your parents’ wedding anniversary is coming. You and your sister are thinking of giving them a great present. There are THREE options for you to choose: -A wedding cake 13

- A 5- day tour to the beach - An album of the whole family Which do you think is the best present for their wedding anniversary? My parent’s wedding anniversary is coming. I think a present for them on this occasion is a great idea. I will choose to make them a wedding cake because I am good at it. I like cooking so I often spend spare time looking for new cooking recipes. Recently I tried making a passion mousse cake and it succeeded in the first time, the cake is very delicious. I think my mom and dad will enjoy it a lot. An album of my family is not bad but I lost all data and pictures in my old laptop so it is hard for me to collect all the pictures. And I cannot afford for a 5-day tour to a beach because I had paid for the college intuition and house rent. However, I think my parent will love my wedding cake because I make it with all my heart. Part 3: Topic “ Traditional festival present important values” In my opinion, traditional festivals always present important values. Firstly, festivals are an environment for people to go back to their roots, to learn about their origins through word of mouth, performance and their own experiences in the festival. It is a way to learn about history, which is much better than reading a textbook at school. Secondly, it creates an association and honors community strength at the village, region and country level, when the whole community is moving forward at the same time. Lastly, as traditional festivals usually go with a religion or belief, it helps people maintain balance between material life and spiritual life, especially with the stresses of modern life, where people are seemingly programmed to live and work.

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What local festival in your area or country would be most interesting for a foreign guest, do you think ? The most interesting festival in my country that attracts foreigners is Tet. Tet is Lunar New Year and the most important occasion in Vietnam. Do people nowadays appreciate public holidays like they did in the past? Yes, they do because in those days, they often have a day off at work. Therefore, they can spend time enjoying the holiday What are some ways that the Government should do to preserve traditional festivals? Government can do to preserve traditional festivals: o attract the younger generation to the traditional festivals and also think about how to attract more tourists o prevent people making money in the events (selling at higher price than normal  make customers and visitors feel uncomfortable)

ĐỀ 9 Part 1: Social Interaction 1. Do you like social network?

Social networks

Well, nowadays, social network plays anindispensable position in the people life and it is useful for entertainment, education and also for doing the business. With me, social network is a good way to connect with my students. I can see what my students think and like through their post and status, of course let me

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close their feelings and understand what they have to deal with. It is the reason that I am completely interested in using social network. 2. What kind of social networks are you using now? If yes, which social network are you using? Why? I know there are many social networks which are popular in the world but in my country, Facebook have the most widely users. I’m no exception; I’m really like using Facebook, it is a useful tool to connect with my friends and my students. It also helps me relaxing by the games and funny videos after the hard working days. 3. What is your advice for social networks users? The popularity of social networks may cause many consequences for the people especially the youth who don’t have enough awareness. The quickly share and like on some famous pages or groups is the way to foster a lot of negative and may be illegal behaviors. So, I think you need to select and chose what you should to see and read. Don’t abuse and believe in the things which can bring the bad effects on your souls. Fashion matters 1. How important is fashion to you? Well, in my opinion, fashion is the most important factor and also considered an accessory in our life. It helps decorate people and make people be more beautiful and attractive. Especially, for the women, fashion is the secret to keep the happy family. So it’s very necessary to invest on buying clothes and I’m no exception. I always spend my weekend for shopping with my husband (my friends). 2. What sort of clothes do you prefer to wear? Oh, much depends on the situation and jobs. I always wear the clothes which bring me the comfortable. I love the gentle and politeness so all of my clothes are in white and blue with the simple vignettes. Sometimes, I go shopping with my friends and try some different clothes but I see it’s not suitable for me. 3. Do you ever have to wear things you don’t have really like? If so, when and why? Oh, luckily for me, I don’t have to wear things that I dislike many times. But I remember one time whenmy best friends have given me a dress and she said she wanted to see me wearing it in my birthday. To be honest, I didn’t like it because of its color and style but I have still wearied as my thankfulness to her. Part 2: Solution discussion You were a lottery winner. You won one billion VND. There are THREE options for you to choose: -Put all in a bank to receive monthly interest - Bought some valuable things such as a car, a house or a piece of land - Gave some to a charity organization . Then, went travelling with your family or friends with the rest Which will you choose? Remember that you don’t have to tighten your belt to live a living day ( you earn enough money to meet your every day needs) Explain your choice. 15

If I won one billion VND, I think I will chose the third option is giving some to a charity organization and some for travelling with my family and my friends. I’m very happy to say that helping the poor people have become a traditional and usual movement of most residences in my country. I’m no exception, I always willing to contribute my small part to help the poor and homeless people having the better conditions to live. In addition, through these activities, I and other people canexpress the traditional solidarity and close relationship among people especially the sense of responsibility is always highly appreciated. With remain of money, travelling is ideal for me. Honestly, travelling around the world is my dream when I was a child. I’m interested in discovering the cuisine and culture of different countries. Furthermore, after the hard working, having the good time with my family or my friends in some beautiful places is the good way to relax. Part 3: Topic Development How important are your friends to you? Obviously, we all know friendship is very important and also friends become a significant part of our lives. They make our lives be more interesting and wonderful. Firstly, friends are the ones to share all the little and large secrets and happening of the life. Secrets about our crush, the kiss, the date, our family problems, the mishaps, the embarrassing moments, the funny stories and the list covers anything and everything in life. Secondly, friends always beside us and help us deal with our difficulties and challenges. Sometimes, we feel tired and all we wish to do is complain and keep complaining without making any sense. Friends lend us the ears to make these possible. They don’t judge, rather listen and give you the best way to solve our problems. Third, we can go anywhere with our friends like eating, shopping or going to the cinema.... Sometimes, friends tend go to different directions in life thus geographically separate. However, the hearts always remain together. With good friends, we are assured that even after years of separation; they will always show up when in need. It may be 3am in the night or 12 noon, friends are forever ready to help. Pajamas, no makeup, drooling face, stinky sweat or running nose, they don’t care any of it! Our friends have seen us in the ugliest appearances and situations of life, and they still decided to stick by. We feel comfortable around them, and there’s nothing that can be a hurdle in this comfort level. 1. Do you think make friends easily? Why or why not? I think making friends depends much on our personality and style. If we are extrovert person and sociable, it’s easy to find a good friend. In contrast, if we are introvert and domestic, making friends become more challenging and difficult. Luckily for me, I’m very open and friendly, so talking with new friend is not make me confuse. 2. What is the most important quality to you in a friend? In my point of view, honesty may be the most important quality for friendship as it is difficult to befriend anyone who tells you lie and can’t be trusted. You should be able to share each and everything with each other.A true friendship is a one where you can trust each other and know that your friend will always be 16

loyal to you. Therefore, if you can trust someone to do the right thing in all situations, it’s a good bet they will make a lasting friend. 3. Do you sometimes get on with your friends better than your family? Why or why not? That is when I disagree with my family. My friends know me better than my family or even more than I know myself. With the honesty and gentle, they are always beside me to guide and support me, to share my sadness and my tears. With their appearances, I realize that I never feel alone. ĐỀ 10 Part I: Social Interaction

Games and Sport

1. Which indoor games do you play regularly? Among many indoor games, I usually play chess, with my father. Playing chess can help you to promote brain growth, raise your IQ, and spark your creativity as well as increase problem solving skills. 2. Which indoor games are common in your hometown? In my hometown, the indoor games that people like the most are basketball, table tennis, billiards and volleyball. Those games are really easy to start and they not need to learn so hard to play. 3. Do you take part in any outdoor sports regularly? To talk about outdoor sports, I love jogging and do it when a day starts. There is a beautiful and quiet park near our house, we can run there and enjoy the fresh air every day. Keeping fit 1. How often do you do any exercise? In order to keep fit, I choose to do cycling daily in the morning. I always cycle very hard until I sweat, then relax and take a shower. I feel very comfortable to practice this every morning. 2. Do you prefer to exercise alone or in a class? Why? For me, I prefer to do exercise in a class with a group of people and a trainer. A trainerwill guide you how to exercise effectively and your classmates can be your motivation to practice harder. 3. What do you think is the best type of exercise? Why? In my own opinion, the best type of exercise is running. First, it minimum the chance of accidents occur when you practice. Second, it can help you to burn calories very fast. Part II:You are invited to a new working place. You have decided to go. There are THREE reasons that make you go: -

You go because you are paid much higher than the old working place You go because you are respected (needed) in a positive work environment with high salary You go because it is simply that you will be paid higher and can do whatever you want in a competitive work environment 17

If I got invitation to a new working place, the reason that affects my decision the most is I’m respected in a positive working environment with high salary. When your colleagues respect you, you will never stop improving and pushing yourself to be better. Besides, high salary can make you feel that your hard work and effort are worth it. The reason I did not choose the other 2 options is, in my point of view, money is not the only factor which makes me decide to go for the job. A working place with high salary but lack of a positive and professional environment will always fails to keep us stay and contribute for a long time. I bear in mind when choosing a job that salary is obviously important but it is not everything. Part III:

Topic: Crimes are increasing in modern society.

Today, crime rate is a serious problem that each country faces. It is said that society has a direct influence in making criminals. Government imposed many laws to reduce crime rate to make world a better place to live in, but majority did not find expected results. In this talk I would like to discuss about some of the reasons why people committing crimes and what measures government could take to prevent it. -

What do you think are the causes of crime?

There can be many causes of crime and a lot of studies are conducted all around the world to understand and bring down criminal activities. Among those reasons, the most popular ones are unemployment, drugs, TV program, family conditions and overpopulation. -

Do DVDs and TV programmes about violent crime help to cause more crime? Why? Why not?

Violence DVDs and TV programs have gone up to be the major cause of crime especially among younger people who are unable to differentiate between fiction and reality. Since TV is an important part of people’s lives nowadays, it is urgent to draw a clear line between what is real and what is not/ -

Is prison really the answer to crime? Why?

As far as observe, prisons are clearly not the answer to crime. Actually, it cannot be denied that prison does not change our behavior; we are the ones who change. Prison is simply considered “the human warehouses” where isolate inmates from their daily lives. A study has proved that 7 out of 10 inmates that are released come back to prison. That will happen if we just keep them inside prison without guiding them to find internal solutions to their own problems. Besides, population control is a major step to be implemented to reduce criminalities, starting small scale industries to provide job for the young graduates may also be able to cut short the unemployment. Last but not least implementing and enacting stringent laws and counseling also can suppress crime to a certain level

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