SPEAKING 17:
PART 1
The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/ her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.
EXAMPLE
KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE
· How do you usually contact your friends? Why?
At the very beginning, I contact my friends per letters, everyday we post and receive...
Then I used the emails to keep contact with them, which is fast and zero cost, or using the online chat tool like MSN, SKYPE, or some websites.
When cellphone was available, I wrote less and less, instead, I send messages to them at any time.
But now, I prefer to contact them with phone call, my work is too busy to have no time to type so many words.
· Do you prefer to contact different people in different ways? Why?
Yes, sure. I chat with my friends on Yahoo Messenger everyday. When I want to give regards to my relatives such as my grandparents, I make a call…
· Do you find it easy to keep in contact with friends and family? Why/ Why not?
Nowadays, with a mobile phone, people can communicate with people in remote areas.
· In your country, did people in the past keep in contact in the same ways as they do today?
No. The Internet is a wonderful means of communication which enables us to approach others.
PART 2
You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.
You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say.
You can make some notes to help you if you wish.
Describe a party that you enjoyed.
You should say:
Whose party it was and what it was celebrating
Where the party was held and who went to it
What people did during the party
And explain what you enjoyed about this party.
A day I shall always remember is the day when I celebrated my tenth birthday. All my friends and relatives were invited to the birthday party.
When the time drew near for me to be ready for the party, I put on my birthday dress which I was specially sewn for me. Then I went into the hall where everyone was waiting for me. I saw a lot of lovely presents on a table. They had been bought for me by all those who came to the party.
A few minutes later, my parents bought my birthday cake with ten candles on it. It was a large and beautiful cake. I was then asked to cut it. Though I felt rather uneasy, with so many eyes upon me, I somehow managed to cut a piece.
The guests were then served. Music was played throughout the party. There were also jokes and laughter among the guests.
When the party was over, I unpacked all my birthday gifts. I was surprised to see such lovely gifts. I then thanked my parents for holding such a pleasant party to celebrate my birthday.
SPEAKING 18:
PART 1
The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/ her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.
EXAMPLE
LAUGHING
· What kinds of thing make you laugh?
Random stuff completely: Could be like some fart joke, someone cussing someone out for something stupid they did, a funny face, a funny thing said on tv or in a movie, just out of an evil spite laugh for getting revenge against some character in a video game, etc.
· Do you like making other people laugh? Why/ Why not?
I love to laugh . And I love to make other people laugh, too. The best thing about a laugh (especially LOL) is knowing that you put that smile on someone's face and enjoying there being. If a person can't laugh at themselves how can they laugh with the world?
· Do you think it’s important for people to laugh? Why/ Why not?
· Laughter is a strong and powerful force that has the most positive effects on the body. It improves breathing, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, relaxes muscles, releases stress and reduces pain. This supreme medicine needs no prescription and is free. We have had this effective force within us all time.
· With an increasingly hasty society, our technology keeps getting better and makes life faster, thus making our lives seem rushed. There are always so many things to do and so little time and we feel more and more pressure to get things done. Whether we experience corporate stress or personal stress, stress is unhealthy and should be released. Meditation and yoga are reliable ways to release stress but there is another way to that is simpler, FREE!! And what's more you have it in your possession. Yes this may sound like a online shopping network advert but it true, this feel good technique is called laughter!
· Laughter is a worldwide language that unites people, creates a blissful atmosphere and is therapeutic. There are so many benefits of laughter for the mind, body and soul, but how does laughter affect us physically?
· Laughter decreases stress hormones (adrenaline, dopac, cortisol, epinephrine, growth hormone) that actually constrict blood vessels causing high blood pressure and heart problems. During stress the adrenal gland releases increased amounts of corticosteroids (converted to cortisol in blood stream) and it has a negative effects on the immune system such as immunosuppressive. Laughter lowers cortisol levels therefore protecting your immune system.
· Laughter releases Natural Killer cells that assist in fighting colds, sinus problems and viruses by increasing the absorption of immunoglobulin A in saliva. It also boosts the immune function, increases activity and strengthens the immune system.
· Laughing has been compared to an ‘internal jogging' because your body gets a complete workout from a good belly laugh. Laughing is aerobic exercise for your intercostals, diaphragm, abdominal, facial and respiratory muscles because increases muscle flexion and relieves muscular tension. Muscles do not partake in the action of laughter and therefore they relax. The muscles used to laugh relax after you finish laughing, so they each work in turns. You cannot maintain muscle tension while laughing.
· The best cardiac exercise you can do for your heart is to have a good laugh as this regulates heartbeat and increases the circulation and improves the transportation of oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Laughing is one way to beat high blood pressure because it releases stress hormones that causes high blood pressure therefore lowering it and preventing hypertension.
· Lungs are what helps us breath and having a laughing fit speeds up more oxygen into your system and improves breathing. It helps empty the lungs of more air as it increases the utility of oxygen and therefore causing a cleansing effect as well as clearing mucus from the lungs.
· Laughter reduces pain by increasing the body's natural painkiller, endorphins and acts as a temporary distraction. In hospitals, doctors use humour therapy programs after surgeries to support in the healing process and improve health. Laughter enhances treatments and reduces the symptoms of arthritis.
· Having a sense of humour helps us to interpretate events that happen in our lives. The way we perceive them determines if it will be a challenge, threat, delightful or moments of joy. Humour provides us with different perspectives on issues and if we can lighten the situation, it no longer becomes negative. If ever you are in a tense situation, that is where you need to laugh the most.
· Yes for today and everyday here after you too can have a good laugh it's the only thing that will cost you nothing!!
· "If you can laugh at it, you can survive it!" - Bill Cosby
· Benefits of Laughter:
· 1) Stimulates the brain, nervous, respiratory, hormonal and muscular system
· 2) Lightens depression and is a natural stress reliever
· 3) Reduces allergy symptoms and pain
· 4) Raises levels of infection-fighting T-cells and proteins called gamma-interferon and B-cells.
· 5) Lowers cortisol levels thus protecting the immune system
· 6) Improves health and well-being
· 7) Improves relationships
· 8) Helps to cope with problems more efficiently
· Laughter is rejuvenating and refreshing and really is the best medicine.
· Is laughing the same way as feeling happy, do you think? Why/ Why not?
Yes,If you are feeling happy then you laugh,you can only smile deliberately when you are unhappy.For eg.on salary day,I laugh many times on small things,as the days of the month go by ,slowly my laughter gets converted into a smile & then by the end of month,that also vanishes.
PART 2
You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.
You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say.
You can make some notes to help you if you wish.
Describe an idea you had for improving something at work or college.
You should say:
When and where you had your idea
What your idea was
Who you told about your idea
And explain why you thought your idea would make an improvement.
If you were to see the number of suggestion slips stuffed into my school's Suggestion Box, you would be shocked. Granted, some of the suggestions are rubbish but I do agree with many of them. There are many ways in which my school could be improved, many weaknesses that need seeing to.
Firstly, and most importantly, teachers in all schools should realize that they are responsible for their students' future. This is especially true for children from less affluent homes who cannot afford to supplement the school's teaching with extra tuition. Teachers should not shirk their responsibilities towards their students.
I am emphasizing this point because some teachers do not seem to feel the slightest obligation to do their job well nor the slightest feeling of guilt when their students fail in the examinations. In fact, in my school, teachers are sometimes found sipping coffee or even having a snack in the school canteen when they are supposed to be in class teaching.
Of course, there are teachers who are truly committed to their job and do deliver the goods. They stay up late into the night to finish correcting their students' work and to prepare effective lessons for their students. Some teachers will even devote Saturday mornings to conducting extra-curricular activities. Now, if only all teachers were like this!
Furthermore, wouldn't the school be a much better place to spend our adolescence if we did not have to cope with teachers who vent their foul moods on us? We should not have to walk on eggshells because our teacher has had a bad day.
Another aspect of the school that needs changing is the set of school rules. Some are so irrational or petty! Take, for example, the rule on short hair for boys. What is the rationale behind this? Do the people in authority believe that everyone with long hair will turn out to be a thug or a villain? Well, look at Hitler: he had very short hair and he almost caused the extinction of the entire Jewish race!
On the other hand, punishments for serious acts of indiscipline should be made more effective, even if they have to be harsher. These days, students may get away with only a warning or a "booking" for offences such as breaking the school's tables, chairs and even doors. I strongly feel that these vandals should be made to pay for what they have destroyed.
Furthermore, I feel that criminal action should be taken against students who beat people up, or threaten to do so, to extort money from them. If you behave like a criminal, you should be treated like one.
Another area that needs reform is the school curriculum. One major problem is the subject called "Moral Education". You just cannot learn good morals the way you learn any other academic subject, memorizing facts for examinations. Good morals have to be internalized. So, "Moral Education" should either be taken off the school curriculum after primary school or changed to emphasize practical application rather than "head knowledge".
Our school hours take up a large portion of our day. Let us spend these hours usefully, in a secure, caring, fun-filled atmosphere. Our school years take up a large proportion of our lives. This is the time that we are molded, intellectually and morally. Help us to grow into worthy citizens of our nation.
|