Part One:
*Hometown
Where are you from?
What do you like most about your hometown?
What is famous/ special about your hometown?
Would you like your friends to visit you at your hometown?
Is your hometown suitable for children/ young people?
Living city
Which city do you come from?
How do you like your living city?
Do you come from a city or a small town?
*Study
Are you a student or are you working?
Where is your school?
Which course do you like best?
What is your major?
Which part of this course interests you most?
Why do you like this major?
Is it a popular major in your country?
What is your favourite subject?
School
How many schools have you been to? Which one do you like best?
What type of school do you like?
*Job
Are you studying or are you working?
What job do you do?
Is it difficult to get a job now?
Do you like your job?
*Clothes and fashion
Do you like shopping?
What style of clothing do you like?
Where do you go for shopping?
What different ways of shopping are there?
Do you like following fashion?
What colours do you like?
Restaurant
Do you like eating out or eating at home?
*House or flat
Do you live in a house or a flat/apartment?
What kind of house would you like to live in?
Which room do you like best?
What do you usually do at home?
*Neighbours
How well do you get along with your neighbours?
Are neighbours important?
Would you prefer young people or old people as your neighbours?
Are your neighbours helpful?
Visit
Do you like people visiting your home?
Do you like hanging out at your friends’ home?
Would you like meeting your friends at home or somewhere outside of home?
*Climate
Would you rather live in a cold area or a hot one?
Is weather forecast important?
*Park/garden
What do people do in a park?
What are parks in your living city like?
*Driving
Does your family have a car?
Can you drive?
Do you have a driving licence?
Would you rather be a driver or a passenger?
Can you describe a long distant travel?
*Public transport
Which is your favourite transport?
How often do you use public transportation?
What do you usually do on the bus?
Is it too noisy when you take public transportation?
*Daily routine
Which period of time in a day do you like best? Why?
What do you do in this period of time?
Which period of time is the best for working?
Are you busy in most of the time?
*Walking
Do you like walking?
How often do you go walking?
Is your city suitable for walking?
*Indoor games/activities
What kind of indoor activities do you do?
What indoor games did you play as a child?
*Sports/outdoor activities/exercise
Do you do sports?
Do the elderly do outdoor activities to keep healthy?
What sports did you like in the past?
Did you do a lot of outdoor activities when you were a child?
What sports do you like now?
Will you do more sports in the future?
What sports would you like to learn in the future?
Swimming
Do you like swimming?
Who can teach swimming? Why?
*Dancing
Have you ever learnt dancing?
Do you like dancing?
What kind of people like dancing?
When do people dance?
*Holidays/leisure time
How do you spend your leisure time?
Which holiday do you like most?
Where do you usually spend your holidays?
With whom would you spend your holidays?
Would you spend your holidays in the same place over and over again?
*Travelling
How do you travel?
Which way of travelling do you like best?
What do you like doing when travelling?
What do you usually do during weekends?
Where do you spend your weekends?
With whom do you spend your weekends?
Do you feel happier now with the weekends compared to the past?
What do you think of people working during weekends?
*Reading
Do you like reading?
What kinds of books do you like reading?
Do you often go to the library?
Would you send books as gift?
Did you borrow books from the library when you were a child?
*Newspaper
Do you often read newspaper?
Do you prefer local news or news from other cities?
Do people prefer local or international newspapers?
How can people get the news?
*Letters/emails
Which do you prefer, letters or emails?
*Internet
When was the first time you got in touch with the Internet?
What do you think of the information on the Internet?
Do you often shop online?
How important is the Internet in your life?
*Mobile phones
How often do you use mobile phone?
Would you use mobile phones more and less in the future?
Which do you prefer, sending messages or making phone calls?
How do mobile phones benefit your trip?
*Collection
Do you like collecting?
What did you collect as a child?
What benefits does collecting bring to children?
Do you still like collecting when you have grown up?
Do you collect money (notes/coins)?
What would you collect when you have a lot of money?
*Friends
Do you like making new friends?
*Birthday
How much can you remember your birthday in your childhood?
Do you prefer celebrating your birthday with your family or friends?
How do children celebrate their birthday now?
*Children
Do you have much time to get along with children?
Do you like being around with children?
Can you remember the children you played with as a child?
What kind of a child were you?
What activities did you do in your childhood?
How are children now different from those in the past?
How does urban society influence children?
What do children like to buy?
Why do parents like buying a lot of things for children?
How would it affect children if they are given whatever they like?
*Languages
How many languages can you speak?
What are the benefits of learning a new language?
What are the difficulties in learning a language?
What other languages would you like to learn?
Part Two & Three:
*An old person you know/admire/enjoy talking to
Describe an old person you are familiar with.
You should say
Who he/she is
How well you know him/her
What you can learn from you
And explain the reason why you are interested in him/her
How are the old treated in China?
When do people retire in China?
What are the benefits of living with old people?
What can living with the old bring to the family?
What roles do the old play in a family?
How can elderly employees benefit a company?
Can you compare the difference of the life styles between the old from western countries and those from China?
*A leader (in business/sports/politics) you admire
Describe a leader you admire.
You should say
Who he/she is
What he/she has done
How you are affected
And explain the reason why you like him/her
Do people need leaders?
Why do people need leaders?
What kind of culture can better cultivate good leaders?
How do we choose a good leader?
What are the responsibilities of a leader?
Should one be trained to be a good leader?
What qualities does one need in order to be a good leader?
Are there heroes in the world?
*A good student you studied with
Describe a good student who (you know) you have studied with
You should say
Who he/she is
Why you studied with him/her
What he/ she was good at
What you did together
And explain why you think he/she is a good student
What role do teachers play in studies?
What efforts do good students need to make after class?
How do teachers treat good students?
What is the difference between good students and bad students?
Are good students at school more welcomed with their job?
How different are children now and those in the past?
Is it beneficial for children to learn different knowledge when they are very young?
*A good friend of yours
Describe a good friend of yours
You should say
Who he/she is
How often do you meet
How you keep contact
Whether you still meet each other or not now
How can friendship be well kept?
How do we choose a friend?
What would be the factors for losing a friend?
*Two family members in your family
Describe two people from the same family you know.
You should say
Who they are
What they look like
What roles they play
How you like them
And explain the reason why you like them.
How does financial pressure affect family life?
How have families changed in China?
How do we get along well with children?
Do people place much importance to family?
How are Chinese families different from families in other countries?
How do family member get along with each other in China?
Which is better, a big family or a small one?
*A person who taught you a useful skill (e.g. swimming, cooking)
Describe a person who taught you a useful skill
You should say
Who he/she is
What he/she taught you
How he/she taught you
How you felt of him/ her
What behaviours can children learn from their parents?
Can children learn from watching TV?
What role do teacher play in children education?
Which is the best way of learning, from parents, teachers or from peers?
*Something kind someone did to you
Describe something kind someone did to you.
You should say
What it is
When he/ she did it
Why he/ she did it
How he/ she helped you
How you felt of it
Why should we help others?
How can we help others?
In what ways can we help people we don’t know?
Should we teach children the importance of helping others?
What do you think of people doing voluntary work?
Do many people do voluntary work in China?
Are there many organizations available for people to do voluntary work?
Have you ever done any voluntary work?
*A public place in the open air you visited/for you to relax
Describe an open air that you like visiting.
You should say
Where it is
What you can see and do there
How often you go there
And explain the reason why you like visiting there.
How do people relax and recreate themselves in China?
Who will find it easier to relax, people in the city or in the country?
How do people spend their holidays here in China?
Why do some people find it hard to relax even during holidays?
What are the differences between travelling to the city and to the country?
Can music help with relaxation?
Why do people like going to the park?
What do you think of the policy that pets are allowed into the parks?
Should people be charged to get into the public places?
What rules should be made to protect the public places?
*A trip in your childhood
Describe a trip in your childhood.
You should say
Where you went
When you took it
What you saw and experienced
How you felt
How is transportation different in towns and in cities?
*A good/popular place for swimming
Describe a good place for swimming
You should say
Where it is
What it is like
Who will go there
And explain the reason why it is popular
Should people learn swimming?
What are the advantages of swimming?
Are there swimming courses in schools in China?
Should there be swimming courses at school?
Is it better to learn swimming by oneself or by taking a swimming class?
Who is better teacher for swimming, parents or professional instructors?
What other kinds of sports are popular apart from swimming?
A foreign country you would like to visit(杭州,厦门) 新题
Describe a foreign country you would like to visit.
You should say
What it is
Where it is
By what way you would like to visit there
What you want to see there
What you would like to bring back
And explain the reason why you like to visit there.
What difficulties will Chinese encounter when they want to travel abroad?
What would Chinese be interested in seeing when they travel overseas?
Do you like visiting major cities or small towns?
*A place in the foreign country you would like to visit
Describe a place in a foreign country you would like to travel to
You should say
Where it is
How you travel there
How you got to know about this place
How much you know about this place
And explain the reason why you would like to travel to it
What different documents do you need to prepare before travelling?
How do you obtain information of your travel destination?
How do young people and old people travel differently?
What is the difference between travel to a city and a small town?
How do people decide where to travel to during holidays?
Is weather forecast important for travelling?
What should be paid attention to when travelling abroad?
*A working place (a shop/company/factory)
Describe an ideal working place you dream.
You should say
Where it is
What it looks like
What is inside
How you feel of working in it
And explain the reason why you like to work in such a place.
How do Chinese go to work?
What do you think of working far away from home?
How can the location of a working unit be chosen?
How important is the location of a work place?
In what different ways do people work now compared to the past?
Which is better, living close to or far from where one works?
How would you choose the location if you were to open a new company?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of foreign companies opening new branches in China?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of migrant workers flooding to the big cities?
*An interesting shop
Describe an interesting shop you like.
You should say
Where it is
How often you go there
What you can buy and see there
And explain the reason why you think it is interesting
What are the advantages and disadvantages of shopping online?
Will online shopping get more or less popular?
Should people with different financial backgrounds go shopping in different shops?
How does purchasing change people’s life?
*A house/ apartment you want to live in
Describe your ideal house.
You should say
Where it is
What it would be like
Who you want to live with
What you want to have inside
And explain the reason why it is ideal to you.
What challenges would you encounter when moving home?
Why do people like moving home?
Why do styles of houses differ from country to country?
*An old building/architecture
Describe a historical building you know
You should say
What it is
When you visited it
What people will do there
Why you visited there
And explain the reason why you like it
What are the values of old buildings?
Why are many old buildings bulldozed?
Why are young people not interested in history?
How do media advertise for the historic buildings?
How can old buildings be protected?
Do foreign visitors prefer seeing old buildings or new buildings?
*A restaurant you like going to with your family/friends
Describe a restaurant you like going to with your family/friends
You should say
Where it is
What dishes it offers
Who you go with
What you like to order
And explain why you like it there
Why do people like eating at the restaurant?
Do you prefer eating out or cooking at home?
Do you know how to cook? Where do you learn cooking from?
How do you learn cooking?
Which is better, eating at home or at the restaurant?
Should all women learn to cook?
What kind of food can benefit your health more?
What do you think of eating meat?
*A change in a town/village or a city
Describe a change in a town/village/city
You should say
Where it is
What it was like in the past
What it is like now
How people from it think of the change
Why is the crime rate higher in cities than in the small towns?
How has your city changed?
How are job opportunities in the city?
What is the difference between urban area and rural area?
How is lifestyle different in urban area and rural area?
What do you think of migrant workers?
*A sports event you would like to watch
Describe a sports event you would like to watch
You should say
What it is
Whether it is easy to attend it
What happens in it
And explain Why you want to watch it
What kinds of sports do people in your country like?
Which is better, watching the live game or watch it at home?
*An outdoor activity you like
Describer an outdoor activity that people like.
You should say
What it is
How often you do it
How popular it is for people
And explain the reason why people like it.
What different outdoor activities do the old and the young choose?
What outdoor activities do you want to learn?
What are the benefits of doing sports?
How has children’s leisure time changed?
Do parents encourage children to do sports?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of playing computer games?
Can playing computer games lead to the increase of crime rate?
Should parents limit children’s game time?
Is there a trend of increased outdoor activities in China?
*A game in your childhood an outdoor activity you like
Describe a game in your childhood.
You should say
What it is
How often you played
With whom you played
How you like it
And explain why you liked it.
Do you like children?
How many children are there in your family?
How many children are there in a typical Chinese family?
*A TV program you like
Describe a TV programme you like.
You should say
When you watched it
Where you watched it
Why you watched it
What you learnt from it
What do you think of the TV programs in China?
How can a TV program be popular?
What do you think of the advertisements on TV?
Why is easier for the TV stars to get famous?
Are TV actors and actress much over-paid?
What are the positive/negative effects of being famous?
What are the different purposes of watching TV?
*A useful website you like
Describe a useful website
You should say
What it is called
How you got to know it
What you can get from it
And explain why you like it.
How does internet affect people’s life?
How do people manage life without the Internet?
What is the difference between Internet education and traditional way of teaching?
What are the advantages of the Internet?
Will internet replace teachers in the future?
Will internet take the place of traditional media?
Is it beneficial for children to use the Internet a lot?
Would it be a waste of time to linger on the Internet?
Will the Internet replace newspaper and magazine?
What are the disadvantages of living in an area with no internet access?
What do you think of internet education and entertainment?
*An advertisement you recently heard or saw
Describe and advertisement you watched.
You should say
When you watched it
What it was like
What you think of it after you have watched it
And explain the reason why you have impression on it
When do people see advertisements?
Which way of advertising do you like best, on TV or on newspaper?
How do you define good advertisements?
Is it a good idea to invite stars to show on advertisements?
How can advertisements attract people?
What regulations concerning advertising industry need to be issued for better supervision?
What can advertisements do to children?
How much can you believe what is shown on advertisements?
What do you think of advertisements selling cigarettes, beer and wine?
What do you think of the overseas advertisements?
*A movie you watched recently
Describe a movie you watched recently
You should say
What it is
What it is about
When you watched it
How you felt of it
What you learnt from it
Do you prefer watching movies at home or at the cinema?
Why do people like old movies?
*A book you would like to read again
Describe a book you want to read again.
You should say
What it is
Who wrote it
What you can learn from it
And explain the reason why you want to read it again.
What are the benefits of reading for children?
Do lots of people read in your country?
What kind of books is popular in China now?
What are the bestsellers in the bookstores in China? Why?
Do people like to collect books? Why?
How do people keep their collection of books?
Is it easy to collect books?
What do you think of reading online?
Will books be disappearing with the popularity of computer using?
How will books in the future be like?
What is the difference between books read by city people and those live in the countryside?
Would you prefer buying or borrowing books?
*An occasion on which you listened to music from another country
Describe an occasion on which you listened to music from another country
You should say
What it is
Where you listened to it
When you listened to it
How you felt about it
What is the popular type of music in China?
What kind of music do Chinese people like?
What different music do the young and the old like?
What are the benefits of young people listening to various types of music?
What are the benefits of children learning musical instruments?
Why is music played in the stores?
Should loud music be banned in the public?
How is music related to business?
What are the benefits of listening to music?
What is the function of music?
What is the purpose of music?
Do Chinese people often listen to foreign music?
Do the elderly in China like music from another country?
Will traditional music disappear one day?
How does music in the modern time differ that in the old days?
What different kinds of music do people listen to now?
Do you watch Peking opera?
*A song you heard from your childhood
A piece of foreign culture
Describe a piece of foreign you would like to learn.
You should say
What it is
Why you plan to learn it
How you plan to learn it
What stage you want to achieve for learning it.
How do people acquire information of a different culture?
How do people learn new culture?
Is it necessary that one learns about the local language?
Is the Internet important for people learning culture?
What do you think of learning a foreign culture in a foreign country?
How does culture help you understand your own language?
How do people overcome culture shock?
How is city life different from country life?
How do city people think of people from the country?
Something interesting you learn from another culture(北京)
Describe something interesting you learn from another culture.
You should say
What it is
Which culture you learned it from
Why you learned it
How you like it
Is it easy for Chinese to learn a different culture?
What do you think of learning about a new culture?
*A special meal
Describe a special meal
You should say
When you had it
Where you had it
What food you ate
How you felt of it
And explain why you chose it
How do seasons affect the production of food?
What is the food in your hometown like?
What are the factors affecting the business of a restaurant?
Will restaurants be more international?
What kinds of restaurants do people like to eat at?
Do people choose the same kind of food in summer and in winter?
What do you think makes a successful restaurant?
How will restaurants in the future be like?
*The most interesting subject you studied at school
Describe the most interesting subject you like
You should say
What it is
How long you have been learning it
What you have learnt from it
And explain the reason why you like it.
What are the benefits for children to learn music and painting?
What is the use of having computer lessons and PE lessons?
Should the courses be chosen by the school or by students themselves?
Which skill is the most important to children? Why?
At which age should children start schooling?
Your personal future plan
*Your ideal future job/a job you would like to do
Describe your ideal future job/a job you would like to do
You should say
What it is
What it is about
What are required to be qualified with this job
And explain why you like this job
With your major, can you get a job with decent salary?
Is you major a popular one in your country?
What jobs are popular now in China?
What kinds of jobs can make a lot of money in China?
What jobs in China are underpaid?
What kinds of jobs deserve better payment?
Would you change your job if you are offered a huge raise in a new job?
How is salary related to job satisfaction?
What are the factors deciding the age of retirement?
Is it beneficial to change jobs often?
Where do people get information when they go job hunting?
At which age do people in your country start working?
What do you think of people choosing to start working at different age?
Do teachers receive reasonable payment in China?
*Your dream job when you were younger/a child
Describe a job you want to do after graduation.
You should say
What it is
Why you want to take it
How you plan to get it
What result you want to have from it
Is it a good thing to work in such a competitive environment?
What jobs were popular or unpopular when you were younger?
Should students take part-time jobs?
Which is more important, job satisfaction or salary?
What qualities should one possess to be qualified for a job?
Is further study necessary after graduation?
*An important letter you received
Describe an important letter that you received recently
You should say
What it is about
When you received it
How you feeling is
And explain the reason why it is important to you
Do you write letters?
Who do you write to?
Do people still write love letters now?
*A positive change of your own life
Describe a positive change in life.
You should say
What it is
When it happened
How you changed it
What positive effect it has on you
How has the society changed in the past years?
What sorts of changes have taken place in people life, job and technologies?
Will China keep the rapid development in technologies?
How relevant are changes in technologies and social aspects?
What are your working routines?
*A situation when someone congratulated on you
Describe an occasion on which people congratulated you
You should say
When it was
Where it was
What you did
What the result was
Why other congratulated you
How you felt of it
And explain why people congratulated on you
Is all success worth of congratulations?
What kinds of congratulations do people give normally?
*A situation when someone gave you money as a present
Describe an occasion when someone who gave you money as a gift.
You should say
Who gave it to you
When you got it
What you did with the money
How you felt of it
And explain the reason why you wanted to deal with it in such a way.
Does money bring happiness?
Can money buy happiness?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of money?
How do people save up money?
What different attitudes do children and adults hold towards money?
When do children in China start to receive allowances?
In what different ways do adults and children spend money?
How can children be taught about financial management?
How can the gap between the rich and the poor be filled?
*A small business you would like to set up/own/run in the future
Describe a small business you want to start.
You should say
What it is
When you plan to start it
With whom you plan to start it
How you plan to start it
And explain the reason why you want to start it
Which is more important, job satisfaction or salary?
What small businesses are there in your community?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of small business compared to big business?
What can the government do to help with the development of small business?
What specific skills are required to set up a small business?
Would you rather work as an employee or a boss?
What are the drawbacks of opening your own company?
*Something interesting you would like to do
Describe an interesting thing you want to do in the future.
You should say
What it is
When you plan to do it
How you want to achieve it
And explain the reason why you want to do it.
Is a plan necessary for work?
How can a plan be made?
What would happen if one doesn’t make a plan?
How do young people choose their future job?
*A bad weather you experienced
Describe a bad weather you experienced
You should say
When it was
Where it was
What kind of bad weather it was
What you did for it
How it affected your life
How can bad weather affect people’s life?
What kinds of bad weather can people in your hometown encounter?
How do people look at good and bad weather?
How does different climate affect the personality of people from different areas?
What would government and individuals do to ease the damage done by the bad weather?
How do governments in other countries protect their people from the bad weather?
*A situation when you got a little angry
Describe an experience when you got angry
You should say
When it happened
Where it happened
Who there were
And explain the reason why you were angry
Is it easy for people to reveal their emotions?
Which is better, revealing or hiding your emotions?
How differently do men and women express their emotions?
Why do some men cry?
Is it good to be sensitive?
How can children learn to care for others’ feelings?
How are children taught to better express themselves?
*A wedding you attended
Describe a wedding you attended
You should say
Where it was
Whose it was
When it was hold
What happened during the wedding
Which is better, a fancy wedding or a small wedding?
What are the different attitudes do males and females hold?
What kind of wedding do expect?
At what age would you get married?
What wedding presents do people normally send?
Can single people look for their life partners on a wedding?
Why do Chinese attend weddings?
How can a marriage be well kept?
*A piece of old furniture
Describe a piece of furniture you like.
You should say
What it is
What it looks like
What you use it for
And explain the reason why you like it.
Who in the family normally gets to make the decision on the furniture?
Why do some people like changing their furniture often?
How is furniture related to fashion?
How does the choice of furniture affect people living there?
*Something you made by your hand
Describe the most useful handicraft you have made.
You should say
What it is
When you made it
How you made it
Why you made it
And explain the reason why it is the most useful.
What is the difference in the handicrafts made by males and females?
Is it beneficial for children to learn making handicraft?
What are the benefits and the disadvantages of products made by hands and those made by machine?
*A family photograph
Describe a photograph
You should say
What it is about
Where it was taken
With whom you took
How you liked it
And explain the reason why you like it
Why do people like taking pictures?
Do people need special training for taking good photos?
Why do people keep photos?
Do the old like taking pictures?
Why are girls more keen on taking photos than boys?
Why would boys rather take pictures for others?
Is permission needed when you want to take pictures for the old?
What should you do if the elderly appear nervous when taking pictures?
*Something expensive you would buy if you had the money
Describe something expensive you would like to buy when you have a large amount of money
You should say
What it is
What it is like
What you can do with it
And explain the reason why you would like to buy it
What did children like to buy in the past?
What are the negative effects of buying expensive things?
Is it good for parents to buy a lot of expensive things for children?
How do parents express their love for the children?
What will people waste now?
Why do people like going for shopping spree?
Is shopping a good way of relaxation?
*A foreign product you would like to buy
Describe a product you want to buy in another country.
You should say
What it is
Why you want to buy it
How you will use it
How you plan to buy it
And explain the reason why you want to buy it in another country.
What kinds of products do people in your country like to buy?
What is the reason for some Chinese not liking to purchase foreign products?
What do the old like to buy?
What do you think of globalization?
Should manufactures send out employees for overseas study?
Do advertisements differ from country to country?
Why do parents give children a lot of money?
What are the drawbacks of parents giving however much money children ask for?
Is it necessary to buy luxuries?
*Something you lost
Describe something you lost
You should say
What it is
Where you lost it
What effect it brought to you
How you felt about it
What are the reasons for people lose things?
How can this problem be solved?
What do people normally do when they lose something?
Have you ever found the thing you lost?
What responsibilities should the government taken when some citizen loses his belongings?
What can easily be lost?
What do people do when they find something someone lost?
Which is more common, losing one’s money or cell phone?
Should the finder return what he/she has found?
*An animal from your city/country
Describe a wild animal in your country.
You should say
What it is
Where you can see it
How you like it
And explain the reason why you like it
Do people like keeping pets in your city?
What responsibilities should one take when keep a pet?
What should the government do to help the endangered animals?
Is your hometown more suitable for the young or the old?
Why do you like your hometown?
How has your hometown changed?
How can your hometown be developed?