Study English IELTS - IELTS SPEAKING: 2016

Famous person

PART II
Topic : Describe a famous person you know in your country.
You should say :

Who the person is
Why he is famous
What makes you mention specifically him/ her
and describe what positive changes this person has brought for your country

1. One – minute preparation

Hoang Xuan Vinh – ended Vietnam’s six-decade wait for the first Olympic gold medal – hero
41-year-old serving army colonel – sport not prevalent in Vietnam but he has claimed our position à first ever Olympics gold – history-maker
our flags was raised, our national anthem was played to the world; upgraded Vietnam’s professional sport to the new level; courageous spirit and the utmost determination
his great shooting skills, good sportsmanship and warm personality. (ex: moment of champion); principled man (moment of practising)
Good role model for youngsters and pride of our country.

2. Sample Speaking
“I’m gonna talk about one of the most popular person in my country in recent days who just ended Vietnam’s six-decade wait for the first Olympic gold medal. His name is Hoang Xuan Vinh – a hero of Vietnam’s shooting sport.
Well, first of all, I wanna talk about who this person is. Hoang Xuan Vinh is a 41-year-old serving army colonel and he’s also a typical representative of Vietnam’s shooting team. As you can probably know, this type of sport hasn’t become prevalent in Vietnam yet because of its specific requirements of facilities and training but he has claimed our position to the world by winning the first ever Olympics gold medal and becoming a history-maker of my country.
Moving on to the next point of why he is famous. I mean why he wouldn’t be. For the first time in the history, our flag was raised, our national anthem was played to the whole world thanks to him. It can be said that he’s the one that upgraded Vietnam’s professional sport to the new level, the world has now mentioned Vietnam with respect which barely happened before. They even said that Hoang Xuan Vinh’s victory came from the courageous spirit and the utmost determination of the athlete and the people of Vietnam.
What I admire him more apart from his great shooting skills are his good sportsmanship and warm personality. I mean despite of all his fame, he’s not arrogant, doesn’t have big head. I will never forget the moment when they called his name to the champion board, he didn’t step to the board straight away, and instead, he went to his two competitors shaking hands to show his respects. That moment really brightened Vietnam’s images to the world’s spectators. In addition to that, Vinh is also a very determined and principled man. Not everyone knows that in order to stand in glamourous scenery today, he had to spend 3 hours a day just to stand still practising his concentration and a firm brain during the previous years. This will be a valuable lesson and great role model for the youngsters of my country to follow and proud of”
3. Vocabulary

six-decade wait	6 thập kỷ chờ đợi
Shooting sport. army colonel	Môn thể thao bắn sung Đại tá quân đội
prevalent	Phổ biến
claim one’s position	Khẳng định vị trí
history-maker	Người tạo nên lịch sử
national anthem	Quốc ca
upgrade	Nâng cấp, nâng tầm
courageous spirit	Tinh thần thép
utmost determination	Quyết tâm, cố gắng hết mình
sportsmanship	Tinh thần thể thao
arrogant	Kiêu căng, ngạo mạn
big head	= Arrogant
champion board	Bục của nhà vô địch
determined	Quyết tâm
principled	Nguyên tắc
glamourous scenery	Hào quang chiến thắng
concentration	Sự tập trung
role model	Hình mẫu lý tưởng

If you prepare for this cue card question, you should be able to answer the following cue card topics as well:
1. Describe a writer you know about.
2. Describe a successful sportsman in your country.
3. Talk about a famous person you would like to meet.
4. Describe a political leader you admire.
5. Talk about a scientist from your county.
6. Talk about a person who is well known in your country.
7. Describe a person you really admire.
8. Describe a successful person from your country.
9. Talk about a person who has great contribution in your country.

PART III

1. What makes people famous?
Uhm, Talent is definitely the key point to make someone popular. I mean those who have any gifts in something especially when they are outstandingly different from others could become famous. They can be singers, musicians, actors, athletes, politicians or even photographers. Besides, in today’s scenery, it can be seen that some people can make themselves being known by their looks, you know, hot girls, hot boys who can easily attracts others by their appearance or sometime with little bit of scandals as well. However, this cannot last without a real talent and knowledge. So all in all, if I can put in orders these factors that make people famous, I would go for outstanding talent and then appearance with some specific gifts or deep knowledge.

2. What are the differences between a famous person and an ordinary person?
There is of course a huge difference between a celebrity and a normal person. Firstly, famous people are recognized everywhere and get special treatment wherever they go. For instance, I assume that someone like Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber will get preferential treatment over other customers at a restaurant, don’t you think? Besides, famous people have fans who have celebrity crushes or even real life admiration for them. After all, who wouldn’t like to have their own fans, followers, and worshipers?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous?
Being famous can be beneficial, I mean, apart from the fact that you are recognized and get special treatment as I mentioned above, it also generally means being richer with many dream opportunities arise but I think the disadvantage will outweigh the advantage. Well, first to realize is they have no privacy, you can never go anywhere in public without having crowds of people follow you, having camera in your face. You are always stalked and judged about every single personal matter of your life. Whatever personal things happen to you will often become common knowledge for everyone. Being famous can also stop celebrities from indulging in the little pleasures of life, which can be very frustrating indeed.

4. Why do you think ordinary people are interested in the lives of celebrities?
It depends on the person. Some people are inspired and motivated by their idols and they naturally would want to know more about the people who have such an outstanding talent. But for most, they are just living vicariously through the lives of others. I mean they’re not actually interested in celebrities – they’re interested in themselves as reflected in celebrities. Millions of tween and teen girls fall helplessly in-crush with pop stars and feel extremely connected to them… and they wouldn’t dream of going out with a ‘real-life’ guy at school anymore. But I’m sure it’s just because they have too much time to waste you know, youngsters. When they get older, those concerns will automatically go away, that’s for sure

Holiday

Money

PART II & PART III

School

Friends

PART II
Topic: Describe a person who accidentally became your friend
You should say:

who the person is
how you met him/her
what made you two become friends
and explain how is your friendship now

1. One minute preparation:
Bookstore owner- regular visit
Have time on hands- sit all day reading
Ask about a book. Not a single boring page
=> unbroken stream conversation
=> hit it off
A voracious reader- possesses mountain of books- a perfect match
Share a pile of book- pass on to me.
Hidden power- keep u involved in her words & story. Cheery voices, emotional, touching etc
A depth in eyes => makes me want to dive into.
2. Sample Answer
“You know everything in the world has its own reason to happen, and people who come to you definitely has something significantly to do with your life so I’m going to talk about a person who by accident become a part of my friend circle. And I’d prefer it to be a fate rather than just so-called accidentally-made friendship.
Reminiscing about how we happened to know each other, she is the owner of a bookstore I often pay a visit to. In the first place we did not really catch each other’s attention. But then the more I come there, I mean, sometimes I have times on my hands, I would sit around and read book even the whole day at her bookstore. There came a day, she came and asked my which book I was reading and if I enjoyed it. I answered her that that is my third time reading the book and there was absolutely not a boring page in the whole book so we started to talk about the book, and the rest of the conversation just followed in an unbroken stream. Because we got pretty much so many things in common, especially in terms of book.so we hit it off really well.
And as a matter-of-factly speaking, she is far more a voracious reader than I am. She possesses a mountain of books that i would dream having them in my house
I would say that she is kinda a perfect match for me because you know in modern day, it is not easy to find a person who can share with you a pile of books that they’ve read and talk with you day and night about countless topics. like the whole world open to pass it on to you.
In particular, she has such a hidden power that can get you completely involved in her words, her story, to keep the conversation going with such a cheery voice, sometimes with emotional and touching as well. I mean she has such a depth in her eyes, that you just want to dive in her world.
That’s exactly kind of relationship that I’ve been craving for. After all, she is a good person to be friend with. So if I still have more time, I would like to tell you about some books that we’ve already read together and I would recommend anyone to read it once in life”.
3. Vocabulary
Reminisce about something: hồi tưởng lại
Pay a visit = visit: ghé thăm
Catch someone’s attention: chú ý đến ai
Have time on hands= have free/spare time: có thời gian rảnh
Hit it off: trở nên thân nhau
Voracious reader: đam mê sách
Pass on to someone: truyền lại cho ai
Dive into something: đi sâu vào
Crave for something: mong muốn thứ gì đó

Describe someone in your family who you really admire

PART II
Lưu ý: Trước khi xem sample answer, các bạn bắt buộc phải xem video Chiến thuật trả lời Speaking Part 2 của mình để biết phương pháp trả lời. Toàn bộ các câu trả lời của mình sẽ đi theo phương pháp mà mình đã nêu và các bạn sẽ thấy Part 2 không còn quá khó như bạn vẫn tưởng
1. One-minute preparation:
Mom- strong family base- memories with absolute clarity.
When younger, Always take around-the-clock care : babbling, walking, riding …
Older, consciously, thinks ahead of herself, well-loved and well-educated upbringing.
Trivial arguments: childish. But mom calm, hold tight and suggest resolution.
House-building/ home-feelings.
2. Sample Answer
“The person that springs to my mind immediately is my Mother. I think I should start by saying that being given birth is the most wonderful thing that’ve ever happened on earth. She is the one i can’t ever thank enough
You probably heard it once that Vietnamese people have a very strong family base. So I’m gonna portrait my Mom and my relationship with her so you gonna picture it in a more vivid way. Every single memory with her comes to me with an absolute clarity. I could bring back all details of her, in retrospect, when I was a little child, my Mom was always there right behind me, just to make sure I was alright at all times. She took an around-the-clock care for me when I started babbling, started learning to walk, and when started riding a bike. I mean, every moments in my childhood were entangled with her.
And when I grow older, I become more conscious of what Mom have done to me. She always thinks of me ahead of herself, she could do whatever it takes no matter how tough it is just to bring me the best: a very well-loved and well-educated upbringing. I was like a little bird being protected in my Mom’s nest.
And the thing is, you know there were always some trivial arguments that are definitely unavoidable. Because you know, my childish characteristics always make me throw a tantrum at a ridiculous thing, but she always stays calm, she holds me tight asks me what happened and suggests me what could be done to solve my problems , she is the most active listener in the whole world.
It is said that House is just a building, but home is about our feelings. so that’s the point i’m trying to make during my speech. So if I still have more time, i would probably tell you more in-depth about some memorable events in my childhood with my Mom and my family”
3. Vocabulary
Spring to so’s mind: nghĩ đến ngay lập tức
Be given birth: đc sinh ra
Portrait: phác hoạ
Vivid: rõ nét
Bring back: nhắc lại/ nhớ lại
In retrospect: hồi tưởng lại
Around-the-clock care: sự chăm sóc thường trực.
Be entangled with something: be twisted with something
Think of someone ahead of yourself: nghĩ về ng khác hơn cả bản thân
Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time!

PART III
1. What are the values of family in your country?

“Family is where our roots take hold and from there we grow. I believe that family values don’t differ from country to country and allow me to say that they should be the same throughout the world. The most essential values are the so-called moral values shaped by our family since we were kids, I mean, those values which enable people to draw plausible distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. Besides, family is also a solid mental support that we can always come back with our ups and downs in life”
Từ vựng :

Moral value	Giá trị đạo đức
Plausible	Đúng đắn, hợp lý
Ups and downs	Thăng trầm cuộc sống

2. How family bonding is necessary for happiness in life?

“Strong family bonds are the secret to internal happiness because it’s the only source of unconditional love. It’s something that gives you the sense of belonging and appreciation and helps to create a sense of comfort and trust which are the origin of happiness. Family closeness leads people to have a fulfilling and flourishing life. This can be justified by the fact that those kids who enjoy strong family bonding tend to be happier and mentally healthier that those who are in a dysfunctional family environment. After all, who knows you better than your own family right?”
Từ vựng :

Bond	Liên kết, kết nối
Fulfilling and flourishing life	Cuộc sống đủ đầy và hạnh phúc
Justify	Chứng minh, minh chứng
Dysfunctional	Không binh thường, xa cách

3. How family value and bonding have changed over the last decade?

“Yeah, I can admit that this sacred notion has somehow lost its meaning in the last ten -15 years. Quarrels between couples are a frequent occurrence and because women are financially independent, they don’t step back like they did many years ago. Parents and children can hardly spend time together because of their own priority. And I think one of the principal cause that has led to this situation is the internet and smart phone. When family members have some spare time they prefer to consume it by going online instead of having some family conversations. For example, yesterday, I saw a mother with 2 of her daughters and they curiously kept asking their mom about everything happening around them but she didn’t answer any of it, instead she allowed them to play games on her phone just to shut them up. I feel like she just ruined the tiny tinny family bondings left between her and her kids”
Từ vựng :

Sacred notion	Khái niệm thiêng liêng
Quarrel	Cãi vã, trang cãi

4. What type of family do you like? Nuclear family or joint family?

“That’s a really interesting question actually! My personal opinion is that a nuclear family is much more preferable compared to a joint family because anything that it is possible to happen in this type of family is manageable and less complicated than when you live in an extended family which includes grandparents, uncles, aunts and so on, especially with generation gaps, frequent arguments is unavoidable. Therefore, I strongly believe that a family only with mum, dad and siblings works better for me”

If you prepare for this cue card you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well with very little changes:

Talk about someone who cares you a lot.
Describe a person who you like very much.
Describe the person whom you admire most.
Talk about a person you know for a long.
Talk about a senior person whom you like a lot.
Talk about a person who has a great influence in your life.

Thank you and keep trying coz I will

Resources of Speaking

Describe a creative person that you admire

PART II

Lưu ý: Trước khi xem sample answer, các bạn bắt buộc phải xem video Chiến thuật trả lời Speaking Part 2 của mình để biết phương pháp trả lời. Toàn bộ các câu trả lời của mình sẽ đi theo phương pháp mà mình đã nêu và các bạn sẽ thấy Part 2 không còn quá khó như bạn vẫn tưởng

1. Preparation in one minute

Drama teacher-fantastic creativity

Class- new ideas- hilarious-mysterious-serious-touching-

Things innovating-on the move-> students excited and astonished.

Qualities are highly infectious- new imaginative ability- unlock limits, barriers -open door to opportunites

2. Sample Answer

“I’m going to talk about a person with a fantastic creativity that I’ve ever known.

He is my drama teacher at Uni. And without any doubt, creativity is always entwined with such an artistic field. I mean his creativity runs wild.

So I’m gonna tell you how fascinated I am in every single class with him. He always comes up with new ideas, new performance sometimes they are hilarious, mysterious or even serious every now and especially i was pretty much so impressed by how touching they were sometimes.he wears the looking of a new image in every lesson. i mean, nothing stays the same with him, every thing keeps innovating, keep on the move that make all of our classmates are so excited and astonished

The thing is those qualities are highly infectious, and we are so lucky to be instilled with a whole new imagination on things. And I would say it is a stepping stone in our study because it is not for drama, but it proves to be very useful in almost subjects at schools. It helps us to unlock our limits, our previous barriers. with that said, to open the door to a wide range of opportunities not only in study but our life as well.

So if i still have more time, I would love to tell you more in details about our performance which are so well-trained and inspired by our amazing teacher”

3. Vocabulary :

Be entwined with something: gắn chặt với

Hilarious: hài hước

On the move: luôn phát triển

Infectious: bị lây nhiễm

Stepping stone : bước đệm vững chắc

Open the door: mở ra

Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time!

PART III
1. What is a creative personality?
“I think creative people have a flair for making something from nothing, whether it’s writing a story, putting together new music, producing a film or even coming up with new hair styles. But whatever you do, you have to be full of energy and passion. It’s not an easy thing to do and if you do naturally enjoy creating then yeah, you have those qualities to be creative”.

Từ vựng :

have a flair for	có khả năng thiên bẩm về cái gì
come up with	= think
be full of	đầy

2. Can creativity be achieved though practising?
“Of course, I definitely believe that creativity is a skill to be learned, practised, and developed, just like any other. Although a lot of people often label creativity as a natural gift, that people’s performance reflects their innate talent instead of the amount of work they have done to acquire that skill, I still think we all have a wellspring of creative energy. The question is just how to tap it. The more you make creativity part of your daily life, the more it will grow”

Từ vựng :

label	Gán rằng, cho rằng
reflect	Phản chiếu
innate talent	Tài năng thiên bẩm
wellspring	Cội nguồn, nơi bắt nguồn
tap	Chạm đến, chạm vào

3. Why is it hard for some people to be creative?
“Because they accept that they were born that way, the way which has nothing to do with creativity and for that they don’t try to improve, to practise, to be better. I also think that creativity is hard for lazy people, lazy in thinking, in their activities, in their willing to generate energy and enthusiasm. Please, be active, dynamic, question more, explore more and you will find yourself in a very creative world”
4. Is there any jobs which do not require creativity?
“There are obviously a lot of jobs suited for creative people like photo stylist, hairstylist, interior designer, writer, teacher or chef. But I think every jobs require creativity, even service related tasks such as those preparing food, coffee, etc. Even cleaning jobs will need you to be creative enough with arranging things effectively. The idea of creativity in these jobs is to work smart instead of working hard. The level of creativity needed may not be as much as art related jobs require, but it’s still there”
Thank you and keep trying coz I will

Describe a leader that you admire

who this person is;
how you know this person;
what skills he or she has for leadership;
and explain why you think he or she is a good leader.

1. Preparation in one minute

Binh – a famous leader of the VOVINAM martial arts – inspire me
Sophomore – choose one club to sign up for – not have intention of joining it – not have a taste in it – mom insisted on taking part in – obey – club manager’s introduction
brilliant speaking and listening skills – diplomatic spokesman of Vietnam- present coherently and nicely – everyone belief in him – listening skill- busy at work- spend 5 mins listening doesn’t matter
an elastic line – points – spot connecting – connect everyone – remain the club’s sustainability – devotions – influential, accomplished and dedicated.

2. Sample Answer
“I’m going to talk about a leader that I really look up to, who probably inspire me the most in my whole life. His name is Binh, a very famous leader of the VOVINAM martial arts in my Uni back to Vietnam.
To start off the speech, I would like to approach the context of how I got to know him. Everything happened when I was a new sophomore. As a first year student, everyone should choose at least a club to sign up for. So initially, I did not have any intention of joining VOVINAM club cuz I don’t have any taste in it if I don’t want I don’t wanna say I hate it. However, my mom, she always insisted me on taking part in that club with view to loosing my weight. So I had to obey her. But later it turned out that my determination wasn’t bad. And then on the meeting members date, I got to know him via the club manger’s introduction.
Moving on to the next point of skills he possessed for the leadership, I would like to highlight his brilliant speaking and listening skills. As a politician, more specifically, as a diplomatic spokesman of Vietnam, he had a sound speaking skill. Presenting his perspective coherently and nicely as one of the essences of his job, Binh successfully gained everyone’s belief in him and the club. Furthermore, it is of note that listening skill substantially helped him to be a leader in terms of feedback and other people’s stories. Even though he is really busy at work, spending five minutes listening to you doesn’t matter him.
Finally, if I still have time, I would like to talk about the reason why I assume that he is a good leader. I always tell with my parents that he is an elastic line and other club members are the points. Spot connecting is exactly what he trying to do to connect everyone as a team to remain the club’s sustainability. Upon all the devotions he got for the club, I just have three words for him: influential, accomplished and dedicated”
3. Vocabulary
Look up to: Ngưỡng mộ ai
Context: Bối cảnh
Sophomore: Sinh viên năm nhất
Sign up for: Đăng ký
Have intention of: Có ý định làm gì
Have a taste in: Thích cái gì
Possess: Sở hữu
Essence: Đặc điểm, tính chất
Elastic : dẻo dai
Sustainability: sức chịu đựng
Accomplished: thành công
Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time!

PART III
1. Why do we need a leader?
“That’s a very good question. Why do we need a leader? We need leaders because without them, life would be chaos. Team leaders are essential in executing the vision and in setting the tone for the whole team. Leaders offer guidance to all members of the team to ensure they are fulfilling their roles. They are there to remain high morale and motivate other members by helping to instil a sense of confidence, creativity and creating an environment of cooperation between team members so that they work together to achieve team objectives instead of only fulfilling individual goals. Finally, they can serve as a role model for team members to ensure that they will act in a similar fashion of honesty and integrity in their activities, for example”

Từ vựng :

Chaos	Hỗn loạn
Execute	Thực hiện, tiến hành
Vision	Tầm nhìn, lý tưởng
Set the tone for	Tạo nên hình ảnh, hình tượng cho cái gì/ai
Morale	Tinh thần, nhuệ khí
Instil	Truyền (lửu, tinh thần)
Role model	Tấm gương tiêu biểu
integrity	Tính chính trực, liêm chính

2. If you were a leader, and your teammates didn’t respect you, what would you do?

“Oh, really, well then to be honest, probably I’ll kick them out. Ask them why and if they’re still showing some kinds of cut throat attitudes, then there’s no doubt to say that I have to let you go coz you’re not my team player anymore. Kind of bossy, isn’t it? But I really hate people who’s trying to mess the whole team up. However, if the problem comes from me, that will be a different story and I really don’t wanna talk about that”
Từ vựng :

Kick sb out	Đuổi ra khỏi một tổ chức/nhóm
Cut-throat attitude	Thái độ khó chịu, gay gắt
bossy	Hống hách, hách dịch

3. What do you think are the qualities of a good leader (or, a good decision maker)?
“Well, an effective team leader has a variety of traits and characteristics that encourage team members to follow him. A good leader needs to be confident in what he’s doing, needs to be charismatic to get people to trust them, need to possess integrity and fairness which means he does what he says he will do and treats others the same way he wants to be treated, need to be a powerful facilitator to ensure team members meet their goals and objectives more efficiently. And a quality leader also need to have perseverance and willpower, I think”

Từ vựng :

Charismatic	Có uy tín
Facilitator	Người trợ giúp
Perseverance	Kiên trì
Willpower	Nghị lực, ý chí

4. Do you think it’s important for parents to encourage the development of leadership abilities in their children? (Why?/Why not?)
“Well, it can be said that being a leader will help to bring out the best in someone which is good and necessary to be encouraged but only for those who have potential ability of becoming a great leader in the future because I think some people are cut out to be leaders and others aren’t. Forcing someone to develop leadership skills when they aren’t that type of person is not the right thing to do”

Từ vựng :

Be cut out to be st/so: Sinh ra để làm gì, trở thành ai
5. In what ways can parents encourage their children to develop leadership abilities?
“First of all, be a good example because somehow, parents also serve as leaders in their own family that their children can learn lessons along the way that significantly impact their potential leadership in their later life. Parents should set a good role model for their children to follow, try their best to understand their kids, not to order them around. Reward them for their hard work, for example, motivate and encourage them instead of spoiling and punishing for their mistakes. Parents should also trust their children to let them make decision because children often become overwhelmed by too many choices so this is a good way to help them self-control and practise decision making ability”
Thank you and keep trying coz I will

Describe someone who is older than you that you admire

You should say:
Who this person is
How you know this person
What kinds of things you like to do together
and explain how you feel about this person

1. 1 Minute Preparation :
Grandmother- whole childhood spent- strong bond- good-working relationship
Pinpoint reasons- caring and benevolent- help out- lift me up- more than enough
Held positive and upbeat perspective- strive for the better- make the most of things- look on the bright side-> changed myself- in positive way.
Feelings: great and blessed
2. Sample Answer
“So I’m going to talk about a person that I really look up to. She is my grandmother. For the reason that i spent my whole childhood with her so we got a very strong bond and a very good-working relationship
I’m gonna pinpoint some reasons that make her become a very respectful person in my whole life. You know the very first thought about her is that she is a very caring and benevolent person that I’ve ever known. Back to those first days, it was quite tough for me, but she was always there to help me out when I was in need, to lift me up when I feel so blue and under the weather from time to time. I mean she always offered me help more than enough, more than what i could ever asked for.
And another thing that makes her become a magnet in my eyes is that she always held a very upbeat, energetic and positive perspective in everything. You know, She taught me how to look on the bright side of things, how to make the most of every single situation no matter how hard it could be. and also, she taught me how too always keep striving for the better. So when i grow older, I’ve deliberately changed my eyes on viewing the world differently, in a very positive way.
So if I still have more time, I would like to talk more about my feelings when I have such a grandmother like her in my life. I feel so great and blessed to be a granddaughter of her”
3. Vocab :
Strong bond: thân thiết
Look up to: kính phục
Benevolent: tốt bụng, nhân hậu
Lift someone up: nâng đỡ,
Under the weather: tồi tệ
Magnet : có sức hút
Upbeat: lạc quan
Make the most of something: tận dụng cơ hội
Look on the bright side of thing: lạc quan

PART III
Describe someone who is older than you that you admire. You should say:

Who this person is
How you know this person
What kinds of things you like to do together
and explain how you feel about this person

1. What kinds of activities do old people like to do these days?
“Well, I think it depends. Some of them take care of their grandchildren and this takes up (chiếm nhiều thời gian) their time. Some of them take care of each other, you know, like both of my grandparents, they spend almost all day together, while my grandfather do some gardening, granma do some cooking or breed (chăn nuôi) some more pigs or chickens, just for fun. And maybe in the warmer weather, you will see them outside playing chess, jogging or doing the yoga”

2. Why do some old people only remember happy things?
“I’m not completely sure about it coz I’ve never done research (nghiên cứu chuyên sâu) on it but I assume (cho rằng) as people get older and they start losing their memories they will choose to recall (gợi nhớ) the happy events of their life and let go of the unimportant ones that aren’t so positive. What would be the point of holding on to a memory that isn’t happy! And I believe this is a good sight, you know, focusing on and remembering positive occasions and leaving behind negative ones will help older people regulate (kiểm soát) their emotions, letting them view life in a sunnier light (nhìn đời với cái nhìn lạc quan hơn)”

3. What roles do elderly play in the family?
“Well, first, old people play the role of babysitter (trông trẻ) for their grandchildren. Other role that they play is moral supporter for their family, you know, they cheer for the parents when they get a good job, cheer for the children when they do good at school and cheer for the family when they make progress together. They also have to be family counsellors (người tư vấn) to listen and give advice for younger members of the family as they have myriad (vô số) of experience lessons that the youngsters can learn and improve from”

4. Do you think old people enjoy their life more these days compared with the past?
“I think that since today’s life has become more affluent (đô thị, hiện đại) in the last 20 – 30 years that it helps the elderly in many ways. You know, when they don’t have to carry material burden (gánh nặng vật chất) like the past, especially when almost all elderly people in my country get a pension (lương hưu) no matter how small it might be, they will have more time and favourable condition (điều kiện tốt, đk thuận lợi) to enjoy the life, enjoy happy moments with their beloved family. However, I still think that in the rural regions and mountainous areas (vùng nông thôn và vùng núi), seniors’ lives haven’t changed that much and probably won’t in the near future”

Describe a person who has apologized to you

Who this person is
When this happened
What this person said for apologising
and explain how you feel about the apology

1. Một phút chuẩn bị
Merri – flatmate in Australia – very first friend when landed this country
Last Christmas – 2 film ticket voucher from teacher – award – high score – Merri enter my head – appointment on Christmas day 2:00PM – scheduled to show up at 1:30PM but didn’t- gave rings – not pick up -> Furious, hit the ceiling
Sent a message humble and sincere – mom collided by a car- Merri take care of her in hospital – no phone charger- out of battery- couldn’t contact
Guilty- too aggressive- know nothing about her situation- not a friend indeed- drew a lesson- don’t jump to conclusion – impose st on sb without knowing the cause
2. Sample Answer
“I’m going to talk about the person who used to say sorry to me. It was one of my flatmate in Australia, whose name is Merri. I can say, Merri is the very friend that I had when I just landed this country
Well, to begin the speech, I think I would like to mention when and how it occurred. Last Christmas, I got 2 film ticket vouchers for free from my teacher as an award after achieving high score in exam. Sort of fancy, you know. And the one to enter my head right straight away that I would invite to joy the time with me was definitely Merri. So the appointment was already set exactly on the Christmas day at two PM. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait until 2 so I decided to leave home soon and wandered around the city to shorten the time. As scheduled previously, Merri was supposed to show up at the theature at 1:30, she still didn’t. I gave her so many rings, but she didn’t pick up the phone. I hit the ceiling, I mean I was so furious.
A day later merri sent me a message in a very humble and sincere way that her mom was collided by a car and she had to take care of her mom at the hospital. Merri also explained that her phone was out of battery because of spending the whole day at the hospital without the phone charger so she couldn’t contact me.
Finally If I still have time I would like to talk about my feeling after receiving her apology. I felt very guilty for being too aggressive while knowing nothing about her situation. I also had a thought that I wasn’t her good friend indeed. I drew a lesson from this incident about judging someone. Anything happen with its own reason. Don’t jump to the conclusion or impose st on someone without knowing the cause”
3. Vocabulary
3.1 Terms and phrase
Enter one’s head: chợt nghĩ đến
Wander around: đi lang thang, đi dạo
Be supposed to: đáng lẽ ra phải…
Give someone a ring: gọi cho ai
Hit the ceiling: tức giận
Collide something/somebody: đâm vào cái gì /ai
Friend indeed: bạn tốt
Draw a lesson: rút ra bài học
Jump to the conclusion: vội đi đến kết luận
Impose something on someone: áp đặt cái gì lên cho ai
3.2 New words for person description
Humble: khiêm tốn, khúm núm
Sincere: chân thành
Aggressive: hung hăng
Furious: giận giữ
Guilty: tội lỗi

PART III
1. Is it important to say sorry?
“Yes, of course! Everyone makes mistakes that leads to a misunderstanding or even argument and it’s very important that you should say that you are sorry for what you have done for your and for others ‘sake. On the one hand it will help you to release bad feelings you’re definitely holding when you did something bad. On the other hand, saying sorry and showing that you’re sincere can bridge any gaps between you two, I believe that. If you didn’t say that, they would hold ill feelings for you in the future and you can even end up ruin a relationship”

Từ vựng :

misunderstanding	Hiểu nhầm
argument	Tranh cãi
for one‘ sake	Vì lợi ích của ai
sincere	Chân thành
bridge gaps	Thu hẹp khoảng cách
ruin a relationship	Hủy hoại một mối quan hệ

2. What situations do people say sorry?
“Well, there are many situations that lead people to say sorry, when you do something wrong, you broke something, or simply just bump against or collide with each other on the bus, you know but the one that comes up quite often is when you accidentally hurt someone’s feelings. Then we really need to say that we are sorry for our thoughtlessness, as soon as possible”

Từ vựng :

bump against = collide with	Đụng độ ai, đụng vào ai
come up	Xuất hiện, xảy ra
thoughtlessness	Vô tâm, thiếu suy nghĩ

3. Why do some people hate to say sorry?
“Well, admittedly, saying that you’re sorry to a person for what you have done, especially in serious situations, not the casual ones is really hard. It takes you courage to do that because everyone has their own self-esteem and no one wants to admit that they’re wrong, especially for those who are pigheaded and stubborn”

Từ vựng :

courage	Dũng khí
self-esteem	Lòng tự trọng
pigheaded	Cứng đầu
stubborn	Ngang bướng

4. When will people say thank you?
“Well I believe that “Thank you” can be an incredibly powerful pair of words, especially if the person you’re thanking really needs to hear them, or isn’t expecting them. People often say thank you when they really appreciate something that you did for them, even if it’s something that you’re supposed to be doing anyway or even the simplest gestures in daily life. And saying thank you is as important as saying sorry because being appreciated is one of those things that really satisfies and motivates us so a little goes a long way if you can offer up a genuine thank you when it’s appropriated”
5. When was the last time you found it hard to accept an apology? “It’s when I and my friend we had a big fight and one thing leads to another, somehow she ended up insulting me and my family. I couldn’t accept her apology at all even though it seemed honest. I then still forgave her but our friendship can never be the same anymore. I feel sorry for that”
Thank you and keep trying

Cheers!