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
- 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.
“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 |
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