VSTEP speaking: Common topics

VSTEP SPEAKING: COMMON TOPICS<br /> HOMETOWN<br /> I. VOCABULARY<br /> A. TOWN<br /> * Some of the things you will find in big town<br /> Commercial center<br /> <br /> shopping center<br /> <br /> car park<br /> <br /> factories<br /> <br /> Suburbs<br /> <br /> libraries<br /> <br /> pollution<br /> <br /> night-life<br /> <br /> Traffic<br /> <br /> museum<br /> <br /> high buildings<br /> <br /> noise<br /> <br /> B. THE COUNTRY:<br /> * Some of the things you will find in the country<br /> <br /> C. Advantages and disadvantages<br /> Cities and towns<br /> Advantages<br /> <br /> The countryside<br /> <br /> Exciting and interesting<br /> <br /> Quiet and peaceful<br /> <br /> Convenient<br /> <br /> Clean<br /> <br /> There are a lot of things to do<br /> <br /> Calm and relaxing<br /> <br /> There’s a wide range of shops<br /> <br /> Has lots of open space<br /> <br /> There’s lots of night-life (bars, cinemas,<br /> <br /> safe<br /> <br /> night clubs…)<br /> Disadvantages<br /> <br /> Noisy<br /> <br /> Boring<br /> <br /> LỚP ÔN THI VSTEP – 0987 924 268 – vstepclass@gmail.com<br /> <br /> Dirty and polluted<br /> <br /> Inconvenient<br /> <br /> Stressful<br /> <br /> There’s a few activities to do<br /> <br /> Crowded<br /> <br /> There are only a few shops<br /> <br /> dangerous<br /> <br /> There is no night-life<br /> <br /> II. USEFUL STRUCTURES:<br /> -<br /> <br /> My hometown is …………….. It is located/ situated in the North/ Middle/ South of<br /> Vietnam.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> It’s very + adj (comfortable/convenient… ) living there.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> It’s a/an + adj (nice/quiet….) place to live in.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> Living there is + adj (interesting, noisy….)<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> I lived there for ……… years. ….. years ago, I moved to………..<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> I have been living there since I was born.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> My hometown is famous/ well-known for ………………… throughout Vietnam.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> It is rich in …………. (oil, mineral deposits…)<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> ………….is the best place in my hometown.<br /> <br /> III. SAMPLE ANSWERS:<br /> 1. Where are you from? /Where do you come from?<br /> 2. Let’s talk about your hometown. What kind of place it is?<br />  My hometown is / I am from/ I come from …………….. It is a beautiful city/province/village in<br /> the North of Vietnam. My hometown is famous for some places of interests such as :<br /> ……………………… . Some special/ delicious kinds of food in my hometown are<br /> …………………………………….The weather here is very nice and the people are helpful,<br /> friendly and hospitable.<br /> 3. What part of the city do you live in? What is it like living there? / Is it a nice place to live in?<br />  I live in a flat/ rented house in the center of the city. It is a bit noisy and crowded, but it is very<br /> convenience and there are many opportunities for jobs and education.<br />  I live in the suburbs/ outskirts of the city. It is a quiet place to live in. The atmosphere is fresh and<br /> the neighborhoods are helpful and kind.<br /> 4. How long have you lived there?<br />  I lived there for ………… years. …………….. years ago, I moved to Hanoi for my education.<br />  I have been living there since I was born in …………….<br /> <br /> LỚP ÔN THI VSTEP – 0987 924 268 – vstepclass@gmail.com<br /> <br /> 5. What are the main tourist attractions in your hometown?<br /> 6. What do you like about your hometown?<br /> 7. If I visited your hometown, what would you advise me to go and see?<br />  There are many famous tourist attractions there such as pagodas, lakes, parks…. For example, you<br /> can visit ……………. when you come to my hometown.<br />  If you visited my hometown, I would suggest that you visit Hoan Kiem Lake. It is very famous for<br /> its ancient beauty and peaceful atmosphere.<br /> 8. Has your hometown changed a lot in recent years?<br /> 9. What changes have taken place in your hometown?<br />  Yes, it has seen a lot of changes. With the development of the economy, people’s living standards<br /> have been greatly improved.<br />  There are many changes such as the roads are getting wider and better. The transportation has<br /> improved much and there are more and more vehicles travelling on the roads such as cars,<br /> motorbikes, buses…..Besides, buildings are getting higher and higher.<br /> 10. What are the problems of your hometown? What are the solutions to these problems?/ What would<br /> you like to change about your hometown?<br />  There are some problems such as overpopulation, traffic jam and pollution of air, water and noise.<br /> In my opinion, the local government should have more effective measures and stricter law. For<br /> example, to reduce air pollution, we should develop the infrastructure, reduce the number of cars<br /> and use public transports.<br /> <br /> FAMILY AND FRIENDS<br /> I. VOCABULARY<br /> A. Relatives (= members of your family)<br /> Male<br /> <br /> Female<br /> <br /> Your parents’ parents<br /> <br /> grandfather<br /> <br /> grandmother<br /> <br /> Your parent’s brother and sister<br /> <br /> uncle (s)<br /> <br /> aunt (s)<br /> <br /> Your aunt’s/ uncle’s children<br /> <br /> cousin (s)<br /> <br /> cousin (s)<br /> <br /> Your brother’s/sister’s children<br /> <br /> nephew(s)<br /> <br /> niece(s)<br /> <br /> The father and mother of the person you marry father-in-law<br /> <br /> mother-in-law<br /> <br /> The brother and sister of the person you marry brother-in-law<br /> <br /> sister-in-law<br /> <br /> The person you marry dies, so you are a<br /> <br /> widow<br /> <br /> widower<br /> <br /> LỚP ÔN THI VSTEP – 0987 924 268 – vstepclass@gmail.com<br /> <br /> Your mother or father remarries, so you have a step-father<br /> <br /> step-mother<br /> <br /> B. Family background:<br /> My grandfather was a market gardener. He grew flowers, fruits and vegetables, and sold them in the<br /> market every day. He worked hard all his life, and when he died, his son (now my uncle) and daughter<br /> (my mother) inherited a large house and garden. They carried on the business together until my<br /> mother met my father. They got married, moved to England, and I was born two years later. They<br /> didn’t have any more children, so I am an only child.<br /> C. Family names:<br /> When you are born, your family gives you a first name. (James, Kate, Alex…). Your family name<br /> (also called your surname) is the one that all the family share (Smith, Brown…). Some parents give<br /> their children a middle name, but you usually say this name. Your full name is all the names you have,<br /> e.g. Sarah Jane Smiths.<br /> D. Changing times:<br /> Society changes and so do families. In some places, people may decide to live together but do not get<br /> married. They are not husband and wife, but call each other their partner. There are also many<br /> families in some parts of the world where the child or children live(s) with just their mother or father,<br /> these are sometimes called single-parent families.<br /> E. Friends:<br /> We can use a number of adj before friend:<br /> An old friend<br /> <br /> a close friend<br /> <br /> your best friend<br /> <br /> There are some kinds of friends:<br /> Colleague<br /> <br /> roommate<br /> <br /> classmate<br /> <br /> We use ex- for a partner we had in the past but do not nave now:<br /> Ex-husband<br /> <br /> ex-wife<br /> <br /> ex-boyfriend<br /> <br /> ex-girlfriend<br /> <br /> II. USEFUL STRUCTURE:<br /> -<br /> <br /> There are …………… members in my family./ My family has …………… people.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> My father/mother/ sister is a /an + job (teacher, doctor, farmer, student……….)<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> My father/mother is ………….. years old.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> My father/mother is the breadwinner of the family.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> I often spend time + Ving (chatting, going shopping) with my friends/family.<br /> <br /> -<br /> <br /> I prefer to stay with my family than with my friends because …………<br /> <br /> III. SAMPLE ANSWERS:<br /> <br /> LỚP ÔN THI VSTEP – 0987 924 268 – vstepclass@gmail.com<br /> <br /> 1. Tell me something about your family.<br /> => There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my sister and I. My parents used to work in<br /> a state-run company but now they are retired. My sister is a doctor, she’s 25 years old. We are a happy<br /> family.<br /> 2. Do you live in a big or small family?<br /> => I live in a small family. There are four people in my family: my parents, my brother and I. We live in a<br /> small house in……<br /> => I live in a big family, an extended family with my grandparents, my uncle and aunts living together. We<br /> are very close-knit and quite happy.<br /> 3. Do you prefer to have a big or small family? Why?<br /> => I prefer to have a small family. I think in a small family, we can understand each other better and we<br /> will have more time to take care of all members of the family.<br /> => I prefer to have a big family because I feel happier if there are many members in the family. We can<br /> talk and share many things. Moreover, it is easier to help each other in a big family.<br /> 4. Who often does the housework/shopping/cooking in your family?<br /> => My mother often does the housework/cooking because she has a lot of free time and she knows how to<br /> do things well. However, when I have free time, I often help her and she also teaches me a lot of things.<br /> 5. Who is the breadwinner in your family?<br /> => My father is the breadwinner in my family. He is a doctor. Every day he works very hard from early<br /> morning until late in the afternoon. He loves his job very much.<br /> 6. What do you often do with your family?<br /> => We are busy with our work during the day so in the evening, we gather to eat dinner together. After<br /> dinner, we watch Tv and talk about our daily activities. My parents often listen to me carefully when I tell<br /> them about my study and my activities at university.<br /> => I live far from my family so I often come home at weekends. When I come home, I help my parents do<br /> some housework and spend time watching TV with them, talking to them about my life at university.<br /> 7. How has family changed in the recent decades in Vietnam?<br /> => Well, family structure in Vietnam has changed a lot, generally from big to small. Vietnamese used to<br /> have extended family with a few generations living together. However as time go on, people need to move<br /> for their jobs so small family are more common as they’re easily mobile.<br /> 8. Do you have many friends? Are they close friends or acquaintances?<br /> <br /> LỚP ÔN THI VSTEP – 0987 924 268 – vstepclass@gmail.com<br /> <br />