I used body language a lot to explain the directions to him, since I didn’t speak English well then.. Therefore, I have been trying to practice speaking English daily so that I can have
Trang 13 ĐỀ THI SPEAKING HAY RA NHẤT TRONG THỜI GIAN GÂN ĐÂY
Describe the first time you used a foreign language to communicate.
You should say:
who you communicated with what the situation was * what you said (or wrote) and explain how you felt during this experience
ANSWER:
I have been learning English for a long time, but I haven’t had many chances to practice speaking English with native speakers To the best of my recollection, the first time I used it was on Christmas Eve three years ago
At that time, I was hanging out with my friends Suddenly, a foreigner came
up to me and asked for directions to a supermarket Honestly, he spoke too quickly for me to catch everything But after he repeated his words, I finally understood and showed him the way to the nearest supermarket I used body language a lot to explain the directions to him, since I didn’t speak English well then After that, he said “Thank you” to me and headed for the supermarket.
I realize that English plays an important role in our life, despite the fact that
we don’t live in English-speaking countries It is spoken globally and it’s becoming
the dominant language Therefore, I have been trying to practice speaking English
daily so that I can have a good command of this language, and I can talk confidently with foreigners, whatever the topic of conversation.
VOCABULARY
to the best of my recollection: [expression] if I remember correctly.
Example: I was not present at that meeting, to the best of my recollection.
hanging out: [phrasal verb] spending a lot of time in a particular place,
but doing no special activity
Example: My friends and I enjoy hanging out at our local coffee shop,
just chatting and enjoying a coffee
came up to: [phrasal verb] approached.
Trang 2Example: The manager came up to me and shook my hand.
catch everything: [expression] hear or understand everything that he
said
Example: At the train station it was too noisy to hear all the information
clearly, and I was unable to catch everything.
body language: [noun] the way that you show what you feel or think by
moving your body
Example: Sometimes, our teacher uses body language, not words, to
help to communicate an idea
headed for: [phrasal verb] moved in a particular direction.
Example: After the show finished, everyone headed for the exits.
have a good command of: [expression] have a good knowledge of
something
Example: People who apply for this job must have a good command of
English, in order to communicate with our American customers
Describe a piece of good news that you received
You should say
• what the news was
• where you were when you received this news [Or: What you were doing when you received this news]
• who gave you this news
• and explain why you felt this was good news
ANSWER:
- I’m going to talk about the time when I received the official notification of my scholarship to study in Japan over a year ago
- It’s been a long time but I can still remember that day so well At the time I got
the news, I was taking a quick nap, then the alert sound from my phone
woke me up A new email had arrived
- It was an email from the International Affairs Office of a university in Japan informing me that I had been chosen to receive a scholarship during my exchange semester there Several months before that day, I had applied for
Trang 3an academic exchange program in this university, they had accepted my application and nominated me to the Scholarship Committee.
- So, when I received this email, it took my brain a few seconds for this news to
sink in, and then my heart suddenly jumped I leapt out of my bed and screamed out loud, because I was extremely excited I had been waiting for this email for two months since I gained the admission If I hadn’t won the scholarship, my living expenses would have become a heavy financial burden for my parents, but thanks to the monthly grants that I received from
the university, I could really enjoy my time in Japan without worrying about financial problems Even now, I still keep this lucky email in my mailbox to remind me of that day
VOCABULARY
Take a nap: take a short sleep, especially during the day.
Example: I usually take a nap after lunch
Nominate: to formally suggest that somebody should be chosen for an
important role, prize, position, etc
Example: He was nominated as the best actor
Scholarship Committee: the committee in charge of reviewing and selecting
recipients for university’s scholarship
Example: The Scholarship Committee has announced the list of scholarship recipients this semester
Sink in: be fully understood or realised.
Example: I was so surprised by the news of the disaster that it took a few moments to sink in
Jump: to make a sudden movement because of surprise, fear or excitement.
Example: Her heart jumped when she heard the news
Leap: to move or do something suddenly and quickly.
Example: She leapt out of bed
Scream out loud: to give a loud, high cry, because you are hurt, frightened,
excited, etc (in this situation: excited)
Example: I screamed out loud when I saw my old friend
Admission: the act of accepting somebody into an institution, organization,
etc.; the right to enter a place or to join an institution or organization
Example: She failed to gain admission to the university of her choice
Trang 4 Burden: a duty, responsibility, etc that causes worry, difficulty or hard work.
Example: His illness placed a heavy financial burden on his family
Grant: a sum of money to be used for a particular purpose – in this case,
given by the university to pay for my education during that semester
Example: The university awarded me a grant, which enabled me to undertake
a new piece of research
Describe an event that resulted in a positive change in your life Or
Describe a positive change that you made to your life.
You should say:
• when it happened
• where it happened
• what the change was
• and explain how you have benefited from this change ( or, explain how you feel about this change)
ANSWER
• Well, I’d like to talk about the very first time that I rode a bicycle It was a long time ago, the summer after I finished primary school At that age, most of my friends could already cycle, but for me it was quite difficult, as I was extremely
bad at keeping my balance and so I was very reluctant to learn
• However, that summer, my grandfather decided to teach me how to ride and
we practised every morning And after suffering from several bad falls,
eventually I was able ride the bicycle myself, without my grandpa’s help It was a real thrill and I remember feeling extremely happy as I rode around my neighborhood, although actually I was also a little bit nervous and afraid of crashing into others
• Thanks to my grandpa, that day I realized that I was not as weak as I had thought and I could conquer my fear to take on any challenge ahead
• From that time on, I started to go to school and go out with friends on my bike and finally I was able to enjoy the pleasure of feeling independent and mature Maybe at that time, my grandpa’s purpose was only to encourage me to ride, but thanks to it, I became stronger and more confident about myself in
general Several years later, I read a quote that says “Life is like riding a bicycle To keep your balance, you must keep moving on” It reminded me
of that day and the important basic lesson that my grandpa taught me
Trang 5 Balance: the ability to keep steady with an equal amount of weight on each
side of the body
Example: I struggled to keep my balance on my new skates
Reluctant: hesitating before you do something because you do not want to
do it
Example: I am reluctant to try mountain-climbing, because I am afraid of falling
Suffer: to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of something,
etc
Example: He is suffering from a headache
Thanks to: used to say that something has happened because of
somebody/something
Example: It was all a great success—thanks to a lot of hard work
Conquer: to succeed in dealing with or controlling something.
Example: The only way to conquer a fear is to face it
Take on: to tackle something by deciding to do it.
Example: She has taken on the task of looking after her elderly parents
Quote: a group of words or a short piece of writing taken from a book, play,
speech, etc and repeated because it is interesting or useful
Example: I write my favourite quotes in a notebook
Move on: start doing something new
Example: After doing the same job for 10 years, I decided that it was time to move on and think about a change of career
Remind of: to make somebody remember or think about the other person,
place, thing, etc because of the similarities
Example: You remind me of your father when you say that