Describe an animal that can he found in your country.
You should say:
What type of animal it is
Where it can be found
Whether you have seen it
What other people think of this animal.
Preparation Notes
Panda
Present Tense + Past Tense
national symbol nature reserve
endangered species protected
Part Two Talk
So to begin with, in reply to the initial point of what type of animal it is and the one I’d pick is the giant panda. Actually there are two types of panda, the lesser or red panda and the commonly known giant panda which is the national symbol of China. Now concerning the matter of where it can be found, and what I ought to stress here is that because it is an endangered species it lives mostly in protected nature reserves in Western China although it is also possible to see them in zoos around the world. Moving onto the business of whether I have seen it, I suppose I should underline the fact that I visited the Panda Sanctuary in Chengdu 2 years ago while I was travelling in Sichuan Province. It was actually a one-day tour of the pandas’ habitat which included lectures from conservation experts. As a final point, if time permits, I’d like to bring in the point of what other people think of this animal. I guess that most Chinese people feel some sense of patriotism towards the giant panda because it is recognized globally the archetypal Chinese animal.
Describe a useful skill that you would like to learn.
You should say:
What the skill is
Why you would like to learn it
Whether it would be difficult to learn
Whether you think you will learn this skill in the near future.
Preparation Notes
Tai Ji / Tai Chi
Conditional Tense + Present Tense
would / could / might
Part Two Talk
Ok, I’ll start the ball rolling by touching on the matter of what the skill is, and I'd probably select the Chinese martial art Tai Ji, a skilled art which is used to promote physical and spiritual well-being. Continuing then with the next point of why I would like to learn it, and what I ought to stress here is that I would really like to get in shape because at the moment quite unfit. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been kind of fascinated by Tai Ji, especially the way it can help you to relieve stress and improve overall physical fitness. Progressing to the subject of whether it would be difficult to learn, you really have to understand that it would probably be quite demanding at first, then again I’m sure I would be able to deal with the challenge, although it might be tough to master some of the complicated breathing exercises. So to end with, if I still have time, I could take care of the final question of whether I think I will learn this skill in the near future, and I should say that I have in actual fact already signed up for a Tai Ji class which is run at the local martial arts centre near where I live.
Describe your childhood home.
You should say:
What type of house it was
Where it was located
What you liked about it
Whether you still live in this house / flat.
Preparation Notes
Rural cottage
PAST TENSES!!
thatched roof backyard
Part Two Talk
Right then, I’d like to get cracking by pointing out what type of house it was, and I’d have to go for the house that I was born in, which was a spacious rural cottage in a mountainous area of Northwest Hubei. Actually this was a single storey house with about five bedrooms. Regarding the theme of where it was located, and the thing that needs to be highlighted here is that it was set in lush fields near a range of mountains near the border with Sichuan Province. Actually it was quite isolated - the nearest town was about l0 km away and the roads were quite bumpy. Moving forward onto the area of what I liked about it, I would like to explain that although I don’t remember too much about it, the things that have always stayed in my mind are the thatched roof which made it nice and cool in the hot summer months and the communal courtyard that we shared with our neighbors. Finally then, if there’s time, I could deal with the last question of whether I still live in this house and as already mentioned I was born in this house but I moved out when I was about 5 years old.”