See People 4: A character from a story / film / TV programme.
hand down over the generations the outline of the story
fairy-tale be founded on
Grammar Point
Use a mix of past tenses:
The story itself has been retold hundreds of times.
The tale was first read to me by my grandfather.
It was originally written by...
Media 5: A book
Describe a book that you enjoyed reading.
You should say:
When you first read it
What it was about
Why you enjoyed it
Whether this book is popular in your country.
Suggestion
Use a similar story to Media 1: A TV programme; People 4: A character from a story / film / TV programme (e.g. Journey to the West).
Uncommon Vocabulary
See also Part One Topic 7: Reading.
a masterpiece of classic fiction the complete unabridged edition
hardback version paperback version
illustrated edition the narrative style
the plot based on four central characters
Grammar Point
Use a mix of past tenses:
The book has been reprinted hundreds of times; It was originally written hundreds of years ago. When I first read it, I had already seen the TV production of the story.
Media 6: A song or piece of music
Describe a song or a piece of music that you like.
You should say:
What the song or piece of music is
When you first heard it
Why you liked it
Whether it is popular in your country.
Suggestion
It is quite difficult to describe a pop song. An easier choice would be the Chinese national anthem (the National Song).
Uncommon Vocabulary
It was originally composed by...
The lyrics are very patriotic.
It has a very catchy tune (=The song is very memorable).
It is usually performed by a full orchestra.
Grammar Point
Try to use some past tenses:
I used to hear it every day at school.
It was written about 50 years ago.
Media 7: A newspaper or magazine
Describe a newspaper or magazine that you have read.
You should say:
What type of newspaper or magazine it is
How often you read it
What you like about it
Whether it is popular in your country.
Suggestion
It is probably easier to describe a magazine for this topic because magazines usually have more features than newspapers. Choose a general lifestyle or general interest magazine such as Hope, Time, National Geographic or Cosmopolitan.
Uncommon Vocabulary
publish monthly regular feature
editorial comment photo-journalism
film and book reviews
Grammar Point
Try to use some past tenses as well as present tenses:
I first came across this magazine when I was in university.
I have been reading it for about 2 years now.
I used to have a subscription (= It was delivered to my address by post).
Media 8: A website
Describe a website that you have used.
You should say:
What the website is
What you used it for
How you found out about it
Whether you have used other websites similar to this one.
Suggestion
At first this seems like a difficult topic. If you choose a "big" website with many features it is much easier. A good choice would be sina.com or Baidu.com, because they have so many functions.