Updated Oct. 29, 2013
Notes about some Questions
INTRODUCTION
If a note below is about a Part 2 topic, the note assumes that the wording of the Part 2 topics, especially the verb tense, is as shown in the list of topics on this website. Possibly the real wording is different to that shown on this website. BE CAREFUL!
If some of the notes on this page are possible as a complete answer to the question, be very careful about speaking those exact same words in the test. If many people speak the same sentences in the test, the examiners will eventually know that these sentences are not your original words. This will seriously damage your score! Some examiners might even read this website. Examiners don't like answers that candidates learn, word for word, from a book or from the blackboard in a class because such answers are not real, natural communication. The best idea is to adapt the ideas below (if you want to) by making your own sentences and speaking naturally in the test. (Memorized answers are usually not spoken in a very natural way.)
Try to avoid letting the examiner know that you have read this website!
For many Part 2 topics, you can get some additional ideas by reading the Part 3 questions that follow that topic.
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Topic 81 - A New or Exciting Activity
Since the wording is "new or exciting", you could choose to talk about a new activity that was not really very exciting. Of course it is acceptable if it is both. Similarly, if you choose to talk about an exciting activity, it doesn’t have to be new. But if you choose to talk about an exciting activity it is probably better to say that it is also new. After all, if it is not new to you, you are probably now used to doing this activity and it is probably not so exciting anymore.
Most people in China don’t often engage in ‘exciting’ activities so it will probably be easier for you to choose a new activity. It should not be too hard to think of an activity that you can say is new for you. For example, you could talk about starting to play a new game (e.g., chess), starting to play a new sport (e.g., ice skating), starting to play a musical instrument, or doing something new on the internet. You could also choose to talk about chatting to your friends in English (in preparation for the speaking test) and say that this is something that is new for you.
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Part 3 Topic 83 An Interesting Old Person
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If the wording of the question is, "Would you like to be famous?", most English speakers understand this to mean something similar to, "If you were famous, would that please you?" Most people would answer, "Yes" to this question because most people consider the advantages of being famous to be greater than the disadvantages, such as the loss of privacy. This question is purely speculative, i.e., it's just talking about an imaginary situation.
However, if the wording is, "Do you want to be famous?", then the question is not imaginary but is asking about your real wants and desires in life. When you say you "want" something, it is real, not speculative – you are talking about something you really want, something that you have probably spoken about or thought a lot about. Only a few people would answer that they, "want to be famous". That is, only a few people would say that one of their real goals in life is to be famous.
[Actually, I think many young people go through a stage, when they are aged about 17 to 21, of having a real goal of becoming famous, such as becoming famous as a pop culture figure (e.g. pop singer or actor), an author, a sports star or as a very wealthy and successful entrepreneur. But I think most of these young people grow out of this stage and replace this goal with the goal of simply becoming successful and happy but not necessarily "famous". Don't forget, "famous" means that very many people in the general population (e.g., millions) know your name, your face, your success etc.]
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Part 3 Topic 87 A Television Program
How do (or can) TV programs influence children?
Children, especially very young ones (3 to 7) learn a lot by copying or mimicking others. They also do not (or cannot) distinguish very well between reality and make-believe. If they see examples of bad behaviour on TV, e.g., bad language, anti-social behaviour, violence etc. they might copy it.
Also, consider how watching TV in general (not just the programs themselves) promotes passivity and takes the place of other important activities for children such as: physical exercise (outside), socializing with other kids, talking to their parents, learning news skills, reading books, doing puzzles & playing mentally challenging games, doing creative & artistic activities, doing homework or reviewing schoolwork ... In other words, the more kids watch TV, the less they do these other very important developmental activities.
In addition to this, when a person's mind is passive (i.e., not thinking very much), this person is much more susceptible to being brainwashed. To a much greater extent than most people realize, what we see on TV (especially the advertisements), including the news, brainwashes us into accepting certain values and "truths" – very few people question the values and "truths" that are shown on TV or in any other form of mass media. This is especially true, the younger and the less educated a person is.
Also, many kids (many people) eat snacks especially junk food while watching TV, which, combined with not being physically active, could result in poor health & obesity.
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Part 2 Topic 88 A Book You Enjoyed as a Child
This
topic probably just says, "a book you enjoyed", not "a book
you read". You could say that you read the book yourself; you could say
that you were too young to read it and someone else read it to you; you
could say that the book only had pictures and no words.
If
you say the book had pictures, you should give a few details about these
pictures.
Don't
forget that the past tense of 'read' is spelt the same, i.e., 'read' but is
pronounced as 'rеd'.
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Part 2 Topic 89 A Lesson, Class or Training Session
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (a)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (b)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (c)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (d)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (e)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (f)
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Part 3, Topic # 93, Something You Lost (g)
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'Childhood' is the period between the times when you were about 4 and 12 years of age.
Here are four examples of a "childhood game" - marbles (for boys), hopscotch (for girls), "hide and seek" (for both boys and girls) and "mothers and fathers" (for both boys and girls) in which kids pretend to play family roles.
There must be many more games that kids play.
See this website: http://www.gameskidsplay.net/index.html
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It seems that this topic only allows you to talk about a newspaper. That is, you should not talk about a magazine.
See HERE (Vocabulary List, P.2) for a list of typical newspaper sections.
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How do you think newspapers in your country compare to newspapers in Western countries? DIFFICULT QUESTION
Obviously examiners cannot seriously expect you to be familiar with foreign newspapers if you have never left China. For questions like this, you should use language that expresses the fact you are only guessing because you really don't know much about foreign newspapers. For example, say, "I'm not familiar with foreign newspapers but I imagine ... I guess .... I suppose .... I expect ... I would think ... " or the words, "maybe, perhaps, possibly and probably", followed by the reasons you think these things. The question is testing your knowledge of such language.
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Part 2, Topic #102, An Ideal Park
Describe the perfect park for a city.
You should say:
where it would be located in the city
what (facilities) it would have ( = what would be in the park)
what people would do in the park (or, what people would be able to do)
and explain why you think this would be the best kind of park for a city.*
I am 99% sure that the wording is (more or less) as shown above. If the words are as shown above, the words mean a completely imaginary park.
However, there is a small possibility that the wording is, "Describe the most perfect park that you have seen." This means, "the best park that you have seen"; that is, a real park that you have seen. Be careful if you get this topic! That is, read it carefully. It might cost you one whole Band point if you get it wrong!
Important Grammar Points: If the word 'would' is used on the task card, you should use 'would' in your answer. If the word, 'would' is used, this topic is asking you to describe an imaginary park, not a real park that exists now or a real park that will exist in the future. You can think of the word 'would' as an imaginary form (= the subjunctive form, 虚拟语气) of 'will' – we only use 'will' when talking about something real in the future.
"It will have a lake" is incorrect because that is talking about the real, (more or less certain) future.
It is also incorrect to say, "It has a lake" or "There is a lake" because these are present tense – i.e., now, and real.
'Hope' is incorrect because 'hope' is used to talk about a real possibility for the future.
'Wish' is incorrect here because 'wish' is mostly used to talk about a desired change to the present or past.
It is also incorrect to say, "I would like it to have a lake." because "would like" = "I want it to have a lake", which is unsuitable here because it sounds like your are talking about a real thing in the future.
Correct sentences are: "It would have a lake." or, "There would be a lake." (Best to use the contracted form, " There'd be ..." at least a few times – don't use "There would be ..." all the time.)
You could also say something like, "I (can) imagine it having a lake."
It is also possible to say "It should have a lake" but it would be best to use "should" only a few times. Understand that 'should' is used to mean the same as in this sentence: "All parks should have a toilet." There is no reason why an ideal park 'should have a lake' but it is obvious that an ideal park should have toilets. Saying "it should have a toilet" is the normal usage of the word, "should". But saying, "it should have a lake" is using the word "should" to mean he same as "would" – that is an old-fashioned usage and you should avoid it. Only use "should" as in such sentences as, "If you want to get up at 6 am tomorrow morning, you should go to bed before 10.30." The word "would" is mostly used to mean an imaginary or subjunctive, (虚拟语气) form of "will".
Another possible mistake is using 'can' instead of 'could'. For example, the following sentence is incorrect: "It would have exercise equipment so people can exercise if they want to." ("Can" and all present tense verbs are used to talk about real, present things but "could" is the way to express the verb 能 in the subjunctive form, 虚拟语气, which is used when speaking about imaginary or unreal things.) The correct sentence is: "It would have exercise equipment so people could exercise if they wanted to." (I think both 'want to' or 'wanted to' are acceptable here but 'wanted to' is a little better.)
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For this answer, you could talk about a 3-year-old kid who helps you clean the house!
This topic possibly has the words, 'you know'. If the wording includes 'you know', it means someone you know personally (someone you have spoken to), not someone you know (about) from TV or the newspaper.
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This seems to be the same Part 2 as Topic #1 but the Part 3 questions seem to be a little different. However, to be safe, you should also prepare to answer the Part 3 questions for Topic #1.
The Part 3 questions that are reported for this topic from June 9, 2007 onwards will be written on this page, not Page 1.
The word 'important' really means 'important to you'. For example, a letter from your girlfriend telling you that she wants to break up with you (= finish the relationship) is important to you even though it might not be very important to other people.
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You don't have to restrict your answer to talking about a typical friend. It is possible to talk about spending time with one of your parents or grandparents or, for example, your 3-year-old niece.
When you enjoy 'spending time with someone', it doesn't always mean that you do a lot of talking. Instead, you & the other person could do other activities such as playing a game together (e.g., chess), working together, playing music together, playing badminton together, watching TV together etc.
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Part 3 Topic 110 A Photograph Note 1
Hints:
1) Photography is a creative, artistic activity that appeals to people's sense of beauty and novelty.
2) Some people like to capture history, for example, photographing old parts of Beijing before they are renovated.
3) Photography equipment is more affordable for many people nowadays.
4) Most people today have some leisure time for activities such as hobbies - they don't have to spend all their time working.
5) Some people feel that it's important to to keep a photographic record their life and the lives of their family - they feel it's important for their children and grandchildren.
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Part 2, Topic # 111 - An Environmental Problem
Although the words of this topic probably say, 'where you live', that does not mean that the environmental problem is only is in your hometown. For example, many parts of northern China experience dust storms ( = sand storms) in spring but you could just talk about how your hometown is affected by dust storms. On the other hand, you could talk about how the river or lake in your hometown is polluted.
Originally, most people reported that the words are "where you live" or something similar. But in February & March 2008, many people have been reporting that the words are, "..an environmental problem in a place that you have been to".
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Do you think those who cause pollution are criminals? (Why?/Why not?)
Think about major industrial pollution, especially that which seriously damages people's health.
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Do older people in China have the same attitudes towards the environment as young people? FQ
Older people are often less educated or less aware of these problems.
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Part 2, Topic #112 - Travel to Somewhere in the World
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This question is referring to the idea that those people who do not use the internet are becoming increasingly out of touch with those who do use the internet. It is also referring to the idea that the internet gives advantages to people, such as advantages in education or in doing business, and those who do not use the internet are 'falling behind' others in competitiveness. (This is a bit like the idea that 'the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.')
At the same time, the internet does allow us to communicate with and read the thoughts of people who are quite different to us, or very far from us, and in this way it is narrowing the differences between people by increasing awareness and understanding.
Give examples if you get this question (just like for all questions!)
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In English we do not say "yellow" contents, "yellow websites" or "yellow movies". (For that type of movies, we use a different color - "blue movies"!) The most suitable word to use is, "pornography".
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Are there any drawbacks to studying a foreign language?
The major drawback is the fact that just knowing a language is usually not an important enough skill itself for doing productive work in society. Languages are tools of communication and knowing a foreign language can be useful for many people in their work-life. However, people who only have a skill in a language and no other skills, such as those who major in English at university, have only limited options for work, such as teaching or translation. Most people need to study other work skills such as business or engineering, in addition to English, in order to find good work.
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Do you think that the Chinese language is (or, has been) influenced by the outside world (by foreign cultures)?
Other languages have borrowed many foreign words, such as English words but Chinese has borrowed only a few words from English or other languages. For example, Japanese has borrowed (or, adapted) thousands (!) of words from English.
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Part 3, Topic #116 - A Family Event (a)
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The meaning of 'holiday' here could either be the British form of the American usage, 'vacation' (假期, 休假) or it could mean 'festival' (节日). Whichever meaning you choose to use in your answer will be acceptable.
However, although there are two different meanings for the word, 'holiday' in English, in China the two different things happen at the same time for most people. For example, during the Spring Festival Holiday (节日), many workers have a major part of their annual vacation from work (休假). This is not the case in the West, except for Christmas, which is both a religious festival and a public holiday, when almost everyone has a one week break from work. That is to say, in addition to public holidays such as Christmas, most workers in the West can usually take their annual 2 to 4 weeks of personal vacation from work at any time they choose (as long as they inform the employer in advance or ask for permission to go on vacation at that time.)
Of course, this topic is suitable for describing an internet greeting card, sent by email.
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Part 3 Topic 133 Teenagers Note 1
Do you think it's good if a teenager is given too much money?
"Too much" or "too many" means, "an excessive amount". When something is excessive, some problems result. This meaning of "too" = "过度". It does not just mean, "非常". ("Too" can also mean, "也" but that is not the meaning here.)
In Chinese you can say, "太好" and, "太美丽" but it is not normal to say, "too good" or "too beautiful" in English. We would only say, "too good" or "too beautiful" if a problem resulted from something or someone being extremely good or extremely beautiful.
So, "too much money" means, "an amount of money that is so excessive that it causes a problem".
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and explain why you thought it was interesting.However, although a fish, bird or insect is in theory an animal, I suggest you choose a mammal to talk about because many people commonly think of 'animal' as meaning, 'a four-footed creature'.
The words, "an animal you have seen" is present perfect tense (现在完成时), which is used to state that an experience took place, in general, without giving many details. This experience can be an experience that you have had several times, such as, "I've been to Shanghai four times." The present perfect tense is not suitable for describing your own pet because when talking about your own pet, you would use the present tense (一般现在时) such as, "I often see my dog" or, "I usually only see my cat when he's hungry".
Many candidates in China will choose to talk about "the panda" or "pandas" and they will describe it as a "cute" or "lovely" animal only, without talking about some "interesting" thing about the panda. The adjectives "cute" and "lovely" do not mean the same as the adjective, "interesting"!
These candidates will lose points for coherence because they are omitting to talk about how the animal was interesting. (They will also lose points for using the language, '"the panda" or "pandas", which is speaking about pandas in general when the question does not really ask you to do that.)
Of course, it's ok to talk about seeing a panda and to include that it looked cute in your general description of the animal but you must also say why you thought this animal was interesting!
As well as that, it is unsuitable to talk about interesting facts that you know about an animal from reading but which are not evident from just looking at the animal. For example, the fact that pandas eat only one kind of bamboo, not all types of bamboo is not a suitable interesting fact to talk about. This is unsuitable because it is very unlikely that you would learn this fact from your experience of seeing a panda in the zoo or at Chengdu. You have to talk about something interesting that you saw when you saw the animal. [However, some (but not all) examiners would find it acceptable if you said you learned something interesting about the animal from reading the sign in front of the animal cage or enclosure at the zoo. This is related to the time when you saw the animal, (i.e., that experience you had of going to the zoo) so it fits the wording on the card quite logically.]
I think you can define "interesting" as being one or more of the following things (especially the first point here):
Something very different, unusual, strange or unexpected.
Similarly, something is "interesting" if you learned something new, especially if the new fact you learned was surprising, i.e., different to what you might have guessed or assumed. In other words, things that are commonplace are not suitable to describe as "interesting".
Something that you don't understand and that causes you to wonder and ask questions such as, "Why..?" or "How ...?" In other words, something that stimulates your curiosity or makes you think. (Emotions are not the same as "thoughts". Something that makes you laugh, feel sad or feel scared is not always suitable to describe as "interesting". However, if it is also unusual or also made you think, then it would be suitable.)
Don't say this: "I'd like to talk about elephant". This is not grammatically correct. The word, 'elephant' is a singular noun and in almost all situations in English, a singular noun must have one of the following words in front of it – a, an, one / the, this, that / my, your, his, her, our, their.
Don't say this: "I'd like to talk about the elephant." (This is grammatically correct but ...) The words, 'the elephant' is explicitly talking about the elephant species or elephants in general. But this topic asks you to speak about one specific animal that you saw one particular time.
As I mentioned above, when talking about an animal you saw in a group of similar animals, it is ok to change to talk about some interesting feature that all the animals in the group exhibited and to use the word, "they". The meaning of "it" is then changed to mean "this species of animal" but you should not explicitly say that you are talking about this animal in general, as a particular species.
Similar to b., don't say this: "I'd like to talk about elephants." (This is grammatically correct but ...) Speaking about "elephants" is speaking about elephants in general. It's the same as saying, "all elephants".
This is a past tense answer. It is possible that the top line on the card says, "Describe an interesting animal you have seen" but that is just a general introduction to the topic. The important thing is to answer the points on the cue card using the same tense as the 'questions'. We see that the words, was, saw, happened and thought are used, so you answer all 4 points in the past tense.
When you give a Part 2 past tense answer, you should keep in mind this fact – every verb you say, (or almost every verb), will be in the past tense (or the past perfect tense), not just the sentences that you use to answer the 4 points on the card.
Another key point to remember is that whenever the past tense is used, the listener (or reader) must know when. You cannot just say, "I saw a kangaroo, which was very interesting because ...". So, even if a past tense Part 2 topic does not tell you to say 'when', you still have to say it. This time setting does not always have to be very specific. For example, it's possible in some circumstances just to say, "One day" or "many years ago" to set the time.
A suitable beginning to your 'little story' is to say something like this:
"When I was about 10 I saw a monkey at the zoo which I thought was really interesting because it was begging cigarettes from people and then smoking them. That was really interesting, because I didn't know that a monkey could smoke. In fact, it was quite funny!"
That's a good beginning because you summarize why it was interesting at the beginning of your story, making it easier for the listener to follow your story and because you use the word, 'which'.
There's no need to begin with the words, "I'd like to tell you about...." although to begin that way is not a huge 'mistake'.
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What are 'benefits'?
When talking about employees, 'benefits' means 'extra things that the employer gives to the employee, in addition to the basic salary or wage'. Benefits usually cost the employer some money, either directly or indirectly. The higher the level of the employee, the greater are the benefits. In some countries, some of these benefits are law, i.e., the employer must provide these benefits.
Examples of benefits are:
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Notes for Topic #140 - A Place with a lot of water.
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Examples: swimming; diving; water polo; scuba diving; snorkeling; surfing (surfboard riding); water skiing; rowing; canoeing; white-water rafting, riding a jet ski, sailing, yacht racing, power boat racing, and fishing.
However, these are not all done in natural places and you should discuss this point with the examiner if the question is simply as is written above (without any mention of "water sports in natural places"). For example, water polo is almost always played in a man-made pool and swimming is similar, although surf life-saving clubs in Australia and other countries have ocean swimming races for the members of these clubs.
You should be careful about how you talk about "swimming" as a water sport in these natural places. People mostly swim when they are in water (water that is too deep for wading) simply because it is the only way to move from A to B in water! As a sport, swimming is mostly done in swimming pools, although there are competitive swimming events, such as the Triathlon (and here), that include swimming in a lake, river or bay etc. And even people who swim up and down the length of a swimming pool are not really engaging in a "sport" - they are simply doing a form of exercise.
Most of the water sports that people engage in at these natural places are recreational sports, not competitive sports
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Nobody has reported this question yet (or the one before it in the list of questions) but I think it is a highly likely question.
In many parts of the world, people from neighbouring countries share the water from the same river. Some people are predicting that, as fresh water becomes more scarce in the future, disagreements between countries over 'water rights' will lead to wars.
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I think one reason for this question is to get you (the candidate) to introduce the idea that places with water can provide opportunities for many different recreational activities, including but not limited to water sports, for example, fishing for recreation, traveling in a boat down a river, across a lake or on the ocean. These are peaceful, relaxing and can even be romantic experiences. Of course, on hot summer days, it's great to be at a place where you can go swimming, simply to cool off.
Another reason why people like places with water is because these places are often in natural locations such as national parks, and people like to be in this kind of environment because it is refreshing, beautiful, quiet and different to where most people live, in the cities. In fact, many people in China don't live near water so the experience of being near a lot of water is simply a novelty (a new experience) for them, and people like new experiences of all kinds.
As well as that, many people are interested in seeing the different wildlife that lives in places with water, for example, water birds (in wetlands).
There are even more reasons why people like places with water. For example, people like hot springs (to soak in) and waterfalls (for the beauty), they like the smell of the air at the beach and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing onto the shore when they are sleeping near the ocean. And when people look at the vast expanse of ocean, almost everyone feels a sense of wonder and even a sense of adventure, knowing that it continues for thousands of kilometers to different parts of the world.
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The term, "drinking water" means, "water that is used for drinking" or, "water that is suitable for drinking".
If you use this term, make sure you stress the first word, "drinking", not the second word, "water". ("Stress" a word means to say it a little louder and stronger than the other word or words around it.)
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Do you think gardens are important for children to see and experience or play in? FQ
Exploring a garden can be a wonderful educational experience for young children because these children are fascinated by nature, especially small creatures such as insects (U.S. = bugs). If a child never has any experience of exploring nature, he or she will be missing out on experiencing, first hand, some important lessons about the natural world. As well as that, exploring and satisfying the curiosity is, itself, an important part of the development of the mind of a child.
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Notes for Topic 144 - Physical Activity
The first line might not include the word, 'sport'.
'Physical activity' does not necessarily mean an activity you do because you want to get some exercise. For example, if you ride your bicycle 5 kilometers to go to university (because it's cheaper and more convenient than taking the bus) then the purpose of this activity is not for exercise, even though you do get some exercise by doing it.
Many people don't do much physical activity but you shouldn't worry too much about that. Don't forget, this is just an English test, so it doesn't matter if you tell a lie! (Just try to be a good liar.) Or, if you don't want to lie, there are still things to talk about because all of us do some form of physical exercise every day as we go about our daily activity. For example, you could talk about walking to and from the train station every day or walking up the stairs in the subway or walking up the stairs to your flat that is on the 4th floor of your block of flats.
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Part 3 Topic 144 Physical Exercise
The idea here is that employees who are healthy are more productive.
See internet links HERE
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Part 2, Topic 145 An Interesting Film
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Part 3 Topic 145 An Interesting Film
What does one need in order to make a film? (E.g., what facilities, what things?)
Time; Capital; Creativity and artistic sense; A story (a plot) and a script; Video cameras; Actors; Extras (extra people to appear in the film but who don't say anything); A film crew; A director; A film studio/location; Good weather if filming outside; permission from the government if filming outside in certain locations; Film editors & editing facilities; computer animators & computer experts if computer-produced special effects are included in the film.
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What do you think is the most important thing that people need to learn (or learn about)?
This question is probably not a standard question for this Part 3 since this Part 3 is all about studying and working places.
There are many possible answers - give give some good reasons for what you choose to say.
Some possible answers are:
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Part 2 Topic 148 - A Recent Change (2)
The words for this topic are not very clear at the moment. Those words that are shown were reported by one person who seemed to be quite clear and specific in his or her Part 3 questions. However, this person did not report the words, "that changed your life in a good way".
It is possible that the wording of Topic #92 is still being used. That is, Topic #92 was possibly not changed at all and possibly the Part 3 questions were not changed, either. Therefore, you should treat the Part 3 questions at Topic #92 as still possible.
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Part 3 Topic 149 Electrical Appliance Note 2
(Topic name now changed to, "A Piece of Equipment")
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