Speaking 4 - teachers version

Dalat University Faculty of Foreign Languages SPEAKING 4- 2018 30% (2 tests) TEST 1 (15%) Part 1 (5 points): Introduction and Interview (2-3 minutes). This part tests students’ ability to communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences. Each student will be asked 4 questions (2 questions/each topic) in three topic areas: family, health and fitness, work or studies. INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS Unit 1: People and Relationships Tell me something about your family. What do you like doing most with your family? Who are you close to in your family? In what ways is your family important to you? Do you prefer a big family or a small one? Why? Who does most of the shopping/ cooking/ housework your family? Do you think couples should share the housework or should the wife take the main responsibility? Who makes most of the decisions in your family, your mother or your father? Why? Who is the person that has influenced you most in your family? Unit 2: A Healthy Body What do you do to keep fit? Are you good at sports? What sports do you play? What is the most popular sport in your country? How important are sports in your life? What are the common ways for te Vietnamese people to keep fit? What are the sport facilities like in Dalat city? Unit 3: Studies and Work Do you work or are you a student? What is your major? Why did you choose that major? Do you have any regrets about your education? What is the most difficult thing about your studies or job? What do you like most about your studies? What was your favorite subject in high school? What kinds of activities do you often do after school? What would you like to do after graduation? Do you think wat you have learned at college is beneficial to your future career? Are you happy with your study at Dalat university? Why? Part 2 (10 points): Individual long turn (2-3 minutes). 1 task card with prompts (1 minute for preparation, 2 minutes for speaking, no follow-up questions) Each student will be given a card that asks him or her to talk about a particular topic and includes points that the student can cover in his/ her talk. The student doesn’t have to cover all the points and he/ she doesn’t have to talk about them in order. This part mainly tests the student’s ability to talk at length, organizing their ideas coherently. PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS Describe a well-known person You should say: Who he/she is What makes him/her famous Why you admire him/her 2. Describe one of your relatives. You should say: Why you chose to speak about this relative Describe his/her looks, job, age What kind of person he/she is (personality) And explain why you like him/her A HEALTHY BODY Describe something you eat or drink to stay healthy. You should say: What this food/drink is When you eat/drink it How often you eat/drink it Why you think eating/drinking is a good way to look after your health Describe a sport you like to play or watch You should say: What the sport is and how it is played When and where you play/watch it What benefits playing/watching this sport has for your life Why it is your favorite STUDIES AND WORK Describe a career skill you would like to possess You should say: What it is Why you’d like it How you will learn it What role it will play in your future life Describe a job you would never like to have You should say: What the job would involve What you think the most difficult things about the job would be What characteristics a person must have to do this job Why it is a job that does not interest you TEST 2 (15%) Part 3: (15 points) Two-way Discussion (4-5 minutes) In part 3, students will be required to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. Part 3 is a discussion between the student being tested and the examiner. Part 3 tests students’ ability to express and justify opinions, and to analyze, discuss and speculate. Each student is asked 4 questions on 2 of the 6 topics they have learned. A. People and relationships In what ways do famous people (actors, musicians) influence society? What can we learn from Ho Chi Minh? Should young people look to famous people as role models or not? How do your relatives influence your life? Is it possible to stay close to relatives that live far away? If so, how? If not, why not? Is it better to have siblings, or grow up as an only child? B. A Healthy Body How can we encourage young people to stay healthy? Why does it seem like people are less active now than in the past? What is a bad health habit in your country that you would like to see change? How healthy is your country’s food? What is your opinion on the advantages and/or disadvantages of eating a vegetarian diet? How important is it for people to do some regular exercise? C. Studies and Work In Vietnam, how important is it to speak a foreign language? Which jobs are most respected in your country? Do you think that some jobs are still more suited to either men or women? Is it easier to change jobs now than in the past? Is it a good idea to leave a secure job in order to pursue a dream? What jobs are most popular among young people these days? D. The World Around Us Do older people in your country have the same attitudes toward the environment as young people? Why do you think some people don’t pay much attention to environmental problems? What can people do to protect the environment? What is the climate like in your country? How does weather affect peoples’ moods? Do you think the world’s weather (or climate) is changing? E. Communication What are the advantages and disadvantages of a global language? What, in your opinion, is the best way to learn a language? What characteristics does a person need to learn a language well? What impact has the growth of technology had on the way people communicate and how do you think this will develop in the future? Do you agree that some people use technology for communication too much? Do you think there are differences in the way men and women communicate? F. Technology - How important is technology to the Vietnamese people? - What are the negative effects technology has on people? - What are advantages and disadvantages that technology has brought us? - Has technology made our life easier or more difficult? Explain - Will modern technology replace some of the traditional skills in Vietnam? - Do you agree with the idea that we are too dependent on technology today? Q. What are the values of family in your country? Answer: That's a really important question. First of all, I believe that family values don't differ from country to country and allow me to say that they should be the same throughout the world. As far as I’m concerned, the most essential values of a family are the so-called moral values, which enable people to draw plausible distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. The lessons learned from the family are invaluable throughout our life. Furthermore, the family values are vital in making decisions and can be obtained by personal and life experiences with close relationship with family members. To be more specific, some examples could be: being honest and trustworthy, courageous and patient, taking up responsibilities as well as adding values to the world are the norms of our family and society. Family is so important and we stand for our family members no matter what. Thus the family comes first is the morality everyone in our country believes. We also consider a family as the unit of a society or a country and bonding, relationship, trustworthiness, helpfulness are lessons that comes with the close family ties. Q. How family bonding is necessary for happiness in life? Answer: Our parents are the reason for our existence and with them we get a family. Parents are the first people we see and rely when we open our eyes for the first time. Moreover, parents are the primary educator and they teach their children how to develop confidence, socialization skills, morals, values and views in life. Since they are the base of our family, closeness in a family leads people to have an intrinsically fulfilling and flourishing life. This can be justified by the fact that kids who enjoy strong family bonding tend to be happier and mentally healthier that those who are in a dysfunctional family environment. Q. What type of family do you like? Nuclear family or joint family? Answer: That’s really an interesting question! My personal opinion is that a nuclear family is much more preferable to me compared to a joint family. The reason for my preference is possibly because I grew up in a nuclear family and it was a pleasant memory for me. Besides, in a nuclear family there are the couple and their children and in this situation anything is manageable and family members have stronger relationship. Fighting and quarrel are scare in nuclear families. On the other hand, the second type of family is extended family or joint family and includes grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and so on. I prefer quiet environment than noisy one. In a joint family this is unlikely to happen and people always do not have privacy. Therefore, I strongly believe that a family only with mum, dad and siblings works better for me. Q. How family value and bonding have changed over the last decade? Answer: Unfortunately, the sacred notion of a family has lost its meaning to a certain extent in the last ten years. People don’t invest in feelings anymore and don’t retreat as well. Nowadays quarrels between couples are a frequent occurrence and because women are financially independent, they don’t step back like they did many years ago. Moreover, a principal cause that has led to this situation is the internet. When family members have some spare time they prefer to consume it by going online instead of having some family conversations. I would jump to the conclusion that people who decide to create a family should let go off their ego and in difficult times they should also think that their children want their parents to be happy and together.