Speaking Part 1
1 What is your biggest goal in life?
My biggest goal in life is to write a book. All my childhood, I’ve read books and
fallen in love with Enid Blyton’s characters. I’ve laughed, cried, and even got angry with
the characters. So, I want to be able to create a world like what she had made for me.
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2 Have you set any short-term goals for yourself?
Yes, I am a planner, and I always try to plan out my future to know I am on the
right track. My short-term goal would be to write in magazines. Since I want to write a
book, I thought that my first step towards it would be to write in magazines and get
recognized by people before I publish my book.
3 How do you plan to achieve your biggest goal?
For starters, I am beginning to make a plan right now. I write down the character
names, how I want them to be, how they would look. I even write down how the world
inside my book would be. I build every character with a lot of detail so that it makes the
story writing easier. I have a huge file dedicated to it all that every time I look at it, it
gives me so much hope and joy.
4 What are your financial goals?
I don’t think I am old enough to have financial goals yet. But I know that when I start
earning, I would at least save 10% of my savings to use them in emergencies.
5 Do you think you are successful?
No, I don’t think I am successful just yet. But I believe that I am a hard worker, and I will
work hard towards success. One day, I hope I would be able to say that I am
successful.
Speaking Part 2
Describe something that you would like to succeed in doing in the near future.
You should say:
- What it is?
- How difficult you think it will be?
- What you should do to prepare for this?
- And explain why you want to succeed in doing this.
Sample Answer
Well, when it comes to my business life, my work and career, I am still contemplating my options. But right now, the real problem for me is getting married.
It is very hard to find a suitable match because I cannot please everybody. I must think about what my family wants, what the world around me would be pleased with, and the last person on the list to worry about is me. It will take a lot of searching and focus. In my life, my schedule seldom permits free time, much less time to date, and I am often too shy to begin from scratch. I do not have many close friends, and those that I do have are either married or do not make a very good match for me. An extra difficulty is that I am not too good at the whole parents-in-law situation; I would find myself quite unhappy with this traditional way of living. Many Chinese must “put up” with their husband or wife, and also their parents and relatives, and must receive critiquing or judgment from all sides. I do not want to live this way. and I don’t want a partner that I must “put up with”. I want to have love in my life.
But traditions are traditions, and I must follow some kind of pattern. Thus, my first step might be to ask my parents and my aunt and uncle to look for a suitable partner for me. Then we can begin by writing each other, and when we feel we have enough common ground, we can arrange a meeting.
Vocabulary For Speaking part 2
- Contemplating: Thinking
Eg: Simon was contemplating his future - Seldom: Not often
Eg: She seldom met her grandma - Scratch: A slight cut
Eg: The cat just scratched the kid - Critiquing: Appraise critically
Eg: “Could you please critique this performance?” - Arrange: Putting something in a proper or systematic manner
Eg: “Could you please arrange the chairs for me ?” - Tradition: A specific practice of long-standing
Eg: Different communities have different traditions
Speaking Part 3
1 How would you define success?
Hmm, there are so many ways to define it. I believe success is feeling my life is worth living and being a good person to those around me. If I have a partner, or children, or relatives dependent on me, I would consider it a success if I were able to provide them with a good life style and everything they need. Success would mean my reputation as a good person travels ahead of me. It would mean I would have a goal and hope for life, and would stand out amongst others.
2 Do you think most people want to succeed in life?
I would imagine they do. But as I said, there are many ways to define success, it is the inborn desire of a human to want to be the best they could be, to want more. Everybody wants life to be worthwhile, they want their husband or wife to be proud of them, they want their children to admire them, and they want a sense of fulfillment. It’s natural.
3 When do most people want to be successful ?
Well I would say it’s after they realize that life is a struggle and that they must make it on their own. When we are young we can depend on others and do not feel the need to make something of ourselves. It’s when the pressure kicks in and the understanding comes to us that we find we must choose for ourselves whether we will be happy or sad. a success or a failure. When we grow up and are more mature, we begin to have others depend on us, looking to us, and we feel the responsibility to do our part in the world.
4 What kind of success is most important to Chinese people?
Well, originally it was about being a good provider for one’s family, finding one’s children a good husband or wife, having enough land to live off. But now that China is much more open, people begin to feel success is about milking enough money to never have to worry about anything. It’s also about giving that feeling of relaxed and easy living to their children. Get them into the best school, buy them a house so they don’t have to work, hand life to them on a silver platter. This is beginning to be the image of success, and the people of this country are bombarded with advertisements, movies and pictures of the easy life, the rich and famous, and they feel this is the only way to succeed. I myself feel that it has its downsides, and must really consider what I want for my life.
5 Do you think that successful people are always happier than unsuccessful people?
Again, this depends on your idea of success. But whatever it means to a person, if they are dissatisfied with the cards they are dealing with and do not realize they can determine their success, then yes, I imagine they are no happy at all. But sometimes. those that we think are successful on the outside, or what we see of them, are not happy, they do not consider their life worth the trouble. So no. I do not think “successful” people are always happier than “unsuccessful’ people.
6 How should parents reward their children for success, for example, for doing very well in exams at school ?
I believe parents should give their child the sense that success is their reward. They should help the children to feel a sense of pride in their accomplishments and not always expect to receive a candy bat or a trip to the amusement park for every good deed. It is true that children need encouragement, but they should realize that the reason they worked for the goal score in the exams was because learning is important and will help their lives to be better. They should not be thinking. “I’m studying hard and getting a good score because my mother promised me new toys or extra money.” They will never become truly successful if they are dependent on that candy bar, or those new toys.
7 How do teachers in China reward students for doing well?
They may give the best student the title of “class monitor”. In school we always had class monitors and being the monitor meant that we were responsible and trusted people. Often the students need good grades and good reputations or connections to assist them later when they get out of school or wish to get into a good university or college. If a student is exceptional, then at the end of the year or semester the teacher can write a letter or paper describing the students good qualities. Such documents may help to prove students’ worth or abilities later in life when they are in search of a job.
8 How do bosses in China reward employees for a job well done?
It depends, sometimes, it means extra money, and sometimes it means promotion. But then sometimes, the bosses do not reward their employees, and simply demand that each worker be giving their best for whatever pay is offered. Chinese naturally are hard workers, it is in their blood. So because of this, the mentality is, “they are working for me, they give their best day in and day out because it’s their job and duty as humans.” On top of that, there are so many people who can work and need work, so there is not too much value placed on the employees.
9 Which do you think is a better attitude for children to have: a strong spirit of competition or a strong spirit of cooperation with others?
Both. One can be competent but if they cannot cooperate with others, they will meet with failure in their life. No matter where you go, what position you hold in a company, you will have to work with others, communicate and cooperate with them. If all you are capable of is competition, how can anyone else benefit from you? Whatever those children choose to do, they will desperately need both skills.
10 Do you think that too much competition could damage the spirit of cooperation in society?
Of course. By that I mean that competition can eventually lead to war, as has happened on a number of occasions in Central America. If you promote competition so much in comparison to fair play and good sportsmanship then the wrong values are being espoused. Cooperation is based on working together to help the whole. When you foster this spirit then you are contributing to society.
11 Some people say that success means being number one and that being number two is valueless. What do you think?
This is really an immature way to look at life. I really believe that you just have to get up and keep trying no matter who is in first or even second place. Just finishing the race has its rewards. Forget about what others are doing and just get on with life, this is my philosophy, which I try to live by.
Vocabulary For Speaking part 3
- Dependent: To rely on someone for support
Eg: Students are completely dependent on teachers for assignments - Reputation: The general belief or opinion that other people have about you
Eg: Mr.Sharma has a good reputation in the society - Fulfillment: the meeting of a requirement, condition, or need.
Eg: “You will be given an appointment upon fulfillment of the client’s requirements” - Struggle: Completing something with at most effort
Eg: Our parents have struggled a lot in their past. - Bombarded: To attack
Eg: The city were bombarded by the terrorist - Encouragement: Helping someone with positive thoughts and words
Eg: Students really need some encouragement for their board exams - Sportsmanship: Fairness expected of athletes
Eg: Everyone should have a spirit of sportsmanship
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