Speaking Test Part 1
Giving Gifts
When do people give gifts or presents in your country?
I think like in most countries we give gifts on special occasions; the main ones would be birthdays, weddings, graduation from college or university, maybe when people buy their first apartment or home; really anything that people think is an event to celebrate.
Do you ever take a gift when you visit someone in their home? [Why?/Why not?]
Yes, sometimes, but it's a little different, maybe I would take something like some flowers for my grandmother or if it's a friend's house then maybe a bottle of wine or something like that.
I think it's nice to show your appreciation for the invitation or in the case of my grandmother, I know that she loves flowers so they always make her happy - which is great.
The type of gift would depend a lot on why I was visiting; maybe a dinner invitation or just to call round and see a friend.
I suppose it's considered normal when it's a social invitation but I certainly don't always show up with a gift on every occasion.
Receiving Gifts
When did you last receive a gift? [What was it?]
Ok, this is funny; just a couple of days ago I received a bag of potatoes from the owner of the store at the corner of my street.
Not exactly your usual 'gift' and I still don't know why he did it, but he just gave them to me and said not to worry about paying for them. It was a complete surprise, but a really nice gesture by him.
Buying Gifts
Do you enjoy looking for gifts for people? [Why?/Why not?]
Sometimes I enjoy looking for gifts, but not always. Again, it depends on what type of gift I'm looking for and who it's for.
Things like birthday presents can be hard to choose sometimes because they're so personal unless you know the person really well.
Wedding gifts, on the other hand, are much easier - they even give you a list sometimes!
The gifts I like buying best are when I see something and I just think of a particular person, so I'm not really looking for a gift but I find something that I think one of my friends or family would love, and I buy it for them.
There doesn't always need to be a special occasion to give a gift.
Part 2
Describe something you did that was new or exciting
You should say:
- what you did
- where and when you did this
- who you shared the activity with
and explain why this activity was new or exciting for you.
A couple of weeks ago I went with some friends to play paintball.
It’s something I’d never done before, so it was new for me and I was interested to see what it would be like.
My friend, who has been doing this activity for about a year, knew a place just outside the city where they have a special course, or site, all set up for the participants.
We arrived around 10 am, and one of the instructors explained to us all about the safety equipment. They went through the rules for the game and then explained how to use the guns and talked about some basic techniques to navigate the obstacles.
That took about a half-hour. Then we got ready and split into two teams. Each team had four people in it.
We spent about 2 hours doing this activity. I was surprised because it’s more physical than I thought, there’s a lot of running around involved, but it’s also exciting.
I could feel the adrenalin pumping inside me. It took me a few minutes to get used to the idea of firing the gun and dodging other people trying to fire at me, but it was good fun as well as good exercise.
I have to admit that I was disappointed when I got ‘killed’ three times, but hey, it was my first time, so I guess I still have a lot to learn if I want to become as good as my friend.
I can see why many people like this activity - it’s quite addictive, and I’m sure the more you do it, the better you become and then want to play even more. Two of my friends have been doing it for about a year now, and they are quite serious about it.
They have their own equipment and one of them participated in a local tournament last month.
We all had a great time that day and then after we went for lunch together so it was a nice day out and it’s always interesting to try something new and exciting that you haven’t done before.
Maybe I’ll go again sometime in the future.
Part 3 Discussion topics
Doing new thingsWhy do you think some people like doing new things?
Some people would say it’s part of human nature. If we had never tried new things, we would never have made any progress throughout history.
Personally, I think it’s because doing something new is interesting.
You get to see new places, meet new people and learn something, and if it’s something difficult maybe you have a sense of achievement at the end.
Maybe we don’t always enjoy doing new things, but it’s always good to try something you haven’t done before. I think many people are curious - that’s why they do it.
What problems can people have when they try new activities for the first time?
Well, they may feel nervous, of course, or they may have problems doing the activity. Some things need a little skill and practice to do well.
I remember the first time I went horseriding – I was hopeless, I couldn’t control the horse and felt very uncomfortable at first, but after a while, I began to enjoy it.
Do you think it’s best to do new things on your own or with other people? Why?
That depends on the person. Some people like to do new things on their own to meet different people and extend their social network, or maybe because none of their friends want to try the same activity, but they do.
Other people only do new things with their friends or family because they feel more comfortable doing it when they are with someone they know.
In my case, I don’t mind, I’ll try something new on my own or with friends if they are interested in doing it too.
What kinds of things do children learn to do when they are very young? How important are these things?
Kids learn all kinds of things, like sports and other skills. Of course, they also learn all the new things they do at school as well.
Doing new activities when you’re a child is important because you learn what you like and don’t like, which can be important in the future for you. It also helps develop your personality and learn how to overcome problems.
Do you think children and adults learn to do new things in the same way? How is their learning style different?
No, children and adults learn differently. I think children have much less fear; they try something without thinking about it so much.
As adults, we are much more rational and tend to consider things much more before doing them. We think about why we might do something or not, if it’s a good idea, the benefits, the risks, etc.
Children have a much more adventurous spirit naturally, and maybe they’re more curious than adults - they have very enquiring minds.
Some people say that it is more important to be able to learn new things now than it was in the past. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why?
I’m not sure. We’ve always had to learn new things. Maybe nowadays it’s more important to learn new things quickly, faster than before, and maybe learn more new things in our lives than our parents or grandparents had to.
The pace of life and the rate at which new things develop is much faster, thanks to technology. I think we have to learn to deal with more changes in the way we do everyday things nowadays.