Question 1
Describe a language you would like to learn.
You should say:
– What the language is
– Where it is spoken
– Why you are interested in this language
And say if you think you will ever actually have the chance to learn it.
Let me tell you about a language I’ve always wanted to learn, which is Russian. It’s spoken in Russia, obviously, but also in many other countries which have been influenced by Russia including places like Mongolia and Kazakhstan. It’s quite a difficult language to learn because the alphabet is not the Roman one, which means that you have to learn to read and write from scratch, a but like studying Chinese or Japanese. Well, the reason I would like to learn Russian is that the energy industry is huge and there are lots of jobs. A lot of my country’s oil and gas comes from Russia so it’s really useful to be able to speak that language if you want to work in the energy field. I have actually been to Russia before so I know from experience that a lot of Russians can’t speak English very well, so that’s another good reason to learn their language. The only problem is I’m already thirty years old and I’ve spent more than fifteen years learning English. I don’t know if I would ever be able to learn Russian successfully because it’s a difficult language for anyone to learn, especially someone older like me. But it would be really great to try.
Question 2
Describe something you do to forget about work or study.
You should say:
– What the activity is
– How often you do it
– How it helps you forget
And say whether you would recommend other people try the same thing.
I’d like to talk about horse-riding, which has been my hobby since I was around ten years old. I’m actually the joint owner of a horse with two of my friends and we take turns looking after him, cleaning out the stable and so on. I don’t have a part-time job so I spend most of my weekends at the stable. Taking care of a horse is quite a dirty business so it’s obviously very different from studying at college. That means I can forget about my classes during the week when I’m at the stable on the weekend. There’s quite a large field next to the stable and I just get a wonderful sense of freedom when I’m riding around on my horse. College seems a million miles away! Do I think other people would enjoy horse-riding? Yes, absolutely. I think everyone should give it a try. Horses are absolutely wonderful animals, very gentle and intelligent. If you ever have the chance to ride a horse, you should definitely give it a try.
1. Is it better to make important life decisions on your own or is it better to consult other people?
There are good reasons for both, I suppose. Ultimately, it’s your life so I suppose you should make the decisions. On the other hand, any decisions you make can affect other people so it seems only right to discuss things with others first. Like many philosophical questions, there’s no simple answer, I’m afraid.
2. Do you think good decision-making can be taught?
Well, if you go to a bookstore you’ll see lots of self-help books that claim to teach decision-making. I’m not sure any of them are effective though. I suppose it depends on the type of decision you mean. If it’s a business strategy, then I’m sure some decisions are better than others and business schools teach this. But if it’s a moral issue then I’m not sure anyone can claim to know the right decision, so how could anyone teach it?
