2012年雅思口语Part2范文

People Cards

Describe your best friend. You should say: Where and when you met him/her What you do together Something about his/her appearance and personality And explain why you think you are such good friends. I met my best friend while I was at university. He was in the same class. At first, he scolded me for leaning back on the chair, but, after a while, we began to become good friends. I used to meet him regularly at an Internet cafe. He went there regularly. We would spend hours there together. He would always lend a hand to me because I didn't know much about computers at that time.

He's a humble guy, never shows off his knowledge, even though he can. He's sincere and doesn't mind mildly scolding you or even himself in all the same sentence. He is usually very sociable, but sometimes he can also be a bit shy. He is good at soccer and volleyball and used to be on the school team. He's quite muscular and his hair is frizzy. He has very droopy eyes, like a puppy, and a very wide mouth.

I think the main reason we are such good friends is because we have a lot in common and we both have the same kind of humour. We also always support each other whenever we need help. I think we are such good friends because we don't feel we ever have to pretend around each other, and we are really helpful to one another. I will miss this guy a lot if I go overseas, but since he is always at the Internet cafe, I can email him, and he's probably right there to receive it!

[2].

Describe a teacher that had a powerful effect on you. You should say: What subject the teacher taught you When you had his/her class Describe the teacher's appearance and personality And explain what effect the teacher had on you. [2]

First let me tell you about my teacher Zhang Fei, who still works at the Oalian Middle School number 23. She taught me English in school. I had her class about 6 years ago, and she taught me for a full year.

First let me tell you how she looks. She looks very normal except that she's very beautiful inside. She's tall and thin, but the thing you can notice about her is her wonderful, dark eyes with very bushy eyebrows under her spectacles. I can still picture her. You know she did not seem friendly at first, because she is very stem when she speaks, and she will not tolerate nonsense, but she is very kind in her own special way. She is also very demanding and clear when she speaks, and her concern is not so much with your grades but your effort.

The effect she had on me was very powerful. Essentially she taught me that you could be very disciplined and stem and hard working but still be very kind. Before, I thought all teachers who were strict were just mean. After her, I learned that hard work is about not compromising on quality.

[3]

Describe yourself. You should say: What you currently do What you like and don't like doing What your good points (strengths) and bad points (weaknesses) are And explain what's the best way to become your friend. Well, to start with, I think I will tell you what I do. I am a lawyer here in Shanghai and I've been working as an attorney for about 3 years. My work is interesting, but it involves very complicated issues and often there are various strategies that are necessary for success.

I enjoy meeting people and forming new relationships with people. I enjoy hearing people's stories and I like trying my best to help them. I also enjoy getting out with my friends and enjoying the entertainment places. I am a big fan of jazz and there are a few places that I go to enjoy it. I can also play the saxophone, and even play in a band at a bar from time to time, but I don't have time to do it regularly.

What I don't like doing? Hmm..1et me think, well I suppose I just don't like having to go through a lot of very tedious details at work, and, quite frankly, I don't like clients who lie to me about their situation. There are some things about the job which I don't like, and I'm not proud about everything that I do, but overall I really like it.

I think my good points are that I'm quite good at communicating. I mean, you have to be as a lawyer. I do know a lot about the law, especially commercial law, which is my specialty. I have a good memory for legal issues and law, and I can use them quite well to argue a point. My bad points are that I am the worst person for remembering directions. I get loot everywhere when I'm travelling. If you ask my wife she'll tell you that there's nobody as bad as me for getting lost in places.

As for how you can be my friend, I think the key thing is that you just need to have a good sense of humour and you just need to be honest in your actions. Actually, I am quite willing to be anyone's friend, but I hate people who make a big show of it. I don't need any special favours or gifts to be my friends. If people just act like themselves...well, that's good enough for me.

[4] Describe a friend or relative who is very different from you. You should say: Where the friend lives How you met him/her How he is different from you And explain how you can still be good friends even though you are so different. Right, well... I had a tough time thinking about who was most unlike me, but I guess it would have to be my cousin, Zhou Jiao Ping. Jiao Ping is a person who's so clever when it comes to business that I have chosen him, because when it comes to business I always seem to make the wrong decisions. Jiao Ping is a real estate agent who puts almost every extra RMB into investments like property and stocks. He never seems to lose money.

His job alone pays him a reasonable income, but he makes a lot on all the private investments he makes, and perhaps you could call him a millionaire. I, on the other hand, don't dare to invest my money because I'm too afraid of losing it, and I prefer spending my money on things to make me and others feel good.

Jiao Ping is a driven man and I like his energy and persistence. He's not a boastful guy, in fact he's quite modest, but he's a complete workaholic and even if you sit him down for over a minute he will think of things he could be doing. He's a thin fellow, has no time for food it seems, and he has this permanent smile on his face. He has quite a sharp wit, and never seems to be serious when you talk with him, but in fact he's always thinking of this and that.

Jiao Ping is very generous and lends money to so many people, without even expecting them to pay it back. But he spends hardly a penny on himself. He has no wife, and although he has about four homes, he lives in a very small place. You might say he is a miser, but actually he just doesn't care that much for luxuries since he doesn't get any pleasure from them.

He's different from me in many ways. First, I enjoy spending money to make myself happy. I also have to have a balance of work and pleasure. I don't mind working hard during my work, but I can't stand always thinking about work, and I need some time to just relax. I also don't feel so guilty about wasting a bit of time every now and then.

[5] Describe a friend, relative or other person who has a good sense of humour. You should say: How you know this person What this person's job or major is The kinds of things he/she says that are funny And explain how this person affects you (i.e. what impact this person has on you) Ok, I've been asked to describe a person with a good sense of humour, and the person I've chosen is my classmate Zhang Hui. Zhang. Hui is a boy from Henan. He comes from Kaifeng. He majors in Economics and well, I guess you can say that Economics is not the most interesting subject, especially when the teachers start drawing graphics on the blackboard. Zhang Hui just seems to know how to make a joke out of it all. He has this funny face, which just adds to his humour.

I'll give you an example of how sharp his wit is. The instructor was talking about the relationship of supply and demand, and was looking for examples. So Zhang Hui stuck up his hand and said his mother is an example. He said the more money he spends on university, the better grades she demands. After he said that, everyone laughed so hard the professor had to wait for five minutes before he could continue.

I guess the way this person affects me is that he teaches me that there is nothing very serious in life. He puts me at ease and he reminds me that we are all human. I don't get overstressed when I spend time with him because he knows how to make a joke out of everything.

[6]

Describe a relative of yours who is very kind. You should say: Who the relative is What he does and where he lives What kinds of kind things he/she does And explain the effect he/she has on you. Let me describe my grandfather. He was-I should say was because he passed away a few years ago-very kind. My grandfather was just a farmer, and he didn't earn much, but he found different ways to earn an income, and managed to put my father through university. He lived in a village just north of Beijing and often made the trip into the city. His life was hard, but he never complained about it.

I say he was so kind because I'll never forget the efforts he made to help me read. I was five years old and I haven't learned to read yet. My grandfather spent so many hours helping me because my father had no time. He would force me to come to his place and he tutored me very strictly because he was determined that I would get a head start on the other students. As a result, I could read before I entered school, and that helped me gain an advantage in school.

Besides the fact that he taught me reading, he also taught me the value and importance of. kindness to others. He told me that you don't do kindness just to gain favour, but because that's what your true nature expects you to do. As well, he taught me that kindness isn't all smiles and praise; sometimes it involves strict and harsh words for the right reasons. He also told me that a kind person always dies happy and I think he also died happy.

[7] Describe a famous person that you admire. You should say: Who the person is and where he/she lives What the person does The things you admire about this person And explain what you think people can learn from this person. The famous person I'd like to describe is Fu Mingxia. She was a gold medallist at Sydney Olympic games. In fact, she won four of them. She won them in the diving competition. She's now a student at Tsinghua University. So she's quite clever and she will graduate from a top university. She's about 25 years old. I think she must be blessed by god to be able to dive so perfectly. After all, most divers have trained in diving schools that are very sophisticated, but her training was not so privileged. She just worked hard and had a very committed coach.

I think I admire her so much because I can imagine how nervous she felt having the whole world watching her and yet she controlled that nervousness masterfully to make a perfect dive. Well, its that ability to control yourself that I'd really love to learn. Also, her diving style was unique and very-brave, and because of her innovative style, she has brought pride to her country.

I think that people can learn that by being the best at something you are not only helping yourself

but the whole country, because high quality is what improves our lives. I think people can learn that nothing is impossible if we set our minds to being the best. We shouldn't always think we can just do what we must to get by. Our goals should be much more ambitious. We should try to be the best because we can take pride from the value of hard work in everything we do.

[8]

Describe a person who has worked very hard to achieve something. You should say: Who the person is and what relationship he/she has to you What the person tried to achieve and the outcome The person's character And explain how this person makes you feel.

The person I want to talk about who worked hard to achieve something is the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Of course, I've never met him but I did see him once in Beijing. He was coming out from the airport and someone said, \

I once read a biography of Zhang Yimou. He really had to struggle to become a director. I read that he literally camped out and begged to be accepted at a famous school in Beijing called the Beijing Film and Cinematography Academy. He was five years over the age limit, but he submitted a portfolio of his best photographs to the Minister of Culture, and the minister was impressed and let him in.

I also know that he put a lot of effort into making his films artistic and realistic and sometimes he took chances and made some adventurous films. Like in 1987, he directed Red Sorghum and took a chance with the story, which was a bit controversial, and he also used an unknown actress at the time named Gong Li. He then went on to produce a lot of award winning films, and now he is Chinese best-known filmmaker. You can say that he is a bit of celebrity now.

I don't know that much about his personality. I know he is a perfectionist and he expects things to be perfect when he directs. He loves natural things in life and he expects actors and actress to \is quite rebellious but, I think he's realistic, and willing to make compromises as well.

I guess I look at Zhang Yimou as being the kind of person that a lot of Chinese aspire to be. He's sort of cool, courageous, and blunt. He also makes the simple beautiful, which in my mind is a kind of magic.

[9]

Describe a person who knows a lot about something. You should say: Who the person is and how you know him/her What the person knows a lot about How he/she learned about this skill or area of knowledge And explain how this person affects you. The person I will talk about is my former Chinese Literature professor in University. He has his PhD in Chinese Classical Literature, and also has a Masters of Asian Studies from the University of Cambridge.

This person is just a walking library who has so much stored knowledge of Chinese literature that you wonder how one brain could hold that much knowledge. He has written 13 books on various writers including Lao She, Lu Xun and others. He did his thesis comparing English literary stories and Chinese classics. He has appeared on TV programs and even was the guest of a TV show in England while he was visiting there. His English is spectacular, and he could probably teach just that if he wanted to. Amazingly, my Professor actually said he was not that good of a student until he got to University. In fact, the University that he initially studied in was not that high ranking, but he scored well and then did his Masters elsewhere. It was while he was doing his Masters at Cambridge that a lot of other scholars started to take notice of him. His interest was peaked after he met up with the famous Harvard professor Pairbanks while he was in England. They collaborated on a couple of projects together and published a number of journal articles. He returned to China and then went on to get his PhD at Beijing University.

How did this person affect me? He opened up my mind completely to the world of knowledge. You see, before I took his class I looked at literature as this kind of high-level intellectual science. I believed that you had to understand the techniques of deciphering it. But what he taught me was that most of the authors had a true desire to ensure that anyone could read their works and so the biggest trick is to pretend that you are working with the author. You should imagine yourself as a co-author and read for the experience and the incredible insights into human nature. [10]

Describe a friend, relative or famous person who you think is similar to you. You should say: Who the person is What he/she does Something about the person's character And explain how he/she is similar to you.

I have a friend who is quite similar to me, and I suppose that is why we are such good friends. She is my mother's friend actually, but I call her my friend too, although I don't dare address her in the same way as a friend. I call her Auntie Li Wie. She is an old friend of the family, and used to work for my mother's store before she got married to a fairly well off jeweller. She doesn't work, but she is quite active. In fact, she is head of a nature club in Chengdu, and is a volunteer worker at the Giant Panda Breeding Research station, where she helps maintain the site.

Aunt Li is a person who's quite shy, and she loves nature. She will do anything to get close to nature, and will even stay out in the woods for a few days camping. Some people think she's crazy because she's over 50 years old but she will still do that. She believes in preserving the natural state of things, and will even carry back litter that she finds on the ground that others have dropped or thrown carelessly. Aunt Li is also a vegetarian and will have nothing to do with meat. She doesn't condemn others for eating meat, but she does hope that one day the world will be full of vegetarians like her.

I think she's similar to me in her beliefs about the environment, and we share the same attitude about nature. I also like going outdoors, and I would never throw litter on the ground. I sometimes also do a bit of volunteer work at the Panda Centre, and I love the efforts that they do there. I am not a vegetarian, probably because I'm not strong enough to be one, but I do mainly eat only chicken and fish. I hardly ever eat any pork or beef. I think our dreams are similar-that one day the environment can be restored to a state where all humans and animals can live in comfort and happiness.

Place Cards [11] Describe your past place of work, school or university. You should say: Where it is or was When you study or studied there What you remember about it (briefly) And explain why you remember it more than other companies or schools. Ok, I'd like to describe my former middle school, which is located in Fuzhou. It's been so long I'm not sure if I can really describe it well. Wen, I studied just what everyone studied, and I guess' you could say that I was a normal student-nothing fantastic.

What I remember is the big gate outside of it, which was regularly opened and closed. We would wait there patiently to get in. The building was fairly big, and the entrance was typically wide with some important pictures of historical figures. It was typically box-like. What I remember most is the playground. It was fairly large with two baskets, and at the side there was a corridor where kids would play ping-pong.

I also remember the dreaded teacher's staff room, which was a place no student wanted to be in. It was lined with small desks and tall stacks of paper.

I remember this more than other places because it was the place where I was most affected, since I really started to grow up here. It was like a second home, and I went through so many different emotions there. I grew up, and it contained some of my best and worst memories. When I was going to this school I could never imagine life beyond middle school. Now that I'm going to university it seems like such a long time ago. I do miss it a lot, but I wouldn't want to return to that life since it was so structured and controlled. I prefer my life now as a university student.

[12]

Describe your apartment or house. You should say: Where it is How long you have lived there What rooms and furniture it has And explain how you feel about your home. Ok, I've been asked to describe my apartment, but I think the apartment I

live in is quite typical. It is located in the south of Hefei and it's in a very clean and convenient neighbourhood. I've lived there for about three years. We used to live in a brick house, but my father's business began to do very well so we could afford a better place.

The rooms? Well, as for the rooms... there are 3 rooms. One is for my father and mother and another is for me. The other room is given to our maid. The apartment is about a hundred square meters, and it has a large living room and two bathrooms-one is in my parents' room. We have some comfortable chairs and a fairly large TV in the centre. We also have a stereo set and a karaoke set as well. I should mention that the kitchen is quite large compared to many other families because we extended it by knocking out the wall of another room.

Now you know about the rooms. Let me tell you how I feel about the place. To tell you the truth, I don't like it very much. I mean, even though it's much larger and cleaner than the previous place, sometimes I just don't feel it's my real home. I think I got too attached to my previotE home. Also, in the brick home we knew all our neighbours but here we know nobody. I think it's just as important to have friendly neighbours.

[13]

Describe a beautiful building, structure, statue or temple in your hometown. You should say: Whereabouts it is in your hometown How often you visit it What makes it so beautiful And explain why you choose this as the most beautiful. Alright, well I've been asked to talk about something beautiful and I'd like to choose the White Cloud Temple. It is located in Beijing and it's on the west side of town. It's not that far away from a subway station, but you would need to take a bus, because it's a bit far to walk. I go there probably two or more times a year. It's a Taoist temple, probably the most active Taoist temple in Beijing. I'm a Taoist. But I go there more than just to pray. I really try to take a trip to find some time to rediscover myself. During the Spring Festival people jam into it because they hold what I think is the best carnival during Spring Festival. We call them Miao Huis. At that time the temple is very crowded, but most other times it's quite peaceful, and it's a good place to get away from all the people.

I think the reason it's so beautiful is because it is simple and it seems to blend in well with its environment. The small praying hall is very serene. It has a nice pool and a bridge. The Taoist motifs are quite simple but I think they are very charming. I love to go there during the winter after a big snowfall because it's at this time that it seems to be most mysterious. I choose this as the most beautiful because, to me, beauty is simplicity and natural design, and it also means it fits the environment it is in. I don't really like grand, elaborate temples. I prefer temples that seem powerful not because of their structures but because they are perfect for their simple beauty.

[14]

Describe an interesting city, place or park to visit. You should say: Where it is What you can do there Its general features And explain why you would recommend someone to see it. Ok, I'd like to tell you about the temple of the Six Banyan Trees. It's located in the city center of Guangzhou and its not far away from Zhongshan 6 Road, near the People's Hospital. It's a good place to go to and climb to see the Flower Pagoda, which has eight sides to it. You can also go there to pray if you are a Buddhist. It is an active temple and is also the head of the Guangzhou Buddhist Association. You can also do a bit of shopping there if you like. Besides the souvenirs you can buy there, it also has a very lively fruit and meat market nearby, so if you just want to shop instead you can.

The main feature of this place is the pagoda because it's the tallest in the city. From the outside it looks like it has only nine stories, but actually it has 17 inside. It's quite old, and was built some time in the 10th century. The temple itself is even older than that-I think it goes back to some time during the Tang Dynasty, around 500 AD or something like that. It's called the six Banyan Trees because there used to be six trees there, and Su Dongpu, one of china's best-known poets in the Song Dynasty, celebrated them in a poem. You can also see one of the most beautiful golden statutes of Guanyin, who's a Buddhist Goddess of Compassion I would recommend this place because it represents real history in Guangzhou. A lot of people complain that Guangzhou is too concerned about money and business, and lacks culture, but I think there are several places that still remind people of its rich culture, and this is one of them.

[15]

Describe a museum, library or exhibit in your hometown. You should say: Which you want to describe and where exactly it is in your hometown How often you go to it The general features of the place and what you can do there . And explain what you gain personally from this place. Ok, I'll start by telling you about the Museum of the Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base. It's outside of Harbin, and it's a bit tough to get there. The base was the centre of the worst experiments in biological warfare. The Japanese set up a top secret, germ warfare research centre. The doctors there were very cruel and used many victims. I have been to this museum about four times, and each time I go it gives me a very eerie feeling.

It is a small museum and it takes you through two exhibit rooms. The displays are very graphic. There are lights and wax models of the people in the exhibits. There is also a vestige of the original base nearby. They recreate the type of things done to the victims. You can also watch a film about it in another room. The film is not exactly a happy one, so be prepared for some rather ghastly details.

I think what I gain there is a sense of how low humanity can sink if we're not careful. The museum tells us what our relatives often had to put up with and what sacrifices have been made. You know, even though such terrible things were done to us we still put up a sign in the entrance that says the friendship between Japanese and Chinese is everlasting. This shows that even though we will never forget such atrocities, we are willing to be friends and move on.

[16] Describe a place in your country that you think would be interesting to visit. You should say: Whereabouts it is When would be a good time to visit! What is interesting to do there

Ok, thank you. I want to choose a place you may be familiar with, and that's the Three Gorges, located between Wanxian and a city called Yichang, the gateway to the upper Yangtze River. You can get to them by going to Chongqing and taking the boat along the Yangtze River all the way to Wuhan if you like.

The best time to go there is during the fall, because it's not so hot on the boat, and that way if you want to spend more time in Chongqing or in Wuhan you can, because those cities can be quite unbearable during the summers. The Three Gorges are breathtaking-there isn't much out there that can beat the feeling of being walled in by such beauty. The thing that's so interesting about the Three Gorges is the sheer walls and sharp rocks along the side, and the historic tablets along the way. But even without looking up at these imp1;'essive rock formations, the river itself, with all its various rapids, is interesting. You know, it isn't easy for small boats to travel either down or up it.

I guess I've chosen this place because it won't be around for very much longer, and because it will soon all be flooded over. I think you know about the new dam being built. The dramatic scenery and rushing waters of China's greatest river has been the inspiration of China's painters and poets. It's now considered to be one of the great scenic attractions of China.

[17]

Describe a shop, shopping center or market that you like to go to. You should say: Where it is When you usually go there What the store sells and what you usually buy there And explain why you choose this shop rather than others. I would like to talk about my favourite shopping center, since I don't go to many restaurants or bars. My favourite shopping place in Xi'an is called Huajie Street. It is just a narrow alley running besides the Great Mosque with many small souvenir and antique shops.

It's a very good place just to do some browsing, and is one of the best places in China to pick up souvenirs like name chops or chiming steel balls. I always go there to do some shopping for old things and antiques. Usually if I go it will be on a weekday, because it's not as crowded and you can bargain more easily. Another reason I like it is because you can fmd some of the best miniature wire furniture. I don't know if you've ever seen these things, but they are made quite carefully and skilfully, and they look very nice in a living room.

Why is it my favourite? To me there's nothing like it in other places. Some of the stuff is quite overpriced because they get a lot of tourists coming in, but a local person like me, with a distinguishable accent from this area, can usually cut to the chase and get to the realistic price in a

hurry. It never seems to amaze me what kinds of old things they find to sell there. You almost feel as if you are walking around a museum. I know a lot of it might be fake, but to me it doesn't matter, because when you look at it, you think of the past. I have bought some stuff there before, and when I put it in my house it always becomes a conversation piece with my guests. They always tell me I could get these things cheaper elsewhere, but the truth is that you may not find it at other places, except perhaps by chance.

[18] Describe a place you used to like to go when you were a child. You should say: Which place it was Why you went there What some features of this place were And explain what effect the place had on you. When I was younger I used to go to the Datong Jiche Chang, which is the Datong Locomotive Factory. It's located in the city's southwestern outskirts. It was the last factory to make steam engines for the main railway lines, and in 1989 it stopped making them and switched to diesels and electric lines.

Well, it wasn't the factory that I went to see but the museum that they had there-actually I think they still have it there if I'm not mistaken. I used to go with my father and spend hours there. To me it was more interesting than a playground. Sometimes some mends would join me there but my father was not always as happy when my friends were there because we tended to get a bit noisy.

You see, the museum has several locomotive trains in there, and if you love trains this place is heaven. The main feature of this place is that you can see these trains inside and out, and it's a place that does a good job explaining the features of the trains. What I really used to love is that I could get a ride in the cabin of one of these locomotives and pretend I was a passenger touring the country.

Well besides helping my imagination I think the main effect this place had was to give me some escape from home life which wasn't that great at that time. Also, it gave me a chance to play with my father and learn more about trains. I was so full of questions that my father would have to go to the library just to learn more about trains, especially old locomotives like the ones that were there.

[19] Describe a mountain, beach, lake or waterfall that you like a lot. You should say: Which part of the country it is in How to get there Some descriptions of the scenery and what you can do there And explain why you like it so much.

Right, well, as my topic I chose a mountain that I like. This mountain is not famous, and it's located just north of Jinan. It is not the famous Taishan Mountain. In fact it's quite far away from that area. The mountain is called Black Bird and it is not high. To get there you must drive off a small road on the way to Taian and head right. It goes quite some length, and the condition of the road is not very good.

The mountain is simply a cliff that sticks out of a small range of hills. Its shape is like a bird, and it seems to be like a lonely eagle looking over its small family. In the far background you can see Taishan Mountain, but, as I said before, it's quite far away. If you want you can try to climb the cliff. You probably can, but be careful because the rocks are quite loose. There was a small road that lead to the base if the mountain, but I'm not sure if it's still in use anymore.

I think I like it most because it seems so mysterious, as if it's holding a secret. Sometimes I think it's like a demon, and I always feel very moved when I go there. I think it seems to have a kind of quiet power over the land that it overlooks.

[20]

Describe a traditional building in your hometown or country. You should say: When you first saw it What the building is used for What the building looks like And explain what feeling you have of this building. The building I'd like to talk about is the Capital Library; in Chinese we

call it Shou Du Tu Shu Guan. I first saw this building when I was a child. My mother took me there as a quiet place to study. She said that I could probably study there more easily than in other places. Now, I go there about once a month. It's quieter than the National Library and I like the atmosphere there.

The place is now a library for history books and any books published in China are there, but it also has an interesting history itself. It is located in the same area as the old Guo Zi Jian, or in English you might call it the Imperial College. The building was built in traditional Qing architectural style, because it was last rebuilt during that time. The roof is quite steep. Bi Yong Hall wa_ the place where imperial exams were held, and it has two layered roofs with a curved at each corner, just like the buildings at the Summer Palace. It is red and has quite a few wooden pillars holding it up at all sides.

The reason I like this building is because it seems to store the soul of our country. The Imperial College was actually set up in the Yuan dynasty to educate high-ranking Mongolian families in Chin_e, but then it was used by all the next dynasties. In the 50s, it stopped being an educatioml place and became an all-purpose library. You know, to be able to take the imperial exam was every young man's dream in China for hundreds of years. But few could take it and fewer would pass it. So apart from its grand appearance, it has a kind of untouchable nobility to it.

Object Cards [21]

Describe an object that you possess which is very important to you. You should say: Which object it is (give a brief description) Why it is so important How long you've had it And explain what you used it for. I've been asked to talk about a small object, and so I guess the most useful small object to me is my mobile phone. I use my phone whenever I'm travelling around Beijing, and also to make sure I can get ,in immediate touch with my clients, because often they make fast decisions and are looking at various options at the same time, so time is very precious. I've had my mobile phone for about a year. At the time it was about 2000RMB, but I believe now you can get one for about 1500RMB. At that time it was considered to be very basic and small. Now the new phones are also small, but they are also much more sophisticated with so many different functions.

I know some people it as a toy, or just as an ego booster, but I really have to have one because I'm a real estate agent. You know, I travel around the city a lot and if my company secretary can't reach me then I'd waste a lot of time having to keep phoning the headquarters at some pay phone, store or booth. There are also a lot of details and facts that I need to keep checking back on whenever I'm preparing to meet a client.

[22] Describe an object you had as a child which was very useful to you. You should say: What the object was How long you had it What you usually used it for And explain why you felt it was more useful than other objects. I think the object that I had that was very useful was my toy bear. I had this toy bear for about five years. I first got it on my 4th birthday, and kept it all the way until I was about nine years old.

When I was a child, I used to take this bear everywhere because I actually didn't have that many toys to play with, and so you could say that it was my playmate. I also used to treat it as if it were my baby brother. If I felt very sad I often needed it to be near me, and it was also something I could imagine to be alive and doing things. My mother would sometimes let me take it to different places, and believe it or not I would even wash it. Even later, as my father and mother began to get richer and could afford a lot more toys, I would still favour this toy over others. I just had more of a connection to this toy.

I guess I would say that it was more useful to me as it was something that helped me through my childhood and added to my social life. You may say that a toy is not really useful, but for me it stopped me from being lonely, and allowed me to feel empathy for something, even though it wasn't really alive. When I turned nine I was too big and thought that having a toy bear was just for small kids, so I just stopped playing with it and put it away. Then I guess for some reason it got thrown away. Now I wish I had kept it because I could give it to my own children when they get older.

[23]

Describe a pet you would like to own. You should say: What kind of animal it is and where it lives How you know about this animal What it looks like and what its habits are And explain what you think is important to take care of this pet. If I ever decide to buy a pet, I would buy two hamsters. A hamster is a kind of mouse, and it is smaller than a rat. It doesn't have long tail, and its mouth is not sharp. Hamsters have a lighter colour, something like gray. I like hamsters because they are very cute and have a good temper. I like hamsters because they are very mischievous pets. Moreover, hamsters like to run around a wheel and can go for 15-20 minutes without stopping. To me it is fascinating to watch them do that.

They are actually very easy to take care of. I would just need to put the hamster in a cage, have some pet toys in there, and that would be enough. I would also take it out once in a while and let the hamster run around the living room. A hamster doesn't run as fast as mouse, so it would be no problem for me to catch it and put it back to the cage. Food for hamsters is very simple: they like to eat carrot, fruits, and nuts. Of course, we shouldn't forget water. It's very simple to keep the cage clean. Just make sure the cage is clean and water is replenished every day. I would say a hamster is a very clean animal and very entertaining just to watch. I'm sure all kids and adults would surely like a hamster.

[24]

Describe an object that you use for cooking or eating which is most important to you. You should say: What it is and where you can buy it How often you use it What you use it for And explain why it is most important to you. All right... so it was a bit tough for me to choose something to talk about because I don't do much cooking, but I've chose a microwave. These days you can buy a microwave at any appliance store, and there lots of different ones to choose from these days. I'm not sure how often I use it, but I think I can safely say that I use it every day.

I depend on my microwave quite a bit because, as I said before, I don't do much of the cooking in my house. So what my parents often do is cook a lot of food for me, freeze it, and then I just heat it up. I use it for quite a few other things, too. I mean, often I will make tea and then just become busy with something and forget all about it. If I didn't have a microwave, the tea would be wasted, so I find it very useful to have it around. One other very important reason is that I can just buy a lot of things from outside and then just heat it up when I get home.

I think that I've chosen it as being most important because I think it's the one object that really does affect my life on a daily basis. I mean, if I had to actually spend the time to cook things, my life would get very complicated. My parents think that the microwave makes me lazy, and maybe they're right.

[25]

Describe a gift that you have received which is important to you. You should say: What the gift is Who gave it to you Why the person gave it to you And explain why the gift means so much to you. Right, well the best gift I have received was my father's pocket watch. He gave it to me on my wedding day. You see, I know my father is not wealthy and he wanted to give me something important even though he didn't have to. He always loved this watch. I know this, because I remember one day when the watch wasn't working properly. Well, he was in quite a panic, because, he told me he felt like he was carrying around a sick baby in his belt. I always wondered what was so special about the watch. It seemed so funny to me, especially as I was growing up. Everyone else was buying those digital wristwatches, and his watch seemed like something out of the past. So I wondered if it might be an antique or a famous watch. My mother didn't say much to me, but she did tell me once that the watch wouldn't fetch much more than a few RMB if it were sold, but that my father might even kill or die to protect that watch. You know, after my father died about a year ago, I asked my mother about the pocket watch. I had mainly kept it in my drawer but after he died I felt like I needed to know about this watch. My mother told me it was a watch my grandfather wore as well. You see my grandfather was killed in the war between Japan and China, and all that was found on him was this pocket watch that I guess the Japanese had neglected to take from him after they shot him. So this watch seems to carry the soul of both my father and my grandfather.

[26]

Describe a form of transport that is important to you. You should say: What it is How often you use it What you use it for And explain why you prefer it to others. I want to describe the bus, which is probably the most common form of transport for most of us in Suzhou. I probably use the bus about 10 or more times in a week.

I use it not just to go back and forth to work but also to go shopping. I have a monthly pass and so I can travel freely on one without having to pay each time I go on. I also use a bus when I want to go traveling from one place to another for distances that do not last fur more than a day. I do have a bicycle, but I use that only for very\short distance\things, like getting some vegetables at the local grocery store or things like that. I prefer taking the bus. I always feel safe taking a bus because it is a big vehicle and it moves more slowly than a taxi. It is quite convenient, since there are enough lines. Even though it is not as convenient as a car, it allows you to work while you are traveling. It is relatively cheap compared to a car and a subway, and it can be comfortable, although it can be a bit crowded, and it's not so nice if you have to stand for long distances. I like buses most because I can talk with people and make more friends. Riding a bus also has its disadvantages, like sometimes it can be a bit crowded, and you do have to watch for pickpockets. But overall it's the best option I have. Besides, if everyone were to drive a car, then the environment would be severely polluted.

[27]

Describe a souvenir which you think is very interesting. You should say: What it is Where it is sold What it looks like and/or does And explain how you feel about this souvenir. A souvenir I once saw while traveling was very interesting. Three years ago, I went to Vietnam and traveled around the country. While I was in Hanoi, I bought some water puppets. These water puppets are sold in a number of small sores in Hanoi. You have to be able to distinguish the craftsmanship of them, but all the puppets are basically made in the same way.

Each puppet represents a character from a traditional story. You may say that's it's a kind of opera. You can see this opera in Hanoi-the most famous is the show called Thang Long, which is the famous, professional troupe that plays internationally. These puppets are used under the water, and the puppeteers must be able to move underwater, hold their breath and use graceful movements to manipulate their puppets. They are not moved by strings like many traditional Chinese puppets.

You can't see the puppeteers from where you are sitting, but every now and then you can see them raising their hands. The puppets are quite big. They are made of wood and are dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothes, although some of them are also dressed in village clothing. The one that I liked the most was a fisherman who could move a long pole back and forth. I bought it quite cheaply and it was very heavy, so I had to pack it a separate box to take it home.

I think these puppets are so interesting to me because this kind of art form---that is, puppeteering the water is unique. No one does it as professionally as the Vietnamese. I knew that such a souvenir would not only be an interesting thing to talk about with my friends but also an interesting toy for my children. So I knew when I saw the show that I couldn't miss the opportunity to take one of the puppets home.

[28] Describe a type of clothing that you like. You should say: The name of the clothing and who usually wears it A brief description of it Your experience with this clothing And explain why you like it so much. Right, well, my favourite clothing is a traditional costume called the Qi Pao. The Qi Pao is a type of woman's dress that actually originated from the Manchus when they dominated China during the Qing dynasty. You may have seen pictures of it before.

I'll just give you a brief description. The dress is slim cut to show the figure. The length varies but most traditional ones were down to the ankle. It is tightly bound at the end. The Qi Pao is high collared. Usually it is made of silk, and the pattern on it also varies from birds, to flowers, to butterflies, and it reflects traditional Chinese art. Usually, it is worn during festivals, particularly during Spring Festival, but if you want to see it before this time you can go to a Chinese opera or a teahouse and see the costumes there. Also, at many tourist areas you can also put one on and then get a photo done of yourself. You may see one being worn at the occasional wedding also.

The reason I chose this as my favourite costume is because it reflects the elegance of Chinese women. It reminds us of our past in so many ways, and not in always a flattering way. What I mean is that it is somewhat symbolic of the repressive way that women were treated in the Qing dynasty before we achieved liberation. The dress itself is not really that comfortable to wear from what I've heard, and in some ways I guess you could say that its purpose was to restrict the movements of women. On the other hand, one has to admire the great beauty and simplicity of the dress, and understand that it represents the way art can be transformed to clothing.

[29]

Describe something that you have created at school. You should say: What it was Why you made it What process took place And explain how you felt after it was completed. Ok, thanks, well, I used to be quite active in school art projects, and I was quite interested in calligraphy, which is a form of Chinese painting for certain characters. In middle school we were encouraged to do as much artwork as we could, mainly because our school needed the decorations to beautify our school. You see, my school wanted to make a name for itself as the best school in the city for arts. So our headmaster really pushed our art teacher to make sure we produced big quantities of high quality artwork. In a funny way, the students who were most highly favoured were those who were most artistic. So, you see, producing art wasn't just for fun, it was fairly serious business; and I, like every other student, took it quite seriously, too. Anyways, we were given a lot of competition-type projects, and I decided to sketch a landscape of the scenery at Shidu, a beautiful area just outside of Beijing that slightly resembles Guilin. My uncle and aunt lived out there--they were farmers--so it was easy for me to spend some time out there.

Well, I did the actual sketch in three days. Many people don't realize that although the strokes in Chinese sketches seem simple, they have to be done with perfect rhythm and flow or otherwise you have to do it again. I did the strokes, and if I wasn't happy I'd simply do the whole sketch again. So, probably I did about nine different drafts, threw away about four of them and compared five of them and chose one.

After I had completed it, I felt a bit on the edge. In my mind, I felt it was quite carefully done, but I had no way of knowing since I knew I was really just a beginner. So, when I submitted it I was full of fear and expectation. My art teacher looked at it quite favourably, but not with incredible excitement. It did not turn out to be the winner, nor was it chosen for the exhibits, but it received quite a good grade, and at least I knew that-although it wasn't fantastic work--it was at least a good start.

[30] Describe your favourite animal. You should say: What the animal is How you know about it What special features it has And explain why you like such an animal so much.

Ok, well I think my favourite animal has to be the Panda. Many people have seen pictures of the panda, and some have seen the panda in zoos. But I've had the pleasure of seeing pandas at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu, which is a research station where about 10-12 pandas live. The base is quite large, so you can see them live naturally, and in much better conditions than at a zoo. At this place you are guaranteed to see pandas during their feeding times. I managed to watch them feeding and the thing that astonishes you is just how much they can eat. The thing that also strikes you about the panda is the \bear look\that they have, and the way that they look at you makes you feel they are begging for you to take them home as a pet. You know, not a single person isn't channed by the panda, especially when they look like they are reasonably happy.

I think the reason it is my favourite animal is because no animal better represents both the beauty and struggle of wildlife in China than the panda. The panda is, of course, an endangered species, because it is so fussy about its breeding, and so every panda alive today is special-like an emperor. I hope that the panda population will one day thrive again, but I think it is going to mean more of this kind of research station and I'll be happy if all the pandas in the zoos around the world can be transferred into these more humane conditions at research stations.

Habit Cards [31]

Describe what you usually do on the weekends. You should say: Where you go or stay Whether you do this by yourself or with friends What the activity involves And explain why you usually do this rather than other things. Ok, I'd like to tell you about what I usually do on the weekends, and so I'll

give you a few details. Actually, I often just stay at home. I don't go out very much because I have to take care of the home and he}p my father and mother do things around the house. I have to do this by myself since my father and mother are business people and the weekends are the busiest times for them. So I often have to take care of the cleaning and cooking. So you can say that Saturday and Sunday are really my working days of the week. Most of what I do is just give the house a good clean and wash the areas that need it most like the windows. I also do a bit of cooking, and then store some of the meals in the freezer so that my parents can just heat them up in the microwave when they want to.

I guess I do this simply because it's my duty. I mean my parents pay for my education and support me, and if they didn't have to go through all the trouble and expense, they'd probably get a house cleaner. So I hope to save them the expense of a housekeeper. I know they do appreciate what I do, and I feel that I am a useful person as well. If I ever have kids, I think I will let them to do the same thing because I think it helps me to be more responsible.

[32]

Describe what you do on a typical day. You should say: What you do immediately after you get up Your activities in the afternoon What you do after you get home from school or work And explain whether you think your daily routine is satisfying. Ok, I'll tell you about my basic day. As I've told you, I'm a student, so it's not perhaps as routine a life as, say, work. I get up at 6:00am. When I first get up, I bathe and then clean up a bit and make my bed. Most of the morning I spend in the library, because I only have one class that starts at 9:30 and ends at 12:00.

Between classes I go back to my place and have a nap. This is very common for Chinese students and we all wake up at about 1 :30. I have another class from about 2:00 to 4:30. Just before dinner, I usually play some basketball in the playground with a group of mends. After dinner, I usually study for my English classes by listening to cassettes. I have a tape recorder and so I can play English dialogues very carefully to learn from them. Most likely I will call up a group of mends and we get together and decide what to do. Most of the time we just try to have a good time, but sometimes, especially before we have an exam, we study together. I guess you could say that my daily routine is normal and there is nothing in it that is really distressing or bad. It's not boring because there is some variation in it, but sometimes I think it could be a bit more exciting. I'd like to explore the world beyond just the campus.

[33]

Describe a dish you often eat and like. You should say: What it is and how often you eat it Where you usually eat it What is in the dish (general description) And explain why you like this dish more than others. Ok, so I've been asked to speak about my favourite dish. Well, that's tough because I could probably name about 50 dishes that I could call my favourite. But I think the dish that I seem to love whenever I go out is a dish called Suan Do Jiao Rou Muo. It consists of beans, which are a little bit sour and come with finely cut up meat. It is not a dish that you would call luxurious, but it is a dish that I would miss if I were to go without it for too long.

The basic style of it is quite simple. It is a dish that you might find in Sichuan, Hunan, or maybe another province that likes spicy dishes. There are lots of chilies in it and the taste has an interesting balance of being spicy, slightly salty and slightly sour. It is that balance that I think is really important, because if you don't cook it well it could be a disaster. Most restaurants will serve it in Hunan and Sichuan, but you can also find it around the country if the restaurant carries a few Hunan dishes on its menu. It's considered a good idea to eat it with a bowl of rice because rice can soften some of the saltiness of it.

I think one big reason I like it is because it is nutritious. The beans are good for you and the meat is not usually prepared in too much oil. But that balance that I talked about of being slightly sour but also being spicy and a bit salty is what makes it so delicious. It is the right dish to have if you are looking for something filling

[34]

Describe your habits for going out to eat. You should say: How often you like to go to restaurants. Which people you most enjoy going to restaurants with. What your favourite dishes and restaurants are And explain why you like these dishes and restaurants so much. I think this is a good topic for me because I'm always eating out. The truth is that I don't like doing too much cooking, so I need to get out quite often-maybe twice a week. I will usually go with my wife but sometimes with a group of people from work. To tell you the truth, I try to avoid the dinner parties that have lines of beer bottles and rice wine because I know the conversations will just get sillier and sillier.

My favourite dishes are seafood dishes, and I don't like my food to be so spicy. I prefer Cantonese-style dishes, which emphasize lighter seasoning and mixed vegetables. The best places to find these kinds of dishes are in specialty Cantonese restaurants, because if you try to get people to cook it up north, you may find yourself quite disappointed with the way they cook it.

The reason I like these kinds of restaurants is because I'm originally from Guangzhou, so I've never really changed my eating habits. In fact, I still clean all my glasses with tea before I'll even drink out of a cup. Seafood dishes and restaurants are a little more expensive, but the food is nutritious, and there're so many different ways that Cantonese people cook food. You know, beyond just the food, I think it's also important to have good service. Sometimes you will find in some of these really big restaurants the waiters and waitresses are so busy that they have no time to serve you well. I like restaurants that have waiters and waitresses who come to you even before you need them. For instance, one good example is the tea. A good restaurant will have waiters and waitresses that are continually checking your tea supply and filling it up. [35]

Describe your favourite way to relax. You should say: What it is and where you like to relax When is the best time for you to relax How you like to relax (i.e. activity) And explain why you like this type of relaxation so much.

What I like doing to relax is practicing Tai Chi. There is a nice park near my home where I can practice it in comfort. I usually practice it in the morning, I go because if you practice it in the evening it may be difficult for you to sleep. I will try to continue this hobby if I go overseas. I am not sure how much time I will have, but I'll try to see if any clubs exist. I do know some of the moves, so I will probably be practicing it at home. I first started Tai Chi when I was 20 years old. I had never tried it before that time because I had always thought it was just for old people. The first day I tried it, I really felt great, although I still wasn't sure about all the movements.

Basically with Tai Chi I just practice a very smooth flow and try to regulate my breathing for maximum effect. So I just float my hands in various patterns and learn to exhale and inhale according to the harmony of my movements.

I think the feeling it gives you is hard to describe. Your concentration must be very solid, and that's not always easy to do. Afterwards, you will feel at peace, although you may also experience some slight stiffness. I think it will make you feel that all things in life can be controlled and handled smoothly, just like your body. I mean, your body is a very complex instrument, so if you can control that first you can control anything, no matter how complex it is.

[36] Describe the kinds of films, TV programs or plays you like. You should say: What they are How often you see such entertainment What a good film program or play must be or have And explain how such entertainment makes you feel. I love watching films. Every chance I get I like to go out and purchase them. My favourite are ghost stories. There are a few from Hong Kong and Taiwan, but the best ones come from England and America.

I watch them about three times a week. Most of the time that means the weekends and probably one weekday, because I'm a student and I do most of my work from Monday to Friday.

I think a good film should have characters that we can connect to, and there should be some skill in the way the characters act. I mean, half the actors in Hollywood are only chosen for their appearance. With their huge budgets they can afford to do many takes on the same scene. I think it's important that stories don't move too quickly, or you lose your connection to the characters.

I like ghost stories because they usually involve some tragic situation from the past. And because people don't know the full story, the ghosts usually just want to communicate some injustice. I can discuss the films with friends or relatives. That's the great part about ghosts films :is that everyone likes to hear them. I mean, comedies are hard to tell, and so are human drama films, because they involve a special mood. But if you tell a ghost story the right way, it is simple to make someone frightened.

[37] Describe the music which you like very much. You should say: What kind of music it is When and where you usually listen to it What features there are in this music (general description) And explain how it makes you feel. Right, well the music I'd like to talk about is hard rock. Some people call it heavy metal. I listen to it mainly while I'm on the bicycle going to work because it helps me forget about all the stress of the traffic.

You know the pioneer of bringing real rock and roll to China is Cui Jian, and he is still very popular. Another group is called Tang Dynasty, or Tang Chao. The basic features of hard rock in China and the west are that the music is dominated by lead guitar and the beat can vary. It's loud, and there are a lot of mixtures of different styles including jazz, blues, country and calypso.

Chinese hard rock focuses on a kind of lonely rebellious cry-it almost sounds desperate. A lot of it is modelled after Kurt Kobain, the American Rock'n Roll artist who committed suicide-he's wildly popular here. I think I like this music because it's a safe way for me to hear expressions of different complex emotions. Pop music in my opinion is just too shallow, and I can't stand those vain, over-groomed singers who have no other themes except struggling with feelings of love. I mean, for me, rock does that too, but it's not the only thing in life.

[38]

Describe an instrument that you enjoy listening to. You should say: What instrument it is How long you have listened to it. What the general features of the instrument are (i.e. appearance and sound) Well, I like listening to a lot of different instruments; it's really hard to choose one. The instrument I want to choose are bells. You might not normally think of bells as an instrument, but they are a traditional form of music for us. I first became interested in bell music after I visited the Great Bell temple in Beijing and I visited a gift shop there. I learned about an incredible excavation of ancient bells. In fact they unearthed a whole scale of bells form the ground and rediscovered the ways to play them. It's really an ancient form of music. So I listened to the sounds the bells created and it was incredible. The music had such a powerful effect over me that I bought the cassette. I have been listening to this bell music now for about 3 years. I may not play it as much as say pop music, but I would say it's my favourite music just to relax or to listen to as background music as I'm doing something else.

The music is a bit slower, since each note has to have some time for the sound to come out, and the notes are played in small combinations of two or three notes at a time. You cannot of course play it as quickly as a piano or flute, but you can get a few bell sounds going at the same time, so long as the notes don't clash. The key issue with playing these bells is harmony. I like listening to them because the music often sounds so sad. The sound is so penetrating that each note seems to go through your ears, and as you are listening you can just imagine the incredible effort that goes into playing these great instruments. I think such music is a true representation of beauty that we achieve through struggle.

[39] Describe your habits for going out to eat. You should say: How often you like to go to restaurants Which people you most enjoy going to restaurants with What your favourite dishes and restaurants are And explain why you like these dishes and restaurants so much.

I think this is good topic for me because I'm always eating out. The truth is that I don't like doing too much cooking so I need to get out quite often-maybe twice a week. Generally Friday, since I don't work on Saturdays so I can just relax.

I usually go out with my wife, but sometimes with a group of people from work. To tell you the truth, I try to avoid the dinner parties that have lines of beer bottles and rice wine because I know the conversations will just get sillier and sillier. I'd prefer not to pay too much, since it's generally not worth it and you are paying for the ambience more than the food quality. My favourite dishes are seafood dishes, and I don't like my food to be so spicy. I prefer Cantonese-style dishes, which emphasize lighter seasoning and mixed vegetables. The best places to find these kinds of dishes are in specialty Cantonese restaurants, because if you try to get people to cook it up north, you may find yourself quite disappointed with the way they cook it.

The reason I like these kinds of restaurants is because I'm originally from Guangzhou, so I've never really changed my eating habits. In fact, I still clean all my glasses with tea before I'll even drink out of a cup. Seafood dishes and restaurants are a little more' expensive but the food is nutritious, and there're so many different ways that Cantonese people cook food. You know, beyond just the food, I think it's also important to have good service. Sometimes you

will find in some of these really big restaurants the waiters and waitresses are so busy that they have no time to serve you well. I like restaurants that have waiters and waitresses who come to you even before you need them. For instance, one good example is the tea. A good restaurant will have waiters and waitresses that are continually checking your tea supply and filling it up.

[40]

Describe a hobby which you enjoy participating in. You should say: What the hobby involves How you got started with it What special skills it requires And explain the effect or impact it has on you. Ok, well I have to say that my hobby is really about telling jokes. You know some people wouldn't call that a hobby because we think it's just an everyday thing. But I try to collect as many jokes as I can. The hobby involves part reading and part listening. Sometimes telling jokes involves listening to one joke and expanding it to another situation. There are jokes that involve word play; others just involve a surprising punch line. You need to keep a record and draw from that record whenever ,You can. I got started with it when I worked as a computer teacher. Each day I would bring in a joke to tell the students, and I would say it at the beginning of the class, to try and encourage them to come on time. The main thing is you have to know that the skill is not just telling the joke itself but the expressions you use and the building of suspense.

Most people just think of a joke as being the punch line. No way-the best part of a joke is the process of telling it. You have to have a good memory for the process of a joke. Because jokes are easy to forget. You need to tell them almost right away to someone else once you've learned them, and you should always try to repeat them in a different, more expressive way. The impact it has on me is that essentially it makes it easier to tell people serious things. I guess you could say it is a bit of a paradox that the things people take most seriously are the things you tell them in a joke. So it has improved my public speaking enormously.

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Narration of experiences [41]

Tell the interviewer about your first day at work, or in a class. You should say: What happened when you immediately arrived What you did that day Your impressions of your workplace, boss and your colleagues And say how you felt at the end of the day.

Well, I will tell you right from the start that my first day at work was a scary experience for me, because I was so nervous and scared that I couldn't perform. You see, the job that I was hired to do, namely an editor, was really not my specially. I had received no specific training, and I was worried that they would quickly discover that I had no practical experience in this job. What made things rather scary was that I arrived late. I just couldn't find the place. I left quite early, but the building that I presumed it was located in was actually not the right building. So I spent about three quarters of an hour going up and down the lift of another building that I thought it was in. When I arrived late, I had to search for the boss because he was not in the office. I felt so embarrassed that I just sort of stood there watching everyone work.

When the boss finally came back he seemed rather amused that I looked so nervous, and that I was so apologetic about being late. He said that everyone is late for their job the first day because the address is so confusing. I was shown an office, and I was given stacks of the back issues of the magazines, and was told to use these old issues to write a report on the general patterns of the magazine outline and layout. I was surprised I was given this assignment because I just expected that he would tell me all about the layout, not actually let me find out for myself. So throughout the day I just poured through all these magazines and tried to find out the patterns and staple types of articles. Each issue was different, but there seemed to be many similarities too.

As I watched the other colleagues work, I realized that this was an organisation that didn't fool around. People knew what they were supposed to do and everyone seemed to work well by him or herself. The boss placed a lot of trust in people to work independently. After a few hours during the end of break time I had people approach me and ask me about myself. I found the people quite funny and cheerful. They were especially interested in my level of English because they said that their

boss had told them that my English skills were quite good.

I submitted my report about the magazine, and I felt that at the end of the day this was the kind of organisation I could become very accustomed to working for. I realized also that the purpose of having to submit a report was so I would use my own judgment about the paper, and also prepare me for ideas about how I might improve the paper. So at the end of the day I felt quite lucky that I was in the right job.

[42] Describe a time when you felt very happy. You should say: What happened that made you so happy. Why you felt so happy. How you released your happiness And explain how the event affected you afterwards. (i.e. what did you learn from it?) The happiest time of my life was last year when I was accepted into

Tsinghua University. I had just finished my exam, and I was watching TV. I really thought I had not passed. I was quite depressed and decided to forget it. Then one day my mother came in with the mail. I told my mother I didn't want to look at the letter. So she opened it up herself. She told me I had passed and had been accepted, but I didn't believe her. She pretended to hide her joy while I pretended to hide my tears. The next day I phoned all my friends.

I guess the reason I felt so happy was because I really wanted to make my mother proud, and I knew I could do it, but was so disappointed after the exam that I thought I would surely fail. So when I found out that I'd passed, I felt this immediate burst of relief.

Usually, when I am not very loud or boisterous and this was no exception. From then on I never tried to predict my outcome and now I just work hard and let fate be my guide. I realize that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But if you work hard you can always be sure you tried your best and that you have nothing to worry about.

[43]

Talk about a favourite class that you took in school. You should say: When you took the class What the subject was Something about the style of teaching And explain why it was your favourite and what you think you learned. My favourite class that I took was a class I took about five years ago. The class was on International Trade and Marketing for an International Market. I was a second-year student at university and I was eager to begin to specialize in my field. You see at that time I had all these ideas about how I could get rich by selling Chinese-made products to the west. You know, I think there are a lot of people who have the same dream that I did. My thinking was that what I could sell wasn't available in the west, so international marketing would just be about telling the world about it, and then waiting for the money to come in.

In this course we had a professor who was not only knowledgeable from a theoretical standpoint, he also had a lot of practical knowledge, since he used to work for a Chinese company who sold products in America. He lived in America and supervised the efforts of the marketing department, so he had a rich knowledge of the kinds of things that can go wrong when you're trying to market to people from a different market. He told us how some Chinese executives would choose certain clients over others only because they were willing to make advance payments, but that in fact the clients who wanted better .credit terms were actually more profitable clients. He said it was natural for executives to favor clients who paid early in China, but that in the west where credit was the norm most clients thought it quite normal to pay over long periods of time. He said that some clients took advantage of this mindset to try and squeeze lower prices out of his company.

The style was completely anecdotal. By that I mean he just told stories. He tried to organise these stories as they related to the theory, and they tended to make sense from a practical way of looking at the issues. He also gave us a lot of humorous examples of cultural differences along the way. But he also told us that people are people wherever they come from, and he even told us how he exported products to places like Rwanda and how similar they were to us in many respects.

It was my favourite because it taught me what issues to think about before setting up any international trade. More than just knowledge it also helped

me to understand the issue of culture better, and this was very relevant to me since I am planning to go overseas soon.

[44]

Try to recall a lucky day that you had either at school or at work. You should say: Where you were When it happened What occurred to make it a lucky day and how you responded And explain how the day made you feel. Well, first of all I should say that I don't really believe in luck, but there are some days that seem to go a bit better than others. On the other hand, there are some days when things go so amazingly well that you wonder why all days can't go that way. Such a day occurred about four years ago. I was having fun at a Miao Hui, which is simply a carnival held during Spring Festival. A group of us were wandering around all the amusement and a few of us were trying our luck in different games. Well, one of them was one of those ring-tossing games. There were five of us, and each of my friends tossed this ring a few times and couldn't land it over any of the pins. I picked up one of

the rings and closed my eyes and threw. I wasn't expecting anything to land and sure enough it did. In fact I threw it three times and it landed, so I walked out of there with 3 big panda toy bears. Well, if that wasn't enough, I also went outside the carnival later and bought a lottery ticket that they issue every year. I won 500 RMB. I couldn't believe it.

Well besides putting me in shock, I got a bit worried. I'll tell you why. First, when you have a lucky day you have to think that there's probably an equally unlucky day waiting for you. I believe in balances, and if you have such lucky day then you had better be prepared for something bad in the future. That's why I prefer getting my rewards through my hard work rather than my luck, so I would never want to go gambling.

[45]

Try to recall an act of kindness that made a deep impression on you. You should say: Who the kind person was What the kind person did How you responded to the kindness And explain how his/her kindness affected you. Well, this is going to shock you, but I actually came across a person who was so kind that she was willing to give up a sum of money that many people could live on for about a year. I really don't know who this kind person was; I never really got a chance to get to know this person. She was a stranger.

My father had given me 50,000 RMB to continue my studies, and I was carrying it around in my purse. It was in a stuffed envelope and it was placed in my purse. I went into a snack restaurant and put my purse down beside me. The snack bar waitress asked me for the bill in advance so some small change and I guess as I was looking for something I accidentally knocked the envelope out of my purse. I didn't realise I had done this. About a half an hour later, I was travelling in the bus and I checked my purse and realized my money was gone. I went back to the snack bar but obviously no one had given it back, so I just left my telephone number. Well, this made me shake with fear. My father wasn't rich and he had sacrificed a lot to give me this kind of money. I went back to my dormitory and just cried and cried. Then I got a telephone call form the snack bar and they said that someone had found the money but wouldn't give it to them until I showed up and claimed it. So I rushed over. They said that a lady had found the 50,000RMB and wanted to give it to me but she didn't trust the waitresses to do it so she would just wait in the bar. I demanded to know who it was, but they just said it was somebody in the restaurant-they didn't want to say whom. So then they gave it to me and not a single note was missing. I took it and couldn't even thank the lady who gave it back, because she didn't want to identify herself. You see the snack bar was crowded, and there were many people sitting and eating alone. It could have been about 10 different people.

So I just accepted it and, amazingly, when I got home I cried even more than I did the first time. I just felt like I'd been spared something close to death, and I was angry with myself for being so foolish. I was no longer a victim but a lucky fool.

I think this person did more than just return my money. She also restored

my faith in human nature. She made me realize the potential of human kindness, and that kindness is a quality we should never give up for any amount of money.

[46]

Describe a film you enjoyed a lot. You should say: When and where you saw it Why you saw it What the story was about (briefly) And explain the effect the film had on you. Ok, a popular movie I have watched is called Raise the Red Lanterns. Basically, it's a tragedy, and I first saw the movie in 1989, about two years after it was released. I saw it on video, and I watched it with a group of my friends.

I first saw this movie because a friend of mine said it was very artistic and even kind of eerie. Since I like those kinds of films, I decided to see it. I remember how fascinated I was with the film.

Well, basically it was about a young bride who becomes a concubine and finds out that there are a lot of inner politics going on among the concubines, and she gets caught up in it and even accidentally causes the death of one of the wives. She tries to fight against it all, and as she does, things just seem to get worse and worse. She finds out that there is one concubine in particular who is behind most of her problems.

The story deals with the whole theme of repression and its effect on people. Mainly it's about how repression can drive some people to cruelty and madness.

I think the impact this story had on me was it taught me that there are situations that are so bad for people that the best thing to do is either get out or be swallowed up by it. After seeing this movie, I decided to quit my job and do what I really wanted because I realized that my job would only drive me crazy if I continued with it.

[47]

Describe a story you read in school that you will never forget. You should say: When you read it Why you read it What the story was about (briefly) And explain the effect the story had on you. My favourite story is The Rickshaw Boy. I read this story about five years ago, and I liked it so much that I read it perhaps three more times. The author of this story is the famous Lao She, and this book is so famous that it has been translated into many languages, including English.

Basically, the story is about the living conditions of rickshaw drivers in Beijing. It's kind of a social critique of the way people were during that time. The story is a bit complex, so I won't go through the plot but you do get a sense of the injustice and hardships suffered by people before liberation. The main character. is a man who had many dreams and ambitions as a youth, but lost them along the way. His life is thus a kind of struggle for survival and a challenge to reconcile his lost ambitions. I like this story best because it's full of sympathy for ordinarily folk. Sometimes I feel we need to take a closer look at the conditions of people in our lives. You know, I guess you could say I came from a wealthier side of society, and it's so easy to ignore the conditions of people who are not so lucky as yourself. Also, this book reminds us how far our society has progressed. We still have rickshaw drivers and poor folk, but not nearly as many as during the time Lao She was writing. People's lives are better now, but we haven't yet reached the ideal state yet, so we had better look after each other and treat each other as brothers and sisters.

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