1. How do you keep healthy?

I do a few things. I ensure I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, I drink a lot
of water, and I do a lot of exercise – go to the gym and play indoor tennis. I'm
not a health fanatic or anything, but I'm moderately health-conscious and keep
fit.

2. What is your favorite sport?

Tennis, I love tennis, and I play all the year round. In summer, outside,
and the rest of the year I play in an indoor leisure centre. I've always been a
big tennis fan. I like the speed of the game and it keeps you really fit.

3. Are there any classes about keeping healthy in your school?

Not especially, but in physical education class in school we learn the

basics of how the body works and how to keep fit and what kinds of foods are
better or worse for the health.

4. Do you have any advice on keeping healthy for youngsters?

Youngsters shouldn't be paranoid about their health, but they should

make sure they avoid two things – the temptations of eating junk food in
malls, which is increasingly available today, and having a highly sedentary
lifestyle of sitting down playing computer games or on their phones!

1 How important are friends to you?

 I believe friends are quite important to me. I don't need to have a very
active social life, or lots of friends, but I do feel I need to have a few good
friends that I really feel I can rely on and trust.

2 Where do you often meet?

I ofte get together with friends in a restaurant, sometimes in a bar or KTV.

Occasionally we go for walks in the park when the weather is nice, or go
shopping in the local malls and grab a milk tea or coffee in a coffee shop.

3 What do you usually do with your friends?

I usually hang around in cafes, go shopping a little bit, try new restaurants
and bars, and occasionally play sports. Things like this. At times I go to the
cinema with a friend, or maybe for a long walk in spring or summer.

4 Do you have many friends?

I have lots of friends. I think that, talking of "real friends" I have mainly 3 or
4. But I have lots of other friends… you'd maybe call them acquaintances. So,
yes, I'd say I have many friends – I'm a really social person. But I am also
very aware that we can only have a few genuinely close friends in life –
people that we really click with, who also will support us through thick and
thin.

1 Do you usually spend your days off with parents or friends?

I usually spend my days off on my own a lot of the time. Maybe that
sounds anti-social, but I live alone in a flat in Beijing, and one of my favourite
things is to spend a weekend on my own watching TV series, reading and
perhaps doing a bit of shopping. So, generally I don't really spend time with
family or friends.
 2 What do you often do on your days off?

On my days off I usually do things at a fairly relaxing pace, unless I have

any important things to do. I shop, I read, I watch TV, I take a coffee in a local
mall. Stuff like this.

3 When was the last time you had a few days off?

Last month I had some days off. I learned to bake cakes, I watched an
entire TV series (I'm a huge fan of detective TV series and crime thrillers), and
I did some yoga.

4 What would you like to do if you had a day off tomorrow?

Tomorrow… I would stay at home, clean my house – it's a real mess at

the moment – and sit on the sofa and watch a film and eat snacks. That's
exactly what I feel like doing right now.

1 Are there any famous small businesses in the area you live in?

Oh, let me think… There are a couple, yes. The two that spring to mind
are two little restaurants, actually. They are famous in my area – one is a
roast lamb leg eatery, which is a family place that's been there for
generations. The other is a dumpling place – again, a family business that's
stood the test of time!

2 Do you prefer buying things from small or big companies?

In an ideal world I'd purchase things from small businesses to support

families and the local economy. But, big companies usually have better prices
and a wider range of products.

3 Have you ever worked in small businesses?

 I have worked in a few small businesses actually. I did a lot of summer
work in a family-run restaurant in my home town, for example, and I also have
done two internships at graphic design companies.

4 Have you ever thought about starting your own business?

I most certainly have – and I still want to – in fact, a friend and I were
discussing this the other day. About getting together and starting an online
platform to sell designer sportswear sourced from Vietnam. So, yes, very
recently I've been thinking about this.

Describe a time when you had to talk to a group of people.

You should say:

When it happened

Who you talked to

Why you gave this talk

And explain why you had to give this talk

There is one time I remember so clearly, when I had to give a speech to a

group of people, and it was a big group of people, too! In fact, I was really
nervous, at first. I’ll tell you about it. I joined a society in my city called “Toast
Masters” which is a society specifically dedicated to public speaking. I am not
sure why I joined, I think it was after I had split up with a girlfriend and I was
feeling really down, pretty depressed actually; a friend of mine tried to get me
out of the flat to do social things like going for drinks or playing sports with
him. But, you know, I’m not into drinking and eating out really, and I’m not
really into sports. I don’t even find much pleasure in going to the cinema
really. So, anyway, another friend of mine said that he was a member of this
‘toast masters’ public speaking society, and though it sounded a bit strange, I
thought that it sounded new, interesting, and would perhaps help me boost
my self-esteem as well as helping me develop skills that might come in handy
in university and in a future career. Learning how to formulate ideas logically
and present them to others in a compelling manner, with confidence, is
something that can be useful in many aspects of life. So, I thought, yes, I’ll do
this. Anyway, after attending for a couple of months, it was my turn to prepare
and deliver a talk. I prepared a talk about the history of ancient Persia
(something I’m fascinated about), and delivered the speech in a fairly large
theatre to an audience of about 400 people. I was so nervous, but actually,
when I got up on stage to give the talk, after the very first sentence, I suddenly
felt the adrenaline rush through my body, and I became quite confident,
composed and felt in control of myself and the audience. And from then on, I
loved it! I still go to Toast Masters today!

Describe a time when you saw a lot of plastic waste (e.g. in a park, on
the beach etc.)

You should say:

Where you saw the plastic waste

When you saw the plastic waste

What you did

And explain how you felt about this experience

参考答案

A time when I saw a lot of plastic waste was… well, I wonder if this counts or
not… I think it does… it was actually at a presentation I went to see in a large
bookshop in my city. Let me explain. There’s a big international bookstore in
my city, which also has a café, restaurant area, and an area where they host
exhibitions and other events. There was a presentation – a sort of talk really –
by an environmental organization, about recycling and the importance of
individual contributions to the world recycling efforts. The focus of a big part of
the presentation was on the use of plastics. They explained how so much
plastic does not actually get recycled, but ends up filling the land and often
also ends up in the oceans. What really stick in mind was this photograph of
the “doldrums” – an area of the ocean where loads of plastic ends up coming
together in one big island – yes, it’s almost like a huge island of plastic. I am
not sure why it all gathers together in that one place, the size of a country, but
it does – it’s something related to ocean currents and so on. Anyway, the
series of images, the photos, in the presentation, of this huge amount of
plastic just tangled up and floating like a giant island, really made me feel
quite depressed. Especially when I learned, and saw pictures of the harm this
does to sea animals and birds. So, yes, I felt depressed about this
experience, but it did make me think more carefully about our daily plastic use
and the environment.

范例 1

I recall an instance when I encountered an alarming amount of plastic waste on a

visit to a pristine beach in Bali, Indonesia. It was during the summer of 2019, a
season when tourists flock to the island, drawn by its natural beauty and vibrant
culture.

As I strolled along the shore, I was disheartened to see heaps of plastic debris
scattered across the golden sands, intermixed with seaweed and shells. Water
bottles, plastic bags, and fragments of various sizes marred the otherwise
picturesque landscape. It was a stark contrast to the idyllic image one typically
associates with Bali’s beaches.

Faced with this disheartening sight, I felt compelled to take immediate action. I
joined a group of like-minded tourists and locals who were already engaged in a
beach clean-up initiative. Equipped with gloves and trash bags, we painstakingly
collected as much plastic waste as we could, working tirelessly under the scorching
sun. Our collective effort spanned several hours, and by the end of the day, we had
amassed an astonishing amount of trash, which was later sorted for recycling.

This experience left a profound impact on me. It was a sobering reminder of the
pervasive and insidious nature of plastic pollution, and the critical need for greater
environmental stewardship. I felt a mix of frustration and sadness, realizing how
human negligence could defile such a beautiful natural environment. However, there
was also a sense of fulfillment and hope, knowing that our small act of service
contributed to the restoration of the beach’s natural beauty, and perhaps inspired
others to adopt more sustainable practices.

In retrospect, this encounter underscored the urgency of addressing plastic waste

and reinforced my commitment to advocating for environmental conservation. It
was a poignant lesson in the importance of individual and collective action in
safeguarding our planet for future generations.
范例 2

I distinctly recall an instance when I encountered an appalling amount of plastic

waste during a sojourn to a once-pristine beach in Bali, Indonesia. It was the summer
of 2019, a time when the island is inundated with tourists, allured by its natural
splendor and vibrant cultural tapestry.

As I ambled along the shore, my sense of tranquility was shattered by the

disheartening sight of copious amounts of plastic debris defiling the golden sands.
Discarded water bottles, plastic bags, and fragments of various sizes were strewn
about, intermingled with seaweed and shells, presenting a grotesque juxtaposition
against the otherwise idyllic seascape.

Confronted with this egregious spectacle, I felt an imperative to act. I joined a

contingent of like-minded tourists and locals who were already immersed in a beach
clean-up initiative. Donning gloves and armed with trash bags, we meticulously
gathered as much plastic detritus as possible, laboring relentlessly under the
sweltering sun. Our concerted efforts extended over several arduous hours,
culminating in the collection of an astonishing quantity of waste, which was
subsequently sorted for recycling.

This poignant experience left an indelible mark on me. It was a stark and sobering
reminder of the pervasive and insidious nature of plastic pollution, and the exigent
need for heightened environmental stewardship. I was suffused with a mixture of
frustration and melancholy, acutely aware of how human negligence had desecrated
such a beautiful natural haven. However, there was also a semblance of fulfillment
and optimism, knowing that our collective endeavor contributed to the reclamation
of the beach’s natural allure and perhaps galvanized others to embrace more
sustainable practices.

In retrospect, this encounter underscored the urgency of addressing plastic waste

and fortified my resolve to advocate for environmental conservation. It was an
eloquent lesson in the significance of both individual and collective action in the
quest to safeguard our planet for posterity.

Part3 附加问题

1.Why do some people like to use plastic products?

Everyone uses plastic products to some extent. They’re now completely

ubiquitous. So much is made out of plastic, from simple, lower-quality plastic
for bags and packaging to the higher quality, very durable plastic that is used
for making phones and electronic equipment, casing and car interiors and all
sorts. So, I am not sure if people “like” using plastic products really – I think
they are just a part of everyday life as plastic, of varying sorts, features in
almost everything.

2.Do you think we should use plastic products?

We should certainly make more effort to reduce our use of plastic, that is for
sure. We should try to limit our use of plastic to those things which are
absolutely necessary and not just frivolously use plastic bags when we don’t
need to, or buy things with loads of plastic packaging and so on. So, though
the use of plastic is unavoidable really, we can at the very least reduce
unnecessary use of plastic in daily life and be more careful about our attitude
to recycling and waste.

3.How can we reduce our use of plastic products?

We can reduce our use by recycling more, for starters. That act in itself makes
us think more about the amount of plastic we collect – as we can see it
mounting up in our recycling bin at home, so we become more aware of just
how much we waste. Secondly, I think we should re-use bags more often
when we go shopping, rather than just taking new bags from the vendors or
supermarkets every time we buy things. These are two key steps we can
employ to reduce plastic use.

4.What kinds of plastic waste are often seen in your country?

Mainly plastic shopping bags from supermarkets and markets and packaging.
We use a lot of packaging in China, especially with the obsession with online
purchasing, so this means that things get delivered in plastic, often. So, I
believe that the biggest use of plastic must be supermarkets and online
shopping businesses that use plastic in their packaging. I can’t think of
anything else off-hand, but there must be lots more examples – plastic is
everywhere these days.