Preferences (colors) 71a. What color do you like? Why? I like red. Please allow me to explain.

In my country, red is associated with lifeand good luck. For example, a bride will wear something red on her wedding day,in the hope that it will bring her and her bridegroom some luck in future. 71b. What color do you like? Why? If I had to describe my favorite color, I would choose yellow. Many artists areknown to use yellow in their paintings. For example, Vincent van Gogh is famousfor the yellow sunflowers in some of his paintings. Many countries have yellow intheir national flags. For example, South Africa has a broad yellow band in their newly designed flag. This symbolizes the energy and warmth to be found in thenation. 71c. What color do you like most? Why? Yellow is my favorite color. First of all, to me, yellow symbolizes the sun. What Imean to say is that it reminds me of energy and warmth. Secondly, yellow is abright color as apposed to dull colors like brown and gray. For instance, brownand gray usually make me feel depressed. Lastly, I would like to mention thatyellow is a practical color. That is to say, you can wear yellow with almost anycolor, and it does not get dirty too easily. 72. Do colors have some symbolic meaning in your country? Yes, colors certainly have a lot of meaning in my country. Please allow me toexplain. Firstly, it is significant that the national flag of my country has a redbackground. Red is symbolic, for example, of a vibrant life, which we believe areone of the dominant characteristics of the country and its people. It also signifiesgood luck, so a bride would wear some red on her wedding day. In addition, Ithink that yellow has a specific meaning to our people. For example, we believethat it symbolizes the energy radiated by the sun, which in turn is the primarysource of life. In addition, however, it also signifies the obscene, as apposed toblue in the most of the western cultures. For example, here a blue movie wouldbe called a yellow movie. Lastly, I think that white has a special meaning to us.To be more specific, in times of sadness and mourning, we use white to expressour feelings, as apposed to black in most of the western cultures. Preferences (shopping and movies) 73a. Do you like / enjoy shopping? Yes, I love shopping. Please allow me to explain. Firstly, I usually buy clothes for myself. I like to go to the shops and see what they have to offer. I browse aroundand compare the prices before a buy something. Secondly, I do the shopping of all our household needs. I love to find out about any new products on the marketand how they can possibly make my life easier.

73b. Do you like / enjoy shopping? No, I hate shopping. Please allow me to explain. Firstly, shopping is the mostbasic activity in a capitalistic society. What I mean to say is that somebody has aproduct which they would like you to buy from them whether you really need it or not. They lure you into their shops and malls by advertising their goods on TVand in the newspapers. They only tell you about the positive aspects of their product, but would never mention the disadvantages. This you have to find outfor yourself, usually after you have bought the product. 74a. Do you often go to the cinema? Yes, I go to the cinema as often as possible. I usually go with some friends towatch the latest action movies or comedies. We have a great time, like for example when our favorite star is playing a lead role in the movie. 74b. Do you often go to the cinema? Yes, I go to the cinema as often as possible. I believe that films are a wonderfulform of art. Please allow me to explain. Firstly, in films there are a wide range of genres ranging from comedy and drama, to horror and science fiction. For example, recently I have seen the drama Titanic, which has been described asthe most expensive film ever made. The extent to which the producers attendedto the details of the original ship was astounding. Another example would be thethriller with my favorite actor Anthony Hopkins in the lead role called Silence of the lambs. It had me on the edge of my seat for most of the time. 75. Do you often go to the theater? No. I have never been to the theater. Firstly, it is too expensive for me. I prefer togo to the cinema. Secondly, I believe that the theater is boring. What I mean tosay is that the actors are on the same stage the whole time. I cannot see howthat can be as exciting as a good movie. 76. What kinds of movies do you like best? I like comedies. First of all, comedies are great fun. What I mean to say is that Ihave a good laugh while watching. Secondly, comedies seldom contain violentscenes. For instance, you would not easily find murders, shooting, fighting, andso on in a comedy. Lastly, comedies often contain excellent acting by famousstars. For example, Robbie Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire is considered one of themost extraordinary performances ever by an actor. 77. Who is your favorite movie star? Describe him / her. My favorite movie star is Jackie Cheng. He is handsome, and very funny. Healways has a smile on his face, and never seems to be worried about thesituations that he finds himself in. The U.S. President Clinton went to watch oneof his movies with him.

MUSIC 78. Do you think music is important?

Yes, I like music very much. That is to say, I cannot imagine what my life wouldbe like without music. Firstly, I believe music plays an important part in peopleslives. For example, we can use it to sooth our minds after a hard day at work, or it can provide us with the rhythm to dance to. 79. What kind of music do you enjoy most? I like pop music very much. Allow me to explain. First of all, pop music is lively,and suits me at my age. What I mean to say is that us youngsters like to listen tomusic that fits in with the way we feel Secondly, usually has a good rhythm. For instance, it is suitable for us to dance on. Lastly, pop music is simple tounderstand. That is to say, I like it because it is not difficult to understand, and ithelps me to relax after I have been studying hard for some time. 80. How long do you listen to music everyday? Oh, let me think a bit. I guess I listen to music for about half an hour every day. Iwould, for example, listen when I get home from school, or in the evenings beforeI go to bed. On weekends, however, I listen to music much more. For example, Iwould invite my best friend over to my place, and we would listen to our favoriteCDs for a few hours at a time. TRAVELING 81. Do you like traveling? Yes, I like traveling. Firstly, I believe that traveling is always educational. What Imean to say is that the people that you meet along the way are usuallyinteresting. Secondly, I wish I were able to travel more. For example, I have nottraveled to a foreign country yet. 82. How do you usually travel? I like to travel by train. Allow me to explain. Firstly, when I travel by train I amable to see more of my country. In addition, the trains in my country areconvenient and comfortable. For example, I can travel to any city, and I am ableto sleep on the train. Lastly, traveling on a train is a social event as well. For example, one can chat to the other passengers about where they are going, andwhy they are traveling. 83. Where have you traveled lately? I traveled to xxx last month. My parents and I traveled there by train. We went tosee my grandmother who has been ill lately. I enjoyed the trip as I have not beento xxx before. We did not have the opportunity to sleep on the train, as it takes only six hours to get there. 84. What kind of places do you like to visit? I like to visit places where there is a lot of entertainment. For example, I dont likeit when we go and visit my grandparents in the country. They live on a farm anddont even have a computer for me to play on. I like to visit the cities where thereare movies to watch and nightclubs to visit