地点类话题:理想的家:The apartment is located not far from a very pleasant park along the river. It’s a quiet neighborhood compared with the noisy city center. It’s a three-bedroom apartment. It’s quite spacious. I think it covers about 130 square meters. She lives on the tenth floor and she has two balconies with a nice view over the river. On a clear day, you can see the mountains that surround Hangzhou. It is a lot of fun to live here, I mean getting so close to nature and escape from the busy city life.As soon as you get inside, you are in the living room. There’s a huge couch facing a wide-screen TV. I can put a wooden coffee table in front of it. Because of the large screen doors, the place is very bright. I like to read a lot and she has set up many bookshelves to display her many novels and DVD collection.Two of the bedrooms have a private bathroom, which is very convenient when I have some friends to come over. There are nice curtains on the windows and fancy cushions on the beds. It looks very cozy.Finally, the kitchen is quite small but well-equipped. I will have an oven and hot plates, a microwave and a big fridge. It’s a nice and interesting place and I really wish I could own a house like this someday.历史建筑：Ok, well, the historical building I’ve decided to talk about is the former residence of a Chinese poet, who I think was called …or something like that, and although it’s not really that well-known a building, the reason I’ve chosen to describe it rather than any of the other old places I’ve been to is that I’m pretty sure you won’t have heard any other students talking about this one, so it should hopefully be a bit more interesting for you! Anyway, I suppose it must have been about 7 or 8 years ago when I went there, so it was quite a while ago, and as for why I visited it, well if I’m gonna be totally honest with you, I wasn’t actually all that keen on going, because at that time I had absolutel y no interest in history or poetry, so it wasn’t my idea of fun at all, you know, I would much rather have been at home watching TV! But my parents thought it would be a good idea to take me there, as they said it would help me understand more about Chinese culture and also what life used to be like when they were children. And as well as this, I think they may have also secretly hoped that going there might spark my interest in poetry or calligraphy.But anyway, as for what people were doing there, well, there wasn’t really that much to see, apart from the calligraphy and photographs which were hanging up on the walls. So people were mainly just walking around the house looking at the various things on the walls and reading the captions which, I have to a dmit, I didn’t bother doing myself, as I wasn’t the least bit interested in any of it. I guess I was just too young to really appreciate it.And with regard to how I felt about the building itself, well if truth be told, it wasn’t really all that impressive, because it was basically just a small two-storey house with a little garden running around it. So it probably looked pretty much what most other houses would have looked like 50 years ago. But then again I guess it wasn’t meant to look that impressive, because the whole point of preserving the house was to commemorate the life of the poet, so the focus was on him rather than the building itself.What else? Um..…. Oh yeah, of course, you can go on a boat on the lake, and if it’s your first time there, then it’s something you should definitely do, because I’d say it’s probably the best way to experience the beauty of the lake and its surroundings.So yeah, it’s a really interesting place to visit, and if you haven’t been there yet, you should definitely go if you ever have the chance!人物类话题：我的好友:Let me tell you about my childhood friend. His name is Jeff and we met in primary school where we used to be classmates. And we happened to go to the same high school as well. We have built very strong relationship over the years. Jeff is my best friend because I can really count on him: he’s the person I trust most. He’s extremely considerate. He’s very thoughtful. He always cares about other people.We often get together to play basketball. We hang out on the weekend. We have a lot of things in common. We both like sports; we both love to watch the NBA and especially the Houston Rockets. We sometimes play online games too, or watch movies together.Jeff is a very good listener. He’s very enthusiastic and always optimistic. Whenever I have a problem at school, he’s always there to cheer me up. He’s fun to be with.Last year, we had to study hard for the college entrance examination and he helped me with the science subjects. He’s a hard working student and he can be serious too because he wants to become a layer, and he knows what his priorities are.Next year, I’ll go to Australia to get a Bachelor’s degree and Jeff will stay in China, but I know that we will keep in touch through emails and messages. And even if we don’t get to see each other often, we both know we can rely on each other and this is true friendship.想了解更多的名人:I would like to know more about Kobe Bryant, the former NBA player from the Los Angeles Lakers. I’m a big fan of him, and it would be an honor and a huge privilege to spend some time in private with him. Kobe Bryant won 4 national championships, and he was elected MVP (Most Valuable Player) a couple of years ago. He was regarded as the best player since Michael Jordan retired.If I had the opportunity to know him more, I would like to interview him and ask him a few questions on his childhood. I would like to get to know about his basketball performances when he was a child, how much he practiced, how he practiced. I read that he refused to go to university, and directly enrolled in the NBA. I’m curious to know when he actually realized he had the potential to become a successful NBS player.I would definitely ask him to tell me about other athletes he has played with or against. I would love to know what kind of relationship he has with Shaquille O’Neal. They used to play together. O’Neal is said to be quite a character: you know, he’s a real funny guy. They won 3 titles with the Lakers when Kobe was much younger, and maybe he could tell me some anecdotes about O’Neal. I would also like to ask him whether or not he ever talks to Lebron James, who is his big rival in terms of being the best in the league.In addition, I would be very interested in knowing what his dreams are for the future. In terms of career, he has already won everything. I would ask him how he motivates himself, and whether or not he ever gets tired of playing.Finally, I would inquire about his personal life and his daily routine when he’s not playing. I wonder what kinds of movies he likes, who his favorite singers are, stuff like that. I would like to ask him about how he invests his money: in real estate, in the stock exchange, or something else? If it seems like these questions are too private, I would give him a ball and ask him to show me a few moves instead!想了解更多的名人:Let me tell you about Yao Ming, one of the most famous celebrities in China. He was an incredible athlete who played in the NBA. He is 2.29 meters, and he was the tallest player in that league at the time. He was obviouslyvery skillful and talented, but he was also a great Chinese ambassador overseas.He was born in Shanghai in 1980, and he played basketball there for quite a few years before entering the NBA. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets and has been playing for them since 2002. He was a hero in China because very few Chinese players get their chance in the NBA. Many young Chinese boys regarded Yao Ming as their idol, and he has really made a name for himself.Yao was everywhere in the national news, and journalists always reported on his achievements or difficulties on a daily basis. Because of his size, Yao Ming often got injured, but he also kept busy with many advertising campaigns. I read somewhere that he was the richest celebrity in China.People admire Yao Ming because of his hard work and also because of his humanity: he always organizes charity events and he hosted a telethon to raise money for SARS a few years ago. After the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan, he donated 2 million dollars. In addition, a few years ago, he bought his former club in Shanghai, as they were facing financial problems. He hoped to help the club regain its prominent place among China’s other teams.Yao Ming is respected by everyone and I believe he will be remembered long even now he stops playing basketball. I think he’s a well-rounded man, and that’s what people appreciate about him.我尊重的老人：Ok, well after a bit of thought, the person I’ve decided I’d like to talk about is my grandad, who I learned an incredible amount from, and I mean I’ve learned how to invest wisely in the stock market from him.And as for why he taught me this, well firstly, it was because my grandad understood the importance of investing, as he would always say that it’s much better having your money work for you rather than you working for money! So that’s one thing, and I should also mention the fact that he used to really love playing the stock market. In fact, I think I would go so far as saying it was probably what he spent most of his time doing, partly, I suppose, because it kept his mind active, but more importantly because he saw it as a way of helping the family. In other words, he wanted to invest his pension so as to increase the inheritance that he would eventually pass down to us, which was very considerate of him, as was so many other things he’s done for me and the rest of my family.Oh, and I suppose one other reason for him teaching me about the stock market is that he was aware that at school, we weren’t really taught about money or investing, so he must have realized that this was something that he was in a good position to teach me about.But anyway, as for how I felt about learning all this from my grandad, well obviously, I was really grateful to him for taking the time to teach me and share all his knowledge of the stock market, such as what to look for in a company before investing in it.And because of this, I’m happy to say that I’ve been pretty successful, up to now, at picking good shares, and this is a skill I’ll be able to use for the rest of my life. So I feel super lucky, and will make sure I pass the same knowledge onto my own children and grandchildren!领导力强的朋友:Ok then well the person that I’d like to talk about is actually my good friend Sarah, who is an events manager, and from what she’s told me, she’s extremely good at it and she proves to be a good leader.But um, firstly, I guess I should briefly explain what she actually does in her job, and uh, to put it simply, she basically manages the planning and running of events. So that would include things like um, arranging the venue, uh getting everything set up, um.. what else…uh,…oh yeah, food of course, invitations, all that kind of stuff. Besides, she has to manage 20 members in her team. So she finds it pretty challenging, what with all the responsibilities that come with the job, but also very rewarding, especially if the event went well, and she and her subordinates are like a family. They work closely together in every project.Anyway, as for why I think she’s doing a good leader, well um, I think it’s mainly due to the fact that it kind often compasses so many different things and her team members respect her. And I mean, you know, every event she does is, in some way, different to what she’s done before. So as a result, she’s constantly, like, experiencingand learning new things. And also, you know, she has to take the airplane to travel all around the country putting on various events. Um… and in the process, she gets to meet a lot of different people, including celebrities, occasionally. She seems to be able to handle all of these quite well not only because she’s flying all around the country, but she won the awards of “the best employee of the year” for a few times already even though she has worked in that company for no more than 10 years. Um…yeah, that’s pretty much it then. Thanks for listening.事物类话题：有趣的对话:Well, I’d like to talk about an interesting conversation with one of my neighbours, who I guess must be approaching her 60s now. She just retired from her profession as a teacher.When I bumped into her a few days ago, I mentioned to her a problem I was having with an essay I had to write, because it was a two and a half thousand-word essay about something extremely dull, and, for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything to write. But she just said to me, “forget about how much you need to write, just imagine you can write it as long or as short as you want.” This was a really interesting approach, I haven’t thought of that before. This was very inspiring and I proceeded to ask her some other questions like how to study well. She gave me really good advice. This conversation was interesting. And the approach she recommended was amazing, because when I changed my mindset to how she suggested, it suddenly became much easier to write the essay, and I even ended up writing over three thousand words.So this is just one example, and I guess it partly explains why I like talking with her a lot, because, she's always able to give me good advice, whether it be in my studies or any other aspect of my life, and I'm super grateful to her for this.I should also finally mention that she's an incredibly nice lady, so it's always really enjoyable chatting with her.Thanks very much for listening.你喜欢的一个童年玩具素材1:Transformer:On my tenth birthday, my parents bought me a transformer as a birthday present. When I opened the gift box, I was really surprised by what I was seeing in front of me. It was an awesome transformer that I had dreamedabout for ages. The moment I saw this toy, I was absolutely over the moon. It was pretty huge and looked like a hip yellow car, and it could be shifted from a car to a robot action figure and back again. The transformer had a really nice color and finish. And it came with a nice handgun as a weapon and different accessories. It was super cool! And with the transformer, there was a card from my parents saying” Sweetie, you mean everything in the world to us and you are forever the apple of our eyes. Happy Birthday! Love Mum and Dad.” I’m telling you, although I was pretty young at that time, those words impressed me a lot!你喜欢的一个童年玩具素材2:One special toy that I remember getting was a Lego car. It was a birthday present from my parents. I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I was probably about 10 or 11.The special thing about this car was that I had to build it myself out of hundreds of pieces of Lego. The pieces came in a box with a picture of the finished car on the front and I had to follow step-by-step instructions to put all the pieces together in the correct way.This wasn't an easy task because the car even had an engine, movable seats and gears. It took mea day or two to make and this required a lot of concentration. When the car was finished it looked great, and I felt so proud of myself. But I remember that I didn’t play with the car very much; the fun part had been the process of building it.你喜欢的一个童年玩具素材3:When I was a child, my favorite toy was an action figure called Ao Te Man. It was from a Japanese cartoon on TV that all of us used to watch. I remember begging my mother to buy me the little robot so that I could play with my friends during recess at school.It was a 30-centimeter-tall plastic action figure and it cost my mother a lot of at the time. I think it was som thing like 200 yuan which is ridiculous for a simple toy, but every one of my classmates had one, so I really insisted on having one too.That was a long time ago, but I still remember it had a blue armor and it held a sword and a shield. The robot had joints which allowed it to rotate and swing its arms.I remember how we used to make the robots fight each other after school or on the weekend. We would imitate the cartoon we had watched and make them fly around our universe. We pretended to be the superheroes saving the world from destruction by alien robot monsters. It was a lot of fun and we spent untold hours imagining different plots for adventure stories in which our robots would attack each other.I think these games are very good for children becau se they can socialize and create their own stories; it’s beneficial for the kids to keep their imaginations active. One good way to do this is to imitate TV shows, even though nowadays cartoons are too often rather violent, which could have a negative effect on kids.So yeah, that’s pretty much it.你满意的一个物品素材1:Ok, well the first thing that came to mind when I saw this topic was olive oil, because I bought a bottle of it not that long ago, and if I’m not mistaken, I think it was from either Italy or Spain, so that’s what I’ve decided to talk about.And as for where I got it, well, it was actually just from my local super market, because it’s now started selling quite a few imported products, which I’m really happy about, as I always enjoy trying new things, especially stuff from other countries.And with regard to what I use the olive oil for, well, I’d say I use it for mo st of my cooking now, because it goes well with pretty much everything, especially bread and pasta, as you probably know, so I’m getting through it quite quickly, and I think I’m actually turning into a bit of an addict!But anyway, as for what made me dec ide to buy it, well firstly, it’s apparently meant to be really good for you, so it’s basically a lot healthier than most other kinds of cooking oil. And another thing to mention would be that I remember tasting some olive oil at a Western restaurant I went to a couple of weeks ago, and I liked it so much that I made a mental note to get some when I next went to the supermarket.So yeah, I guess these would be the main reasons, and even though it’s quite a bit more expensive than ordinary cooking oil, I re ckon it’s definitely worth it.你满意的一个物品素材2:Ok then, well the product I’d like to talk to you about is Longjing tea, which is a type of green tea, and I felt pleased about this product.I guess you could translate it as “Dragon Well” tea, which I’ve heard some people say, but to me that sounds kind of strange. And I think it’s better to just call it by its Chinese name, Longjing tea, which is also the name of the area where it’s grown.But anyway, as for where you can buy it, well, here in Hangzhou, you can find it pretty easily, because there are quite a number of tea shops dotted around the city, all of which sell it. But as for other parts of the country, I’d say it’s a bit more hard to come by, but I’m sure if you looked hard enough you’d be able to find it in most cities.And regarding why it’s popular, well I guess the main reason probably lies in the taste, which is quite subtle, but at the same time, very distinctive. And if you’ve ever had it before, you’ll notice that the flavour kind of lingers in your mouth, especially if the tea's good-quality. However, I should warn you that the best Longjing tea is incredibly expensive. You know, you’re probably looking at something in the region of seven to eight thousand rmb for half a kilogram. But you can also buy perfectly good Longjing tea for several hundred rmb for half a kilo, so the price varies considerably between the different grades. And if you do ever decide to buy some, then make sure to taste some first, as that will give you a much better idea of what to go for.Ok, right then, well, actually a lot of things going on around the world every day, and this year is probably is as difficult as what we have gone through last year. And I would talk about the news that I just heard at the beginning of 2021. It was about the England's coronavirus lockdown.At the end of 2020, Britain has registered another daily record number of coronavirus cases with more than 50,000 confirmed infections. The figure comes as British government is facing increasing pressure to tighten restrictions with some hospitals at risk of being overwhelmed by increasing numbers of Covid patients. What makes things even worse is that there were new variant of coronavirus in the UK. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the restrictions were needed to control it and people should stay at home except for a handful of reasons such as medical appointments and essential shopping.I’m seriously concern about the safety of people in the UK and other countries as well. It’s too harsh. This global epidemic has been with us for more than one year, it takes a toll on many countries. Millions of lives were lost. It is absolutely horrible. I intended to study in the UK this year, but it seemed the situation was pretty adverse. I was not sure whether I had to change my plan now. I do hope the vaccination works and save lives. Fingers crossed.长久的追求好消息的素材:Ok, well after thinking about it for a bit just now, I’ve decided to talk about Scuba diving. It is a type of underwater diving in which a scuba diver uses a self-contained underwater breathing equipment (scuba) to breathe underwater.I really want to try this kind of sport when I first watched a program about this on TV a couple of years ago. The divers carry their own source of breathing gas, allowing them greater freedom of movement and longer underwater endurance. That feels pretty cool.Also, people can see those tropical fish and swim with them. What they need is a dive mask to improve underwater vision, a protective dive suit, equipment to control buoyancy, and equipment related to the specific circumstances and purpose of the dive.But I think if I wanna do this sport, I have to go to Australia or the places with scuba diving to receive some formal training. Scuba divers are trained in the procedures and skills appropriate to their level of certification by instructors affiliated to the diver certification organizations which issue these certifications. These include standard operating procedures for using the equipment and dealing with the general hazards of the underwaterenvironment, and emergency procedures for self-help and assistance of a similarly equipped diver experiencing problems. A minimum level of fitness and health is required by most training organizations, but a higher level of fitness may be appropriate for some applications.So that’s the sport I would like to try and learn for the first time, hopefully in the near future, my dream can be fulfilled.很贵的活动素材2：Let me tell you about the outdoor sports that I wanna try for the first time- kite-surf. It don’t know if you’re familiar with this sport, but I saw a program on TV about it, and I really want to do this sport in Australia in the near future.It’s a water sport. I saw this from a TV program. After some training, a person first rides a small board, sort of like a small surf board, and at the same time, that guy can be harnessed to a very large kite. This kite propels him across the water. It looks stunning, because the surfers could actually get up a lot of speed, and most important, they could fly when they ride a wave.People kite-surf all over the world. It’s a fairly new activity. But you can do it anywhere as long as the wind is steady, and it always pulls you back towards the beach. If the wind takes you away from the coast, it could be dangerous. The people who try this sport is are really cool, they have no fear, and they are looking for a thrill. Yeah, that’s about it. Thanks for listening.童年的游戏：Alright, I will tell you about a very simple but extremely famous game played in kindergartens. The game is called "Duck, duck, goose?" and I remember playing in pre-school and possibly in primary school too.As a child, my parents sent me to an English school where some Chinese teachers taught us in English. We would play games and join in a few activities while speaking English and learning new words. It was very easy but we learned the basics before going to primary school. Whenever the weather allowed it, we would go outside to play different games in English.The games goes like this. A group of children sit in a circle facing inward. One child is "it and walks around the circle. As the child walks around the circle. He taps every child's head and says whether they are a “duck” or a “goose.” Once someone is called a "goose, he or she must get up and try to chase the child who tapped his head. The goal of the goose is to tag the child before he or she is able to sit down in the goose's spot. If the goose is not able to do this, he or she becomes "it" and starts tapping heads again. If the goose manages to tag the child who hit him on the head then “it?" has to sit in the middle of the circle and cannot leave until someone else is tagged.These games were a lot of fun because children like to run and laugh. I remember that our teachers used to play with us and chase us like crazy around the circle Kindergarten is a time to learn how to coexist with others and this game definitely brings kids closer together because they have to touch and catch each other. In addition, it is essential to teach children to react fast. As soon as the child taps your head and calls you goose, it is important to realize and get up as quickly as possible. I think it is a creative and fun game even if it seems a bit silly when I describe it.Ok right then, well after thinking for a bit just now, the area of science that I’d like to learn more about is astrophysics – at least that’s what I think it’s called anyway, because I’ve become pretty interested in it ever since I watched the film….oh what was it called?…Oh yeah, Interstellar, that’s the one!让你深思的电影：素材1:Ok right then, well the film I’ve decided I’d like to talk about is The Pursuit of Happiness, which, if I’m not mistaken, is based on a true story about a guy called Chris Gardner, and as for when I watched it, well it was actually quite a while ago. But I still remember it pretty well and this is the movie that I would like to share with my friends.Firstly though, regarding what happened in the film, well I’m not sure whether you’ve seen it or not, but in a nutshell, the storyline basically centred around a guy who, to begin with, was really struggling in life, because he wasn't earning enough money to support his family. So as a result, his wife ended up leaving him, and hislandlord kicked him out of his flat because he couldn’t afford to pay the rent, so he basically became homeless and had to live on the streets. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the turning point came when he was given the opportunity to work at an investment bank, where he ended up doing really well, and eventually he became mega rich!So with regard to how I felt about this film, well, to put it simply, I thought it was really inspiring, because……how can I put it…… it kind of showed that anything is possible, for example how Chris Gardner was able to go from the absolute depths of despair to joy and happiness. In other words, it basically taught me that, no matter what my situation in life might be, there will always be a way to succeed if I put all my heart and effort into something, just as Chris Gardner did.So in this respect I found it an incredibly powerful film, and would definitely recommend it to my friends and share with them .感兴趣的大公司:Ok then, well, a large company that I’m interested in is the one run by a neighbour of mine set up together with his wife, so that’s what I’d like to talk to you about.And regarding what their company does, well to put it simply, it manufactures clothes, which they then export to places like Europe and America.And they seem to be doing pretty well, because a few years ago they were a pretty small operation and didn’t even make the clothes themselves. I mean, to begin with, they were just a trading company, so they would take orders from customers overseas, and then find a suitable supplier here in China to make the order. But after doing this for a while, the company became slightly bigger and managed to grow from 5 staff to over 200 in the space of only about 3 years, which I think's pretty staggering.So you know, I really admire them for being able to achieve all this, and as for how they’ve been so successful, well I don’t know for certain, because I’ve never really asked them, but from what I know of them as people, I would say much of their success is down to fact that they’re both incredibly nice. Cos I mean, they treat everyone they meet really well, which I’m sure also includes all their staff and customers. And this is bound to have helped their business grow. Of course there are also other reasons for their success, but this is all I can think of right now.。
