英语口语练习

口语练习1.What kind of music do most people prefer, slow or fast music? Can you guess why?It's hard to come to a definite conclusion. It depends. I think this has something to do with people's moods and personalities. A person in high spirits often enjoys quick-tempo music. When one feels blue, the choice is more likely to be slow, sad music to fit that mood. It seems to me that race may also play a role in our choice of music. Asians, like Chinese, Japanese and Koreans often enjoy slow melodies. The famous "Liang Zhu", or "The Romance of the Butterfly", is a case in point. When we move westward, to India and Europe, for example, we can easily observe the difference, for the musical rhythm there suddenly accelerates, and the music becomes more lively and upbeat2. What kind of music do you prefer, classical music or pop music?Personally, I prefer pop music, though I have no objection to classical music. Classical music composed by such great musicians as Beethoven and Mozart is indeed brilliant, but few people can really appreciate it, let alone play or sing it. Pop music is different. As the name suggests, it is popular with all people. We can easily understand pop songs. What's more, anyone can sing pop songs without much difficulty since they require little professional training. Thus, the distance between the singer on the stage and the audience narrows. From time to time, the singer walks down to shake hands with fans, while the latter often sing along with their idols.3.Do you think music can affect people`s lives, for example, to clam people ,cheer them up, or increase efficiency?Generally speaking, I think so. At least this is true of most people. Mothers tend to hum a soothing lullaby instead of a military march to their babies. At a sports meeting, the music is often fast and vigorous. Seldom is a painfully slow serenade played. With respect to the issue of efficiency, I'm afraid it is rather controversial. Quite a few students prefer to listen to a Walkman or a Diskman while they are doing their homework. On the other hand, many demand absolute silence before they can concentrate on their academic work.4.Do you like singing karaoke? Why?I like to sing at a karaoke bar to relax. To my mind, this has at least two advantages. First, I can sing whatever I like to the accompaniment of the music from the TV. Second, after singingloudly or even screaming for a while, I often feel relaxed and forget my worries.5.Do you prefer to watch movies at home or at the theater? Why?This is a difficult question, for most of us enjoy both. But if you press me with this question, I should say that personally I prefer watching a DVD at home. It is true that watching a movie at a theater has a number of advantages. For example, the sound effects are much better. When you hear guns firing in a theater, you feel as if you were on a real battlefield. Moreover, the presence of an audience can create a good atmosphere. When you watch a comedy on TV by yourself, you may be amused by the funny words and actions, but you are unlikely to laugh out loud. In a theater, on the other hand, you may laugh heartily when the whole audience bursts into wild laughter. In spite of those pluses for the theater, I have to say that I prefer to stay home and watch the same movie on DVD. In this way I feel more relaxed. I don't have to sit on a chair. Instead, I can lie on a sofa. I can drink tea or coffee while watching the movie. I can also press the PAUSE button, go to the kitchen or toilet, and then come back to continue the movie. More importantly, if I don't understand a section of the movie, I can replay it. Obviously, the advantages of viewing at home outweigh the advantages of viewing it at a theater.6.Which do you prefer:contemporary movies or classic movies?Different people have different choices, each with their own reasons. Generally, older people prefer old, classic movies, while young people choose contemporary movies, though we can find many exceptions to that pattern. It is reasonable for older people to favor the traditional movies of their time. When they see such movies, their memories of the past will be activated. It is not uncommon for us to observe that when elderly people see things in a movie that they personally experienced, they get excited and even shed tears. Some doctors say this sort of memory stimulation can have healing effects and slow down memory loss. While I understand that older people have good reasons to choose old movies, I prefer movies on contemporary themes. New movies are superior in many respects. First of all, the technology has improved, and therefore we can enjoy better scenes. Second, the directors, actors and actresses have all improved their skills. When you look at Chinese movies of the 1950s, you may find some actors and actresses talk or act somewhat artificially. Third, contemporary movies are often closer to our daily lives, and after seeing them, we can understand our society better. In other words, new movies have better educational value. Of course, the advantages of modern movies are not limited only to those I've just named. But they are reasons enough for me to make my choice. 7.Which do you prefer, Chinese movies or foreign movies? Why?Occasionally I do enjoy seeing a foreign movie. It can take my mind off to a distant land. The outlandish setting often excites me, and the different values tend to give me much food for thought. However, my lack of background information often requires me to make too many inferences, and sometimes I cannot understand certain parts of the movie. In such cases I may feel less entertained. By comparison, I feel more at home with Chinese movies. I can easily associate the scene and lines with the historical background. I can readily understand witty conversation and implied meanings. Sometimes I can even predict what is going to happen from the speaker's tone or gesture. Still, it is true that Chinese movies cannot yet compete with Western movies in filming technology. I do hope the next generation of Chinese movies will make further improvement.8.If a book has been made into a movie, do you prefer to see the movie or to read the book first? Why?Certainly I want to see the movie first. A movie is meant chiefly to entertain, while a book may have a stronger educational function in addition to its entertainment function. If one reads the book first, one will know the outcome of the movie in advance. With hardly any suspense, the movie will lose much of its appeal in spite of its colorful scenes. On the other hand, if we see the movie first, we can still appreciate the corresponding book. The book is usually longer than the adapted movie, and therefore you can still find a lot of new stuff. What's more, while reading a book, you can stop from time to time to think about the deeper meaning. So you see, after seeing the movie, you can still enjoy the book.9.Do you think marriages based on love are more successful than arranged marriages?Generally speaking, marriages based on love are more successful than arranged marriages. In its long history, China has witnessed many tragic events arising from arranged marriages. However, we should not go to extremes and claim that all arranged marriages are failures. After all, in the past 2000-plus years, most of the arranged marriages did survive, and some of the couples did develop real love after their marriage. As for marriages based on love, they are not without problems. In the contemporary world, arranged marriages have almost disappeared. Boys and girls go out on dates and gradually develop a love between them before they get married. Strangely, the divorce rate has kept rising. And the reasons for divorce can be very simple: "We can no longer communicate with each other very well" or simply "I've gotten bored with him or her." In spite of the drawbacks of marriages based on love and the occasionalsuccesses of arranged marriages, it is obvious to all that the former are more in conformity with human nature. The traditional practice of arranged marriages should not be restored.10.Do you think a girl should marry someone who is much older or younger than she is?Personally, I think a girl should not marry someone who is too old or too young for her. With a wide age gap, a couple may be physically incompatible, and their ways of thinking may differ largely from each other. But I will not go so far as to claim that marriages with a wide age gap will all fail. We can find many perfect matches between a young girl and a middle-aged man. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Madam Song Qingling, and the famous writer Lu Xun and his young wife Xu Guangping are good examples. On the other hand, cases of a middle-aged woman marrying a much younger man seem to be rare. Probably such unions are less socially acceptable and the couple has to face greater social prejudice. Generally, we would do well to follow nature, and a girl should select her spouse from among people close to her own age. This will prevent many unnecessary difficulties.11.Do you think a girl should share the expenses or let the boy pay the bill？In the past, the normal pattern was that men worked, while women did not. Thus, it was natural for men to pay. Things have changed. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many females, if not all, went out to work. The women's liberation movement in the United States in the 1960s also achieved a certain level of equality between men and women. So, it is natural that some girls no longer want men to pick up the check. Instead, they prefer to share or "go Dutch" to show that they are equal to males12.What do you know about wedding ceremonies in China?Wedding ceremonies vary from family to family, but a typical Chinese wedding is an elaborate affair. Many Chinese believe that marriage is a major event in life, and they choose to spend a lot of money to celebrate it. Usually, the couple invites a large number of guests, who are seated at ten or more dining tables. The bride and the groom toast each other and the guests cheer. In the past the food itself was the main part of the wedding ceremony and some hungry guests made pigs of themselves. But with economic development, people's living standards have improved a great deal. Food is no longer so important. Now the essential element is a happy atmosphere. The parents of the couple may give speeches to express thanks to each other forbringing up such a nice young man or girl. Also, they wish the couple will love each other for life. The groom and the bride may also thank their parents. After the feast, guests may visit the couple's new apartment, where they tend to make a lot of noise to increase the jubilant atmosphere.13.What is your opinion of the large amounts of money spent on ads for two competing products?Both sides spend piles of money to produce cool ads, but in fact they will only cancel out each other's effort. Neither side will gain. Eventually, the large sums spent on advertising will be passed on to consumers. Sounds bad, doesn't it? But we have no alternative. If we allow ads for one product but forbid ads for another, this means unfair competition. As a result, one product will turn out to be successful, while the other is sure to have a poor market. Should we ban ads altogether? This seems fair to all manufacturers. But consumers will not have enough information about products to make a choice. Worse still, they may not even know a new product has been turned out, let alone buy it. Perhaps we had better accept ads, but we can impose restrictions on them to protect consumers' interests. For example, an ad should not include an untruthful statement or exaggeration. Also, advertisers should not claim that their products are superior to others. Restrictions like these may partly compensate for the shortcomings of advertisements. 14.Should people buy things according to what ads say?It is certainly necessary for us to look at ads, for they provide valuable information on the function, quality and price of a product. However, we should beware of ads that do not tell the truth. Comparing ads for similar products, we may become better informed and judge them more accurately. In addition to advertisements, we can depend on other consumers for information. A consumer has no personal interest in a product and therefore is likely to be more objective than the advertiser. Finally, our common sense can play a role in our choice of a commodity. To summarize, we can turn to various sources for help before we decide on an advertised product.15.What are the negatives social effects of advertisements?Advertisements have negative social effects as well as economic effects. First, the posters and billboards can block scenic views and ruin the environment. Second, people who cannot afford the advertised product may develop a sense of inferiority. Third, as often as not, ads encourage unnecessary buying. Fourth, ads usually portray young and beautiful people. Thus older, plain-looking people may feel as if they do not belong to the contemporary world. If you think carefully, you may find more disadvantages to advertising.16.Should young people buy the clothes advertised by movie stars?On the whole, I do not think it is a good idea to imitate a movie star's clothes. Students should focus on their studies. In the case of students from disadvantaged families, they have no reason to add to the financial burden on their parents. A fashionable dress costs too much for their parents. If a student has done his work well and has plenty of money, then I have no objection to his wearing a film star's fashionable clothes. Wearing such clothes, some people may feel content and then concentrate on more useful pursuits.17.Why do people keep pets?People keep pets for a variety of reasons. Some feel lonely and need company. Other people keep pets for security. Still others buy pets just to be in fashion. Finally, some people keep animals at home just out of love or pity. Their hearts are full of love, which pours out naturally for animals as well as humans.18.What do you think are better pets, dogs or cats? Why?Most people prefer dogs to cats. Dogs are more loyal to their owners than cats are. Also, dogs are more intelligent than cats. They can carry out human instructions and perform fairly complicated functions. Moreover, with its strength and agility, the dog is capable of protecting the house and its master. However, I wouldn't go as far as to claim that cats are worthless. Thanks to their soft fur, meek tempers and cute faces, they are often ladies' favorites.19.Is it cruel to keep pets inside an apartments all day? Explain why?It's hard to arrive at a conclusion on this question. It is obvious that if a pet like a cat is kept in the apartment without much chance of going out, it looks sad and inactive. Without proper physical exercise and enough exposure to the sun, it tends to become weak. However, they also have their compensation. In a human household pets are normally well fed. I should like to point out that a pet's intelligence is also an important factor. A dog or a cat may be intelligent enough to feel lonely, but I doubt whether less intelligent animals like a tortoise or fish can feel the difference between the human home and the wild or whether they can develop a feeling of loneliness, sadness or homesickness. In any case, a human home can provide them with better living conditions.20.Do you think it is okay to eat meat?Do you think it is okay to eat dog meats? Why?In my opinion, it is all right for us to eat meat such as pork, beef and chicken. To explain this, let me quote from the movie "The Lion King". The father lion tells his son that it is all right for them to eat the antelope: "When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life." In the case of dog meat, people's opinions seem to vary. I think with the progress of human civilization and improvement of the living standards, we should discard the habit of eating dogs, since they are so intelligent and so loyal to us.21. What do you think of girls wearing miniskirts?After you have finished listening to the whole unit, you may find that opinions are divided on this issue. Some people believe that good girls should never wear a miniskirt because it is too revealing. On the other hand, there are girls who prefer to break with tradition, play a new, independent role in society, and therefore they choose to wear something daring and rebellious such as a miniskirt. As for me, I'm in favor of the former point of view and don't like those who wear a miniskirt. (I support the latter point of view, for we have to advance with the times.) 22.When you are wearing something new or fashionable, do you feel shy or proud?Some people are daring and self-confident by nature. They feel proud of themselves when putting on new, fashionable clothes. They always want to be the center of public attention. On the other hand, some others tend to be shy. The last thing they wish to do is to seek the spotlight. Naturally, they may feel ill at ease with stylish clothes. As far as I'm concerned, I would feel confident/ uncomfortable in a new dress. This has something to do with my childhood experiences.23.Do you think fashion shows are necessary in today`s society?Obviously fashion shows have been around for a long time in various parts of the world. This fact shows that they are an indispensable part of the modern culture. However, I'd like to point out that the pursuit of fashion should not take up the greater part of our lives. After all, work and study are far more important than fashion shows .24.Do you think people react to you differently when you wear different clothes?Some people do treat me differently according to what I'm wearing. They are often calledsnobs. Fortunately, those people do not represent the majority. Most people judge you by your ability, intelligence and moral integrity rather than by the clothes you're wearing.。