SPEAKING PART 2- B1 VSTEP

Part 2: Solution Discussion (4’)

Situation 1: A group of people is planning a trip from Danang to Hanoi. Three
means of transport are suggested: by train, by plane, and by coach. Which means
of transport do you think is the best choice?

Coach:

Advantages:

Easy to catch

You can travel anytime and anywhere

You can have your own schedule.

Can make unexpected stop (you can stop any café by the side of the road)

Move quickly from one place to another.

Disadvantages
When travelling by car, it’s possible to face with traffic accident and traffic
congestion.
Train:

Advantages:
Easy to plan route

One of the safest way to travel

Can work, study, take phone calls on the way

Can travel overnight long distance with the high level of safety

Disadvantages:

More expensive than travelling by car

The trains are sometimes crowded and delayed

You couldn’t quickly move to exact place.

Plane:

Advantages
The fastest mean of transport

Can reach the destination in a few hours.

Save time for passengers

Provide good service

Disadvantages
The most expensive

Many procedures to check in

Situation 2: A group of friends from other part of your country is going to visit
your city, Da Nang. They plan to stay here for two days. They are wondering
where to go during the two days: Ba Na Hills, MyKhe beach, HoiAn ancient town
and MySon holly land. In your opinion, which is the best destination for them?

Choose: Ba Na Hills and My Khe Beach

-Both of destinations are in Da Nang City. It is convenient to travel and go
sightseeing

- Ba Na is known as the "green lung" of Danang City. Because this is the

only place that can bring visitors cool climate, fresh and feel great 4 seasons
in one day.

- My Khe is one of the most attractive beaches in the planet

Not choose: Hoi An- I have visited Hoi An many times, so it is not attractive for
this trip

-My Son is quite far from city center. It takes much time to move
Situation 3: Your friend is going to study in an English speaking country. He/ She
wants to improve his/her English. He is considering having one-to-one lessons
with a native teacher, going to an English class at a language center or doing an
online course. In your opinion, which is the best choice?

Choose: Going to an English class at a language center

-She will have an environment to practice English speaking skills with

native teachers, foreigners as well as classmates

-Tuition fee is not as expensive as learning one-to-one with a native teacher

Not choose: Doing an online course may be not effective and hard to ask questions
directly to her teacher

One-to- one with a native teacher is high tuition fee.

Situation 4: You are having a birthday party and many of your friends are invited.
Three locations are suggested: at home, in a restaurant and in a karaoke bar. Which
do you think is the best place for the party?
At home:
Advantages
People feel warmly
Not expensive as eating at a restaurant- you can save money
Food hygiene is ensured
At a restaurant
Advantages
Eating in a restaurant can be fun with your family and friends.
You do not have to clean or wash up.
Restaurant can serve food that you don’t have time to cook or don’t know how to
cook it.
Disadvantages
People are crowded, they are noisy. It makes you uncomfortable.
Eating at a restaurant is more expensive than at home.
Not healthy and unsafe about food hygiene (because it’s so difficult to know if the
food is washed carefully)
You have to wait for the service so long.
At a karaoke
 It seems to be that it is not warm because everyone all waits for their turn to sing
their favorite songs
Noisy; some of friends do not like to sing.
Situation 5: Your friend is not quite good at speaking English and he/ she wants to
improve it. He/ She asks you about some ways recommended by his/ her English
teacher: attending a course of communicative English, taking part in a weekly
English speaking club, making friends with foreigners in your city. In your
opinion, which is the best choice?
Choose: Taking part in a weekly English speaking club
-There are lots of foreign volunteers who are always willing to help her improve
the pronunciation as well as communicative skill
-Besides, it is usually free, does not cost any expenses. It is suitable with her
financial situation.
Not choose: Attending a course of communicative English
- She faces with difficulties in financial condition so she has to do part time
job each evening. Maybe she will not arrange time to attend a course three
times a week.
Making friends with foreigners in the city
- She is not enough confident to make friends with stranger people.
Situation 6: You are going to have a holiday for a week. Three places are
suggested: a resort near the beach, a cottage in the countryside and a hotel in the
mountainous area. Which do you think is the best for your holiday?
Choose: Resort near the beach:
- Fresh air and we can enjoy a sunset in the morning each day
- Seafood is my favorite food.
- I can take lots of wonderful photos
Not choose: A cottage in the countryside
- It is quite far from where I am living now so I feel not convenience
A hotel in the mountainous area
- I find it is difficulty in moving and maybe I face with some problems when
it is dark or bad weather.

Situation 7: An eight-year-old boy loves animals very much. He can choose one of
the following animals to keep as a pet: a dog, a cat or a hamster. Which do you
think is the best pet for him?
Choose: A dog
- It will give his home security
 - It can make a great friend with him. He will be fun and relaxed when
playing balls with his pet.
Not choose: A hamster ( chuột cảnh lông xù)
- Hamsters have a short lifespan, they are nocturnal, they can bite and can
escape easily
- It is small so he will be difficult to care for it.
A cat
- He is allergic to cat hair ( Dị ứng với long mèo)
- Cat’s scratches are dangerous to small children.

Situation 8: Your friend, who is 25 years old, would like to learn how to play a
musical instrument. Three instruments are suggested: the guitar, the piano and the
trumpet. In your opinion, which is the most suitable for him?

Choose: A guitar

- The guitar is an instrument that brings people together as a group and

connects them through music.
- It is quite easy to learn and practice.

- It is popular with students because of cheap price.

Not choose: A piano

- Expenses to buy a new piano and register a class to practice piano skills are
expensive

A trumpet

- To play a trumpet, it requires learners a lot of difficult skills.

Situation 9: A first year student is going to choose where to live: living in a

university dormitory, renting a flat or staying with the relatives? Which do you
think is the best choice?
Choose: Staying with the relatives
- When living with relatives, she will feel safe and does not face with social
evils
- It will save much money for her parents
- She will be always feel warm and cozy.
Not choose: Renting a flat
- It costs much money to pay renting expense each month
 Living in a university dormitory
- There are 6 students living together in a room, maybe she will be shortage of
accommodation and space to study.

Situation 10: You are going to get a birthday present for your close friend. Three
gifts are suggested: a bunch of flowers, a birthday cake and a book. Which do your
think is the best choice?

Choose: A book

- She has a bed-time reading and a huge fan of romantic books

- A book can be kept in a long time and when reading this book, she will
remember me.

Not choose: A bunch of flowers

- It is only kept in a short time and easy to be wilted

A birthday cake

- Another friend in my group will make a birthday cake for her.

Situation 11: Your friend is moving to a new school. You are going to buy her/his
a farewell present. What would you buy: a photo frame, a book, a handkerchief?

Choose: A book ( tương tự situation 10)

Not choose: - A photo frame

My friend has a habit of saving her photos in her own phone or posting on her
facebook account.

-A handkerchief

It is not popular gift in a modern life

Situation 12: Your friend is facing with the obesity. She is very worried about her
situation. Which option can you recommend to her among walking in the morning,
swimming or cycling?
Choose: Walking in the morning

It is an easy way to reduce her weight

It will help her have a beautiful body and no need to buy sport equipment

Not choose:- Swimming

She does not know how to swim

Cycling

She does not own a bicycle

She is now living in a
densely populated area so
it is inconvenient for her to
cycle.
Situation 13: After a hard working week, on the weekends which activities do your
brother and you choose between: go on a picnic, clean house, learn English?
- Choose go on a picnic
+ Release stress after a hard working week;
+ have a sense of freshness;
+ add a bit of fun to the life
+ Spending more time outdoors improves health. Sunshine can also improve

mood and relieve stress

Don’t choose: clean house: we are neat, every day we usually clean own rooms.
- Learn English: on the weekends, we prefer relaxing to learning in order to
recharge our energy for the new week
Situation 14: You are going to have a holiday in Hoi An, which place do you
choose to stay at here between resort, homestay or hotel?
Choose: - Homestay
+ Staying in home stay is much cheaper than staying in a resort. Also, being able to
relax and spend time with your hosts in their home is much more enjoyable!
+ It will make unforgettable impression on my life with friends and local people in
here
+ We can cook our meals and ask the recommendation from the hosts about local
food, famous destination, activities,…
Don’t choose: - A resort: it costs much money
- A hotel is too normal, I want to have a new feeling and sense of freshness.
Situation 15: Which sports do you choose between swimming, tennis and jogging
to improve your health?
Choose: - Jogging
+ it is easily accessible and relatively inexpensive
+ it is an easy way to keep fit because you just get up early and go jogging in the
park
+ Reduce your risk of serious diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and
several types of cancer
Don’t choose:
- Tennis: this kind of sports requires two players; maybe I can’t find a suitable
partner to practice every day.
- Swimming: I am afraid of being under the water
Situation 16: One of your foreign friends is going to visit your city. There are
three suggestions of when to go there: spring, summer and autumn. Which one
would you suggest?

Choose: Spring

-February through April is the Spring season and flowers and gardens start to
bloom over the entire country.

- Can take part in some of the finest festivals in Vietnam

- Enjoy delicious food on Tet holiday.
Don’t choose
- The weather in a summer is so hot; it is not suitable
for outdoor activities.
- In the autumn has a drop of rains and scenes are as
not beautiful as in the spring because of falling
leaves.
Situation 17: After graduating from high school, you will have a plan to study
abroad. You spend a year preparing for this plan. In this year, you wonder to learn
how to drive a car, cook or play a instrument. What is the best choice?
Choose: cook

I can take care of myself when living far from my family

Home-made food is delicious and ensures food safety

Limit to eat fast food to avoid obesity.

Don’t choose

Most of students going abroad choose public transport to move in order to save their
money.

I used to learn how to play a guitar when I was in grade 10.

Situation 18: A group of friends is discussing ways to improve listening skill. Three
possible options are watching movies on Stars movie, listening to radio programs or
learning at the English center?

Choose to learn at the English center

Learning here they will be supported by Vietnamese teachers and foreigners

They will improve her listening skill quickly because of practicing English and
listening dialogues regularly.

Don’t choose

Watching movies on Stars movie: Actors in the films usually speak English fast and
do not have subscribes. They will not understand all contents.

Listening to radio programs: It is quite hard/ difficult for beginners like my friends.

Situation 19: An older couple is going away for their 40th wedding anniversary.
They are considering three options: a two-day hike in the mountains, a luxurious
cruise around the Mediterranean, a spa getaway at a beach? Which do you think
would be the most suitable?

Choose a luxurious cruise around the Mediterranean

They can have a new feeling and sense of freshness when traveling abroad

Make a deep impression on their life.

Experience different culture and enjoy exotic food.

Don’t choose

A two-day hike in the mountains: It is not safe because they are old.

A spa getaway at a beach is too normal; men may be not interested in much.

Situation 20: The local council having extra funds wants to improve the area. Here
are some suggestions on how the money can be spent: a sports center, a library and a
park. Which do you think would be suitable for your area?

Choose : Park

- All locals can do exercise and release stress in here.

-On the weekends, everyone will have a beautiful space to go on a picnic or take part
in some games,..

-Bring the green for a city

Don’t choose

Investing on a sports center will be expensive because of equipment expenses.

A city library is working well now.