SET 1: Neighborhood

Part1
Hằng: my name is Hằng and i came from Gia Lai province so i need to rent for a room in
SG for my study in here. I live in district 11, in a mini apartment with a friend. We are
going well with each other and I'm happy about it. But our neighbor is not good at all.
They speak, watch tv or listen to music at a very loud volume. I think they are enjoying
their life a bit too much. Even when they come home at midnight, the act of closing
their room door makes a very loud noise which may annoy not only us but also other
people. But on the contrary, they did not create any difficulties for me during my stay
there so gradually i got used to it.

Part 2: Discuss
- Hey Nhut, do you think it’s important to establish and maintain a good
relationship with your neighbors?
- I think yes because firstly it’s the tradition of our nation. We must maintain it.
Secondly, having a good relationship with our neighbor will help us a lot in our
life. We are just human, we all imperfection and of course we’ll have a lot of
things can’t be done alone. In that case the only people who can help us can only
be our neighbor, right? A stranger nearby is better than a far-away relative. And it
could be better if we get along well with that “stranger”. We are living not
surviving, so it is essential to have good relationship with everyone around.
- I know it’s our tradition but now it's the 21st century, the nature of society has
changed a lot, people have gradually become more cold and isolated. Our
friendliness can be too friendly for them and they might feel annoyed. And we
can’t tell if it’s a good person or not. They might take advantage of your kindness
to do bad things such as stealing or maybe transporting or storing banned
substances. It’s also possible that they will rely on you because you’re too
enthusiastic, which will create a bad habit for them. They might also deceive you,
drawing you into social evils or even do something bad to you. Who knows what
will happen if we get too sociable and friendly?
- That’s just a few. When being a good neighbor, if you do anything wrong, they
will remind and instruct you and vice versa. We are getting better together day by
day.
- We are good to them but we cannot claim that they have been really nice to us,
jealousy is always present in every human being. They may misguide us, we
follow that wrong direction, it can be better. So, i think , dog eat dog, it’s fine.
- Oh come on, don’t be so pessimistic like that.
 SET 2: Dreamhouse

Part1
Hằng: i was born grew up in town so of course i really wanna live in an apartment in the
city. Living in the city will have more conveniences for my life, for example there are
more malls and convenience stores. I will also have more choices to choose a coffee
shop or a restaurant for a nice day, and even a bad day. Ofcourse, there will be many
chances to learn, to improve knowledge and more employment opportunities than in
my hometown. I want to live in an apartment because nowadays, to rent a house is not
as cheap as in the past and I think it’s quite lonely for me to live alone in a big house.
Secondly, in my point of view living in an apartment will also ensure my safety and I'll
have more preferential policies.

Part 2: discuss
- Hey Hang, many people living in rural areas would like to migrate to cities while
Those living in urban centers wish they could move to the countryside. Which is
better: city life or country life?
- I prefer city life. It is true that a city offers so many opportunities and advantages
that are absent in the countryside. For example, modern transportation and
communication. Moreover, cities provide better treatment, hospitals, qualified
doctors, better educational institutes, and amusement parks etc which are really
inevitable to lead a better life. And the reason why most people tend to live in a
city is the vast opportunities of jobs. Most of the corporate offices, industries,
factories, government offices, garments and manufacturing industries are either
situated in a city or close to the city. People have much more employment
opportunities in a city than a village.
- But it’s undeniable that the hustle and bustle of city life makes you feel tired and
wanna get out from it. Living in the countryside is very peaceful. At present, the
quality of health and educations, even about security has improved a lot although
the number of hospital, school or police is not much. The air is better, the water is
fresher. People will lives nearer to the nature. And there will be very little affected
by industrial zones and that will be very beneficial for health. Because of the
density of population in a village is much less than in the city and village people
are naturally grow up their personal relationship among all people and and take
care of each other while in the city people do not know even who live in the next
door and personal relationship in a community is rare.
- It’s not that bad. Many groups on social networks are set up, for example: groups
of people living on the same floor or in the same building. Everyone will still help
each other.
 - That’s just a few.

SET 3: MEMORABLE TRIP

Part1
Hằng: the most memorable trip for me is the trip to Vũng Tàu right before the latest
epidemic broke out. It was a trip with my roommate. I've known her for about 2 years
but she’s my bestest. Initially, we planned to go to Dalat, we booked us tickets as well as
a rented room but somehow we changed the location to Vũng Tàu. It’s kinda weird but I
still enjoy it because we go together. In VT, two of us met 2 more friends who were
there before and we ate some famous food like bánh khọt and snail, walked around the
beach and watched the sunset. It was a short trip, only 2 days and 1 night but I was able
to relax and enjoy peaceful moments with my friends.

Part2:
- Some people prefer to go on guided tours when they travel while others prefer to
travel individually. Which do you think is better?
- I chose a guided tour. For the guided tours, everything is planned so you’ve just
got to show up on time and your trip is about to begin. We don’t have to worry
about booking hotels, restaurants, transport or thinking about what we're going to
do or what we're gonna do. We don’t have to waste our valuable travel time
getting lost, figuring out public transport so of course we’ll have more time to
explore. And from the experience of the tour guides, we’ll have the most possible
routine and time schedule. A tour guide is a professional who has a good
communication skill and extensive knowledge of the local culture and history. So
while we visit a place, we also will be explained the significance of that place and
people there. I think it will be an enjoyable experience.
- But it is the fact that you will not be as comfortable in terms of time as personal
travel. If you travel individually, you can do anything you want, go anywhere, you
can change your plans (stay longer, shorten your stay, …). It’s depended on your
preference. People say that traveling by yourself would be boring, but I don't think
so. We will plan the trip completely based on our personal preferences, we do not
need to depend on anyone’s opinion or time. It’s quite free.
- But I think it’s quite boring. While you join a guided tour, you can meet like-
minded people and make a lot of new friends.
- For me, traveling is also a time to relax. If i go alone, i will understand myselves
better by listening to what i want. It might be a time for reflection and solitude too.
It will bring peace to my mind.
- It’s up to your preference.
 SET 4: MEMORABLE EVENT
Part1:
Hằng: There are several memorable events in my life that I can summon up and out of
those, I would like to talk about the highschool graduation ceremony. It took place in
June of last year, when the epidemic in my hometown was still not breaking out and I
feel very lucky that we were still able to attend the offline graduation ceremony.
Everything went on as usual, the school drums, the comments from the teachers were
sounded, the musical performances from the school’s clubs were still the most stirring
performances. But everything became special when it was my last time at this school as
a student. It gave me a lot of emotions. In the middle of the session, each class will
perform on stage to thank their teachers together. Then I took pictures with my class
and my close friends and I had a lot. Finally came the music festival of the music club, it
was very exciting.

Part2:
- Things were different in the past and they have changed a lot in the last few
decades. Are the changes positive or negative?
- I think those changes are positive and useful for everyone. For instance, now
people often catch up with news on the internet because it updates constantly
instead of the only way to catch news was to read the newspaper in the past.
- It may be faster but you won’t know which news is official. A lot of online news
sites or even users of social networking sites give wrong information. For
example, many people have been punished for giving wrong update about the
covid-19. And with the development of technology, people are tending to be in
contact with technology screen more than in the real life. That may lead to serious
health problems. The most typical is those who keep their eyes glued to screens
for several hours are prone to have eyes-related issues and heachache, which
waves from wifi devices tend to cause.
- But it is undeniable that thanks to the development of technology and the internet,
we have more relationships, we can improve our knowledge by taking extra-
curricular courses online, even search for more career opportunities.we can learn
about the culture, customs and habits of another country at home instead of going
to that place like in the past.
- People have gradually become more cold and isolated. They may not know who
lives next door and personal relationships in a community are rare. It’s easy to see
 a group of friends hanging out or having drinks in silence because each person is
using their phone, surfing social media or chatting. The atmosphere is not as
warm as when people concentrate on conversation and put aside any electronic
gadgets.
- It’s not that bad. People will still help each other in times of trouble. We talk to
each other less but it’s only because the nature of each person’s work is different.
People can keep in touch in many ways.
- I see. Every change has its good and bad. Which side is overweight will depend
on ourselves.
- 100% agree.
SET 5: TECHNOLOGY
Part1:
I have bought a number of technological products, and the most significant one is my
laptop. I bought this new laptop right after Tet holiday. I used all my lucky money as well
as my savings to buy it. That means i bought it without asking for my parent’s money.
That’s also one of the reason why it’s important to me. This laptop plays a very
important role for my studies. It serves as a very helpful tool for us to seek information
without having to go to the library and spending hours with piles of books. Especially
during this outbreak of covid-19, i can join online class anytime, anywhere.  It also helps
me relax, keep in touch with other family members, with my friends. That’s why I think
this laptop is super important.
Part2:
- With the rapid advancement of communication technology, e.g. smartphones,
tablets and other mobile devices, some people believe that the disadvantages
outweigh the advantages. What do you think of Nhut?
- I quite agree with this opinion. The first disadvantage is their participation in
outdoor activities might be limited significantly. Students, for instance, have
interests in playing various online games after finishing their classes instead of
taking part in many different sports. Furthermore, spending too much time on
using modern technologies such as computers and mobile phones may lead to
serious health problems. Those who keep their eyes glued to screens for several
hours are prone to have eye-related issues and heachache, which waves from wifi
devices tend to cause.
- You may be right but it seems to me that new technologies play integral roles in
the lives of the young thanks to their outweighed benefits. Firstly, it is undeniable
that high-tech equipment acts as effective communication tools supporting
students in their studies. No matter where they are, for instance, they are able to
use their own mobile phones in order to enhance their English skills through
online applications. Secondly, modern equipment allows people to keep in touch
regularly with their friends or their relatives who are living far away. Therefore, in
spite of being far away, they will still update each other’s status via FB, IG,Skype
 without paying any fees, which gives them countless opportunities to share a lot of
stories and strengthen their relationships.
- People tend to use it too much and forget about real conversations, talking to each
other face to face. For example, these days, it’s easy to see a group of friends
hanging out or having drinks in silence because each person is using their phone,
surfing social media or chatting. The atmosphere is not as warm as when people
concentrate on conversation and put aside any electronic gadgets.
- But it is undeniable that thanks to the development of technology and the internet,
we have more relationships, and even know more career opportunities.
- I see. Every change has its good and bad. Which side is overweight will depend
on ourselves.
- 100% agree.

SET6: WEBSITE
I’m about to tell you about a website that I frequent, Youtube. YouTube is basically
designed for video sharing and it makes viewing and uploading videos quite easy. I first
heard about YouTube in 2009 when my sister showed me a music video on this site.
Now I use it daily to check out the trendiest videos available. I find this website very
helpful because of a few reasons. For example, there is a variety of free information on
YouTube. Many people even offer free-of-charge lessons about plenty of things, ranging
from cooking, dancing, even traveling and talking about what life there is like. I can find
lots of videos with the sound, piano music too. It helps me to relax very well.

SET 7: BEST FRIEND

I think it’s kind of weird to say that my bestfriend is a friend from the class next door.
She’s the same height as me with fair skin and black hair. She has small eyes and chubby
cheeks so I usually call her “a dough”. Not grumpy like me, she’s very gentle. Even
though we’ve known each other for more than 7 years, she never once got mad at me.
The reason why she was once my best friend is because she is the one I feel comfortable
with and I can tell everything that happens in my life without hesitation.

SET8: SCHOOL
I’m about to tell you about my highschool. The school is really big and the buildings are
mostly two-storied and large enough. We also have a soccer field, a volleyball court and
a basketball court too. Nearby is a small canteen, but it has almost everything from food
to study supplies. I loved so many things in my school. But the most attractive aspect of
the school was the excellent teachers who used to teach us. I still remember how our
teachers had been our mentor, leader and coach on the one hand, and yet friendly on
the other hand. During my 3 years, I have learned a lot and the credit goes to the
teachers who have been so inspiring for us.

SET 9: JOB
Being a girl living in my 20s, I strongly believe a job in Marketing field will suit me well. I
chose to pursue my career as a marketer for various reasons. First of all, creativity is in
my roots that I could not resist myself from joining a job which required artistic
skills. Secondly, I am extremely interested in conceptualizing, designing, planning and
finding customer’s insights. Last but not the least,overcoming difficulties and challenges
involve fun and this is the reason why this job interests me a lot. Working as marketer
requires me to be creative and innovative. Since I am well equipped with all these skills,
I think this job is perfectly suitable to my profile.

SET10: PROJECT

I’d like to talk about a team project that I was involved in during my secondary term at
highschool. It is about a project calling for donations for poor households in the town
and organizing a year-end party for children with disabilities. Together we went from
asking for donations to preparing gifts by hand to wrapping and cooking chưng cake.
There are many like-minded friends around me and they always radiate positive energy
so we have a lot of fun while working together. I was proud that I was able to carry out
that plan and I will never forget about it.