laid-back(7)

a great sense of humor(2)

(3) To have a good sense of humour = To be
humourous:

things:

socially:
open-minded(6)
always sees the bright side(9) A smart cookie = A clever person:
a good listener(10) always knows the right
thing to say (11) To be open-minded = To be able to accept

To be laid-back/easy-going = To be calm and

relaxed:
smart cookie(5)
To have a wide circle of friends = To have a lot
of friends:

To always see the bright side = To be

always one
step ahead has To be a good listener = To be willing to listen
his head screwed on an to other people:
(1)
To know the right thing to say = To be good at
hot-tempered(14) giving advice:

To be a real individual = To be unique:

To be painfully shy = To be very nervous about

wide circle of friends(8) speaking to other people:

To be hot-tempered = To get angry easily:

the black sheep of
the family(15)
To be the black sheep of the family:
a real individual(12)

painfully shy(13) to
keep to myself
M 1. Trd liti nhii'ng cau hoi sau v6'i d9 dai tit 2 - 3 cau.

1. What types of personality traits/characteristics do you admire in other people?

2. What types of personality characteristics should a good leader have?
3. Do you share any similar personality characteristics with other members of your family?

M 2. SU' dyng nhii'ng tit da h9c de mi1 r9ng chu de sau.

Describe a part of your personality or character

You should say:
• what this part of your personality or character is
• how long you have been like this
• how it affects your relationships
And explain why you think it is good or bad.

M 3. SU' dyng nhii'ng tit da h9c de mi1 r9ng chu de sau.

Describe a friend or a person who encouraged and helped you to achieve a goal
You should say:
• who this person is
• what this person encouraged you to do
• how this person helped you
And explain why this encouragement helped you to achieve the goal
1. What types of personality traits/characteristics do you admire in other people?
Well personally I think I am a laid-back/easy-going kind of person so I also admire that quality
in other people, though I do find people that are career-minded and motivated to be quite
inspiring. Also I really love people who are witty and have a good sense of humour.

2. What types of personality characteristics should a good leader have?

Well I think a good leader should definitely be inspirational. If they want people to listen to
them and follow them then they need to be able to motivate them. I think they also need to
be quite out-going as they probably need to interact with many people, so they should have
good social skills. And lastly, a good leader needs to have their head screwed on. They need
to be smart in a practical way and be able to solve problems quickly.

3. Do you share any similar personality characteristics with other members of your family?
Of course, I was raised by my mother and father so I'm sure they have influenced my personality.
In some ways I am very similar to my mother who is very open-minded and tolerant and also
is a very good listener. But I also am similar to my father who is very career-minded and
motivated.
 Describe a part of your personality or character
You should say:
• what this part of your personality or character is
• how long you have been like this
• how it affects your relationships
And explain why you think it is good or bad.

Bai m�u

Okay, I am going to talk about a part of personality that I think is a positive thing about me.
When I was a child, I was painfully shy and always stayed at home instead of going out and
playing with other kids in the neighborhood. I didn't go to school until I was 6 years old. Even
then I wouldn't have gone to school if my parents haven't encouraged me every single day.
They said that it'd be a lot of fun making new friends and learning new things.

The first few years of primary school didn't quite pique my interest. I still kept things to myself
and hardly talk to anybody else in my class. Then I met Gwen, who was a new student from a
nearby school and arranged to sit next to me. She's new so it's understandable why she didn't
communicate with other people, except me. At first, I didn't care much, but after a few days, I
felt like I could talk to her in a way that friends were supposed to talk to each other, something
that I hadn't experienced before. Then I became more open and started to communicate with
my classmates and helped Gwen get to know the new school. She said that because I was a
good listener, she found it safe and comfortable talking to me. I considered that a compliment
and also an encouragement.

I think being a good listener is a key to any relationships, not just friendship. If you are not
willing to listen to other people, you can't expect them to listen to and respect you.

That's all I want to say.

 Describe a part of your personality or character
You should say:
• what this part of your personality or character is
• how long you have been like this
• how it affects your relationships
And explain why you think it is good or bad.

Bai m§u

Today, I'll tell you about my best friend, Tom, who encouraged and helped me a lot to achieve
my goal.

When I was at high school, I studied so well that I was always one step ahead of my classmates
in almost every subject. T hat was the reason why I was very laid-back about the university
entrance exam. And disappointingly, I failed that important exam, while most of my friends
passed with flying colors. At that time, I was totally depressed and desperate. Luckily, Tom did
cheer me up a lot and encouraged me to set a goal of passing the exam in the following year.

Talking about Tom, I first met this guy when I was in secondary school and we became best
friend since then because we share many things in common. Tom is a smart cookie and
also has a good sense of humour. Since the day I got the result of the exam, I gradually
became painfully shy and kept to myself. In those tough days, Tom was always besides me
and encouraged me to see the bright side of the problem. He said that I was a real individual
and there was no point in comparing myself with other people. T hat did motivate me a lot in
achieving my goal.

T he following year, I took the exam again and this time, I managed to pass it with an impressive
result. If it had not been for Tom, I probably couldn't have achieved such goal.

T hat's all I want to say.

 or close to someone:

To enjoy someone’s company = To feel

happy to be with somebody:

To fall out with = To argue/quarrel with:

had many ups and downs(8)

To get on well with = To be on good
fallen out with(3) terms with:
(1)
To get to know = To have a chance to
lost touch with(10) know someone:
see eye to eye with(11).
To kiss and make up = To forgive and
become friendly again:

To have a lot in common = To share

in common with(7) similar interests:
kissed and made
To have ups and downs = To be through
up (6)
thick and thin:
got on
To keep in touch with = To keep contact
(4)
so well with each other with:
have made many new friends(13)
To lose touch with = To lose contact
(5)
with:
enjoy the company(2)
To see eye to eye = To agree:

,
(12) To make friends = To become friends:

keep in touch with

(9)