1.

An interesting place you have been to recently

2. An interesting person you have met
3. What you would like to do when you get older
4. What you would like to learn in the future
5. A frightening experience you had when you were young
6. A person you like to spend time with
7. An exciting experience you had
8. A favourite pet
9. Something you like to do when you have free time
10. A place you would like to visit in the future
11. A person you would like to meet some day
12. A person who has influenced your life
13. Something you have never done but would like to do
14. Something you have done but never want to do again
15. An experience which made you laugh
16. An experience which made you cry
17. What you would do if you had a million dollars
18. What you would do if you were President of your country
19. A gift you could give others
20. A gift you would like someone to give you
21. A special talent you have

MARRIAGE AND HEALTH

1. Do you agree that married women (or men) have fewer health risks than single people?2. Why do you suppose there is a connection
between marital happiness and health?3. Could an unhappy marriage lead to health problems? Why or why not?4. Do you think that
living with (but not being married to) a partner can produce the same health benefits? Why or why not?5. What are the health benefits
and/or risks of having children?6. What are the advantages/disadvantages of remaining single?7. Does health necessarily decline as a
result of being divorced or widowed?
For Additional Practice
Take
a survey
of your married and single friends. Who do you think is better off in terms of health, wealth, happiness?
ART EDUCATION
1. Where does the budget for public school events come from?2. When schools need to raise money for a school activity, where should
they go?(parents, school districts, taxpayers, volunteers, etc.)3. What do you think would be a reasonable amount for citizens to payto
support education in their communities?4. How should schools determine which extracurricular activities to support?(e.g. athletics,
band, clubs, dances, drama, etc.)
For More Practice
Pretend you are a parent and need
to raise funds
to support your child's school soccer team. How would you go about it? Role play the above situation, asking a local
businessman/woman to support your cause.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDY
1. When do you think is a good age to start learning a new language?2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of learning a new
language at a young age?3. Which language(s) would you most like to learn? Why?4. How is knowing a second language helpful to
your children's future?5. What do you think are the best methods for learning a new language?
For More Practice
- Discuss the merits of second language learning with a person who doesn't think it's important.- Do your relations speak a second
language? Would you recommend that they learn another one? Why or why not

INTERNET BLOGS
1. Do you think that Internet blogs should be regulated by the government?2. Should people have the right to access any information
they choose on the Internet?3. What do you think will happen if government tries to censor certain information on the Internet? What
will happen if they don't?4. Who has the right to curtail freedom of speech?(The government, the individual, political organizations, no
one)
For More Practice
With a partner or in groups, debate the
pros and cons
of censoring information on the Internet.
JUNK FOOD BAN
1. Do you agree or disagree with the idea of banning junk food in public schools?
2. Should people have the right to consume whatever they want, even if it might be harmful to them?
3. Are school children mature enough to make their own decisions about what they will eat?
4. Who is most responsible for teenagers' health?(the kids themselves, their parents, school teachers and administrators, the
government)
5. Should schools be allowed to accept money from businesses in exchange for promoting their products?
For More Practice
With a partner or in groups, debate the pros and cons of banning junk food in public schools.

DISASTER PLANS
1. How do you feel about recent natural disasters(earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) in the news?
2. What do you think is most important for survivors of these disasters?
3. How can the rest of the world best help the people in devastated areas?
4. What can people do to prepare for possible disasters in the future?
5. What types of disasters are common in your home country?(hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, etc.)
6. Have you ever experienced a natural disaster? What was it like?

For More Practice

1. Pretend you are an emergency relief worker. Role play a conversation with a disaster victim.
2. With a partner or group, make plans to cope with potential disasters in your area.
3. Organize a project to assist survivors of a recent catastrophe.
4. Prepare a speech to request donations for a charitable cause.
5. Pretend you just received a large sum of money to assist disaster victims. Make plans with your group or partner to spend the money
effectively to help the most people.
6. Pretend you experienced a recent disaster. Describe the event in detail to your partner or group

Society, social life, and living standards

Society:
- How would you describe Spanish society?
- How do you think Spanish society will change in the next forty years?
- What is it that holds a society together? drives it apart?
- Discuss the problems of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society.
- What are some of the icons of today's society?
Social life:
- Are you satisfied with your social life? Why or why not?
- Where is it easiest for you to meet new people?
- Compare your social life to that of your parents twenty or thirty years ago.
- How would your social life change if you had more money? less money?
Living standards
:- How would you compare your living standards to those of your grandparents?
- How does society decide what acceptable living standards are?

EXPRESS YOUR OPINION SAMPLE SENTENCES WHICH MAY HELP YOU IN YOUR
SPEAKING
As far as I'm concerned.....
I honestly think..... I think we should all be more careful in the use of.....
Bear in mind that..... There is a great potencial to develop......
It's important to bear in mind that..... The problem is getting worse each day.
It's a foregone conclusion (that)..... It (i.e. "Pollution") in increasing.
I take the view that...... I think it (i.e. "famine") is the worst problem in the world today.
It's a foregone conclusion...... It (i.e. "unemployment") is going to keep getting worse.
For me, one of the most important... In recent years, more and more people have been paying......
I just think that what matter is..... A further problem.....
The most important factor for me is.... The government has been solving problems for many years.
Personally, I would say that.... It is getting better and better everyday.
It's very hard to say, but.... The situation in our cities with regard to it (i.e. "traffic") is going
If I had to choose, I would..... from bad to worse.
Another suggestion would be.... It (i.e. Congestion) is a daily feature of urban life.
It would be a good idea..... The problem is now beginning to affect our national
I don't think it is a good idea at all. economies.

TEST-REFERRING WORDS

Don't Use the same words, avoid the repetition:

Situation: Position, state of affairs

Problem: difficulty, matter, crisis..
Response: reaction to, attitude to...
Solution: Key (to) , answer, resolution, way out (of),
Evaluation of the solution: assessment, judgment...

Other helpful words or sentences that you can use in your speaking:
Claim belief
Fact Approach
Response Evaluation
Issue Solution
Belief Answer

The real point is that....

My position has always been that....
That's quite a big issue/question/problem in Spain nowadays.

TOPIC 1: WORK (I): VOCABULARY/ COLLOCATIONS

TOPIC 1: JOBS (I): VOCABULARY/ COLLOCATIONS

Adjectives describing a job: Other words related with job: Adjectives related with people:

challenging tedious employer employee Commuter

monotonous boring qualifications career Calculating Concerned
repetitive time- skills staff Insecure Secure
consuming freelance self-employed flexible Motivated
rewarding full-time work experience Run a business self-motivated Organized
motivating outdoor marketing strategy Good opportunities dependent Honest
demanding though happiest employees Relevant experience loyal Patient
well-paid Part time/full time. Retired people A working day
Salary/ wages

Collocations/ sentences: What makes people happy at work:

the world of work is changing.
be in charge of
Deal with very difficult clients . Doing something rewarding
He is off work at the moment · Doing varied work
I am on maternity leave. · earning a competitive salary
I am a part of a successful team · Doing enjoyable work
get promoted to head of department. · Having a good boss or manager
I am on a short-term contract. · Having a good working-life balance.
The Company was losing money. · Having supportive, friendly colleagues.
Out of work: I have been out of work for 3 months. · Having your achievements recognized.
Get a better job · Relaxed atmosphere
Get a promotion/ be promoted. · get promoted.
On the dole. · learning from my mistakes.
I was sacked · The courage to set out and seek my fortune.
More rewarding than.... . Being part of a successful team.
Interpersonal skills.
Under pressure
Take a drop in salary
work abroad
Paraphrasing involves restating someone else's ideas in If you would like to make a comment or insert a remark in
your own words. an ongoing conversation, it is polite to acknowledge what
There are several phrases that can be used to introduce someone has just said before stating your own ideas.
paraphrasing: Some phrases
So . . . (rephrase the other person's ideas) That's interesting. I think that...
In other words . . . (paraphrase) Interesting point. I would add...
I understand. (You're saying that . . .) Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that before.
Oh. I see. (You want to say that . . . ) Questions can also be a useful way of bringing new ideas into
I get it. (You mean . . .) a conversation:
So, what you mean is . . . What do you think about . . .
Let me see if I understand you correctly. . . Have you considered . . .
What I think you're saying is . . . What about . . .
If I'm hearing you correctly . . . Sometimes a more direct approach is appropriate:
Can I add something here?
(Do you) mind if I interject something here?

Introduction Main points Giving examples Conclusion

(Good morning, afternoon, evening) Let me start by . . . For instance, In conclusion,
I'm happy to be here. First, let me tell you about . . . Let me illustrate, To conclude,
I'm glad to have this opportunity to . . . I've divided my topic into (three) parts: To illustrate, To summarize,
Today, I'd like to talk (to you) about . . . (They are . . .) To sum up,
My topic today is . . .
The focus of my remarks is . . .
I'd like to share some thoughts on (topic)

Giving your opinion
I think that . . .
I don't think that . . .
In my opinion . . .
Asking for support or details Supporting your opinions
Why do you think that? Let me illustrate,
Could you elaborate? For example,
Could you give (me) an example? For instance,
Can you illustrate that? To give you an example,
What evidence do you have? Let me give you an example,
Could you explain it in more detail? To elaborate,
Could you provide some details? First, (second), etc.
(These phrases can be followed by details, examples,
elaboration, or a summary of your main points.)

Checking for Understanding Showing Understanding Expressing Lack of

(Do you) know what I mean? I see. Understanding
Do you know what I'm saying? I understand.
Do you understand? I don't get it.
I get it./I got it.
Are you following me? (I'm sorry.) I don't understand.
Gotcha. (Informal)
Are you with me (so far)? What do you mean?
Have you got it? I'm not following you.
Any questions? I don't quite follow you.
Got it? I'm not sure I get what you mean.
What was that again?