UNIT 2: URBAN & RURAL LIFE

SPEAKING: HOME/HOMETOWN
Part 2
1. Describe a house or an apartment you would like to live in.
You should say:
-Where it would be
-What type of property it would be
-How you would decorate it
-Why you would like to live in this kind of home.

Read the sample in fill in the blanks

located residential share reality spacious cutting-
edge prestigious commute amenities  bloom

Today, I would like to ………… with you a description of my ideal home.

Since I work near the center of Hanoi, it would be great to have an apartment …………
there so that I could ………….. to work more quickly and conveniently. I would like to have
my dream home in a ………………………. area in the center of this capital, which not only
helps me save time traveling every day but also live close to many ……………… such as
big supermarkets, gym clubs or ……………… universities.
As I’m really into a cozy place, I expect it would be a …………….house consisting of three
bedrooms, one kitchen room, one bathroom, one living room. From my perspective, this is
perfect for a family including my husband, two children and me. Additionally, I want to have
a garden on the balcony where I can grow various types of roses and take care of them in
my leisure time. When the roses are in…………….., they will give off a pleasant
smell and decorate my house beautifully. Last but not least, I prefer a fully
furnished house with ………………. household appliances such as refrigerators, vacuum
cleaners, dishwashers and washing machines because they might reduce the manual
labor after I come home from work.
To me, I always dream of having my own apartment like this because this can allow me to
have more freedom to do whatever I want and I will make my dream house become
a……………….. as soon as possible.

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2. Describe your hometown.

You should say:
-Where it is
-What you can see and do there
-How it has changed since you was a child
-Why you love it

When I read the cue card, the first thing springing to mind was ……………… -my
small village in a town on the outskirts of Hanoi.
To be specific, it’s located in the far south of the city. This small, tranquil and
picturesque village is typical for the outdoors in Vietnam with winding alleys, paddy
fields and rivers. I still vividly remember as a child during summertime, I used to
participate in various outdoor activities with my friends such as playing football, fishing and
swimming. At night, we even sat on the rooftop to admire the beauty of the sky with
billions of shining stars.
My hometown is becoming more and more vibrant as time goes on. It used to be very
dull and seemed to fall behind with development, but now, everything has changed. It’s got
a new lease of life with a great economic situation with an increasing number of
factories and chain stores and a developed education system with many schools
springing up over the years.
I love my hometown from the bottom of my heart. It’s where I was born and raised and
where my loved ones settle. Whenever I want to temporarily get out of the rat race, I
get back to my hometown to see my parents and friends. It’s an excellent way to
alleviate stress. The people there are so warm-hearted and amiable and they give me a
great sense of community that I can hardly find in my current residential area where
neighbours see each other as strangers.
 spring/ come to mind (idiom):đột nhiên hiện lên trong tâm trí
 -picturesque (adj):tuyệt đẹp
 -vividly remember (verb phrase):nhớ như in
 -admire (verb):chiêm ngưỡng
 -vibrant (adj):náo nhiệt, sống động
 -as time goes on (adv):theo thời gian
 -a new lease of life (idiom):(cuộc đời bước sang) một trang mới (tốt đẹp hơn)
 -spring up (verb):mọc lên, xuất hiện
 -the rat race (noun):cuộc sống bon chen
 -alleviate stress (verb phrase):giảm stress
 -warm-hearted (adj):có trái tim ấm áp
 -amiable (adj):thânthiện
 -a sense of community (noun phrase): thuộc về một cộng đồng

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Part 3: Houses
1. What kind of apartment is the most popular in your country?

Well, I believe it ranges wildly depending on the locations in Vietnam. For example, if you live in
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where the vacant ground (bãi đất trống) is a rare commodity, you’d
most likely encounter apartments in high-rise buildings for leasing (cho thuê). These would of
course be equipped with at least one or several lifts to accommodate the needs of their
residents. However, if you’re in Da Nang or other coastal cities in central Vietnam, flats would
primarily be around 5 stories, and their acreage (diện tích) tends to be a lot bigger than those in
megacities.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2. What is the difference between the houses that young people and old people live in?

There are several factors that differentiate the accommodation of the elderly and the young. In
terms of houses for those still in working age, they would opt for inner-city residence, which is
easy to commute to work on a daily basis. This is totally because of their hectic schedule at work
that requires them to go to work as quickly as possible. On the other hand, retired people would tend
to prefer a mansion or a villa near the outskirts, separated from the fast-paced corporate life that
they used to ‘endure’ back in the day. These people, I think, would prioritize their inner peace
above all else.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Do people usually buy or rent a house? Why?

This is totally dependent on the individuals and their income. On the one hand, a high-income or
wealthy person would, most of the time, purchase a house with full proof of ownership. This would
provide them stability, and sometimes, it could be a form of long-term investment. On the other
hand, those who are in the lower side of the income scale would most likely rent accommodation
because buying one means having to spend a huge sum of capital expenditure, which they simply
cannot afford to. Of course, there can be other personal preferences. For example, some people
want to move from place to place, shifting accommodation every now and then, and buying a
house is cumbersome (cồng kềnh) in that situation.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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Part 3: Hometown
1. In what ways can you improve your hometown?

One problem in my hometown is a low accessibility of some places due to problems of public

transportation systems. Although there are different means of transportation, it can still take you
hours to get to certain venues. For example, the earliest bus leaves at 5:00 am and the latest –
around 5:30 pm. Therefore, for those who go back from work after 5:30 pm, it gets increasingly
difficult to commute.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2. Most people in this world do not live in their hometowns. Why?

The hometown of each person is such a comfy place with family and friends. I believe it can be
considered as our comfort zone where we can feel safe and secure. However, to many people,
it is this relaxing place that can be too distracting for them to pursue their career goals. There
is a saying that “life begins at the end of our comfort zone”, so a huge number of people choose to
leave their hometown to discover a new land and start their career. Also, it’s a way to explore
other places and experience different cultures across the world.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Some people want to live in their hometowns for the rest of their lives. Why?

I believe that some people have a liking for a lifelong stay in their hometown because they are
not motivated to get out of their comfort zone. They have become so familiar with the
surroundings with family, neighbours, close friends and the like. Settling in a new land means
starting everything all over again, which seems challenging and risky. That’s why they have a
propensity to settle for good (có xu hướng...) in their hometown.

Yours: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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WRITING
Topic 1: City life

More and more people are migrating to cities in search of a better life, but city life
can be extremely difficult.
Explain some of the difficulties of living in a city. How can governments make urban life
better for everyone?

Cities are often seen as places of opportunity, but there are also some major drawbacks
of living in ……………………………….. (một thành phố lớn). In my opinion, governments
could do much more to improve city life for the average inhabitant.

The main problem for anyone who hopes to migrate to a large city is that ………………….
(chi phí sinh hoạt) is likely to be much higher than it is in a small town or village.
Inhabitants of cities have to pay higher prices for housing, transport, and even food. Another
issue is that urban areas ……………………………………………………………………….. (có
xu hướng gặp phải các vấn đề xã hội) such as ………………………………………………
(tỉ lệ tội phạm và nghèo đói cao) in comparison with RURAL areas (khu vực nông
thôn). Furthermore, the air quality in cities is often poor, due to ……………………………..
(ô nhiễm từ phương tiện giao thông), and the streets and public transport systems ARE
……………………………………. (thường quá tải). As a result, city life can be unhealthy
and stressful.

However, there are various steps that governments could …………………………..THESE

PROBLEMS (giải quyết các vấn đề này). Firstly, they could ………………………
…………… …… ………………………………………………………………………….……..
(đầu tư vào nhà ở giá rẻ hoặc nhà ở xã hội) to reduce the cost of living. Secondly,
politicans have the power to ………………………………………………… (cấm các phương
tiện giao thông trong khu vực trung tâm) and …………………………………………….
PUBLIC TRANSPORT (thúc đẩy việc sử dụng các phương tiện công cộng sạch với
môi trường hơn), which would help to reduce both air pollution and TRAFFIC
CONGESTION (tắc nghẽn giao thông). In London, for example, …………………………….
……………………………………………….. (áp dụng phí tắc nghẽn cho người lái xe) has
helped to ……………………………………………….. (kiểm soát vấn đề tắc đường). A third
option would be to DEVELOP PROVINCIAL TOWNS (phát triển các thị trấn tại các tỉnh
thành) and rural areas, by moving industry and jobs to those regions, in order to reduce the
pressure on major cities.

In conclusion, governments could certainly ……………………………………………………..

(thực hiện một loạt các biện pháp) to enhance the quality of life for all city residents.

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