SPEAKING (UNIT 8)

Speaking part 3: A meal out with friends after the end of exams

Types of restaurant Advantages Disadvantages

A gourmet/ luxury Food: high-quality, prepared in hygienic Food: expensive/ overpriced

restaurant environment, decorated delicately, exotic Too formal for an informal
dishes celebration of friends
Top-quality service, staff: do everything
in their power  please restaurant goers

A private room at request  ensure

privacy

A fast food Food: Cheap and cheerful, fit the taste of Food: unhygienic and high in
restaurant friends from all walks of life fat (= greasy), too plain and

Informal setting, well-suited / gossip, mundane (đơn giản và tầm

thường) / treat themselves a
chit-chat and giggle
good/decent meal

A local eatery Food: affordable/ students living on a In weekend, packed with (=

tight budget crowded with) a large traffic of

Friendly environment / socialize with people // there might not be

enough seats to accommodate
one another
us.

Space: cramped (adj) & noisy

Accommodate something to the need of someone (điều chỉnh cái gì cho phù hợp với nhu cầu
của ai)

E.g., In response to globalization, traditional costumes have been accommodated to the need of
young people who always keep up with the latest fashion trends.

hands-on/ practical work experience

1. will see if I can change to a course near home  B

2. nice / but don’t know what to expect

Lovely town, a beach  E

3. live 4 miles away from the town

Ask the residence office – transfer to the hall of residence (ký túc xá) (F)

4.

Town planning / urban planning (n) quy hoạch đô thi

E.g., In respose to overpopulation, the local government should carry out/ implement urban
planning policies by constructing vertical buildings instead of horizontal designs to create more
accommodation/ housing for citizens.

3 years of BSc. and 1 year of work placement at the local authority

E.g., Having work placement before graduating can arm students with hands-on experience
before they can land a job in the future.  D

5. French + Spanish + Business Studies (i.e., marketing and accounting)  A

WRITING (UNIT 8)

Paraphrasing

 Put forward something = suggest something = bring up something

 Advantages and disadvantages = benefits and drawbacks/ shortcomings
 Strong arguments = convincing/ plausible arguments
 convincing/ plausible arguments in favour of something
 convincing/ plausible arguments against something / opposition against something
 Examine something = consider something = take something into consideration
 Purpose = aim

HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

 REPORT TITLE

Introduction

The aim of this report is to ....... / This report is intended to consider (examine) the benefits and
drawbacks of doing something. Following that, a recommendation is made to .........

Advantages

There are some convincing/ plausible arguments in favor of doing something.

OR: Some convincing/ plausible arguments can be made to advocate for doing something.

 Benefit 1 + Explanation
 Benefit 2 + Explanation
 (Benefit 3)

Disadvantages

Doing something would also have/ involve certain drawbacks.

 Drawback 1 + Explanation
 Drawback 2 + Explanation
 (Drawback 3)

Conclusion

 State the authorial opinion (whether the advantages outweigh/ prevail over the
disadvantages)
 Put forward a recommendation (i.e., I strongly recommend/ advise that + clause)
Exercise 5

Advantages of closing the canteen

 The canteen is underused: Students prefer dining out in restaurants or cafeteria in

proximity to the school or tend to prepare home-cooked meals in lunch boxes instead of
having meals at the canteen
 Food: not good, blend in flavors
 An excellent café opposite the school
 Need for a place to entertain themselves

Disadvantages of closing the canteen

 Food: affordable
 Canteen: gain popularity with school students (a wide range of snacks and refreshments
+ socializing/ mingling with one another)
 Pool more popular among boys, not among girls
 There’s a TV in the café opposite school (wasteful investment)