PART 1: Sports and physical exercise

=> Answer & Discussion => Follow-up questions (why? who? when? where?) & Techniques
+ Big pictures: Popularity & Current trends
+ Example: Personal & General
+ Two-side: Pros >< Cons
+ It depends: Free-time, Money, Mood …
—----------------------------------
1. Do you like sports?
- Popularity: Yup, I’m a sports fanatic, and among all the sports, I’m into football the
most. It’s actually a big deal in Vietnam, as evidenced by the fact that people,
during football seasons, would usually gather together either in a pub or a beer
garden to watch the match, and we would root for our favorite teams. So yeah!
- Personal example: I’ve never been much of a sports fanatic/ I’m not the most
enthusiastic sports person (in the world). Thinking back/ In retrospect, I used to
flunk P.E. so many times when I was still in school, and it was so embarrassing
when I was always one of the bench-warmers in class, that’s why I was so envious
towards the jocks, and I used to wish I was one of them.
- Pros: Definitely, sporting activities are really my jam/ wheelhouse. Because they
sorta deliver a range of advantages: First, since physical activities and sports involve
lots of physical movements, frequent participation in such would help us keep
our body in shape/ keep fit (lose weight: get lean/ shed some pounds). Second,
it’s a scientific fact that taking part in physical activities and sports would boost our
immune systems, as well as our metabolism.
2. How do you keep yourself healthy?
● Answer: I’ve been adopting a strict regimen with certain rules in terms of
exercising and eating.
● Discussion: For one, although tied with a hectic schedule/ being as busy
as a bee, I still try to squeeze in at least one or two workout sessions a
week at the gym near my house. For another, I try my best to cut down on
the amount of fattening food in my daily meals. Other than that, there’s also
a bunch of things, but yeah!
3. Do you have any unhealthy habits?
● Answer: Although I’m trying my best to follow a healthy and balanced lifestyle,
there’s still a few detrimental tendencies that I’m trying to push back.
● Discussion: Among all of them, the most worrying is perhaps staying late at
night, which obviously would make me all sluggish and hard to concentrate
on my studies. Plus, it’s snacking at night, when I’m watching movies on
Netflix. I’m aware that this would render me more vulnerable to obesity, but
it’s sorta my guilty pleasure. Last but not least, I’m in the habit of skipping
breakfast, which not only would make us energyless, but also cause
stomach problems.
4. Do you think that children should participate in physical activities?
● Answer: Certainly, if you think about it, more children are susceptible to
being overweight, and more concerningly, obesity. Specifically in Vietnam,
the situation is ever-alarming. So, it’s imperative/ crucial that children
partake in physical pursuits/ interests/ hobbies/ pastimes to get lean.
PART 2: Describe a time when you were sick/ had to take medicine
● Intro:
(+) I’m proud of myself for having a strong constitution, and rarely would I be sick. So, this
is quite a stumper/ toughie, because it’s been a while since I last contracted an illness.
So, let me rack my brain for a second.. Last time, I went down for [a fever]
(-) Wow, I didn’t expect to be asked this question, because I’ve always been quite delicate/
fragile, and it’s been so many times that I went down for a sickness. So, it’s hard to single
out a particular moment. Having said that, what springs to mind right now was the time
when I caught [a cold]
● Context:
It was three-odd years ago when I was still in school, and there’s this important exam at
school that I really needed to pass/ nail. So, I put a lot of work into the process, and I pulled
many all-nighters to cram for the upcoming test. After the exam, although I aced/ breezed
through it with flying colors, I felt peaked.
=> At first, I thought I was just slightly under the weather, but my mother didn’t buy it and
she was still worried sick. She took me to the hospital, and the doctor said that I was gonna
need to be hospitalized.
● Symptoms:
- The coughing was practically non-stop, my throat was in flames, and my voice had
gone hoarse/ raspy. Even wrapped in so many layers of blanket, I still felt cold.
- I had a splitting headache, I felt dizzy all the time and I was bed-ridden/ sick as a
dog for days.
=> The doctors prescribed me with this medication, whose name I don’t know, because
it’s not my area of specialty/ expertise. I vaguely remember that it tasted bitter and a bit
earthy/ yucky => [but you know what they say: it’s literally a bitter pill to swallow]
=> Eventually, the pill/ tablet (medicine/ medication) worked wonders/ miraculously, I was
already up and about (in remission/ recovery) after a few days.
=> So, you see, I learned this lesson the hard way, and the takeaway is that no matter
how important your job is, you’re gonna need to be mindful of your health, or else you’re
gonna pay dearly for it.

PART 3: R.E.S (the equivalent of writing)

a. The reasons why public health is deteriorating?
● Answer: The deterioration/ exacerbation of public health stems from a
range of driving factors.
● Idea-Development:
- First, environmental pollution is one of the culprits behind the fact that we’re more
prone to certain illnesses (maladies). As environmental issues such as air pollution
and water contamination have become rampant more than ever, more people are
contracting respiratory diseases and water-borne illnesses, because the air is full
of dust and water sources are fraught with bacteria.
- Second, it’s the sedentary lifestyle that is being led by many people nowadays. It all
comes down to the fact that modern technology is permeating our lives, and we’re
being spared from doing household tasks, or tasks that require hard labor. So, we’re
becoming more dependent on advanced technological tools, and by the same
token, lazier. Participation in physical activities is disappointingly low, that’s why
more and more are vulnerable to obesity.
- Last but certainly not least, it boils down to the hectic timetable that many are
subject to. Because of having a lot on their plate, they’re deprived of the time in
which they could take care of themselves, for example, self-cooking at home. As a
consequence, they would resort to unhealthy and junk food, which usually have a
high content of fat and would render us overweight.

b. The solutions that help boost public health?

● Answer: It’s crucial that the government do something to improve the situation
● Idea-Development:
- For one, more campaigns should be run, which are supposed to raise public
awareness towards/ of the harm of an unhealthy lifestyle and the detriments of
fattening food, so that we can better refrain from being caught up in such harmful
habits. To better boost the efficiency of these programs, incentives and rewards
should be handed out to attendees/ participants to boost their morale.
- For another, individually speaking, we should actively be mindful of our health and
take baby steps in order to boost our physical wellness: we should cut down on
our fat/ carb intake, add more veggies (~ vegetable) to our daily meals and opt for
fruits that are rich in vitamins. Plus, we should be more physically active, not only
in the form of doing sports and physical activities, but also, I think, something as
small as actively standing up after hours of sitting in front of the computer (do sth for
hours on end) and self-exercising even at home would help.