TOPIC: LANGUAGE LEARNING

COLLOCATION
1. Facilitate cross-cultural/ international communication:
2. Face linguistic/ language barriers
3. Linguistic ability/ skills: Khả năng ngôn ngữ
4. A means of communication: Một phương thức để giao tiếp
5. Cultural identity/diversity and historical values: Bản sắc văn hóa và giá trị lịch sử.
6. Pick up new vocabulary: Học từ vựng mới
7. Sharpen one’s fluency: Tăng cường sự trôi chảy (trong một ngôn ngữ) của ai đó
8. Master a foreign language: Thành thạo 1 ngoại ngữ
9. Monolingual/ bilingual/ multilingual: (n) đơn ngữ/ song ngữ/ đa ngữ
10. A language to become dominant: Một ngôn ngữ trở nên quá phổ biến, chi phối ngôn ngữ khác

Task 1:

1. “Đắm mình” vào ngoại ngữ thông qua các chương trình du học là một trong những cách nhanh
nhất để vượt qua rào cản ngôn ngữ.

2. Theo nghiên cứu, việc tiếp xúc sớm với ngôn ngữ cho phép não bộ phát triển đầy đủ khả năng
ngôn ngữ và khả năng thông thạo ngôn ngữ trong cuộc sống sau này.

3. Do quá trình toàn cầu hóa đang tăng nhanh, người ta dự đoán rằng sẽ chỉ có một ngôn ngữ
chung duy nhất làm phương tiện giao tiếp trong thế giới loài người trong tương lai gần.

4. Vì ngôn ngữ của mỗi quốc gia gắn chặt với tôn giáo và tín ngưỡng của họ, nên việc ngôn ngữ biến
mất do toàn cầu hóa có thể gây tổn hại đáng kể đến bản sắc văn hóa và lịch sử của quốc gia đó.

5. Một trong những cách đơn giản nhất để học từ vựng mới là quan sát cách người khác sử dụng từ
vựng đó, chẳng hạn như xem cách bạn bè và gia đình nói, hoặc thậm chí qua việc xem phim hoặc
truyền hình.

6. Sinh viên du học có cơ hội giao lưu với người dân địa phương, điều này cho phép họ trau dồi sự
lưu loát của mình theo những cách mà họ không bao giờ trải nghiệm được ở đất nước của mình.

7. Thông thạo ngoại ngữ là một công việc phức tạp, đòi hỏi nhiều thời gian, sự tận tâm, kiên trì và
chăm chỉ.

8. Nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng bộ não của người nói 2 ngôn ngữ có thể có khả năng tập trung ý và
chuyển đổi nhiệm vụ tốt hơn bộ não của người nói 1 ngôn ngữ.

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SPEAKING
Part 2

1. Describe an impressive English lesson you had and enjoyed

You should say:
● What it was about
● When you had it
● What the teacher did
● And why you enjoyed the lesson
Part 3

● Why do people learn foreign languages?

● What makes a good foreign language teacher?
● Do you think grammar is important when learning foreign languages?
● Is it interesting to be a foreign language teacher? Why?

WRITING
1. Because computers can translate all languages very quickly and accurately, learning a
foreign language is a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (2017)
2. As a part of their education, students should spend a period of time living in another country
to learn its language and culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (04/07/2020)
3. Schools should not force children to learn a foreign language. To what extent do you agree
or disagree? (09/10/2021)
4. Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at
primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the
disadvantage? (2021)

VOCABULARY SET 1: LANGUAGE LEARNING (P.1)

Because computers can translate all languages very quickly and accurately, learning
a foreign language is a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction

All languages can now be translated in a much easier and quicker way thanks to machine
translation programs; therefore, some people believe that it is no longer necessary to learn
a second language. I completely disagree with this idea.

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Body paragraphs

It is true that thanks to technological advances, these days we can easily translate any foreign
language into our mother tongue and vice versa. It only takes a few seconds or so to translate a
language into another one using Google Translate or other translation apps. Also, machine
translation is often more accurate due to the fact that translation software is designed so that it is
able to translate a word or a phrase based on its own context. Therefore, some people think that
such programs are a substitute for learning a language, which takes years to study and practise.

Despite the benefits mentioned above, I personally believe that using translation apps or websites
does not mean that we no longer need to spend time learning a foreign language. In the case of an
emergency when we are not allowed to use any technological devices, for example, the inability to
understand and speak English could cause us great trouble. Another example is that those who
decide to work or study overseas might encounter various problems if they rely entirely on their
translation apps for their daily communication. We can hardly ever build a close relationship with
our neighbours in a new country if we are unable to speak or understand their language.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although technology has made it much quicker and easier to translate any language, I
believe that learning a foreign language is still necessary.

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 VOCABULARY SET 1: LANGUAGE LEARNING (P.2)

As parts of education, students should spend a period of time living in another country to learn its
language and culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Task 1: Fill in the blanks with suitable words/phrases
1. Sharpen one’s fluency: 5. Linguistic/ language barriers
2. Master a foreign language: 6. Linguistic ability/ skills:
3. Monolingual/ bilingual/ multilingual: (n) 7. overcome language difficulties
4. A language to become dominant: 8. Pick up new vocabulary:

Some argue that students should spend several years studying overseas in order to understand
more about a country's language and culture. Despite certain issues such as cultural shock and (1)
…………………………., I still believe that studying abroad is a good way for young people to broaden
their cultural knowledge and improve their (2)………………………….

Without a doubt, spending a few years in another country would be a golden opportunity to learn
new cultures and languages. Studying in a foreign country allows students to actually experience
the activities of the locals, as opposed to reading books and magazines. For example, if
international students studying in Vietnam attend the Flower Festival in Dalat, they will be able to
learn about a variety of flowers as well as try their hand at gardening. In terms of (3)
………………………….,, students who engage with the locals on a regular basis have countless
opportunities to (4)…………………………., and (5)…………………………., used in different contexts.

Some could argue that students studying abroad would face linguistic barriers and cultural shocks.
There would undoubtedly be those who do not have a strong command of the native language and
hence find it difficult to fit into the local community. However, absorbing and (6)………………………….,
language is a complicated, time-intensive task that requires dedication, persistence, and hard work.
If students are persistent enough, they can , and can (7)…………………………., confidently explore more
cultures and traditions.

In conclusion, it is a great idea to spend some time living and studying in another new country. This
would help students gain a better understanding of that country's culture as well as improve
their (8)………………………….,.

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 VOCABULARY SET 1: LANGUAGE LEARNING (P.3)

Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary
school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantage?

Vocabulary
1. the policy has been adopted = accepted
2. outcomes = consequences = effects.
3. pick up languages : become better = improve
4. acquire their mother tongue = take in = assimilate (culture and understand fully)
5. facilitates = make smth easier = enable = speed up = further = advance
6. Inhibit = to prevent something from happening
7. self-consciousness (n) = embarrassed (of what other people think of you)
8. adolescents, = teenagers = the youngsters = the youth = juveniles
9. command of the language = your knowledge of something/ language ability
10. gain a better understanding of other culture. = gain a thorough insights into…
11. referred to above = mentioned above
12. be faced with : encounter sth
13. within their intake: the number of people who are allowed to enter a school
14. demotivated (a) = dispirited
15. these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy adopted:
16. innate ability = born ability
17. harness = exploit = control:

Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at secondary school, but some
educationalists argue that primary school is a better time for children to start that learning. And the
policy has been adopted by some educational authorities and schools, with both positive and
negative outcomes.
The obvious argument in its favor is that young children pick up languages much more easily than
teenagers. Their brains are still programmed to acquire their mother tongue, which facilitates
learning another language, and unlike adolescents, they are not inhibited by self-consciousness. The
greater flexibility of the primary timetable allows for more frequent, shorter sessions and for a play-
centred approach, thus maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress. Their command of the
language in later life will benefit from this early exposure, while learning other languages
subsequently will be easier for them. They may also gain a better understanding of other culture.
There are, however, some disadvantages. Primary school teachers are generalists, and may not
have the necessary language skills themselves. If specialists have to be brought in to deliver these
sessions, the flexibility referred to above is diminished. If primary language teaching is not
standardized, secondary schools could be faced with a great variety of levels in different languages
within their intake. There is no advantage if enthusiastic primary pupils become demotivated as
soon as they change schools. However, these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy
adopted.
Anything which encourages language learning benefits society culturally and economically, and
early exposure to language learning contributes to this. young children’s innate ability should be
harnessed to make these benefits more achievable. (265 words)

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1. Immersion in a foreign language through studying abroad programs is one of the fastest way
toovercome language barriers.
2: Early exposure to language, according to research, allows the brain to fully develop linguistic
abilities and language fluency later in life.
3: Due to accelerating globalization, it is predicted that there will be only one common language
as a means of communication in the human world in the near future.
4: As the language of each country is strongly tied to its religions and beliefs, language disappearing
due to globalization can significantly harm a country’s cultural identities and historical values.
5: One of the simplest ways to pick up new vocabulary is by observing how other people use it, for
example, through seeing how friends and family speak, or even through watching films or
television.
6: Students studying abroad have the chance to engage with locals, which allows them to sharpen
their fluency in ways they would never experience their own country.
7: Mastering a foreign language is a complicated, time-intensive task that requires dedication,
persistence, and hard work.
8: Research has shown that the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching
capacities than the monolingual brain.