Martens Layna, 6I February 5th, 2021

TOEFL / IELTS TRAINING - PART I

TOPIC 1 : PLANTS.

• Do you know anything about growing plants

No, quite frankly, I don’t. I’ve always liked having plants around the house and watching them grow
overtime, but I’ve never done any deeper research. If anything, I’m actually quite bad at taking care of plants
and nurturing them. I’ve let all the plants that I’ve previously owned wither unwillingly.
• Do you keep plants at home?
I do, but most of them are made from plastic. As mentioned earlier, I used to keep quite a number of
plants at home, but they all ended up drooping and withering. So I now only keep plastic plants or
plants that don’t require a lot of care nor water, such as cacti or succulents. I’ve always wanted a
small bonsai tree because it is aesthetically very pleasing, but I know for a fact that it is a
responsibility that is too big for me and that I wouldn’t be able to nurture and prune it properly.
• Did you grow any plants when you were young
No I did not. I’ve never been green ngered. When I was young, I was rather fascinated by
animals, and I preferred taking care of them rather than taking care of plants.

VOCABULARY
Frankly (adj) : in an honest and direct wa
Eg : She spoke very frankly about her experiences
To nurture (verb) : to take care of, feed and protect someone or something and help him, her or it to develo
Eg : A carefully nurtured garde
To wither (verb) : to become weak and dry and deca
Eg : Grass had withered in the elds
To droop (verb) : to bend or hang down heavil
Eg : The owers were drooping in the heat.
Succulent (noun) : a plant in which the leaves and stem are thick and can store a lot of wate
Eg : Succulents often have thick waxy cuticles to minimize water loss
Aesthetically (adv) pleasing (adj) : giving a feeling of satisfaction or enjoyment in a beautiful or artistic wa
Eg : I like objects to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing
To prune (verb) : to trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems,
especially to encourage growth.
Eg: It is time to prune the roses.
Green ngered (adj) : Having a seemingly natural gardening ability
Eg: Your Ixora is doing good. You must be green ngered.

TOPIC 2 : THE COUNTRYSIDE.

• What do you usually do in the countryside

It depends on the area. If it is in a wooded area, I would gladly go on a walk through the forest, to
really take in the beauty of nature. If it’s a rather a hilly area, I’d love to go hiking.
• Have you ever lived in the countryside
Yes, I am currently living in the Belgian countryside. I’ve lived here for over ten years. It’s a very
tranquil rural village with lots of farms. The catch is that because of this reason there are a lot of
tractors coming by regularly, which can be very noisy and turn the streets very muddy.
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• Would you enjoy living in the countryside

I do enjoy living in the countryside because of the tranquility, but, as you know, the grass is
always greener on the other side … I’d rather live in a city, because it tends to get boring fairly
quickly in the countryside, and I tend to feel quite isolated : there aren’t any shops nearby and there
isn’t a lot of public transportation to get away either.
• Will you live in the countryside in the future
Maybe one day I’ll buy a nice big home or an impressive mansion in the countryside, but we’ll see
that in the future !

VOCABULAR
To take in (verb) : to spend rime looking at somethin
Eg : We sat there taking in the scenery.
Hilly (adj) : having a lot of hill
Eg : A hilly area, hilly countryside
Rural (adj) : in, of, or like the countrysid
Eg : The area is still very rural and undeveloped
Catch (noun) : a hidden problem or disadvantage
Eg : Free food ? It sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch ?
Tranquility (noun) : the quality or state of being tranquil; calm
Eg: I enjoy the tranquility of rural areas.
The grass is always greener on the other side (saying) : something that you say that means that
other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not b
Eg : I sometimes think I’d be happier teaching in Spain. Oh well, the grass is always greener on the
other side

TOPIC 3 : PHOTOS.

• Do you like to take photos

Yes, I do. It’s fun to capture a special moment or a beautiful scenery, so that you can look back on
it later and remember the fun times you had ! I nd photography to be the greatest invention of
mankind : it allows us to keep a memento of whatever we want to. I also have an instant camera :
it was rather expensive, but it was worth it ! It’s a little printer and a camera in one. I only use it for
special occasions, though.
• In which situation do you take photos
I take photos almost daily. Any situation is good to whip out my mobile camera and take a snap of
the moment. Sometimes I’ll take a picture of something because I nd it funny or beautiful, or even
just because I want to remember it later.
• How do you store your photos
I store them in my phone. I’ll also back them up in the cloud, on programs such as Google Drive, so
I won’t lose them if I ever happen to lose my phone one day. Sometimes, when I really like a
picture, I’ll print it in order to decorate my room with it.
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• Do you prefer to take photos of yourself or have other people take photos
I prefer taking pictures of myself because I have the tendency to get uneasy in front of a camera if
another person is behind it : I never know where to put my hands, or how to smile, or even how to
pose ! It’s easier when I can see myself in the camera, so I won’t end up looking awkward in the
picture

VOCABULAR
To capture (verb) : to record or take a picture of something using a camer
Eg : A passer-by captured the whole incident on lm.
Mankind (noun) : the whole of the human race, including both men and wome
Eg : Mankind has always been obsessed by power.
Memento (noun) : an object that you keep to remember a person, place, or even
Eg : I kept a seashell as a memento of our holiday.
To whip out (verb) : to take out or present something suddenly or quickly, often with a ourish
Eg : We didn’t know the police had warrants until they whipped them out.
Snap (noun) - an informal photograph that is not very skillful or artistic
Eg: I took some snaps of a monkey in the zoo.
Tendency (noun) : If someone has a tendency to do something, they will probably do it
Eg : His tendency to exaggerate is well known.

TOPIC 4 : PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

• Do you travel by public transport

Yes, I travel by public transport on a daily basis. Every morning and every afternoon I take the bus
to and from school, because I don’t have a driving license yet. There aren’t many buses plying in
my village, so I have to make sure I catch my bus, otherwise I won’t be able to get there.
• When was the last time you travelled by public transport
It was last Friday. I’ve been home for a week because of my online classes, so I didn’t have to take
the bus. It was an ordinary bus ride.
• Would you prefer to use public transport in the future?
Not really. I’m really looking forward to obtaining my driving license and buying a car, so I won’t
depend on a bus schedule or a bus route anymore : I’ll be able to travel wherever when I please

VOCABULARY
To ply (verb) : to travel regularly over a route, typically for commercial purposes.
Eg: These buses ply across the bridge.
Ride (noun) : a journey made on a horse, bicycle, or motorcycle, or in a vehicle.
Eg: Her uncle took her for a ride on the bike.
To obtain (verb) : to get something, especially by asking for it, buying it, working for it, or
producing it from something els
Eg : In the second experiment they obtained a very clear result.
Route (noun) : a particular way or direction between place
Eg : I live on a bus route so I can easily get to work.
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TOPIC 5 : STAYING UP LATE.

• Do you sometimes go to bed late

Yes. I actually stay up late way more often than I should. My sleep cycle is a bit disrupted as a
result of this. I often stay up working late and even when I haven’t got any work to do, I like to stay
up a bit longer to entertain myself by watching a movie for exemple. In these cases, I usually go to
bed past midnight.
• What do you do when you stay up late
As I’ve said before, I either work and study for school or I blow off some steam by watching an
entertaining video or movie or by scrolling mindlessly through social media.
• How do you feel when you have stayed up late the night before
It depends. Somedays I’ll feel very tired and grumpy throughout the following day, but some days
I’ll just have some dif culty getting out of bed and I’ll experience no other side effects.

VOCABULARY
Sleep cycle (noun) : a period of sleep consisting in ve different parts, each of which has different
brain activit
Eg : Daytime naps can be very disruptive to your sleep cycle.
To disrupt (verb) : to prevent something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as
usual or as expecte
Eg : Heavy snow disrupted travel into the city this morning.
To blow of steam (saying) : to do or say something that helps you to get rid of strong feelings or
energ
Eg : Call me any time you need to blow off some steam.
Side effect (noun) : an unexpected result of a situatio
Eg : A side effect of the new law is that fewer people will take out insurance
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