ENGLISH FORUM 2

FINAL EXAM SPEAKING PART

1. Recommend a place in your country that a foreign friend of yours should visit.
Think about the following:
-the best places to eat and drink
-the most comfortable / the cheapest ways to travel
-places worth visiting
-accommodation
-possible problems

2. Express your opinion on trends and changes in family life in your country.
-How has the traditional family concept changed?
-Why do more and more people put off getting married? What is this trend due to?
-What is the consequence of this decision?

3. Discuss these questions:

-How did you decide which college/university to attend? What are some important
factors in determining which college to attend?
-If you had a chance would you rather study abroad or in our country? Why (not)?
-Are college tuitions reasonable in your country?
-Is it difficult for people without a college education to get good jobs where you live?
-Once you graduate from a university should you stop learning?
-What are some ways a person can continue to learn?
-Does education guarantee a good job?

4. Express your agreement or disagreement with the following statements on

studying online/traditional education:
-Studying online is both cheap and flexible.
-Traditional education is impractical for working people or stay-at-home mothers.
-Studying online has no personal touch.
-Traditional education is passive and teacher-centered.

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5. Think of a situation when you were dissatisfied with the service or goods that you
bought and decided to complain.

-Who did you complain to?

-What action did you request- an apology, a refund or something else?
-What happened in the end? How did you solve the problem?
-Have you ever written a letter of complaint? Why (not)?
-Do people in our country often write letters of complaint? Why (not)?

6.
-List personal qualities required for your current job.
-List 3 positive and 3 negative aspects of your current job.
-If you had to choose between a satisfying job and a well-paid one, which would you
choose?
-Would you like to do the same job for the rest of your life?
-When did you last have a job interview? What was it like? What questions were
you asked? What questions did you ask? Did you get the job?

7. Express your opinion on these statements:

-E-mails have replaced not only traditional letters but personal phone conversations.
-Letters are not password protected, you can keep them closed in your desk and read
them whenever you feel like as many times.
-E-mails are faster and more efficient form of communication than traditional letters.

-What media do you use for personal communication: letters, e-mails, text messages
or something else?
-How often do you write e-mails?
-What was your last e-mail about?
-When did you last write/receive a “real” letter?
-List a few situations when writing a letter would be more appropriate than writing
an e-mail.
-List advantages and disadvantages of traditional letters and e-mails.

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8.

What is your best personality trait?

What is your worst personality trait?
If you could change any aspect of your personality, what would it be?
What personality traits do you consider important in a good friend / a boss / a
partner?

9.
What invention do you think has had the greatest impact on society? Why?
Are there some things that never should have been invented? Why?
In what ways has technology improved our lives? In what ways has it made life
worse?

Describe a thing which has special sentimental value for you.

Describe:
-what’s it made of, where was it produced
-its shape, design, colour
-what’s it used for
-where was it bought/how did you get it

10.

 Do you think your country is a safe place to live? Why or why not?
 Is your hometown considered safe?
 Are some parts of your city considered more dangerous than others? Which
parts?
 Is there a problem with organized crime and/or gangs where you live?
 Have you ever been the victim of a crime? How about others in your family?
 Have you ever done anything illegal? If so, what did you do?
 Have you ever stolen anything?
 Is stealing books a crime?
 Have you ever witnessed a crime?
 Is it ever O.K. to break the law? If so, when?
 Is prison an effective punishment? (Why? / Why not?)
 What are some things people can do to protect themselves from crime?
 What are some things that are legal that you personally think should be
illegal?

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11.

- Where do you get most of your news?

- Do you think it's important to read the newspaper and know what is going
on in the world? Why/why not?
- What newspaper do you read? Which sections do you always/never read?
- What kinds of news sell a newspaper?
- What kind of magazines do you like to read?
- List 3 most important pieces of news that you read about/heard about last
week.

12.

-Have you ever written a letter to the editor of a newspaper? Why/why not? What
topics do readers usually write about in letters to the editor?

- Think of a problem that your community is faced with. How would you present
this problem in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. Explain how you would
state the problem and why you find it unacceptable, suggest possible solutions or
actions and express the benefits of these solutions/actions.

13. Express your opinion on these statements:

a. Advertising industry shows us images of perfection and makes us believe that we

can be perfect, too.

b. Most advertisements aim to shock the public with inappropriate slogans or by

showing violence, vulgarity or sexism.

 What kind of advertisements attract your attention?

 What is the most shocking advertisement you have seen? Describe it.
 What is the funniest advertisement you have seen? Describe it.
 What makes an ad memorable?
 Do you buy products because of advertising?
 Should alcohol or tobacco companies be allowed to advertise? Why or why
not?

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14. Have you ever used the Yellow Pages? What kind of information can you find in
the Yellow Pages? If you need a service done where else do you look for
information?

List a few things that you would like to have fixed/repaired/replace/changed around
your home.

What are some of the household chores that you must do yourself? What are some
things that you have done by others?

15.

-What are some common superstitions in your country?

-Can you explain the origin of some superstitions (breaking a mirror, knocking on
wood, spilling salt, etc.)

-What are some things that are considered unlucky?

-What are some things that are considered lucky?

-List several things that superstitious people usually do to reverse the curse.

-Do you forward chain letters? Why/not?

-Do you have a lucky charm?

16. How do you understand the phrase “recycle, reuse& reduce”?

In terms of environmental issues, how has the world changed since you were a
child?

What are some things that your community is doing to protect the environment?

What are some things which you recycle?

Does your local government make it easy or hard for citizens to recycle?

What are some types of pollution?

Who do you think is more responsible for pollution, individual people or the
government? Explain.

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17.

 What sort of books do you enjoy reading?

 Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
 Are there types of books that you wouldn’t read?
 What’s the last book you have read? What was it like? Would you
recommend it?
 Who is your favorite character from literature?
 Do you give books to your friends as a present?
o If so, what was the last book you gave?
o Why did you choose that book?
 What is your favorite "quote"?
 Are people reading more or less than they used to? Why is that so?

18.

Have any of your friends or family gone to live in a foreign country? List several
things that they had to get used to. (think about social customs, climate, food,
work, free time, living standard, etc.)

List a few things that you are used to and that you would miss if you were to
move to another country.

List a few things that foreigners living in your country have to get used to.

If you were to marry a foreigner, what nationality would you choose? Why?

20.

-Have you been under stress recently?

-Is your stress caused by relationships with other people? (At work? At school? At
home? With best friends? With partners? )

-When you are stressed out, how do you feel physically? How do you feel
emotionally?

-How do you relieve stress? Can alcohol cure stress temporarily? Does it help to go
shopping or take a long walk when you are stressed out?

-Do you like to be alone or be with other people when you are stressed out? Do you
eat more or eat less when you are stressed out?

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21.

-How interested are you in politics?

-How do you feel about discussing politics with people?
-Would you ever consider running for office? Why/not?
-How are government officials chosen in your country? Do you think this method is
fair?
-Is voting an important responsibility of a citizen? Why/not?
-How do you decide who to vote for in the election?
-Have you ever been to a political demonstration or rally? -What type of
information--if any--do you think a government should keep from its citizens? -
What do you think is the most important political issue right now? Why is it
important?
-Why do you think the media pays a lot of attention to politicians' personal lives?

22.

What are some of the most common fears or phobias?

What is your biggest fear or phobia?

What are some of the most common symptoms of a phobia?

Do you believe that people can overcome their phobias with professional help?

Have you managed to overcome any of your fears/ How? What is the best way to get
over a phobia?

23.

Imagine that you could only use ONE of the following: a computer, a telephone, or a
car. Which one would you use and why?

What do you use the Internet for? What Internet sites do you visit most often?

Would you consider dating someone you had met over the Internet? Why or why
not?

Do you have an e-mail account? What do you use it for? How often do you check
it?

How has the Internet changed the way you live? Do computers save time or do they
just make us waste more time?