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 Describe a leisure activity near/on the sea that you want to try
• What it is;
• What you need to prepare;
• How easy or difficult it is;
• And explain how you feel about it.

As an inlander, I don’t actually get the chance to go to the beach very

often. And I’ve never been a big fan of intense physical activities. So
speaking of a leisure activity by the sea, I would definitely say sunbathing
is my top choice.
I used to just sit on the beach and enjoy the nice view of the sea. So I
had never tried to really sunbathe. But I read an article about sunbathing
before. The proper way to do it is to change into your bathing suits and
put on a lot of sunscreen. The best time for sunbathing is between 9 and
10 in the morning. You can find a perfect spot for laying down. And then
you sunbathe 50 there for half an hour tops. You might get a sunburn if
you expose your skin to the sun for too long.
Anyway, sunbathing has tons of health benefits. It can definitely help
you kick back and relax. It is said that taking in the sun can increase
people’s dopamine level, which makes them happy and relaxed and
reduces anxiety. Plus, sunlight helps us generate vitamin D, which is
essential to our health.
So if I have the chance to spend my vacation by the sea, I’ll definitely go
sunbathing. Actually there’s a coastal city, Weihai, near my hometown.
It is located in the easternmost part of Shandong province. It has a
really good location because it’s surrounded by the sea on three sides.
I think I’ll go sunbathing at a beach there.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe a leisure activity near/on the sea that you want to try

1. Sunbathe (verb): to sit or lie in the sun in order to make your

skin darker.
2. easternmost (adjective): furthest towards the east of an area.
3. kick back (phrasal verb): to stop doing things and relax.
4. anxiety (adjective): an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness
or worry about something that is happening or might happen in
the future.
5. dopamine (noun): a hormone (= chemical substance) that is
made naturally in the body and may also be given as a drug.
6. vitamin D (noun): any of a group of vitamins, found in foods
such as liver, some fish, and egg yolk, that are important for
healthy bones and teeth

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Describe an occasion when you were not allowed to use your
mobile phone
• When it was;
• Where it was;
• Why you were not allowed to use your mobile phone;
• And explain how you felt about it.

Well, several weeks ago, I happened to have a free Friday afternoon.

My friend Lisa invited me to listen to a lecture about novels at her
college.
When we were at the gate of the auditorium, the teacher there required
us to seal our cellphone in a bag. Lisa told me smartphones are banned
at her college. You know, I wouldn’t have gone there if I’d known that. To
make matters worse, the theme of the lecture was sci-fi novels. I’m not
that into sci-fi, so I wasn’t interested in the talk right from the start. But
Lisa is crazy about sci-fi novels, so she was practically bouncing off
the walls with excitement. I thought it would make her embarrassed if
I left right away. So I said nothing but kept listening to it.
During the whole lecture, the teacher’s words just went in one ear
and out the other. I was so bored out of my mind without my cellphone,
I yawned and almost fell asleep.
Honestly, if I had my cell phone, I might have read some interesting
online novels secretly. I know that, but it was at least better than closing
my eyes.
Since then, whenever I go to listen to a lecture, I make sure I’m really
interested in the topic, otherwise it’ll be a waste of time. Plus, I’ve never
gone to Lisa’s college for a lecture again because I really don’t like their
no-cell phone rule in class.
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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe an occasion when you were not allowed to use your

mobile phone

1.Invited to: to ask or request someone to go to an event

2.Banned (past simple and past participle of ban): to forbid (=
refuse to allow) something, especially officially
3.Sci-fi (science fiction): books, films, or cartoons about an
imagined future, especially about space travel or other planets
4.Crazy about: to like someone or something very much
5.Bouncing off the walls with: to be too excited and have a lot
of energy
6.Yawned: to open the mouth wide and take a lot of air into the
lungs and slowly send it out, usually when tired or bored

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 Describe a law on environmental protection your country
should have
• What it is
• How you first learned about it
• Who benefits from it
• And explain how you feel about this law

I think one of the environmental laws that our city (or our country)
urgently needs to put in place is banning barbecues by rivers or lakes.
And violators should be punished.
I say this because of a heavily polluted river near my grandmother’s
house. I visit my grandma by bus every two weeks. There’s a river that
the bus must pass on the route, and it bothers me every time the bus
gets close to it, especially during summer. There are always tons of
people having a barbecue by the river. They seem like they’re having
a blast, but I’ve seen a ton of ashes, used tissues, and plastic bags
everywhere on the river bank.
In recent years, I’ve seen garbage floating on the water all the time.
And when the windows on the bus are open in the summer, I can even
smell the stink caused by all the garbage, which really sets me off.
However, I haven’t seen any action from the government to deal with
the pollution. Honestly, the problem of environmental pollution goes
beyond just affecting our mood. It also threatens people’s health and
safety. So I think it is time that the government makes a strict law to
prevent water pollution. Just like the drunk driving law in our country,
severe punishment can be effective in changing people’s behavior. If
the government could have the grit to work hard on it, I believe the
river will be restored to clean water and may even have thriving plants
alongside the river bank

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe a law on environmental protection your country should have

1. Put in place: working or ready to work

2. Pass on: to go pass
3. Having a blast: to have a good time, to really enjoy oneself.
4. Float (verb): to stay on the surface of a liquid and not sink.

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 Describe a town or city where you would like to live in the
future
• Where it is
• How you knew it
• What it is famous for
• And why you would like to live there

Speaking of a city that I want to live in, the first one that comes to
mind is definitely Weihai, which is located in the easternmost part of
Shandong province. That area is close to the sea, which makes it a
hotspot for lots of people.
Since I have a friend who moved to the city last year, I’ve visited him and
toured there twice. It has a really good location because it’s surrounded
by the sea on three sides, and there are many terrific attractions in the
city.
My favorite part of the city is a long bike path that has been built
alongside the sea. You can feel the soft sea breeze and even enjoy the
sparkling sun on the water while riding, which is fantastic. I went biking
with my friend there every time I visited this city. When we got tired,
we loved to lie on a nearby beach and enjoyed soaking up the sun. It
definitely made us feel like a million bucks.
As an inlander, I really yearn for the feeling of living by the sea. So
I really love that city. It has breathtaking views and fresh air. You could
easily find a place to kick back and relax. I heard from my friend that the
housing prices there are way cheaper than metro cities like Beijing and
Shanghai. You know, that’s to consider when deciding where to live. So
I’m really looking forward to moving there in the future.
1. Yearn for: to wish very strongly, especially for something that you
cannot have or something that is very difficult to have

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 Describe a natural talent (sports, music, etc) you want to
improve
• What it is
• How you first learned about it
• Who benefits from it
• And explain how you feel about this law

Speaking of natural talents, I guess I may have a little talent for writing
novels. I actually didn’t discover it myself, but all my friends said I was
adept at writing.
Several months ago, I had a meet-up at a coffee shop with a couple of
my friends. One of them was Lisa, who loves writing so much. She told
us that she was planning to take part in a novel-writing competition for
sci-fi novels. She had come up with a good frame for the story. But to
think up something more creative, she asked us for advice and hoped to
get some inspiration for the details about the aliens. So we all expanded
our imagining of aliens and had an unrestrained brainstorming session.
I remember I said the aliens might have existed on Earth and lived
among us. And they might have observed and intervened with human
civilization for some purpose. I shared a lot of my thoughts. My friends
all complimented me for my unique ideas. Lisa even said I was creative
and had the potential to write fiction.You know, I was so flattered.
I do enjoy reading all kinds of novels. So what my friends said made
me want to try it out. Since I’ve never written a novel, I definitely should
have more writing practice. After all, the logic of writing matters a lot,
which is what I think I’m lacking. Seriously, I’ll try my best to see if I can
turn my talent into income one day.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe a natural talent (sports, music, etc) you

want to improve

1. Adept at: very skilled or proficient at something.

2. Take part in (Phrasal verb): join in an activity; be involved.
3. Come up with (Phrasal verb): to suggest or think of an idea
or plan
4. Unrestrained: not limited or controlled
5. Intervened with: to intentionally become involved in a difficult
situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse
6. Compliment (verb): to praise or express admiration for someone

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 Describe a tall building in your city you like or you dislike
• Where it is
• What it is used for
• What it looks like
• And explain why you like or dislike it

Well, there are tons of tall buildings in the city where I live. Speaking
of a building I hate, I do have an answer; it’s where my home is.
It’s an all-glass commercial building about 30 to 40 stories tall. It was
just built two years ago. At the very beginning, I was actually happy
and enjoyed seeing it because the shiny exterior is really pleasing to
the eye. But after a short while, I found a serious problem caused by
it. It turns out that on every sunny day, when the sun sets west in the
afternoon, some of the glass from the building reflects the sunlight right
into my apartment. Imagine shooting a glare onto your home. I have
to draw the curtains when that happens in the afternoon because the
glaring light nearly blinds me and heats up the room, but I shouldn’t
have to deal with this at all.
I tried to contact the property management of this building, but they
refuse to admit the problem. Instead, they shift the blame by saying
that they weren’t in charge of the construction spotlight or the design.
I’m so pissed off but there’s nothing I can do, which is why I started to
hate the building. I bet if someone else was in my situation, they would
have been driven crazy by it the same as me.

1. Glaring light: giving out or reflecting a strong or dazzling light.

2. Drive someone crazy: to make someone upset or annoyed

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 Describe an occasion when many people were smiling
• When it happened
• Who you were with
• What happened
• And explain why many people were smiling

Speaking of a time that everyone was smiling, the first one that comes
to mind is when I had some food with my friends. During the Labor Day
holidays in May, there was a flower exhibition of tulips held at a flower
farm around my neighborhood. On a sunny day, I went there with four
of my friends for a tour.
On our way back home, we came across a snack market that was
packed with people. It seemed there were all kinds of authentic foods
and snacks. Since we were starving, we dropped by the market and
decided to try some food there.
We’re all foodies, so we were eager to try every stall. But it was late,
and we didn’t have much time to tour around the street. So we decided
to split up and each of us went to buy a few kinds of food that we liked.
Then we gathered together to share the food and snacks.
When we met up again with all kinds of signature foods on our
hands, we were all excited and everyone had a big smile on their face.
After all, it was such a surprise for us to discover this gourmet place,
and we hadn’t had dinner in this way for a long time. Plus, everything
there tasted heavenly. Honestly, who doesn’t feel happy eating delicious
food? So it was such a happy and memorable night for us and we all
had a blast that night.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe an occasion when many people were smiling

1. Come to mind: to enter into one’s consciousness or be

remembered.
2. Come across: to find something by chance
3. Drop by: to visit someone/something
4. Tour around: to visit places of interest along the route
5. Split up: to separate out into parts
6. Meet up again with: to see and talk to someone after making
an arrangement to do so

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 Describe a time when you saw two of your friends argued
• What they argued about
• Why they argued with each other
• What happened at the end
• How you felt about it

I’d like to talk about a time when two of my friends, Lisa and Sarah,
had a funny argument. The three of us live practically within spitting
distance of each other, and we hang out together a lot, so we often
share some interesting things with each other.
Several months ago, we had a meet-up at a coffee shop. Lisa told
us that she was planning to take part in a novel-writing competition
for sci-fi novels about alien civilizations. The mention of aliens made
Sarah chime in. She said she didn’t believe in the existence of an alien
civilization.
Lisa apparently had a totally different idea about this. She said the
aliens might have existed on Earth and lived among us. And they
might have observed and intervened with human civilization for some
purpose. Sarah thought what Lisa said was just a fantasy. But Lisa
insisted that there are photos of aliens and UFOs on the internet, while
Sarah argued they are all either blurred or photoshopped.
Anyway, both of them were kind of stubborn. To smooth over the
situation, I said their ideas all made sense, but they really didn’t need
to argue about something that the whole world doesn’t have an answer
to. Finally they stopped. And soon after that Lisa said the discussion
inspired lots of new ideas for the novel. She finished her novel and it
ended up in the final round. So, you know, it’s not always a bad thing to
have arguments.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe a time when you saw two of your friends argued

1. A meet-up: come into the presence or company of someone,

especially by arrangement.
2. Chime in: to join a conversation by saying something
4. To smooth over the situation: to make it less serious and
easier to deal with

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 Describe a time you helped a friend
• When it was
• How you helped him/her
• Why you helped him/her
• And how you felt about it

I’d like to talk about how I helped my friend lose weight. If memory
serves correctly it happened about half a year ago. At the time, my friend
Lisa was upset about failing to lose weight. She knows that I managed
to lose 10 kilograms in two months. So she asked me for help.
I sent my diet plan and recipes to Lisa, the ones that worked like a
charm on me. The diet plan contains meat, and Lisa was really satisfied
about that since she could still enjoy meat during the diet. Plus, I told
Lisa that the key to losing weight is finding a companion who wants to
go through the workout and diet every day with her. I suggested that
she could find someone in her social circle with the same goal as her
and form a team to encourage and support each other.
Lisa was totally on board with what I said. So she started a fitness
team with three friends of hers. Of course, they all used my diet plan
and recipes. I remember Lisa lost 5 kilograms in a month, and every
member of the team lost weight more or less.
To express her gratitude for my help, Lisa treated me to a good dinner
a month later. And she happily told me that she shared my method with
others who want to keep fit. It gave me a sense of achievement to know
that what I said was so helpful.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe a time you helped a friend

1. Upset about: to make someone worried, unhappy, or angry

2. Satisfy about: to please someone by giving them what they
want or need
3. On board: to involve in something.
4. Keep fit: to keep your body healthy

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 Describe your favorite singer or actor
• Who he/she is
• What his/her personality is like
• What kind of style his/her music/acting belongs to
• And explain why you like him/her

Well, I’d like to talk about an American singer-songwriter whose name

is Bea Miller. About two years ago, one of my friends sang a beautiful
song called Brand New Eyes at a New Year’s party that my class held. I
really took a liking to that song and looked it up online right away. Then
I found the original singer of it, Bea Miller. She’s only in her twenties
and definitely has great potential with her pop-rock career.
Bea has an incredible smoky voice that is ear candy to me. Whenever
I put on my headphones and listen to her songs with her sexy and raspy
singing voice, I feel like the whole world suddenly calms down and all
my bad emotions go away. I have to say her calming singing voice is an
amazing natural gift that she has. It’s not something you can get from
practice.
Plus, normally, singers have only two or three good songs on an album
at most, and their songs are mostly the same style. But Bea’s music is
very diverse. I mean, every song she writes is unique but also catchy.
I really admire her talent for music writing as well.
Anyway, she’s a celebrity idol and also a very talented young lady. I
believe she will go a long way in music. Now, there are still tons of people
who don’t know her but I look forward to seeing her blow everyone away.

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 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Describe your favorite singer or actor

1. Take a liking to: to begin to like someone or something

2. Ear candy to somebody: music that is pleasing to listen
3. Raspy: A raspy voice sounds unpleasantly rough

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