Oral Test for New Integrated English Band I (1-A) 1. Do you have a part-time job? Is it good for students to have part-time jobs? Why? 2. Pollution is a global problem. What should we do, in your opinion, to protect our environment? 3. Do you like traveling? What places have you been to? Would you describe the place of interest you have been to? 4. Do you do sports in your spare time? And what sports do you do ? Do you think in what way doing sports is good for us? 5. Do you agree "a friend in need is a friend indeed"? What is your standard of making friends? 6. Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it. Many thousands of years ago, people lived only in hot countries. They did not live in cold countries because they could not keep warm. Then they learnt how to make clothes. When an animal was killed, they cut off its skin. They wrapped the skins around their bodies. The skins kept them warm. Skins which had fur on them were the best. Even today some people wear the furs of animals to keep them warm. At first men did not know how to make fire. Sometimes lightning hit a forest and started a fire. The people took some of this fire to make a fire near their homes. A fire was very important for three reasons. It kept them warm. It frightened wild animals. They did not attack when they saw a fire. Then another thing was discovered: if you cook food, it tastes much better! Questions: 1) Thousands of years ago, why did people only live in the hot countries? 2) At that time, how did people make clothes? 3) Which kind of skins was the best for making clothes according to the passage? 4) Why was fire so important for man at that time? 7. Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it. Every year just after Christmas the January Sales start. All the shops reduce their prices and for two weeks. They are full of people looking for bargains. My husband and I do not normally go to the sales as we don't like crowds and in any case are short of money as we have to buy lots of Christmas presents. Last year, however. I took my husband with me to the sales at the center of London. We needed some new clothes and were hoping to find a television set. When we got to Oxford Street, it was so crowded that we decided to split up and meet again at the underground station. So I left my husband and started looking around the shops. Unfortunately all the clothes were in very large sizes and so were not suitable for me. But I did buy a television at a very cheap price, so I felt quite pleased with myself. When I arrived at the station, my husband was not there. So I sat down in a nearby café to have a cup of tea. I quickly finished my tea when I saw my husband and went out to meet him. He looked very happy. Then I saw he was carrying a large and heavy cardboard box. "oh, dear!" I thought. Yes, we had no new clothes but two televisions. We shall not be going to the sales again. Questions: 1) Why don't the author and her husband go to the sales? 2) Where is the large shop where the author and her husband went to last year? 3) What did they need to buy? 4) Where did they promise to meet again? 5) How many television sets did they buy altogether? And how would they deal with the television sets? 8. Do you celebrate Christmas? What do you think of the western festivals celebrated in China? 9. Say something about your college life: college study, new friends, exams etc. 10. What is your idea of true love? How important is love in your life? Or Tell a story about some one whose loving act moved you greatly. 11. State at least three reasons of traffic accident. Can you find some effective solutions to this problem? 12. Do you have access to the Internet in your dormitory? If yes, what do you usually do on the Internet? What’s your attitude towards surfing the Internet? 13. Some people like to live in big cities while others prefer to live in the countryside, what are the advantages and disadvantages of living in large modern cities or in the countryside respectively? 14. With the improvements of people's living standard, more and more people begin to consider buying private cars. What is your opinion of owning a private car? What are the advantage and disadvantage of owing a private car? 15. Some people say that college students should do some part-time jobs in order to have a better preparation for future, while others hold that the chief task for students is academic study. What are your points of view on this phenomenon? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing part -time job for college students? 16. Theoretically speaking, men and women should be equal. In practice, is it the case? Give some example to illustrate your point of view. How can man and woman achieve equality? 17.Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it. A hobby is something we like to do in our spare time. From Monday until Friday most people are busy working or studying, but in the evening and on weekends they are free to enjoy themselves. Some like watching television or going to movies, others like taking part in sports. These are hobbies. There are many other kinds of hobbies, such as collecting stamps or making model airplanes. Some don't cost anything at all while others are very expensive. Some people think the value in dollars is not important, but the pleasure it gives us is. Almost everyone has some kind of hobby. Most people take up a hobby for pleasure, friendship, or to develop new interests. People of almost any age can enjoy hobbies of their own. Enjoying a good hobby for a while after hard work helps people relax. Questions: 1) What's a hobby? 2) Are all hobbies expensive? 3) Do people take up hobbies just for pleasure? 4) Do you have any hobbies? What are they? 18. Read the following conversation and answer the questions based on it. Susan: Oh Dad. I've been invited to a party on Saturday. Mr. Brown: How nice! Where is it? Susan: At the Winters' house. They're very rich, so I'll need a new dress. Mr. Brown: What's wrong with your pretty blue one'? You've only worn it twice. Susan: I've had it for ages. Everyone's seen it. Mr. Brown: Well, they'll have to see it again. I can't afford to buy new dresses for you every month. I'm not made of money. Susan: But Dad, a dress only costs a few pounds. Mr. Brown: Really, Susan. What do you learn at school? Hundreds of girls never get any new clothes. And in many parts of the world your weekly pocket money would have to feed a whole family. Susan: I don't care. Mr. Brown: Well, I do. You're getting very selfish, and you're foolish about money. That's why I'm not going to buy you a new dress. I'll give the money to charity instead. Questions: 1) Why does Susan want a new dress? 2) Why can't her father afford to buy new dresses every month? 3) How much does she know about life in poorer families'? 4) Why does he think she's selfish? 19. Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it. John works in a shop. The shop sells tape records. One afternoon a middle-aged woman came in, sat on a stool in front of the counter, and smiled at him brightly. "I want a record, dear." She began. "The one I heard on the radio this morning." "What was the record called?" John asked. The woman shook her head. "I don't remember. Perhaps if you play me a few records, I shall be able to pick it out." "We have hundreds of records." John pointed out. "It would take a very long time to play you even a little of each. Could you sing a little bit of it to me?" The woman shook her head again. "Sorry, I can't sing at all." Then suddenly her face brightened. 'I've just remembered something," she said. "It comes from a play. The play is about a girl who speaks very badly, if you see what I mean. But after a period of time she learns to talk well. Something about..." This was enough for John. "It's from My Fair lady, 1 think." he said. "That's it, dear. If you had thought of it sooner, we wouldn't have wasted so much time," the woman said. "I suppose you are new to the job." Questions: 1) How did the customer come to know the song? 2) Was John able to guess what the song was in the end? 3) Why was the customer difficult? 4) Do you often go shopping? 20. Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it. Many businesses, such as department stores, restaurants, hotels and airline companies, use a credit system for selling their products and services. In a credit system, the seller agrees to sell something to the buyer without immediately receiving cash. The buyer receives the goods or services immediately and promises to pay for them later. This "buy-now-pay-later" credit system is quite old. People have been buying things on credit for centuries. But nowadays people use credit cards. There are two types of credit cards. One type is issued directly by a store to a customer. Many large department stores issue credit cards to their customers. The store credit card can be used to make purchases only at a particular store. The other kind of credit card is issued by a bank. Credit cards from banks can be used to buy things almost anywhere. If you have a major credit card, you can buy airplane tickets, stay at hotels, and eat at restaurants with it. You can apply for these credit cards at most large banks. After an applicant receives a credit card, he or she can make purchases using the card. Questions: 1) Who uses a credit system? 2) What is a credit system? 3) What is the old credit system? 4) Think about the advantages and disadvantages of the credit cards? 21. Tell a story by using the following words: Linda, depressed, sore throat, wedding, Dr. Harris, temperature, pills, rest 22. Do you have any childhood friendships that are still strong today? Tell us about them. 23. Do you think there is a generation gap existing between you and your parents? Say something about it. 24. Tell a story happened on the campus that most impressed you. 25. Tell something about you favorite movie.