Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Personal introduction
personal particulars, ID (identity card), passport, driving licence
how you prove your identity (when do you need to prove it?)
permanent address, temporary address, marital status
personal code number (cp. human rights in data procession)
what to do when losing your ID (authority, form, revenue stamp)
education, studies, degrees
The family
relatives, relations; getting along with the members of the family; the ideal family image;
describe somebody from your family (look + character & behaviour)
Look, appearance, character
figure, face, hair, eyes, (eye)brows, (eye)lashes, complexion, nose, mouth, etc.
behaviour, manner, temper
Picture description
in the middle/centre/foreground/background, on the left/right (hand side), to the left/right of
... , at the top/bottom, in the top/bottom left/right hand side corner, in front of, behind,
beside, between,;
Special family occasions
birthdays, name days, anniversaries, funerals (?), Christmas, Easter
wedding, mother's day, family gathering, garden party, family festival;
Friends
"friends should be few and good" - do you agree?
"a friend in need is a friend indeed" - what's your opinion?
describe and characterize one of your friends
have you got your best friend? why is he/she different from others?
your favourite kinds of pastime with friends
Clothing
connection between weather and clothing;
everyday clothing (school/work/home) vs clothes for special occasions;
difference between men's and women's clothes;
describe a special set of clothes (worker/sportsman/infant/etc.);
what clothes do you like wearing? why?
Nature
what's the connection between man and nature?
the peace of nature vs life in a busy town;
quiet and pleasant places in nature;
the (wild) world of animals and plants;
describe your favourite plants and animals and their life;
different living creatures: mammals, birds, reptiles, insects;
beasts/birds of prey, apes, fish, trees, bushes, flowers;
describe an animal and a plant, tell about its environment;
Outings
do people need going out?
what do we look for in nature?
observing plants and animals (cp. 'Nature')
describe a place where you like to go
what do you take going on an excursion?
Environmental protection
the green movement, pollution, industry, chemicals, traffic, smog;
the role of trees and other plants in nature, the disappearing rain forest; why do people cut
down trees?
how green are you? how do you protect nature?
School life
the school you go to; why you chose this school; school atmosphere, friends, teachers,
headmaster (appearance, character, their influence on you), the image of an ideal
techer/student; school programmes, excursion, camps, parties; helping one another vs n
not caring for other people, indifference; school life vs holidays
Class, subjects
describe the classroom and the school building and its environment; speak about your
classmates and teachers (characters and relations); subjects you study + what you learn, like,
dislike;
your way of learning as compared with others'
Career, working
your plans for the future, career ideas; can work be one's hobby?
act out a job interview; write your CV (curriculum vitae);
describe a worker or employee and his/her work and life;
occupation, job, profession,
different kinds of jobs and places of work with their advantages/disadvantages;
Sports
indoor/outdoor sports & games
water sports, track and field events, technical sports
what's your favourite sport/game? why?
what sports do they do at the Olympic Games?
describe the rules of a game;
do sports, play games, training, coach, stadium, Olympic Games
indoor/outdoor sports, ball games, track and field events, water sports, winter sports,
technical sports
Illnesses, accidents
illnesses and their symptoms; hospital, doctor's surgery; dentist
act out a dialogue at the doctor's/chemist's;
National Health Service, social insurance, sick leave, first aid, G.P. (general practitioner)
Healthy life
stress, tension, breathe fresh air, do exercises, sport, physical education, drug addiction,
alcoholism, smoking, AIDS, balance of work and rest, healthy food;
natural therapeutics, preventive medicine
Hobbies
favourite pastime; connection between character and hobby;
men's/women's typical hobbies; do-it-yourself movement; clubs;
individual vs group activities; funny or strange hobbies;
are there people without hobbies?; do hobbies cause any damage
Music
is music art or just entertainment? what makes a piece of music good?
the relation between dance and music; music as a background activity;
different styles and branches; musicians, composers, orchestras;
musical instruments and the way you play/tune them; reading notes;
classical vs pop/rock music;
Theatre, concerts
theatre vs cinema, the atmosphere of the theatre, theatre/play description, stage
management,
different kinds of drama, playwrights, genres;
Shakespeare and the English theatre
Going out
staying at home or going out? - argue for and against;
where you or other people usually go in your/their free time;
different kinds of entertainment out of home;
museums, exhibitions, cinemas, theatres, concerts, ballet, variety shows, clubs, zoo, leisure
centre, amusement parks/centres, sports events, puppet shows, children's programmes,
parties;
argument between children and parents about staying out late
Weekends
the difference between weekend and weekday activities;
having a rest or going out? - housework or family programmes?
relaxation vs useful kinds of pastime; extra work at weekends;
a typical weekend in England and in your country
Eating out
argue for or against eating in a restaurant, pub, caf, snack bar;
takeaway food: comfort at reasonable price; the (dis)advantage of fast food places and selfservice; describe your favourite place to eat;
act out a situation in a restaurant; table manners; laying the table;
Holidays
summer/winter holidays; frequented holiday places and activities;
preparation for a trip, cost estimate, decide on the route, decide what to take, pack;
passport, visa, (foreign) currency, travel insurance;
your favourite places/preferences
Tourism
why do people visit places of interest? what are they interested in?
describe a typical place for tourism and a typical tourist;
arrange a tour at a tourist office (cp. 'Holidays' & 'Travelling')
Travelling
means of transport and their (dis)advantages in travelling;
where and how you last travelled;
accommodation, hotel, camp site, guest house;
passport, visa, insurance; customs control/declaration;
tourist office, travel agency, book a trip, package tours;
route, places of interest, holiday areas;
situations at the airport/railway station/port; rent a car
(cp. 'Holidays' & 'Tourism')
Hotel
arrange your accommodation in a hotel; the importance of facilities and comfort;
hotel vs camp site or private accommodation; hotel categories, famous hotel chains;
act out a situation with a hotel guest complaining to the manager
Sample questions
Choose a question at random and talk about the topic:
1 About yourself
Who are you and where do you come from?
(your family connections and close relations)
2 Family life
Happy together...
(holidays and occasions with the family)
3 A day's programme
The best day in my life
(why was a certain day better than your ordinary days?)
5 Fares, please!
How do you come to school?
(means of transport and how to use them; driving)
7 Village or town?
Are you satisfied with your present environment?
(pollution against nature, the green movement)
8 Studies at school
Why I (don't) like maths...
12 At the doctor's
I wish I were never ill...
(talking to your doctor; hospital treatment)
13 Reading
What do you usually read and when?
(newspapers, literature, your favourite writer)
14 Cinema, theatre
Isn't a live performance better than watching TV?
(argue for or against television)
15 At a concert
The band was terrific...
(your favourite kind of music as opposed to other styles)
16 Shopping
Department store or fashion shop?
(argue for or against different kinds of shops)
17 Restaurant
The soup is too cold...
(act out a situation in a fine restaurant)
19 Holiday making
It's not easy to make a good trip...
(packing, hotel reservation, camping, etc.)
20 Guiding a tourist
What should a foreigner know about your country?
(sights, places of interest, geography, history, etc.)
21 Travelling abroad
Do I need a visa?
(necessary documents and arrangements, customs, etc.)
22 Studying languages
Why do you study English?
(English vs other languages; English culture)