English Lesson 7
Daily routine and possessions
Your daily routine, something you own that is important to you, and shopping and advertising.
How to practise
- Listen to an answer two times. Read the text while you listen.
- Shadow it. Set the speed to 0.75×. Play it again and speak at the same time as the voice.
- Turn on practice mode. The answers are hidden. Read each question and answer it out loud.
- Make it yours. Use the same phrases, but say true things about your city, your job and your life.
- Practise with a partner. One person reads the questions. The other answers without looking.
Part 1 · Interview
Daily routine
Short answers. About 20 to 30 seconds each. Answer, give a reason, add one detail.
Tell me about your typical weekday and your typical weekend.
On weekdays, I get up at seven, have a quick breakfast and go to work. I usually work until five, and in the evening I cook dinner and relax. At weekends, it's different. I sleep late, meet my friends, and sometimes go to the mountains for a walk.
- I get up at…means I leave my bed
- have a quick breakfasthave = eat, for meals
- At weekends, it's different.move to the second part of your answer
- sleep latemeans wake up later than usual
Are all your days the same?
Not really. My weekdays are quite similar, because I follow the same routine for work. But some days are busier than others. For example, on Mondays I have lots of meetings. And my weekends are always different, depending on my plans.
- Not really.a soft no
- follow the same routinedo the same things in the same order
- busier than otherscompare days
- depending on my plansmeans it changes with my plans
What is the balance of work and free time in your normal day?
Honestly, work takes most of my day. I work about eight or nine hours, and the trip to work takes another hour. So I only have two or three hours of free time in the evening. I'd like to have a better balance, but it isn't easy.
- Honestly, …means to tell the truth
- takes most of my dayuses most of my time
- a better balancea better mix of work and free time
What would you like to change in your daily routine?
I'd like to do more exercise. At the moment, I sit at my desk all day, and I don't move much. So I'm planning to go to the gym before work, maybe three times a week. I'd also like to go to bed earlier, because I often stay up too late.
- I'd like to…talk about a wish
- At the moment, …means now
- I'm planning to…talk about a plan
- stay up too latemeans go to bed very late
Part 2 · Cue card
Something you own which is very important to you
You get 1 minute to prepare and then speak for 1 to 2 minutes. Follow the four points on the card in order.
Candidate task card
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:
- where you got it from
- how long you have had it
- what you use it for
- and explain why it is so important to you
Start
I'd like to talk about my watch. It isn't expensive, but it means a lot to me.
Where you got it
My grandfather gave it to me as a present, on the day I started university. He had worn it for many years himself.
How long you have had it
I've had it for about eight years now. It's quite old, so I had to repair it once, but it still works perfectly.
What you use it for
I use it every day, of course, to check the time. I wear it to work, and I always wear it on special days, like weddings or job interviews. I feel strange when I forget it at home.
Why it is important
It's important to me because it reminds me of my grandfather. He passed away three years ago, and this watch is like a small part of him that I can keep with me. When I look at it, I remember his advice: be on time and work hard. I'd never sell it.
- it means a lot to memeans it is very important to me
- gave it to me as a presentmeans gave it as a gift
- I've had it for…say how long you have owned something
- it still works perfectlymeans it has no problems
- it reminds me of…means it makes me think of someone
- passed awaya polite way to say "died"
Part 3 · Discussion
Possessions, shopping and advertising
Longer answers. About 30 to 45 seconds. Give your opinion, explain why, and give an example.
What kind of possessions show status in your country?
Cars are probably the biggest sign of status. If someone drives a new foreign car, people think they're rich. Expensive phones and brand-name clothes also show status, especially among young people. And of course, owning a big house in a good area.
- statusa person's position in society
- the biggest sign of…the clearest thing that shows something
- brand-name clothesclothes from famous companies
- especially among young peopleamong = in a group of
Do you think it was different for your grandparents?
Yes, it was quite different. For my grandparents, owning land or a house was the most important thing. Not many people had cars. Also, people respected you more for your family name and your good character than for the things you owned.
- it was quite differenta clear comparison
- the most important thingthe main thing
- respected you more for…respect = think well of someone
Modern society is often called materialistic. Why do you think this is?
I think it's mainly because of advertising and social media. Every day, we see pictures of people with new phones, cars and clothes. So we start to believe that we need these things to be happy. Also, shopping is much easier now, because you can buy anything online in a few seconds.
- materialisticcaring too much about money and things
- it's mainly because of…give the main reason
- we start to believe that…describe a change in thinking
- in a few secondsmeans very quickly
Do you think consumerism is a positive or a negative development?
I think it's both. On the positive side, when people buy more, companies grow and create jobs. On the negative side, people spend money on things they don't really need, and it's bad for the environment, because we produce a lot of waste. So I think we need a balance.
- consumerismthe idea that buying more and more things is good
- On the positive side, …start with the good point
- On the negative side, …move to the bad point
- we need a balancemeans not too much of either side
What is the role of advertising?
The main role is to give people information about new products. Without adverts, we wouldn't know what's available. But advertising also tries to make us want things. Sometimes it makes products look much better than they really are, so we should be careful.
- The main role is to…give the main purpose
- what's availablewhat we can buy
- much better than they really aremeans not as good in real life
- we should be carefula simple warning
How do you think the internet will affect the way people shop in the future?
I think most shopping will move online. It's already very common to buy clothes and electronics on the internet. In the future, people might even buy most of their food online. But I don't think shops will disappear, because many people still like to see and touch things before they buy them.
- will move onlinemeans will happen on the internet
- It's already very common to…talk about the present situation
- might even…even = surprisingly, more than expected
- see and touch thingscheck things in person
Audio: Microsoft neural voices. A British voice reads the examiner's questions, and an American voice reads the model answers.