A time you had a conversation with a stranger
You should say:
when and where it happened
whom you talked to
what you talked about
how you felt about it
To be honest, i rarely had a long talk with strangers. But today i’d like to talk about an interesting conversation I had with a gentleman a couple of years ago, when i was in another city in yiwu for a business trip. I was there to visit a manufacturer. That day, after finishing my visit, i went to a Starbucks coffee shop, ordered a cup of latte, and sat around a small table. Then I was surfing the net on my phone. The person I talked to is a foreigner, whom i shared the table with, by coincidence. From our conversation, I found out he’s born and raised in Chile, South America. But now he’s living in China and works in his father’s company which exports goods to Chile. It’s funny that we talked about Chinese square dance. Every night, old Chinese ladies gather at some squares or parks, to dance with loud disco music. He seemed quite interested in it. He asked me why those old ladies are so fond of dancing and whether foreigners could join them. Later, he showed me some Chinese dance moves he learned from youtube.
I think it’s a lot of fun. When trying those Chinese square dance moves, he’s so serious. We also talked a number of other topics, such as culture, language, business and social media. I can’t believe that our conversation lasted for over 2 hours.
A city or town you have been to
You should say:
where it is?
when you visited there?
what you did?
how you felt about it?
I am a traveling addict, and i visited quite a lot of cities around the world. But among these cities, the one that really impressed me was Auckland which is the largest city of New Zealand. Auckland is clean, green, and safe. The city combines both ancient and modern buildings. Every year, it attracts over a million of tourists from all over the world.
I went to Auckland to visit some friends a couple of months ago. It’s my first trip to Auckland. I didn’t prepare anything for it. I just took some necessaries with me. The flight took me 12 hours. It’s about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, when i arrived at the airport. I didn’t ask my friend to pick me up at the airport. Instead, i jumped on a Sky Bus. I think this is the best way to see a city.
The first impression of Auckland is that the people here are warm and friendly. When i walked on the main Street, i can always feel their hospitality. In the centre, the iconic Sky Tower has views of harbor, which is full of super yachts and lined with bars and cafes. I just hanged around some botanic gardens in the afternoon, breathed the fresh air and felt so satisfied.
I like Auckland. The city is fantastic even after the sun goes down. People are always walking in the street making you feel safe.
An occasion you received a good service from a company or shop
You should say:
who provided the service?
when you received the service?
who was with you at the time?
explain how you felt about receiving the service?
I’d like to tell you about a recent purchase i made and the service i received which i thought was outstanding.
I purchased a course which teaches you how to make video and get #1 rankings in youtube from an online store. The shop that i had bought another course from before is ran by a reputable entrepreneur. He is well known in digital marketing field and his company is featured forbes.com, entrepreneur.com, inc.com, business.com and so on.
so about 3 weeks ago, i received an email titled “first page videos” which was the course I purchased later. I was truly impressed with introduction of the course along with a number of real life case studies. But what impressed me the most was the one by one consulting services, as well as a facebook community support where students can discuss freely. The course I took really goes beyond my expectations.
I remember the day I placed the order because my best friend was visiting me at the time. When i got the login information to access the course, we were amazed at the trainer who’s extremely enthusiastic. My friend immediately went online and purchased the same course of his own. To be honest, the course was not cheap, but it’s worth the price.
It’s hard to describe how i felt. Of course, as I said, I was amazed but it was more than that. I suppose that small niche, for instance, online video course will become more and more popular in future.
your favorite movie
Describe your favorite movie,
what it is?
when you started to watch it?
what it is about?
how you feel about it?
It’s quite hard to say what my favorite movie is because there are quite a few to choose from! But I would say that the one that made the strongest impression on me is a US film called ‘The Shawshank Redemption’.
The two main characters in the film are Andy and Red.
Andy (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn’t commit the crimes. Probably he’s the only innocent person in the jail. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.
The film ends in such a surprising way that it makes you believe that nothing is impossible. I was completely shocked and touched.
What i like the most is the storyline. It’s not like most dramas, you can easily predict where the story goes. It’s full of surprises. It seems like you never know what will happen until the end. This movie always reminds me: never ever give up.
Crime & Punishment
Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment. Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?
A large number of criminals who serve their first prison sentence, leave prison only to reoffend. This is mainly because of the lack of rehabilitation and difficulty finding regular employment once released. There are a number of solutions which should be implemented to deal with criminals who reoffend.
Firstly, the reason for most first-time offenders committing crimes again, once they have been released from prison, is due to the lack of rehabilitation whilst in prison. In other words, offenders are not given a chance to retain and learn new skills for their future or develop a deeper understanding of correct moral behavior and instead mix with other criminals, which only strengthens their criminal intentions. Secondly, repeat offending is also owing to the difficulty in finding employment after being released. As a result, many of them struggle financially which leads them back to crime, regardless of the consequences.
There are two effective solutions to the problem of reoffenders. One way to tackle this is to ensure that all criminals entering prison are given the chance to retrain with useful skills which will hopefully ensure them a job after they have served their sentence. By doing this, it will help them reintegrate back into society and give them some means of supporting themselves financially. Another method of dealing with criminals who reoffended is to have more supervision and checks in place when they are back in society. This solution would hopefully prevent them from taking any chances and deter them from reoffending because they are being so close watched.
In conclusion, having training in prison and also close observation when first time offenders are released are effective in dealing with the issue. If governments implemented these solutions, crime figures would soon drop.
Game of Thrones
The war is over. Winter has come.
The war is not over.
The true enemy won’t wait out the storm.
The King in the North! The King in the North!
Our uncle Euron returned home after a long absence.
He murdered our father, and took the Salt Throne from Yara.
He would have murdered us if we’d stayed.
Build me a thousand ships, and I will give you this world.
There’s a storm coming.
You’ll be wanting a roof tonight.
I don’t have much, but I have hidden a bit of silver from the bandits.
What did you do?
They’ll both be dead come winter.
Cold winds are rising in the North.
We need good men to help us.
You can still help a lot more than you’ve harmed, Clegane.
It’s not too late for you.
Send me to Oldtown.
I’m to be the new master.
The Citadel has the world’s greatest library.
I’ll learn about things that all help when… when they come.
Let go of me.
Are you sure you’re ready for this?
I’m the three-eyed Raven. I have to be ready for this.
Do you know who had this table carved and painted, Ser Davos?
Aegon Targaryen.
Aegon used to live here, and the Targaryens built this castle.
Aye. So they did.
I want us both to go home. But they took it from us.
How do we go home?
You’re in the great game now, and the great game’s terrifying. Are you afraid?
My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that.
You’re wondering why i brought you all here.
After all, we just had a feast.
Since when does old Walder give us two feasts in a single fortnight?
Well, it’s no good being Lord of the Riverlands if you can’t celebrate with your family.
That’s what i say.
yes!
I’ve gathered every Fred who means a damn thing.
So I can tell you my plans for this great house.
Now that winter has come.
But first, a toast.
No more of that Dornish Horse piss!
This is the finest Arbor gold.
Proper wine for proper heroes.
Stand together.
Not you.
I’m not wasting good wine on a damn woman.
Maybe I’m not the most pleasant man.
I’ll admit it. But I’m proud of you lot.
You’re my family, the men who helped me.
slaughter the Sharks at the Red Wedding.
Yes, yes. Cheer!
Brave men, all of you.
Butchered a woman pregnant with her babe.
Cut the throat of a mother of five.
Slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home.
But you didn’t slaughter every one of the Starks.
No, no, that was your mistake.
You should have ripped them all out, root and stem.
Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe.
When people ask you what happened here… tell them the North remembers.
Tell them winter came for House Frey.
a challenging experience
Describe a challenging experience.
when it happened?
where it happened?
what happened?
how you felt about it?
I’d like to talk about my honeymoon in Japan which is the hardest period of time in my life. I went to Osaka when i married 7 years later in 2015. My wife and I decided to go there freely, not with a group.
To be honest, I travelled several countries freely. But English are widely spoken in all these countries I visited. I don’t have any problems to communicate with locals in English. Unfortunately, I heard that Japanese only speak their own language which i can’t. After struggling to learn Japanese for a couple weeks, i arrived Osaka which is a wonderful city. I was so surprised that young people in Japan speak quite a lot English. When i walked around the street, stopped some one to ask the way, i can manage to have a conversation with the person in English easily. I did not get lost in Japan.
It was an amazing journey. We tasted some very traditional Japanese cuisine like sushi, ramen noodles. We took a ton of photos in a botanic garden full of sakura which we called cherry blooms.
Now I get used to speak English in a new country. I think globalization helps more and more people speak English. I also become more confident while traveling to other new countries.
Ielts Speaking Part 1
which subjects are you studying at the moment?
I’m studying chemistry physics biology and maths as well as English and English literature.
why did you choose to study these subjects?
I choose the science subjects because I want to go on to study science at University and I’m really interested in becoming a food technologist after I graduate so I need a good grounding in the science subjects.
are there any subjects which you’re not studying but are interested in?
yes, there are many I’m really interested in the arts but it’s just not very practical to study these types of subjects long term.
how do you usually find out about new music?
I suppose mainly when i hear it from radio or when my friends recommend it to me. we share a lot of music so friends are always introducing me to their latest favorite chew.
where do you normally buy new music?
to be honest, I don’t really buy a lot of new music. I just wait for my friends to get it and then if I like it I put it on my iPod. I used to buy CDs but nowadays i don’t bother. It’s so much easier with an iPod or mp3.
do you think listening to music can have an effect on your moods?
oh definitely. when I’m feeling a bit down or sad i can put on music that will make me sadder or music which is uplifting and i think that’s because of the mood of the music or the melody.
what do you enjoy most about listening to music?
I love that listening to good music can make any task better, for instance, homework or work when you put on good music everything seems better even exercise. That’s why i love it.
how often do you spend time with your friends?
I see my friends all the time because a lot of them are at school with me so we hang out at lunch time or during breaks so those friends i see every day except weekends but sometimes we get together then too.
what type of things do you and your friends do together?
at school, we just tend to sit around and talk or go for lunch or something like that. on the weekends, we might go shopping or out to see a movie. whatever it is, we always talk a lot.
what kind of things do you do to show you are a good friend?
well, i suppose i make an effect to see people and keep in touch with them and I think I’m pretty supportive of my friends in that i’m a good listener. I always try to be on time and reliable.
would you prefer to have a lot of acquaintances or a few good friends?
I would definitely prefer to have a few good friends than lots of people that i didn’t really know and i’m lucky because that is true for me. I’m not interested in forming fake superficial friendships with people because there’s no point.
a kind of foreign food
Describe a kind of foreign food.
You should say:
What it is?
Where you had it?
Whom you had it with?
How you felt about it?
I’d like to talk about grilled fish, which is my favorite foreign food. I’m not quite sure the origin of this food. But i think it probably comes from some western country. Grilled fish is really tasty, and combines various ingredients such as garlic, olive oil, vegetables, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice. It’s a simple and economical way to enjoy fish.
The restaurant serves mainly breakfast and lunch meals. It offers really good coffee – I like their flat white best – and lots of sandwiches, salads and special soups. The restaurant also has a selection of delicious, gooey homemade cakes. However, when I go, I always have the same thing – scrambled egg on wholemeal toast with mushrooms, because that is what I like best!
The restaurant is located near the seaside of the city where i’m living in. It’s around 15 minutes walk from my home. The prices are reasonable and the foods are served quickly as opposed to some other restaurants where you will have to wait for a long for your foods to appear on your table. The waiters and other staffs are friendly and welcoming. The menu gives you a wide range of options to pick from. The soft background music and instrumentals make the environment more enjoyable and soothing. The tables are not congested and people can chat over their personal topics without interruption. The long glass made windows offer the city view which makes the place worth visiting besides the delicious foods.
I went to that restaurant with my family, my wife and my little daughter. I ordered one of the local salmon, which is supposedly caught from the near sea. My wife had a steak, she likes her red meat! My daughter ordered 5 pieces of chocolate which is her favorite. The food was excellent; I couldn’t fault it for anything. It was served quickly and was delicious. It’s a place I will definitely recommend to other people to have a try.
The whole experience was very good, from the food, the scenery and of course having an opportunity to celebrate my birthday with my family. That was the first birth day i had in New Zealand. So i was very impressive.
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