Speaking topics

Topic 10: Talk about your job
SUGGESTED KEYS FOR SPEAKINGTOPICS 
(For teachers)
Topic 1: The means of transport you like/ hate most: 
Among the public means of transport, I like the bus most because of the following reasons:
First, traveling by bus is cheaper than any other means of transport. The cost of bus tickets for a month is about 50 thousand dongs, but the cost for going by motorbike, for example is much higher about 500.000 dongs per month. 
Second, going by bus is very convenient and comfortable . You can sit on the bus without having to worry about the weather conditions or dirty and dangerous roads. For example, if it’s rainy, you will not be afraid of getting wet. If the weather is hot or cold you always feel warm because the bus is air- conditioned. 
Third, the bus is the best means to help reduce the traffic jam and pollution. If many people travel by bus, fewer people will travel in private vehicles such as motorbikes or cars; thus, there will be fewer motorbikes or cars and we can reduce traffic jams in the rush hour. Also, the environment around us will becomes less polluted because there is less smoke from cars or motorbikes. 
In short, the bus is the means of traveling I enjoy most because they bring us many benefits.
Topic 2: The disadvantages of living in the city:
Many people find it difficult and unpleasant to live in the city because of these reasons.
First, the air in the city is getting more and more polluted because the traffic is so heavy, the city roads are in bad conditions and the population is really big. There are fewer and fewer trees, lakes and rivers.
Second, the cost of living is much higher than that in the rural areas. People have to spend more money on food, drinks, clothes and other activities like traveling and entertainment, while the salary has not been much improved.
Finally, life in the city is more dangerous than in the countryside because of night clubs, discotheques, casinos... City people are easily attracted by social evils such as drinking, drug-taking or gambling... So, there are more crimes because some people don’t want to work but only want money to play.
In short, living in the city has many disadvantages so people have to struggle a lot to survive.
Topic 3: Talk about your weekend activities.
Weekend time is my favorite time in the week because I can enjoy myself and do many relaxing activities I like.
In the morning, after a relaxing breakfast, I often call some of my friends to ask them to go shopping with me. We spend the whole morning going shopping and then have lunch in a restaurant in the centre of Hanoi. 
Then, I come back home for a nap. In the afternoon, I often go swimming with my neighbor in a swimming pool in Hanoi if the weather is hot. In winter I go jogging in the central park instead. I usually have dinner with my family during weekend, so we can talk with each other and share our stories. After dinner, I sometimes listen to music to relax. surf the net to read on line news and chat with friends and check emails. I usually do not go to bed late because I will have lots of work on Monday.
Topic 4: Talk about one of your hobbies
People may have different hobbies such as listening to music, watching T.V, dancing, playing games or collecting things. My hobby is to read books. 
I enjoy reading many types of books, but my favorite is detective. I like reading stories about Sherlock Holmes of author Conald Doyle. I often read books in the evening after I finish preparing things for the next day’s work. 
When I have free time, I often go to bookstores to look for new books. Once a week, I go to the city library to read there. I sometimes read books on line if I cannot get hard copies of the books I want.
Books help me relax a lot after a day of hard work. Thanks to books, I can broaden my knowledge and learn new things.
Topic 5: The most interesting place you have been to.
I have been to many places in the world and in Vietnam, but the most interesting place that I always remember is Nha Trang, the beautiful coastal city in Vietnam. It’s wonderful to me because of these reasons.
First, the scenery in Nha trang is ideal for us to go sunbathing. We can swim in the blue and clear sea water or do sunbathing on the soft sand beach under the yellow and warm sunshine. The air is so fresh and pure. 
Second, the local sea food are fresh, delicious but not expensive. For example, tourists can enjoy different kinds of seafood such as crab, prawn, lobster, seashell… Also, the people there are friendly, sociable and polite. 
Third, there are many interesting activities to do beside playing football, tennis on the beach, building sandcastles on the beach or watching the sunrise/sunset. For example, we can sail on a boat trip to the Stone Beach called Hon Chong (Husband Rock) and watch the mountain scenery on the way. Also, we may visit the Sea Creature Institute if we want to see sea animals with our own eyes.
For these reasons, Nha Trang has always been one of my favourite tourist attractions
Topic 6: Talk about your favorite television program
Among many programs and channels available on TV these days such as the current news programs, sport programs, entertaining programs, educational programs and movie programs, etc., I like the program “the World of Animals” most. 
This program is usually shown on VTV2 everyday at 8.30 in the evening. It often lasts about 45 minutes. In this program, stories of the life of many animals in the world are told in a very lively way. For example, people can watch films about monkeys, snakes, tigers, insects, birds, sea turtles, sharks etc. … and even the penguins and the polar bears in the far North. While watching these films, I find the everyday life activities and habits of these animals very interesting and full mysteries. In addition, I also learn that it is very important to protect these animals and their living environments because they are part of our valuable natural world. Watching this program makes me very well informed and relaxed after a day of work.
Topic 7: Talk about your favorite sport	
These days, people are practicing many types of sport such as swimming, running, cycling, aerobics, tennis, table tennis, badminton, and football, etc…. My favorite sport is jogging. Jogging is a simple sport to practice because you don’t need any special or expensive equipment like other sports. In fact you just need a good pair of trainers for your self . The most suitable place for jogging is a park or somewhere around a lake near your house. You can also jog on a field if you are living in the countryside. For me, I jog for about an hour in the afternoon everyday after work. I usually go jogging alone, but if possible I can ask my family members, friends or neighbors to go with me. While we jog, we often talk and share with each other about everyday life stories, so we feel that we can reduce our stress. After jogging each day, I feel that I am more relaxed and get fit after a long day of work.
Topic 8: Talk about one of your close friends	
I have had many friends so far, but Thanh Nga is one of my close friends. Nga is about 30 years old and is now working a researcher at an institute in Hanoi. We met each other when we were in the secondary school. During those days, we went to school together everyday, studied in the same class and shared with each other all the joys and sorrow, so we have become close friends since then. 
My friend Nga is not very tall, but pretty with long black hair and a nice smile. She is a very sincere, modest and helpful person. She likes painting and painted many pictures. Also, I can still remember that Nga was very good at literature and foreign languages. 
We often meet each other when we have time. When we are very busy, we often talk to each other on the phone or we chat on the Internet. Whenever we meet, we often go to see other friends, go shopping or sit in a quite place to have coffee. We talk about our life and share with each other our good news or problems and see if we can help each other. Nga is really a good friend of mine, a friend for life.
Topic 9: Talk about your house/flat
I live in a house in Hanoi/ Hai Phong. The house is in a small and quiet street in ………… district of Hanoi/…It takes about half an hout to go to the city center. The house was built 5 years ago. It isn’t a big house and has two floors. 
In my house there are 4 main rooms: a living room, a dining rooms, two bedrooms. Besides, we have a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. 
We have a little but pretty garden; my family often spend our free time there to grow plant and vegetables. Next to the garden there is a small yard where my children often play after school. 
In my house, I like the living room is my favorite one. This room was painted light green, so we feel very pleasant. In this room, there is a tea table, a sofa and a television. On the wall there is a couple of oil paintings. After dinner, our family often spend time together talking to each other or watching a favorite TV program. We often receive our guests in this room. I love my house. Everyday when I come back home from work, I have a warm feeling of being together with my whole family.
Topic 10: Talk about your job
I work for General Department of Logistics. I’m an engineer, I often analyse and test food. I usually do the research rations for soldiers. I’ve been in this position for 8 years.
I really like my job because I am able to apply the knowledge and skills of the filed I studied in my work. I was used lot of modern machine. I like my job because working time is short, comfortable, salary is high, everybody is friendly. 
 One thing I don’t like about this job is that I often have to travel, so I sometimes don’t have time for my family.
 I am planning to further my study to get a doctor degree. Currently I am a captain. This job has many prospects in my future. I am very happy in the