English Lesson 103
Friends and writers
Your friends and neighbours, a writer you would like to meet, and children and reading.
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
Friends
Short answers. About 20 to 30 seconds each. Answer, give a reason, add one detail.
How often do you go out with friends? Why?
About once or twice a week. Usually on Thursday evening, we go to a café or for dinner. During the week, I'm busy with work, but I always make time for my friends at the weekend.
- once or twice a weekone or two times every week
- I'm busy with workI have a lot of work
- make time forfind time for
Tell me about your best friend at school.
My best friend at school was Mehdi. We sat together for six years. He was very clever at maths, and he often helped me with my homework. I helped him with English. We're still friends today.
- We sat together for six yearswe shared a desk
- very clever at mathsvery good at maths
- We're still friends todaythe friendship continues
How friendly are you with your neighbours? Why?
Quite friendly, but we're not close friends. We say hello, and sometimes we chat in the corridor. When I travel, my neighbour waters my plants. I think it's good to have a friendly relationship with neighbours.
- Quite friendlyfairly friendly
- we're not close friendsnot very close
- waters my plantsgives water to my plants
Which is more important to you, friends or family? Why?
Family is more important to me. They've supported me all my life, without asking anything in return. But my friends are very important too. They understand parts of my life that my family doesn't.
- without asking anything in returnwithout wanting something back
- parts of my lifesome areas of my life
Part 2 · Cue card
A writer you would like to meet
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 a writer you would like to meet.
You should say:
- who the writer is
- what you already know about this writer
- what you would like to find out about him or her
- and explain why you would like to meet this writer
Start
I'd like to talk about Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer. I'd love to meet him one day.
Who he is
He's one of the most famous living writers in the world. He was born in Japan in 1949, and his books have been translated into more than fifty languages, including Persian.
What you know about him
I know that he started writing quite late, at about thirty, while he was running a jazz bar in Tokyo. He loves music and running, and he writes about them a lot. His novels are often strange and dreamlike, but very easy to read.
What you'd like to find out
I'd like to ask him where his strange ideas come from. In his books, there are talking cats and parallel worlds. I'd also like to know about his daily routine. I've read that he wakes up at four in the morning to write.
Why you want to meet him
I want to meet him because his books helped me through a difficult time in my life. They made me feel less alone. I also like that he's very disciplined. He shows that being creative needs hard work every day, not only talent.
- one of the most famous living writersvery famous and still alive
- have been translated into…put into other languages
- dreamlikestrange, like a dream
- parallel worldsother worlds that exist at the same time
- helped me through a difficult timesupported me in hard times
- very disciplinedworks with strong self-control
Part 3 · Discussion
Children and reading
Longer answers. About 30 to 45 seconds. Give your opinion, explain why, and give an example.
What kinds of books are most popular with children in your country? Why?
Picture books and fairy tales are popular with young children. Older children like adventure and fantasy books, like Harry Potter. Comics are also becoming popular. Children like stories with exciting action and colourful pictures.
- fairy talesold magic stories for children
- Comicsstories told with pictures
- exciting actionlots of fast events
Why do some children not read books very often?
Mainly because of screens. Videos and games are easier and more exciting than books. Some children also don't see their parents reading, so they don't think it's important. And school reading can feel like homework, not fun.
- Mainly because of screensthe main reason is phones and TV
- easier and more excitinga comparison
- feel like homework, not funseem like work
How can children be encouraged to read more?
Parents can read with their children every night and let them choose books they like. Schools can have reading clubs and small prizes. Libraries can organise storytelling events. The key is to make reading enjoyable, not a duty.
- reading clubsgroups that read and talk about books
- storytelling eventsevents where people tell stories
- The key is to…the most important thing is to
- not a dutynot something you must do
When is reading quickly a useful skill?
It's useful in exams, when you have limited time. At work, people need to read many emails and reports quickly. Students also need to find information in long articles. But for novels, it's better to read slowly and enjoy them.
- limited timenot much time
- find information in long articleslook for facts quickly
- read slowly and enjoy themtake your time
Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
Yes, many. Lawyers read long legal documents. Teachers and professors read a lot to prepare lessons. Journalists and editors read all day. Doctors also read medical research to stay up to date.
- legal documentsofficial law papers
- editorspeople who check and correct texts
- stay up to dateknow the newest information
Is reading novels more interesting than reading factual books? Why?
For me, novels are more interesting, because I can enter another world and feel what the characters feel. But factual books are more useful when I want to learn something real, like history or science. I enjoy both for different reasons.
- factual booksbooks about real facts
- enter another worldimagine a different place
- for different reasonsbecause of different things
Audio: Microsoft neural voices. A British voice reads the examiner's questions, and an American voice reads the model answers.