Updated Jul. 10, 2010
Notes about some Questions (Page 5)
INTRODUCTION
If a note below is about a Part 2 topic, the note assumes that the wording of the Part 2 topics, especially the verb tense, is as shown in the list of topics on this website. Possibly the real wording is different to that shown on this website. BE CAREFUL!
If some of the notes on this page are possible as a complete answer to the question, be very careful about speaking those exact same words in the test. If many people speak the same sentences in the test, the examiners will eventually know that these sentences are not your original words. This will seriously damage your score! Some examiners might even read this website. Examiners don't like answers that candidates learn, word for word, from a book or from the blackboard in a class because such answers are not real, natural communication. The best idea is to adapt the ideas below (if you want to) by making your own sentences and speaking naturally in the test. (Memorized answers are usually not spoken in a very natural way.) Try to avoid letting the examiner know that you have read this website!
For many Part 2 topics, you can get some additional ideas by reading the Part 3 questions that follow that topic.
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In order to make something, what qualities (and skills) does a person need to have?
To make something (anything), you often need to know how to use certain tools. (Give examples)
Sometimes you need to be creative, for example if you also design the thing you are making. To design something, you need the ability to visualize the final product.
To make handicrafts, you need the above two skills as well as skill of using the hands (dexterity) and a certain amount of artistic skill or artistic sense.
Make sure you expand your answer with examples.
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What are some differences between hand-made things and things made by machine?
This is quite a difficult question!
If the wording is the same as above, the words "made by machine" really means "made in factories".
Hand made things are unique while factory-made things are all the same.
In addition to that, (and related to that) a major difference is the different usages of these two different types of products, i.e., the different reasons why these products were made. That is: the difference between the types of things that are hand-made and the types of things that are factory-made. Here, you need to think of some classifications of different products, such as everyday products that many people use, works of art, cultural artifacts sold to tourists etc. (I will not give you a more detailed answer than this because, if examiners recognize a detailed answer from this web site, it will hurt your score more than help your score.)
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Topic 242 A Journey With Your Friends
This topic was added to the list on December 20, 2009 although a few people had previously mentioned it in internet postings before Dec. 20. But these people never wrote any details and they often included the Part 3 question about differences between traveling on business and traveling for pleasure. Since this same question is a high frequency question for Topic 206, I thought those people had made a mistake and were talking about Topic 206. But now I believe there are two different topics about a trip. It looks like the test makers are trying to confuse us with similar but different Part 2 topics in the test at the same time.
Pay special attention to whether the word "trip" or the word, "journey" is used. If "journey" is used, the trip should be quite long. If "trip" is used, it might be possible just to say, "I'd like to go on a shopping trip with my best friend" (shopping in your hometown). But it's probably best not to use such a short trip as your example.
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Part 3 Topic 242 A Modern Building
If you get a question like this, most likely the words, "from the past" are used. This means, buildings we still have today that were built any any time before about 1980, even buildings built a thousand years ago.
But if the words used are "of the past" or "in the past", you can interpret this as meaning "buildings that were built in the past, even 5,000 years ago, which may or may not still be in existence today." Your answer for this interpretation is based on your theoretical and general knowledge, things that you know from reading about history or archaeology.
In this group of similar questions, you might get one of the questions but not two or more of them - they are all varieties of the same basic question.
If the question is worded like this, it is not necessarily asking you if you prefer everything about old buildings or new buildings. This question can be interpreted as asking you which style of building design you prefer. Although most buildings that are built today are designed in modern styles, a few new buildings have been designed in traditional styles. For example, certain buildings for tourists are sometimes built in traditional styles.
The word, "architecture" refers to the design or style of a building. In the question above, "architecture" is mostly referring to what we can see, although, in theory, it can also refer to the inner structure of a building.
To answer this question, you should prepare yourself with some language to describe the style of traditional Chinese buildings, as well as some general descriptions of modern buildings, and your feelings about them.
Note that the word, "architecture" is non-count. You cannot say, "many different architectures". The words, "design" and "style" are countable and you can say, "many different designs" and "many different styles".
Similarly, the word, "construction" is non-count. "Construction" is an activity. You can say, "There's a lot of new construction going on in my city" but not, "many constructions". The word, "structure" is countable. A structure is something that is built, such as a building, a bridge, a wall, a windmill etc.
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Part 3 Topic 244 A Wild Animal
Someone reported they got this question on May 9, 2010. Almost certainly it is not in the examiners' question book but was a question created by the examiner. Besides adding a bit of humour to the test, the examiner was testing to see if the candidate would use "will" in his or her answer. If a candidate uses "will", the examiner knows that this candidate is most probably not worth a 6 for the grammar sub-score. If the candidate uses "would" or "could", the examiner knows that the candidate very possibly is worth a 6 (or more) for grammar but this one answer is not the only basis on which a 6 would be given.
As well as that, this question allows the candidate to give any variety of imaginative answer, all with a smile on his or her face.
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Part 2 Topic 245 A Famous Foreign Person
I suggest you speak about someone who is alive now, not a historical figure or someone who has died. This is because the wording on the card might not suit someone who is no longer alive.
You should have no trouble thinking of an example. There are: foreign sportspeople; foreign film stars and pop stars; foreign national leaders (kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers); and other famous foreigners.
I don't think it's a good idea to talk about a Chinese person, such as a singer, who now lives overseas.
Make sure you say the full name of the person and, if it is a TV star, say the person's real name (!), not the person's name in a TV show!
If you choose to describe a famous film or TV actor, make sure you describe the real person, not the person who the actor plays on the TV or film screen!
Of course, you should include what country the person is from. Make sure you can the country correctly. For example, for Roger Federer, don't say he's from "Swiss" (he is Swiss so he's from Switzerland).
For the part that says, "and explain why you would like to meet this person", I suggest you include what you would like to say to this person or what you what like to ask this person. Just saying that you respect this person is not wrong, but you can say more than that. You can even impress the examiner by using this kind of language: "If I met him (her), I'd say (ask) ..."., or, "If I had the opportunity to meet him (her), I'd say (ask) ..."
Part 3 Topic 245
There are two different ways to interpret this question:
a) What things do people do that make them famous?
b) What methods are used to publicize these people, so that they became famous (i.e., so that they become well-known to others)?
Of course, your answer could (or, should) include both of these points.
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If you get this question, it is very suitable for you to introduce the fact that the answer to both a and b (above), can be different today, compared to many years ago, especially compared to hundreds of years ago. After you introduce this fact, you should also give details of these differences, such as the fact that many people become famous through the internet today but this was not possible more than ten years ago. Basically, your answer about how certain people are publicized should involve a detailed explanation of the different forms of mass media at different periods of recent history. Hundreds of years ago, people became famous through other means because the "mass media", as we know them today, did not exist. Probably the main way people became famous hundreds of years ago was "by word of mouth" (by people talking to each other). In ancient times, some people also probably became famous because their names were used in poems and songs.
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If the wording is "
a) Why does the general public remember a certain person's name and deeds?
Of course, the answer is because this person is unique or different to most people in some way and people are interested in this uniqueness or difference.
b) What is the reason (or, the motivation) for someone deciding to publicize another person's existence or another person's actions (deeds)?
In China, think about who promoted Lei Feng (雷锋), and why. (Hint: a positive role model).
This interpretation is also focusing on the idea that some people are promoted for commercial reasons. For example, certain people are promoted as personalities in the entertainment and professional sports industries in order to create a marketable "product".
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The word, "famous" is mostly used to describe people who are "celebrated", which means people who did something that is worthy of praise. Therefore, it is not suitable to say that some people became famous because they did something bad. Yes, some people become very "well-known" when they do something bad, but not, "famous". Those people who are very well-known for doing very bad things (especially, "evil" things) are described as "infamous".
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Topic 249
Some people seem to have very little knowledge about this topic. Examiners (Westerners) believe you should at least have a basic understanding of recycling if you call yourself "an educated person". This is an important topic in modern society, especially in countries such as China.
To "recycle" means to "reuse" (= "to use again"). But there are two ways to use the word, "recycle": one way means to "reuse the thing" and the other way means to "reuse the material that the thing is made of". An example of reusing a thing is this: In China and other parts of the world, beer bottles are recycled, meaning that the same bottles are reused several times. Customers pay a deposit (definition 2) when they buy a bottle of beer and later, they can return the empty bottle to the shop and receive a small payment from the shopkeeper in exchange for the bottle, which is actually "a return of the deposit".
On the other hand, we see people collecting empty plastic drink bottles. People collect them because they can sell them at a recycling centre (stress on the first word). These bottles themselves are not reused – it is the plastic that is reused. So, if you say "plastic drink bottles are recycled", (which is a correct thing to say), your meaning is that "the plastic is recycled". The plastic is recycled for two reasons: i) Plastic is produced as one of the many products from oil (petroleum) but this not only requires buying oil, the production process also uses a lot of energy. It is cheaper to melt old plastic bottles to get plastic for making new bottles than to produce new plastic from oil; ii) Garbage disposal is a big problem all over the world, especially for big cities, which produce millions of tonnes of garbage every year. This garbage is usually used as "landfill" but big cities are having trouble finding enough landfill sites. If the amount of garbage can be reduced by recycling, there will be less need to find landfill sites. Not only that, garbage disposal itself involves a cost, mainly the cost of transporting the garbage to the landfill sites, which might be a long way from the city. In the case of plastic bottles and stryofoam, this problem is made even worse by the fact that the plastic takes many years to decompose, unlike other garbage such as kitchen waste and paper. If plastic bottles and styrofoam are not disposed of properly, for example, if they are simply dumped into a river or into the ocean, they continue to pollute the river or ocean for many years because they take so long to decompose.
In addition to plastic, other materials that are also recycled are paper, wood, glass, metal (including tin cans) and styrofoam (保丽龙). (Article about recycling styrofoam)
Some people erroneously say that batteries are recycled. This is incorrect because neither the batteries themselves nor the materials are reused. Batteries and certain electronic parts are collected separately to other garbage and not used in landfill because they contain toxic chemicals. If these items are used in landfill, the toxic chemicals both pollute the soil and seep into the ground water, which eventually flows into rivers and other sources of drinking water.
"garbage" = "rubbish" = "trash"
See this video (both English and Chinese used).
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This question is probably referring to, a) beggars who play music for money and, b) people who play music in public because they like to practice playing in front of others and who usually also hope people will give them a little money. In Beijing, you sometimes see this second type of person in the underpasses that go under a street. These underpasses are like "echo chambers", enhancing the sound. Quite often they are young men who are aspiring to be rock musicians. (And some of them are quite talented!) This second type of person is not really a beggar, like the blind man playing the erhu on the street.
The word "tacky" is a translation of what someone originally wrote in Chinese on a bulletin board. It's a good word, not formal, not a rare word and very suitable for the meaning of this question. However, if the examiner asks this question but does not use the word, "tacky" in the question, I suggest you do not use it in your answer (unless you are Band 8 or above). The reason is that some examiners might find out that I have used the word "tacky" here on this website and if you use it, it might alert the examiner that you have read this website. I don't think it is a good idea to let the examiner know you have read this website! The examiner might be alerted this way because, even though the word is not rare (i.e., most native English speakers know it), it is also not frequently used. On the other hand, if the examiner first uses the word "tacky", then, of course, it is ok for you to use it in your answer.
A more educated way to say, "tacky" is, "in poor taste", or, "not very stylish". You could use the words, "low class" instead of "tacky" but the meaning is not exactly the same. If you get this question, just use the same word or words the examiner used in the question and speak about what you think and why you feel that way.
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Someone You Have Lived With
Part 3, Topic 251
Don't confuse the two words, "alone" and "lonely". "Loneliness" is a feeling that nobody enjoys feeling and nobody chooses to be lonely. You can even feel lonely when you are in a crowd of people.
"Alone" means there is no-one else there but you. People sometimes choose to be alone, for different reasons, such as needing a quite environment for study or wanting to have some privacy.
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Notes for Part 2 Topic 252 A Childhood School
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Of course, the question is mostly referring to people who are famous in popular culture, such as pop singers, movie stars and sports stars. To some extent, these people act as role models for young people and children. Some young people and children learn what is "fashionable" in lifestyle, dress and manner of speech from these role models.
Also, think about this: If a famous movie star, pop singer or sportsperson expresses an opinion about politics or other social issues, a) many people hear this opinion and, b) many people might decide to agree with this opinion. But these famous people are not experts about politics or social issues! So, think about why their words carry weight.
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A TV program You Didn't Like
If it is a past tense topic, (as I believe it is), you will lose points if you say something like, "I don't like the CCTV News program which is broadcast every evening at 7 o'clock. It's boring to me because I'm not interested in politics." If you use the present tense to answer this, it will damage your chances of getting a score of 6 (or above) for your grammar sub-score. Although this is just one mistake in the whole test, for many candidates, this mistake would cause the examiner to think you are probably Band 5 for grammar, not Band 6 or above.
However, you can (and should) use the present tense to describe why you didn't like the program. For example, "It contained too much violence, which I don't like". Or, "It showed people singing but they sang quite badly and I don't find it interesting to watch untalented people performing."
There are different varieties of "TV stars".
A "TV celebrity" is similar to, but different to a "TV star". The word "celebrity" is used to emphasize that this person is well-known for being himself or herself on TV, not appearing as an actor or actress. For example, the hosts or hostesses of talk shows and other programs such as games shows and, to a much esser extent, TV news readers and announcers. However, film stars and TV stars often become "celebrities" when they become very well-known to the general public after we focus on them and get to know something about them as real people, not focus on a role that they have played.
The word, "celebrity" is usually used to describe a person who is famous in the fields of entertainment, sports and the arts and who we know about as a real person. We don't usually refer to famous scientists, business people, politicians or other serious leaders in society as "celebrities", even when we know about their real lives. However, if someone such as Bill Gates gives many interviews in which he talks about himself, appears on several talk-shows and has magazine articles written about him as a person, not just as a business leader, we could then describe him as a "celebrity" because we get to see the real personality of Bill Gates. Another example of this is Henry Kissinger, who was (is) a very serious politician in the U.S. in the 1970's and 80's. He was shown in magazines several times going out with and attending parties with beautiful actresses. When we focus on this side of him, we can call him a "celebrity" but when we focus on his political life, we would not describe him as a "celebrity".
As well as that, when talking about a celebrity who has died, we don't say, "He is a celebrity". Instead, we say, "He was a celebrity". On the other hand, it is possible to say that a person "is famous" after he or she has died. That more or less means that his or her name or story is very well-known today. For example, "Kangxi is famous in China" (or, in Chinese history). To say, "He was famous" means he was very well-known when he was alive.
"A TV personality" has a similar meaning to a "TV celebrity". Famous talk show hosts are especially labeled as "personalities" because we, the public, get to see the different sides of their real personality.
"A TV actor" or actress plays roles in TV programs. The word, "TV star" is suitable as an alternate description of the top TV actors and actresses. Actors and actresses are "artists" (the art of acting) but we don't usually refer to them as "TV artists". Actors and actresses can become "celebrities" when the general public gets to know more about the private lives of these people, i.e., when the general public gets to know them as real people, not just as the roles they play in TV programs.
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Part 2 Topic 255 Traditional Children's Story
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Note on the topic of "global warming" (March 5, 2010)
The topic of "global warming" is very controversial and political. Not all climate scientists agree that "global warming" is actually taking place, especially "man-made" global warming as a result of the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. In fact, many scientists claim that an unbiased appraisal of global temperature data, especially satellite data, shows a slight decrease in global temperatures since 1998. (And some scientists are now predicting that we have started to enter a period of "global cooling", caused by changes in the sun which will last for several decades.) You should try to familiarize yourself with both sides of this controversy, and ask yourself why this topic has become so controversial.
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You can start your education about this topic by thinking about a statement made on CCTV9's Dialogue program. This statement was made in the January 14, 2010 episode of Dialogue on CCTV9. Here is the archived copy of the program: http://english.cctv.com/program/e_dialogue/20100114/104844.shtml. That program was about the Haiti earthquake but, strangely, Yang Rui (the host) asked a question about global warming to Chen I-Wan, Advisor (advisor to the government?), of The Commission of Natural Hazard Prediction. Fast forward to 20:30 minutes in the video and watch it until 23:19.
Below is a transcript of the question and Chen I-Wan's answer.
| Yang Rui: "Do you believe the hurricanes
and this 7.3 magnitude earthquake are an integral part of what we call
the, "global warming"? Do you think the extreme patterns of
weather conditions have all contributed to the unpredictable calamities,
such as the one that took place and befell Haiti on Tuesday?" Chen I-Wan: "This relates to a related issue about global warming. Myself, and a number of experts in the committee that I work with, The Commission of Natural Hazard Prediction, as well as quite a number of experts abroad, agree with the global warming, which means the temperature during the past several years is increasing. This is a fact. However, we disagree that the main reason causing the global warming is human, mankind's activities. So I believe that, ... um ... because what we see is, there is natural cycles in the history of the earth. And especially, ... you know..., China with a very long history of, ... you know ..., several thousand years of written history, there are massive records that show that during different periods of time there are times of warming and there's also times of cold, coldness. And the warming go warmer than today and there's also times that go very cold. So, what we see is that, ... eh ... these ... eh ... what we call these extreme meteorological events are more natural cycles and natural developments." |
In other words, Chen I-Wan and many other scientists do not see any evidence that carbon dioxide, especially man-made carbon dioxide, is causing global warming. (It is an established fact that several hundred years after the world goes through a warming period, the atmospheric carbon dioxide level shows an increase, i.e., increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is a result of global warming, not a cause.)
(Note that Chen I-Wan made a few minor English errors.)
Here is a recording of this 3 minute exchange: http://www.yasi-kouyu.com.cn/Chen I-Wan on Global Warming.mp3
(If you are using a Firefox browser, you need to open Windows Media Player,
press Ctrl U, and then paste this web address into the box.)
See also the following excellent article that was published in the People's Daily Online on April 22, 2010:
"Swedish expert says CO2 is not the main cause of global warming", http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6959757.html (Note that the recording on that web page is a robot reading the article, not a real human being. This robot is quite good but it is not a 100% perfect imitation of a human being reading the article.)
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Topic 264 History
The two questions above are referring to the method of teaching history by having students simply memorize certain events and the dates of these events, without having much understanding of the significance of these events. Such rote learning is easy to forget because the ideas are not associated with other knowledge.
If you have a discussion about war with the examiner, and if the examiner asks you why you think wars take place, try to say something deeper than simply, "Because some countries have bad leaders like Hitler."
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Make sure you know the difference in meaning and pronunciation between "hobby" and "habit". (Or "hobby", "habit".)
A "hobby" is similar in meaning to "an interest" but the emphasis for a hobby is on doing something, i.e., an activity that is done quite often and done for recreation. A "hobby" also involves a certain amount of thinking (the "interest" component) and/or skill building.