Updated July 26, 2010
Notes about some Part 1 Questions (Page 2)
British: "advertisement" (Point your cursor to the pink word to hear it again.)
The verb, to advertise, is the same in both British and American English. The stress is on the first syllable.
British: "leisure"
American: "leisure"
If you have trouble saying the word, "leisure", just say, "free-time activities" or "spare time activities". Of the three words, the most strongly stressed word should be, "time".
The differences in meaning between, "a lesson", "a class", "a course" and "a subject".
The use of the words, "class", "course" and "subject" can be confusing because they are often used inter-changeably. One reason for this is that American and British usages are sometimes different, but American usage is becoming more common in Britain and Australia, resulting in mixed usage.
Lesson
"A lesson" is one period of time that you spend in the classroom (or laboratory), for example, a 40-minute period on Monday morning. Usually, each lesson is focused on one main idea, concept or topic.
Class
The word, "class" can be used with three different meanings (in connection with school or university).
1) "We had an interesting class this morning" = "We had an interesting lesson this morning".
2) The word, "class" can also be used to mean a certain group of students, for example, "I'm in class 5A."
3) And finally, it can be used to mean "subject" or, in the university setting, "unit". For example, "I'm taking six classes this semester: maths, physics, chemistry, history, English and Chinese." = "I'm taking six subjects this semester: maths, physics, chemistry, history, English and Chinese."
Course
The word, "course" can have two meanings (when talking about school or university).
1) A "course" is similar to "a subject" but the word, "course" is more often used to refer to university studies rather than high school studies, although it is also possible to use it when referring to high school. In high school, we usually say, "I'm taking six subjects (or classes) this semester: maths, physics, chemistry, history, English and Chinese." In university, we usually use either the word, "course", "class" or "unit" to refer to the different units that you are enrolled in. The word, "subject" is also possible to use when referring to the units you are enrolled in at university but it's not so commonly used in the university situation because university students, especially in their final one or two years of study, usually take several units that are closely connected to one central subject. (See "subject", below.)
2) The word, "course" is also used to mean, "a degree course" as in, "I'm doing a Computer Science course" = "I'm studying for a degree in Computer Science".
Since the word, "course" can be used in two different ways, most universities nowadays use the word, "unit" or some other similar word when referring to the different classes you enroll in each semester.
Subject
The word, "subject" has two possible meanings or usages.
1) In (usually) high school, it refers to the different topics, (classes or units) that you are studying such as, "I'm taking six subjects (or classes) this semester: maths, physics, chemistry, history, English and Chinese."
2) The second meaning is more general. It is similar to the word, "topic" as in, "What was the subject of your conversation?" In Part 1, when the examiner asks, "What subject are you studying?" it is referring to what general topic, (or "major" in American English) you are studying at university. Usually, it's suitable just to reply by saying the name of your degree course as in, "My subject is Computer Science."
When the examiner is talking to a high school student or recent high school graduate, he or she asks, "What subjects are you studying?" (or, "What subjects did you study?")
A "subject" is quite distinct or clearly different from another subject (even if different subjects are related or connected to each other). In high school, each "subject" is quite distinct from the others; "maths", "physics", "chemistry" and "history" are quite different. But in the final one or two years of university, students usually take several units that cover different areas or aspects of the same subject, their major. For this reason, the word "subject" is less often used when referring to the different units that students are enrolled in at university.
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How do students in your course learn this subject?
The exact words to this question are not clear. Probably the question means: "What teaching methods are used?" Probably the meaning of the question also includes the personal study methods that students use.
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Pay attention to the exact verb form that the examiner uses and answer using the same verb form or using other words that are suitable for that verb form. The language for your answer to the first of these two questions should be similar to the language used for the language function of suggesting. (See Language Functions, Page 2) You could also use the language of suggesting for the second question.
The idea of "improvement" or "improve" is similar to the idea of "change" and your answer can include ideas or suggestions that are hypothetical ( 假设的) or impossible. That is why the verb "could" is used instead of the verb "can". For example, you could answer by saying, "Well, the kitchen could be bigger because, as it is now, it's so small that only one person can comfortably do things there. What I mean is, if there are two people in there, then we get in each other's way. You know, I'd really like to help my mother with the kitchen work such as preparing meals and washing the dishes, but unfortunately, I can't do that in such a small kitchen. So I think a bigger kitchen would be a definite improvement to our house."
Obviously, you can't make the kitchen bigger. The meaning here is that a better, or an improved house for you would have a bigger kitchen.
Another example: "Well, the walls in my room are coloured pink and I don't really like that colour so I think it would be an improvement if they were painted green or blue, which are both colours that I like."
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(Possible question) What sorts of things do you most often read?
What you most frequently read and what you like to read are two different questions!
Students obviously read a lot materials related to their studies, such as textbooks. If you are working, you can use words such as "company reports", "trade journals" or "technical journals" etc.
Of course, many people also do a lot of reading on the internet.
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If you get this question, don't say, "The difficult part is ..." You must include the word "most" when you say this. If you say, "The difficult part is ..." you will immediately give the impression to the examiner that you are Band 5.0 (or 5.5 or 4.5), not Band 6.0 or above. Of course, choose only one thing when you say something is the 'most difficult' (or the 'most interesting'), although it's ok to mention that other things are difficult (or interesting), too. And try to communicate why you feel it is the most difficult (or most interesting) as part of your answer. Don't wait for the examiner to ask, "Why do you say that is the most difficult?"
Similar questions in Part 1 are:
What sorts of letters (or emails) do you think are the most difficult to write?
(Possible question for high school students or graduates) What's the most difficult subject that you are studying (or studied)?
(For university students or graduates) What's (or what was) the most difficult part of your course (or, your studies)?
For you, what's the most interesting part (or subject or class) of your course?
(For high school) What's the most interesting of your subjects at school?
What's the most interesting thing about this place?
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Notes on the usage of the word, "internet"
In English we usually put the word "the" before the word, "internet". So, it is incorrect to say, "I think internet is a good thing." That should be, "I think the internet is a good thing."
But when "internet" is used with an adjectival meaning, or in compound nouns, such as "internet usage", "internet sales", or "internet sites" we don't always need to put "the" before it. With this usage of the word, "internet", you only put "the" before "internet" when you are talking about something specific, such as, "the internet site (that) I mentioned before".
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Is there anything you don't like about your hometown?
To say "No", the complete sentence is: "No, there's nothing I dislike about my hometown".
A short sentence to begin your answer could be, "No, there isn't" or "No, there's not".
Saying "Not really" would also be suitable as the beginning of your answer for this question.
Of course, all of those examples above are too short for a complete answer, since your average Part 1 answer should be about 20 seconds in length.
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"Neighbour" and "Neighbourhood"
Make sure you say the right word.
A "neighbour" is a person, 邻居.
A "neighbourhood" is a place, 邻近地区 , 邻里.
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Does China have schools for learning to drive? *
On January 23, 2010, someone reported they got this question. It is the first time that this question has been reported. This candidate might have misunderstood the question because it seems that the question has usually been, "Do (high) schools in China have driving classes?"
Obviously, the answer to one question is "Yes" and the answer to the other question is "No". Listen carefully to the exact words of the question!
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- The word, "study" might be used in the questions or the word, "learned" might be used.
- The difference in meaning between "study a language" and "learn a language" is that when someone "learns a language", they have more or less learned it fully enough to be able to use it in practical applications (i.e., communication). For example, someone who has "studied" English in school for only one year is far from having "learned (how to use) English". This person has only "learned some English" but you cannot say he or she has "(fully) learned English".
- Another difference between "learning a language" and "studying a language" is that studying is an academic activity, involving books (and recordings of the language). On the other hand, a person can "learn a language", especially "learn to speak a language", just by chatting with people who speak that language. In other words, someone can "learn a language" without ever opening a book. For this person, it would be unsuitable to say he or she "studied" the language.
- You can say that English is the foreign language you have studied (or learned) but you can also choose another language, such as Spanish.
- The first question probably has the words, "foreign languages" but it might be, "other languages besides your native language". If this second wording is used, it would be suitable to talk about another language from China, such as Cantonese (粤语).After all, China has 300 languages but these are not "foreign" languages.
- As well as asking you questions about any foreign language (not just English), it is possible that the examiners are asking some of the questions about English, even when candidates say they have studied another language such as Spanish or French. So, be prepared to answer these questions for the language of English, as well as for any other language you have studied.
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Would you say it's a difficult language to learn?
Maybe this question is referring to English or maybe it is referring to another language that you said you have learned. This is not clear.
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It is possible that you will be asked questions about English, especially this question, even if you first said that you have learned another language, such as French or Japanese.
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Even though I have many questions listed under the work training sub-topic, I
think there are probably just two main questions under this topic.
(However, it is possible that the sub-topic of “work training” exists in
two different sets of Part 1 questions for the topic “Your Work” and, the
questions would then be somewhat different in each set.)
The two main questions are
these:
1.
Asking about
past training.
·
Did you have to do any kind of training in order to
perform your current work? C
·
(Similar to above) Have you received any training
at work? C
·
(Similar to above) What kind of training is
necessary for you to do your job? N (See note)
Or
Asking
about habitual or regular training (i.e., using the present tense)
·
Do you have to do any training for your work?
2.
Asking about Future Training
·
Would you like to receive more training in
the future? (This question is possibly asked if you say "Yes" to the
previous question.)
·
Would you like to receive some training (in
the future)? (This question is possibly asked if you say "No" to the
previous question.)
·
Do you think you will (need to) receive any
training in the future? C
·
What kinds of future training do you think you will
need in the future?
I suspect that the present tense question does not exist (but I might be wrong). People have reported this as their question but these people possibly don't know the difference between present tense and past tense questions. Alternatively, it is a fact that the translation software I use to translate from Chinese to English is weak at differentiating between the past and the present tense. So, even though I suspect that this question does not exist, I am leaving the present tense question on the website in case it does exist.
What is “training”?
Basically, “training” is learning (or being taught) how to do something. Although you might learn some theory in your training, (in order to help you better understand why you are being trained this way), the main idea of “training” is to learn how to do something practical (in this case, your work). “Training” is not the same as purely academic, theoretical study.
“How to do your job” includes not just specific work skills but also simply the methods of doing something at work, where “methods” do not necessarily involve special skills. For example, different companies and workplaces might have slightly different methods for doing the same thing.
“Training” can also include “how to think” or what attitudes to have. For example, you might work for a company that has a philosophy that, “Our main job is to serve the customer, not just to take the customer’s money”. Your company will then train you to think and act with this attitude. A similar example is training in work safety. This is not training in a work skill but rather, training in how to think and what habits of safety you should adopt.
Let’s look at some examples of training.
Past Training
This question is about when you learned some of the practical skills, work methods or ways of thinking for your present job. It is referring to the time either before you even got your current job job or the first few days at work after you got your job.
The third question in this group, “What kind of training is necessary for you to do your job?”, really means, “What kind of training is necessary for people before they do the job you are doing?” So, although it is not a past tense question, it is referring to two different times, one that comes before another. This is a general question, which should be answered in the present tense. For example, “Before you can do the work of a marketing assistant, you need to know the basics of retailing, as well as the basics of advertising.” Alternatively, you could say it this way, “Before you can do the work of a marketing assistant, you need to have learned the basics of retailing, as well as the basics of advertising.”
Examples of training before doing your job:
a) It is suitable to talk about your university, college (or high school) education but only if you clearly emphasize the practical, work-related skills that you learned.
b) Some people pay for and attend special training courses that will help them get a particular job.
c) Some people learn a few practical skills from their parents, in the cases where the parents are doing the same job or have their own company.
d) Virtually everyone receives some form of training when they first start a job. This might be just 20 minutes of instruction telling you what to do at your desk (i.e., training in the work methods) or it might be a series of classes and meetings that took a whole day or more.
“Present”
Training
Questions in the present tense are referring to ongoing training or to regular training sessions that you might receive every few months in order to update your work skills, or to update you on the company’s latest business strategies or work methods. This idea of “updating” is important nowadays because both technology and the economic situation in the world are changing all the time. This is especially true in China.
a) Many working people have to attend training “workshops” at work every few months in order to be updated on the skills and work methods that were mentioned for “past training”, above.
b) Some people are sent by their companies to special seminars and conferences where people update their practical, work-related knowledge.
c) Some people voluntarily attend extra training classes outside work hours in order to become better equipped with work skills.
d)
Most young people who are working
in engineering or some other field that is quite complex, such as banking and
investment, are learning new, practical things at work all the time. This is
“ongoing training”. For example, you might be an assistant engineer on some
project. You do the job tasks that you are expected to do but, at the same time,
as an assistant engineer to the chief engineer, you are learning new, practical
things almost everyday by watching and helping the chief engineer.
Future
Training
This is a continuation of the ideas expressed above. For questions about the future, you should talk personally about how you think your career will change in the future, such as how you expect to be in a position of more responsibility or leadership than you are in now.
You should also think about the question of changes in technology and socio-economic changes in the future. Almost all work in the future will be affected to some extent by changes in technology but some work, such as Computer Engineering, are in a constant state of change and will continue to be like this in the future. In this kind of work, ongoing training or frequent updating of your practical knowledge is now, and will be in the future, a major part of your work activities.
There is also the question of having a complete change of career in the future. Hopefully, this will not include you because if you talk about changing your career then that means the work you are doing now is more or less a waste of time. But it is a fact that, along with major changes in technology and with certain socio-economic changes in the future, some types of work will become more or less redundant. In this situation, complete re-training for a new career will be necessary.
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The meaning and usage of the word, "noise"
The differences in usage between the words, "noise" and "sound" is a rather complex topic.
The word "noise" basically means the same as the word, "sound", especially when spoken in the plural form, "noises". For example, you can say, "I can hear some noises in the apartment above me." That just means, "I can hear some sounds in the apartment above me." It might be just someone walking or someone cooking dinner. It doesn't mean that you find these sounds to be unpleasant.
However, there are some differences in usage between these two words when the singular forms, "noise" and "sound" are used. The word, "noise", when used in the singular form, is usually referring to an unpleasant sound but the word, "sound", when spoken in the singular is neutral – it can be either pleasant or unpleasant.
For example, when we talk about something pleasant that we can hear, we (usually) say something such as, "a pleasant sound" or "a beautiful sound" – we don't (usually) say, "a pleasant noise" or "a beautiful noise".
But when we talk about something unpleasant that we can hear, we can use either the word, "noise" or the word, "sound". For example, "That's a horrible sound" = "That's a horrible noise" or, "I don't like that noise" = "I don't like that sound".
Another difference between the two words is that the word "noise" often refers to an unpleasant mixture of different sounds or an unpleasantly loud sound, or both of these together. For example, "the noise of the city traffic", (several different sounds mixed together). In contrast, the word "sound" usually refers to a single sound, such as "the sound of a dog barking", "the sound of children playing happily" or, "I dislike the sound of a man and a woman arguing when they are a couple such as boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife".
The adjective, "noisy" refers to either loud noise or unpleasant noise or both together. But it doesn't always mean something that you dislike, for example: "I like noisy parties where everyone's talking and laughing and there's music playing in the background."
For the question, "Is there any sound you dislike?" (or, "Are there any sounds that you dislike?"), some candidates answer, "I dislike noise". That's not a good answer because it more or less just means, "I dislike any sound that is unpleasant." = "I dislike any sound that I dislike." !! It can even mean, "I dislike sound." !! The question is asking you for a specific sound that you dislike. For example, "I dislike (hearing) the sound of loud car horns at night-time when people are relaxing or sleeping." Or, "I dislike the scratching sound of chalk on a blackboard." (Everybody's favourite disliked sound.)
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Do you collect anything (as a hobby)?
For this question, I have noticed several students in mock tests give an answer such as, "Yes, I used to collect stamps when I was a kid" or, "Yes, I collected stamps when I was a kid." These answers are wrong! The question is a present tense question, which means, "Do you collect anything now?" What these students should have said is, "No, I don't collect anything right now but I used to collect stamps when I was a kid."
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What are some examples of things that some people collect (as a hobby)?
Don't begin your answer with the words, "In my opinion, ..." That's an incorrect usage of the word, "opinion". Instead, you could begin with words such as, "As far as I know, ..." or, "As far as I'm aware, ...". Or, "I'm not really sure what people collect but I do know that some people collect .... and ....."
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a) If you had a lot of money , what would you like to collect?
b) (Similar to above - probably this is the question being used) If you had a lot of money, what would you collect? (Don't use, "will".)
If the question you get is b), it is not the best answer to say, "I'd like to collect ___". What you "would like to collect" and what you "would collect" are not always the same thing. The first, what you "would like to collect", is referring to a desire; the second, what you "would collect" is a hypothetical (假设的) form of "will collect"; it's a hypothetical prediction.
For example, "I'd like to collect vintage cars because I love cars. But in fact I wouldn't do that because I would need to have a big building to house my collection. So, as a second choice, if I had a lot of money, I'd probably collect ancient Chinese art."
If the wording of the question is b), just say what you would do, not what you would like to do.
"Would", for this usage = 假设的 "will". "Will" is only used when talking about the real future.
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In your answer to the question, "How do you feel when you are late?", don't use the past tense when you are speaking in general; use the present tense (一般现在时).
The past tense is only used when the listener (or reader) knows what time in the past you are referring to. This time can also be a rather general, not very specific time in the past such as, "Many years ago", "One day" or, "Once".
Don't say, "When I was late, ....". Instead, say, "When I'm late, ...."
The same is true for these questions:
Do you feel that time moves slowly, or fast?
When do you feel time moves fast?
For example, don't say, "Time seems to move fast when I was preparing for exams or when I was on vacation". That should be: "Time seems to move fast when I'm preparing for exams or when I'm on vacation".
Try to include an explanation why time seems to move fast or slowly.
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