1 SPEAKING TOPICS - Topic Your favorite hobby and why you enjoy it + Reading books and listening to music Reading books: Get more information about many fields Know more about other cultures and places in the world Improve your concentration and focus Improve your vocabulary Kill time - Listening to music: Reduce stress Have a sound sleep Increase optimism, music can also bring people a more positive state of mind - Topic 2: Describe the best friend Who is it? ( classmate) How old is she/he? How is he/she? + Appearance: tall, beautiful, good-looking + Personality: honest, calm, easy-going… Why is she/he your best friend? Give me a lot of useful advice when I have difficulties or trouble Help me feel happy and optimistic Share with me about everything in life Topic 3: Why it is necessary to learn English -It is the official language in a large number of countries It is estimated that the number of people in the world that use in English to communicate on a regular basis is billion! - English is the dominant business language and it has become almost a necessity for people to speak English if they are to enter a global workforce, research from all over the world shows that cross-border business communication is most often conducted in English - Many of the world’s top films, books and music are published and produced in English Therefore by learning English you will have access to a great wealth of entertainment and will be able to have a greater cultural understanding - Most of the content produced on the internet (50%) is in English So knowing English will allow you access to an incredible amount of information which may not be otherwise available! Topic 4: Describe the house/ flat where you live The house we are living in is situated in the suburb of HCM city, within thirty minutes’ drive off the central city We have lived there for more than twenty years This is a fairly large house surrounded with a luxurious garden 2 My house consists of four bed-rooms, a living-room, a bathroom with a shower, a dining-room, a kitchen and a toilet It is air-conditioned and well-furnished The living-room is decorated beautifully Paintings by famous artists are on the walls At night, the color neon lights increase the beauty and coziness of the room There, on Sundays and holidays my father usually spends his time playing chess or drinking tea with his friends My mother and my two sisters are diligent and hard-working women They often keep the house clean and tidy On suffocating days of summer, we usually take meals in the garden It is fairly cool and quiet here We enjoy our meals amid the melodious twitters of birds On stormy and rainy nights all whole family members gather in the living-room, watching television or telling each other about their daily activities I love my house very much because it is the place where I was born and have grown up in the education of my father and in the tender loving care of my mother I have spent my whole childhood in the love and affection of my dear ones with so many sweet memories Topic 5: Talk about an important city in your country I am living in HCM city, the largest city in Vietnam It has a population of about million In the center of the city, the streets are wide and crowded with people and vehicles There are many big stores, hostels, theaters and tall buildings However, in the suburbs, the roads are narrow and in bad condition, and the houses are small and ugly By the way, living in a big city is a busy life with a lot of work to It isn't difficult for people to find a good job, there are many factories, companies, industrial zones where they can work in they can expect to find a job, that are both interesting and well-paid the town also provide them with a good educational condition There are many schools, universities, academies which have a lot of modern facilities, and well-qualified teachers And they can learn everything they want, for example, singing, cooking Additionally, there is an exciting place with theatres, restaurants, bars Moreover, they can buy anything they need and get all services quickly and easily Although there isn't enough fresh air in city but there are a lot of parks and several interesting sights as: Saigon zoo, the Thong Nhat palace, the Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Dam Sen park and so on Many people can find rest and relaxation here There have been great changes in this city for the last ten years Life has become much better for most of its residents Many people love to enjoy the benefits of modern life when they live in here which its excitement Topic 7: What you think of the weather in VN There are regions in Viet Nam: North Vietnam, South Vietnam and middle Vietnam The weather in each region is different between each region In North Vietnam, there are seasons: Summer, winter, spring and autumn but there are only seasons in South and middle Vietnam 3 What which season you like season in a year I love winter because the winter it is beautiful and the cold of winter will be make people near together It is not too cold, so there isn't snow in the winter in Vietnam In winter we get to usually wear warm clothes and have comfortable sleeps on mattress bet bed with quilted blankets In summer, it is hot There are many things to play in the summer: swimming, football, camping there are many colors in summer especially the color of clothes, we will get have to wear many model clothes And spring season it is a special season because because there is a big long holiday in the season, you know? Tet holiday is biggest the longest / most important holiday in a year in Vietnam Tet holiday begins at the end of spring season and lasts finishes days after And there is an important day in spring, it is valentine day In autumn, It is wet and the sky is clear The trees are beginning to shed their leaves Topic 8: What forms of transport are the most suitable for cities? Why? I recommend bus in general - for longer use, because it needs time to become experienced with them There are two suitable maps available at this time, one of them is sufficient detailed Buy the better map for a reasonable price (15K) at the little tourist-office-shack on the east side of the HoanKiem Lake leftsided and close to the post office In general busses in Hanoi are good enough and cheap (3000 one bus-ride) - I can reach nearly every part in Hanoi with one or two busses in roundabout hour (sometimes a half, sometimes and a half), including the way to walk and wait at the bus station - Sometimes you will have nice talks with the people in the bus Especially students like to check the English speaking with foreigners - They are starting early in the morning - Its very interesting Keep some little disadvantages in mind, then you are not so badly surprised: Sometimes the busses don’t stop, because they are full Mostly they stop very short time, so be prepared to run and jump If you want to leave the bus, decide it in due time They are stopping depending on the traffic - that means: not nessecary dircet at the bus stop, as you may expect The last busses are driving roundabout 21pm But its a little risk to use them - at that time they don’t stop sometimes no more, even they should Not every line as seeing in the map is current - but 98% are If you enter the bus, take care of a good place to observe the outer world through the windows The windows are sometimes scratched and you can’t look out to find the target station or reading the street- signs The busses are usually very crowded I would say: every second time you will find a seat By foot: Very unsusal Your duty is not to lose the way Buy a compass! Some people find it a problem to cross the streets, when there is much traffic Own car: In my opinion: Avoid that There are much to much cars in Hanoi and they are causing the badest traffic jam But if you are invited, its surely comfortable Own motorbike: If you have fun on the motorbike, if you like handling difficult and strange situations, then I recommend it In fact, its less dangerous, than it looks like But if you intend to use it daily, you may become tired of it, because you have to stay very awake all the time Topic 9: What are the benefits of cycling to work? Commuting stress Experts say commuting to work (by car) causes a tremendous amount of stress People who have a long commute end up gaining weight If your commute is long, you will just get in better shape by commuting on bike Meditative effect Cycling, I've found, has a meditative effect that relaxes me and reduces my stress levels Although you have to pay attention to traffic and safety, bicycling does allow your mind to wander Low impact Cycling is a low-impact sport I've never experienced any muscle strains or broken bones, although you have to be careful and always wear a helmet Burns calories One study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed biking is associated with less weight gain in middle-aged women Riding a bike burns plenty of calories, although exactly how many depends on your pace You can lose weight by biking Improves coordination and balance People who ride bikes to work have improved coordination and balance As we grow older, having good balance becomes even more important Many people need to be coordinated on the job Topic 10: Advantages and disadvantages of traveling by airplane Travelling by air has many advantages First, the plane is fastest means of transport We can reach our destination in a few hours Flying speed is very fast Therefore, it helps save time for passengers Second, we are provided with good services The plane has many conveniences We can sit comfortably in an arm-chair, reading magazines or watching a free film on television And game for kids In addition, we also served food, drinks Steward and stewardess are extremely friendly, enthusiastic and polite When passengers sick, they are given thoughtful care by professional nurse staff Space is clean and quiet Third, we will enjoy beautiful scenery below The island located mid vast expanse of oceans Big city becomes very small Air travels give us a bird’s eye view of the world Next, when the plane take on or take off, we will very amazing Flying is thrilling like playing adventuresome game In short, we have interesting feeling Finally, it is safer than other means because the plane is equipped modern technology Travelling by air also has many disadvantages First of all, this is the most expensive form of transport A minority of people can afford a trip by plane while a journey on land or by sea is much cheaper Second, if accidents happen, death rate will be quite high It is easy influent by weather, terrorism, hijacking and technical problems Third, the plane is also elective passengers Unless passengers have strong health, they will be airsickness Finally, formalities and procedures are complicated We have to body check, custom office check and so on In conclusion, travelling by air has some disadvantages However, the advantages are no denying the fact Topic 11: Which season you like best in a year? Why? Which activities can you take part in the season? I was born in Vietnam, where there are four clear seasons: Spring, summer, autumn, and winter Each season has its own charms and attractions For example, spring is the season which offers beautiful flowers and warm weather; summer is the season of nice holidays when we can enjoy lots of outdoor activities such as picnicking, camping, swimming, fishing etc Autumn is so beautiful with its ideal weather while winter can give us such delight as gathering by a fire to chat or tell each other funny stories As far as I am concerned, I like autumn best because of the following reasons: During autumn, which lasts more or less from late July to early October, it is sunny most of the time The Autumnal sun is often splendid, dying nature yellow The weather is also ideal because it is not too cold or too hot Then the coldish northwesterly wind, which blows gently, thrills everyone with the breath of autumn The leaves of the trees turning yellow or red put a gorgeous coat of colours on nature Autumn is such a wonderful season that many poems and songs have been composed to sing the praises of the season Autumn is also a season which reminds me of my first day at school, when my mother took me by the hand and led me to school for the first time Last but not least, autumn is the time when I can enjoy my favorite fruit and dish which are the Japanese persimmons and the green rice flakes These are found only in autumn Topic 12: Talk about free time activities - + Reading books and listening to music Reading books: Get more information about many fields Know more about other cultures and places in the world Improve your concentration and focus Improve your vocabulary Kill time - Listening to music: Reduce stress Have a sound sleep Increase optimism, music can also bring people a more positive state of mind WRITING TOPICS An interesting neighbor I first met my friend Binh Minh two years ago when he knocked on my door “Hello”, he said warmly “My name is Minh , and I’ve just moved in next door, so I’m your new neighbour” He is a handsome, well-dressed young man in his early twenties Minh is quite tall and slim, with hazel eyes and carefully styled light brown hair He likes wearing expensive clothes such as leather jackets and silk scarves He has a great sense of humour, and I love to listen to his amusing stories What’s more, he’s a very kind-hearted person who is always ready to help a friend in need On the other hand, though, he can seem arrogant and conceited sometimes because he likes to be the centre of attention He enjoys dangerous sports such as bungee jumping and hang gliding He’s a great dancer too, and he often goes to clubs and discos All in all, life is never dull when Minh is around Who wouldn’t be happy to have him for a friend and neighbour? A memorable birthday celebration Fiona is my best friend She turned twelve recently and her parents held a birthday party for her I was one of those invited The party began at about three in the afternoon There were about twenty of us children gathered in Fiona's house We were all dressed in our best clothes Everyone, especially Fiona, wore a happy smile We gave our presents to Fiona and she happily opened them It must really be exciting to receive all those presents 7 After that Fiona's mother served us soft drinks and delicious food such as chicken wings, French fries, spaghetti and also ice-cream We then played some games like "Musical Chairs" and "Treasure Hunt" The winners were given prizes At about four-thirty Fiona's mother brought out the birthday cake The cake was lovely, it was beautifully decorated with pink and white icing Twelve colorful candles sat in the middle of the cake We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Fiona after which she blew out the candles and cut the cake We clapped out hands eagerly We helped ourselves to slices of the delicious cake Then we continued our games Finally I won a key chain in the game “ Treasure Hunt” Finally at about six in the evening the party came to an end We were all tired but happy The parents of the other children came to collect them I helped Fiona and her mother clean up the mess we made After that, I called my mother to fetch me home We were exhausted but happy Difficulties at work Dear Manager, I am writing to explain you some difficulties, which I am feeling since last month, and I would like to inform you I am working a part time job with you in the evening and doing my master in software programming in the morning and that is not to cover my financial problem, it also can accomplish my skills in my field But there are many troubles with the computer system here First of all, they are not fully equipped with hardware and secondly not enough updated software in it Basically we are working for many famous companies to provide them software and also we assist them in case of any troubleshooting Consequently, if the company provides the latest machines with updated software to their workers, it will not be merely expedient for the company reputation and progress It can also give an edge to the Programmer, Designer and Hardware/Network Engineer to learn and work well for the company clients in a better way In this way, we can save our plethora of time and in output we can give fascinating work I am looking forward to your passing my suggestion to higher management and hopefully they will take some corrective and optimistic action as soon as possible Yours sincerely, A.I.N Vietnamese’s traditional festival(s) In Vietnam, there are many festivals in a year such as Double Five festival, Mid-autumn festival, etc Among them, the Lunar New Year is the most important and popular holiday in these traditional festivals This is a transitional period between old year and New Year; is an occasion for everyone to commemorate ancestors, pilgrims and family reunions Therefore, Vietnamese people need make a good preparation to welcome the New Year festival Preparation often begins a week before the actual celebration At that time, everyone is busy buying some necessary items such as clothes, food, shoes, etc In spring flowers market, people go to visit and choose their most satisfied flower pots Everybody often cleans and decorates their house; their ancestral altar is tidied up Vietnamese families have a tray of five fruits on their altar called five fruits tray, including banana, orange, kumquat and chili; each of which conveys a different meaning and is symbolic of happiness, luckiness, richness The atmosphere of this festival is coming and people are animatedly to welcome spring time On the last day of the year, preparation for New Year is completed Families have a New Year’s Eve supper together and expect the New Year’s Eve At the mid-night, everyone performs ritual offerings to the ancestor on New Year’s Eve Then, they flock to pagoda to burn incense and to pick buds As they want to bring luckiness for their family After that, almost people often go to bed and hope their family will be many fun and luckiness in the New Year Lunar New Year is the most important festival for Vietnamese people These are funny and happy days that people prepare and welcome New Year together In addition, it is a wonderful occasion for Vietnamese families to reunite and remember their ancestors Traffic problems in Hanoi Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, will officially mark 1000 years of the establishment of the city in October 10, 2010 It is a really fascinating and attractive destination in Vietnam with a long history and a typical culture However, Hanoi has also resolved to a lot of problems to be ready for a 10-day party and the most controversial one of them is traffic congestion The first cause is that the populations of Hanoi are increasing at a very fast rate while land for building is not available and immigrations from other parts of Vietnam For example, in rush hours, a vast variety number of vehicles, mostly motorbikes, have made a chaotic and stressful atmosphere for a long time which can disturb the public’s peace In addition, Hanoi is also a place that has many different types of cars But undoubtedly, the damage and danger caused by cars are perhaps severe which can lead to terrible deaths Moreover, car exhausts contribute to atmospheric pollution The last thing which can bring about congestion is negative attitudes of people towards this problem Obviously, road users not allow others gain their benefits, especially in Hanoi, which is an extremely energetic city with a poor system of communications For instance, low quality of traffic lights and narrow, old roads are considerable burdens for people, so they are easily angry to be able to anything aggressive 9 In order to overcome these problems, the government has to take stronger measures One solution is to increase penalties to actions against the traffic laws As an illustration, a road user certainly remembers the times he or she is heavily fined Therefore, we think that sometimes we must impose more strict measures because people are not well disciplined on the road, particularly in Hanoi Another thing we can is to limit the time cars and trucks allow driving to the centre of city in rush hours It can guarantee a reasonable traffic flow in narrows and small roads of Hanoi A final answer is to educate the public, particularly road users, about traffic laws To meet this effective way, the government has to put a greater pressure on people in Hanoi, because they are usually really conservative and stubborn Your hometown or village I was born in a quite village where the influence of the city is not much It is a small village with a population of about two thousand people It is a very good place for relaxation indeed In my village, people live very close to each another The people are very simple in thought and behavior Therefore they are friendly and helpful So, the crimes of the city are almost unknown in my village The people work together and live in peace I love them My village is surrounded by paddy-fields and a river All these add great beauty and variety to my village scene Although I not like growing rice, I really like the fields It makes me have a good mood, a peace mood and a relaxed mood Now I am living in Hanoi capital I want to come back my hometown very much Living among such friendly and simple people, in such a quiet village, is indeed a real pleasure Benefits of doing sports Firstly, playing sports can give you a healthy life and a fit body You will be more active and healthier by playing sports To illustrate, you can have a lower chance of getting a serious illness such as a heart attack or high blood pressure In other words, it increases your resistance to illness In leisure time, you can play sports with your friends or your relatives, this not only helps you but also motivates everyone around you to take part in sports and have good health Furthermore, there are some sports which you can play easily such as table tennis, tennis or football and after that, you feel completely relaxed or even free from your stress Moreover, you also need to allow and encourage children to play sports, especially some outside activities such as football, basketball or volleyball to decrease the time that your children spend sitting in front of computers or watching television These sports can help them have endurance, quickness and even teach them how to improve team spirit and work in groups These sports also teach them how to communicate with their teammates, and show them how active and creative they are Ways of learning English 10 Speak without Fear The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all Don’t this The fastest way to learn anything is to it – again and again until you get it right Like anything, learning English requires practice Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it However, there are several reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and comfortable they will become Watch English Films and Television This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents Study As Often As Possible! Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language Do Exercises and Take Tests Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing Start now by doing some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you've learned Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English Record Yourself Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much Advantages and disadvantages of the Internet The Internet is a global information system Nowadays, the internet is popular everywhere in the world The Internet provides many useful utilities for users but besides that it also has negative I will analysis advantages and disadvantages of Internet specifically 11 The first, the Internet is a big store of information Any kind of information on any topic is available on the Internet You can find it by the most popular search engines, for example: google.com, search.com, yahoo.com, etc Beside, you can share information with other people around the world Secondly, the Internet connects many people all over the world Stay up date with happening in the whole world and the new technology and information You can get latest news of the world on the Internet Most of the newspapers of the world are also available on the Internet It easier to stay in touch with your friends by chatting, e-mail messages, forum… Another benefit, there are many services on internet Such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your favorite movies, and hotel reservations Especially entertainment, you can see movies, listen music etc… You can play games with other people in any part of the world and there are many games for you choose Besides, there are also disadvantages Children can connect to these websites that are for adult only They can see the information which is not good This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your children's healthy mental life Another drawback, today, Internet is the most popular source of spreading viruses These viruses create different problems in your computer Viruses that can attack your privacy and get some information about you It’s hard to predict what will happen if you were hacked the account information The next drawback is accuracy of information A lot of information stored is stored on the websites Some information may be incorrect or not Sometimes you may be confused In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, Depend on you, it will be the advantages or disadvantage You should balance study and play 10 Ways of relaxing • Going for a walk • Taking some time out and really focusing on what’s happening around you You can people watch or go to a park/outside place and enjoy the fresh air • Listening to some music you really like Music has an impact on our heart rate, so quieter, less intense music is more likely to help you chill out • Going fishing • Playing your favorite sport • Taking a bath • Going to a movie or watching a film • Focusing your attention on a puzzle • Reading a book • Learning yoga or meditation 12 • Practicing meditation [...]... whole world and the new technology and information You can get latest news of the world on the Internet Most of the newspapers of the world are also available on the Internet It easier to stay in touch with your friends by chatting, e-mail messages, forum… Another benefit, there are many services on internet Such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your favorite movies, and hotel reservations... and disadvantages of the Internet, Depend on you, it will be the advantages or disadvantage You should balance study and play 10 Ways of relaxing • Going for a walk • Taking some time out and really focusing on what’s happening around you You can people watch or go to a park/outside place and enjoy the fresh air • Listening to some music you really like Music has an impact on our heart rate, so quieter,... Viruses that can attack your privacy and get some information about you It’s hard to predict what will happen if you were hacked the account information The next drawback is accuracy of information A lot of information stored is stored on the websites Some information may be incorrect or not Sometimes you may be confused In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, Depend... entertainment, you can see movies, listen music etc… You can play games with other people in any part of the world and there are many games for you choose Besides, there are also disadvantages Children can connect to these websites that are for adult only They can see the information which is not good This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your children's healthy mental life Another drawback, today, ... streets are wide and crowded with people and vehicles There are many big stores, hostels, theaters and tall buildings However, in the suburbs, the roads are narrow and in bad condition, and the houses... with pink and white icing Twelve colorful candles sat in the middle of the cake We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Fiona after which she blew out the candles and cut the cake We clapped out hands eagerly... won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all Don’t this The fastest way to learn anything is to it – again and again until you get it right Like anything, learning