Authentic Speaking Part 1 Questions

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Borrowing/ Lending

Borrowing/ Lending

Have your borrowed books from others?

Answer: No, I haven’t, as far as I can recall. Personally, I’m not a borrower myself, I hate to feel like I own somebody something. I always want to have my own space and own stuff, though sounds a little bit self-centered and selfish. And also, I’m not that into reading, if that relates to books other than textbooks.

Have you ever borrowed money from others?

Answer: Yes, maybe couple of times, but not often. There’s once all my savings were in a fixed account and I couldn’t withdraw money from it any shortly. I needed to book my ticket immediately, so, my friend lent me money and transferred it over.

Do you like to lend things to others?

Answer: Not really, as I say, I’m not a borrower. On the other hand, I’m also not a lender. Since it’s always a hard mission for me to remind others and also remember that someone owes me money or things. In my perspective, this will jeopardize the relationship or friendship if someone forget.

How do you feel when people don’t return things that they borrowed from you?  

Answer: First, I really hate that. Because, in most of cases, when people borrow things, they always promise that they will return not long after. But with time pass by, some of them just forget about what they’ve borrowed from me and continue with their life. I don’t think it’s good if a person can’t keep their promise.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Market

Market

What do street market sell?

Answer: In Hong Kong, markets has great variety, like commonly seen vegetables and fruits, South East Asian ingredients etc. Also, some normal living merchandise like socks and gloves are also sold there. It’s prevailing in different districts.

Are there many street markets in your country?

Answer: If we look at the general number, the answer is yes, especially in Kowloon. But compared to past, the number is dropping. The main reason is number of supermarkets is rising. Those all lead to the deduction number of street markets. Not along the numerous shops online, who are also strong competitors.

What are the differences between street markets and supermarkets?

Answer: Street markets sell limited range of products while supermarkets contains more product range from different countries and open in a regular time. Moreover, street markets also sell second hand products which supermarkets don’t.

Do you often go to the supermarket?  

Answer: Before, not really. But now, since I rent an apartment and live by my own, I go to the supermarket once a week. I go there to do grocery shopping. I really enjoy going there, buying stuff and making plans for a week make me think I’m an independent person, which also reminds me my life living abroad alone.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Visit Relatives

Visit Relatives

Do you often visit your relatives?

Answer: Not very often, maybe once or twice a year. I actually live not far away from my relatives but we are too busy to catch up. The only occasion I can meet them is Chinese New Year. And honestly speaking, the relationship between relatives in my family is not very strong.

What do you do when visiting relatives?

Answer: Most of cases, I find it dull and boring when visiting a relative. So, playing video games with my cousins and killing time by smart phone are what I usually do. Honestly, I hate visiting relatives, some questions asked by relatives may make me uncomfortable, which is too personal.

When was the last time you visited a relative?

Answer: I’d say 3 months ago, during Chinese New Year. There’s a tradition in our culture to visit relatives during the holiday, which shows love and caring in a family. I do like my last visit to my aunt, she cooked a nice meal for us.

Why do people visit their relatives?  

Answer: Well, for different purposes. Some want to show love, some want to maintain bonding, or some might have a request from themselves and need help from their relatives. I think people visit their relatives less than before, perhaps it comes from the fast-moving lifestyle.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Rainy Day

Rainy Day

Do you like rainy day? Why or why not?

Answer: No, I don’t. I think rainy days are troublesome because you have to always bring an umbrella with you. In addition, roads will be slippery so there will be more accidents and pedestrians may fall down if they walk at a high speed. In this case, I prefer sunny days when I can enjoy the sunshine.

How often does it rain in your city?

Answer: In summer, around July, it rains frequently. I remember in winter 2017, it rained quite a bit as well. It is cold and humid, feels really uncomfortable.

What do you do when it’s rainy?

Answer: I will stay at home. I have to say it is a great feeling to sleep with the sound of rain. You will feel relaxed and peaceful. I also like to read books and watch videos. If I have to go out, I will be very unhappy because the rain will soak my shoes wet and I hate such kind of feeling.

Will you bring rainy coat or umbrella when it`s rainy?

Answer: I will take an umbrella with me. Wearing a raincoat is sweltering. However, I have to admit that I do not have a good memory. I always lost umbrellas on buses, in shops or in restaurants.

Will it affect your mood?

Answer: No, it will. Though I do not like rainy days, I don’t have certain negative emotions either it is drizzling or pouring down outside. I think it is meaningless to feel upset as you can’t do anything to change it, so why not learn to accept the reality.

Do you think raining will affect people`s behaviour? Why or why not?

Answer: It depends. Some people will not be affected by the weather, while some people may feel down on rainy days. In this case, how they behave might be different from usual. For example, one may burst into tears because of a toughing movie that he or she might feel over the moon on sunny days.

Does it rain much in your hometown (country)? When?

Answer: Yes, it does. It rains frequently in summer in Hong Kong. Especially in July, the rain may last for a few weeks. There are also lots of typhoons causing heavy rain and fierce wind.

Can you remember any time when it rained particularly heavily in your hometown?  

Answer: Yes, I can. Actually, last July, a strong typhoon hit Hong Kong, and it rained cats and dogs. The weather was so terrible that it caused lots of accidents. The government asked us to stay in and to ensure that all the windows are closed and taped.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Punctuality

Punctuality

How do you remind yourself to be on time?

Answer: I always set alarms to remind myself. Besides, if I have to go out, I’d wear a watch anytime so that I know exactly about the time.

Why are some people always late?

Answer: I guess it is probably because those people regard it as not so necessary to be punctual. I mean, they may think that being late for a period of short time, say 10 minutes, is acceptable. Also, in some countries, because of the cultural difference, being late is a common thing.

Do you think it is important to be punctual?

Answer: Yes, of course. If you are not punctual, chances are that you keep others waiting for you frequently, which is by no means polite. Also, you may miss the train or flight, which can definitely spoil your plan.

What will you do if you are waiting for someone?

Answer: I usually kill time by playing video games on my cell phone. Sometimes, I also listen to music. But fortunately, all my friends are punctual, so they would not keep me waiting for them.

Do you think people these days are as punctual as they were in the past?  

Answer: Well, I think nowadays, people are more punctual than they used to be. I believe this is because nowadays we have many things to remind us of time, such as watches, clocks, smart phones and so on. In comparison, people didn’t have such tools in the past.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Time Management

Time Management

How do you organize your time?

Answer: Generally, I allocate my time reasonably. For example, I wake up at 7 o’clock and after breakfast, I head to work and visit clients. After dinner with family, I watch the news to catch up with what’s going on around the globe. I also do sports with my friends at weekend.

Do you think young people organize their time in the same way?

Answer: I don’t think so. Different people have various hobbies and habits. For example, I like reading and working out, so I spend quite a lot of time reading books, magazines, and doing exercise. While my friends who are workaholics, I believe they spend loads of time getting stuck with paper work.

Are you ever late for anything?

Answer: Very rare. because I’m a punctual person and I hate being late. But sometimes, due to some accidental events like traffic jams, it is unavoidable.

What excuses do you use when you are late?

Answer: Traffic jam, I think. Because it’s persuasive, and that’s the only thing to blame. Especially nowadays when there is heavy traffic everywhere.

What excuses do people have when they are late?

Answer: Perhaps traffic jam. Because almost everyone has the same experience, so it’s persuasive and understandable.

Do you like it when others are late?  

Answer: I don’t like waiting for others for a long time because I think being punctual is a matter of politeness. It also shows whether the person takes the appointment serious.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Rubbish

Rubbish

Why do some people litter?

Answer: I think some people are lazy and they don’t want to take rubbish until they find a garbage can. And there are some people don’t have the awareness to protect our environment, so they just throw rubbish anywhere.

How do you feel about that?

Answer: Personally, I don’t agree with this behaviour and I think the public’s awareness of protecting the environment should be enhanced.

What do you do with garbage when you are on the street?

Answer: Depends on the situation. If I’m in a hurry, I will probably ignore it and rush to my destination. But if I am in a good mood and have plenty of time to kill, why not bother to do a good thing. But have to say, everyone should contribute to protect the environment and even little movements count.

Do you think your city is clean or not?  

Answer: Hong Kong is very clean and people have very high standard of hygiene. Normally, you don’t see garbage on the street and the air quality is not too bad. I see street cleaners every day, and most people citizens behave well enough to maintain the cleanness.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Family Activities

Family Activities

What family activity did you do when you were young? And what about now?

Answer: We are all big fans of travelling. When I was young, I usually travelled with my family. Now we still travel together, but less frequently since my work schedule is really packed.

Has the family activity changed in last 20 years?

Answer: No at all. In the last two decades, my family and I didn’t stop going to places. And we are still looking at going to somewhere we haven’t been for this Christmas.

Do you spend more time at home or outside?

Answer: I spend most of my time staying at home because I enjoy the time reading quietly in my bedroom.

What do you do at home?

Answer: Usually, I read novels and listen to music. Sometimes, I learn how to cook and do some tidying up.

What is the different between the activities you do on holidays and as usual?

Answer: On holidays, I often go to some places that are far from my home, with my friends, for relaxation. However, as on a normal day or weekend, I will just stay at home and enjoy being alone.

In your country, what sorts of things do people do together as family?

Answer: Well, most local families have a great meal together, normally at dinner time, and chat with each other. Some families play cards and mahjong as well.

During Chinese New Year, that’s what everybody does.

When do you get together with other members of your family?  

Answer: Over Chinese New Year, all family members get together. Because we are too busy at work throughout the entire year, only during this festival, we have chances to meet and spend time with each other.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Books

Books

Do you read e-books?

Answer: I read e-books on my kindle, while I think is a convenient way for reading. E-books are cheaper than physical books and easy to carry for travel. Recently I am reading the second volume of the Game of Throne, which is really exciting.

Do you read professional books?

Answer: Yes, once I get interested in one field, I will find some professional books to enable myself to have a better understanding of it. Though we can also get much relevant information from the Internet, yet professional books are more systematic and comprehensive.

Have you lent books to others?

Answer: I lent my comic books to my classmates when I was in primary school once, but I ended up having bad experience. There was a time, my classmate dropped some food on a few of the pages. Afterwards, I rarely lend stuff to others.

Have you borrowed books from others?  

Answer: Yes, I borrowed a book from my supervisor last month. He wrote that book and I wanted to learn some more about his research. I read that book carefully and returned to him within a week.

AUTHENTIC SPEAKING Smile

Smile

When do people smile to others?

Answer: When we smile, we defuse many negative situations. For example, when we get help form others, when we want to make others consider that we are approachable, when we need to show respect to others, etc. To smile is to offer goodwill to others.

Do you smile when someone takes photos for you?

Answer: Yes, of course. I mean, it’s like a habit. I don’t want to show a solemn face in the photos, so I usually keep smiling.

Can you feel it when someone’s smile is fake?  

Answer: Well, I think the big difference lies in people’s eyes. If a person smiles truly, his or her eyes will smile as well instead of being glazed. And people who make fake smile always offers words that are mean.