Museum

1. Do you enjoy reading?

2. What kind of books do you like?

3. Do you like going to museums?

4. Were you interested in history when you were young?

5. When did you read a book about history last time?

1. Yes obviously. Although I describe myself as a sociable person, I also enjoy reading, since reading is the thing that can help me calm down and

2. I prefer detective stories like Holmes. I find it really exciting to let myself sink in the world of inference and I always dream about having a friend like Watson, who can accompany me to work out numerous problems.

3. Yes I do. Visiting places like museums provides me with the chance to know about history and things about our ancestors, I believe it is an educative place for people of all ages to visit.

4. When I was young, my parents told me a lot of the historic stories of China and also other countries, at that time I thought history the subject is also about listening to the stories so I looked forward to learning the subject very much. But later when I actually learn about it, I found that there are also boring issues and things like the impact of the movement, the background of the new policy for me to memorize, so gradually I lost my interest.

5. I am not a fan of history, so to be honest, the last time I read a book about history is the vacation that I was in senior high school, which is a task given by my history teacher. I found it really boring to read history, although it offers me with the opportunity to learn about things in the past and make me more experienced.

Major

1. What’s the most important part of your major?

2. What’s the most interesting part of your major?

3. Which one is more important, the teacher or the student?

4. Is what you have studied closely related to your ideal job in the future?/ Do you think it (your subject) will be helpful for you in the future?

5. What can you learn from these courses?

6. Are there any differences before and after studying these courses? What are they?

1. My major is marketing, and for me the most important thing is to understand customers’ needs and wants to serve them and co-operate with the R&D department to produce goods to satisfy their needs, and this is also difficult since sometimes customers themselves do not know what they actually need .

2. My favorite course is microeconomics, since it is amazing for it to explain so many phenomenons and issues with its theories, ranging from business activities, prisoner's dilemma, to daily activities. And it also enables the students to rethink about the things happening around themselves and give them the explanation in terms of economics.

3. Both of the two are important. For teachers, it is important for them to shoulder the responsibilities to try to make every student understand the knowledge they have taught, and for students, it is their task to respond to the teachers and spare every effort to work hard and get good results.

4. I do not think so. Since I have done some internship before, and what I found is that sometimes marketing is much more than using the theories and models I learned from class, it is more related to connecting the company and the customers, it is a thing that needs the help of the whole company.

5. I learned about various models, formulas, theories, and different solutions to problem that may happen in the marketing process. It is of some use when companies really do marketing, but what needed to be learn is much more than these theories. To learn marketing well, one always have to make real actions.

6. Well, marketing is a major that everyone knows something about it. The biggest difference before and after I study the courses is that I become more rational about the sales in the supermarket since I know they are all marketing, and also I think my knowledge network becomes clearer.

Friend

1. Do you have friends far away?

2. Do you keep contact with your childhood friends? Why?

3. Do you consider yourself as a good friend?

1. Yes, she is one of my best friends in the university. We knew each other in our university life, and then we went to different countries for study and work. Now, she lives in America and I work in Shanghai. The distance between us is pretty far, but we still try to find some time to contact with each other.

2. Unfortunately, I don’t do so. This is mainly because we both have different social circles as we grew up, and we had fewer and fewer common topics. Now, it is embarrassing for us to have an afternoon tea with each other.

3. I think so, because as a friend, I’m willing to listen to my friend’s complaints and doubts, and then I would like to give some advices for her. In addition, I will try to find some helpful things to do to upgrade ourselves. For example, my friend and I have set a goal for cultivating the exercise habit. We do pump it up three times a week in the dormitory, and we have keep this for nearly half a year.

Pen/pencil

1. Which one do you prefer, pen or pencil?

2. Which one do you used to use, pen or pencil?

3. How do you feel if someone gives you a pen or pencil?

4. When did you buy a pen or pencil last time?

1. I prefer using pencils now. I used to write with a pen in my high school, but I find it is more convenient to use pencils. If I write something wrong, it is easier to change when I write in pencil.

2. As I have said before, I used to use pen in my high school. High school students are required to use pen in exams, so our teachers ask us to write our homework and tests in pen so that we can adapt to do so in the exam.

3. In my childhood, it should be a nice and pleasant gift for me because I liked collecting different pens and pencils, especially those pretty ones. But now, I couldn’t say it is a surprising gift because I don’t use them very often and I’m not a person enjoy writing. Instead, I’m used to typing on my laptop.

4. I’m not sure the exact date, but it may be two months ago. As I’m a university student, I still have to use pens and pencils regularly, although most of our homework are required to be submitted in digital versions. And two months ago, I just experienced my mid-term exams, so I had to use pens in my exam. I remember in case of not enough pens, I bought some that time.

Science

1. Have you ever had science classes?

2. Is there a science class in primary school? Do you think it is important?

3. Should people learn science?

4. Do you like science classes?

5. What kind of science do you do?

6. Is science important?

1. Yes, of course I have taken science classes when I was in primary school. The teacher did some simple but interesting experiments to teach us some basic knowledge about science.

2. As far as I know, science classes are quite common in primary schools of China and science has become a subject of curriculum in elementary education.

3. Yes, I do. Having science classes is efficient in satisfying children’ s curiosity and helps them know more about the world and nature. If without science classes, they will miss these precious chances to keep close ties with the whole planet.

4. Yes, they should know more about science because it makes them explore the world in a deeper way and adapt themselves to this ever changing society.

5. Well, it really depends on whether the lessons are difficult or not. Like if they are easy to understand and practical in daily life, I am ok with them. But if they are super complicated and beyond my comprehension, then I am not into them.

6. I have done plenty of researches in astronomy since I’m quite interested in star observation. Using telescopes to watch sky is one of my favorite things, which really delights me when exploring the unknown world.

7. Yes, science definitely plays a vital role in the world evolution and human development, which is penetrated in every sector of people’s daily life. For instance, without basic scientific knowledge, people will never tell the weather for the next day, not to mention the appropriate clothes to wear. Without science, the whole nature and human beings will be haunted by darkness and chaos.

Water sports

1. Is water sports popular?

2. What water sports do you like?

1. I’m not that sure, but from what I can see, from the young people around me, they tend to favor water sports, such as scuba diving and surfing, to have fun, but maybe for others, especially the old generation, they will probably not be into it.

2. I’m into all kinds of water sports, in terms of extreme ones, I’m keen on scuba diving and surfing because doing it makes me feel excited and I really get a good kick out of it. And in terms of something gentle, I prefer water yoga because it helps me keep fit.

Art/Gallery

1. Do you like art?

2. Do you often go to gallery?

3. Do you hang any pictures in your room?

1. Well, it really depends on what kind of art it is, like if it’s realism painting that’s quite impressive, and I am able to comprehend it, then I’m fond of it, but if it’s something beyond my understanding, then I’m not into it.

2. I go to art gallery every now and then, like twice a month, if I am not caught up with work, then I will go there with my friends to unwind myself, but if I am quite busy, then I won’t go.

3. Yes, I do. I’m the type of person who is interested in colorful things so that I hang a copy of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings in my room to light up my mood.

Voice

1. Does your voice sound similar to your parents’? Why?

2. Do you enjoy listening to your voice?

3. Has your voice ever changed?

1. I think my voice sounds similar to my mother’s. I spent a lot of time with my mom when I was little and I mimicked and followed her way of speaking.

2. Well, when I practiced my speaking skills, I usually record my answer and listen to it by myself. To tell the truth, I don’t like my voice. I think it sounds like a boy and sometimes I cannot recognize my voice.

3. I haven’t notice that. But I think my voice has become lower with years.

Walk or Running

1. Do you enjoy running? Why?

2. When did you do a long running last time? Why?

3. Where do you walk?

4. Do you think you walk more than before?

5. Do you think people will walk more in the future?

6. What types of sports TV programs do you enjoy watching?

1. Yes, I enjoy running , that really helps me get rid of stress and brings me freedom even just for a few minutes.

2. I ran about 40 minutes last night on a treadmill. I was really nervous about this test and running could help me relax.

3. I enjoy walking in the park nearby my home, where has a great view. My family and I usually take a walk after dinner.

4. I don’t think so. The shared bicycle, like ofo and halo, is very popular and convenient recently. I usually ride a bike instead of walking.

5. I don’t think so. More traffic tools have been invented to facilitate people’s daily life recently, for example, the self-balance bike and electric bicycle. People can save the walking time to do some other things.

6. I enjoy watch ball games, for example table tennis, basketball and badminton. My family and I like to watch the live coverage of world-class competition.

Cake

1. Do you like eating cakes?

2. When do you have cakes?

3. How do Chinese people feel about desserts?

1. I like eating cakes, but my dentist keeps saying I ought to try to wean myself on sugary to protect my teeth.

2. I have cakes once a month. I will reward myself by a piece of tiramisu if I work hard and exercise regularly in this month.

3. Chinese people like desserts and we have different types of desserts for different seasons and festivals. And each province has its typical desserts.

Tea or Coffee

1. What do Chinese people prefer? Tea or coffee? Why?  

2. What do you usually prepare for your guests, tea or coffee?

3. When did you drank coffee or tea last time?

1. For most Chinese, especially the older people, they prefer tea because they think tea is healthier. But some young people enjoying drinking coffee because coffee can refresh them when they are tired.

2. It depends on the preference of the guest if I know what they like. Generally, I will prepare tea because I like tea more than coffee.

3. Last time I drink coffee is several days ago when I prepared my final exam. I have to stay up late, so I drank coffee to refresh myself.

Patience

1. Is being patient very important? Why or why not?

2. Are you a patient person?

3. When you are not patient, what do you do?

4. What are the things that make you impatient?

5. What do you do when waiting for bus?

1. Patience is important because it enables us to control our emotions or impulses when faced with difficulties.

2. Yes, I think I am a patient person. I can tolerate waiting, delay or frustration without becoming agitated or upset. Plus, I usually take the time to assess the situation, see the big picture, and weigh any pros and cons, which results in better decision-making.

3. When I am not patient, I will take a deep breath and count silently to myself, which help control over my emotions.

4. I describe myself as a calm person, and I am always patient. Maybe the thing that drives me crazy is that others do not show enough respect to me, like using my shampoo without my permission, or wearing my newly-bought dress to go to the party without even telling me.

5. I always check my phone to make sure if there are new messages. If there aren’t any, I will go through the news to see what is happening both in home and abroad.

Music

1. Do you like music?

2. What's your favorite type of music?

3. Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?

4. Which instrument would you prefer to study - the piano or the violin?

5. Do you think it's important for children to learn (to play) a musical instrument?

6. Do you think listening to music really helps you?

7. When do you listen to music?

8. Have you ever shared music with your friends?

1. Yes, I do. I listen to music almost every day. I like to listen to music before I go to bed. The melody and rhythm help me to relax and have a sound sleep.

2. Country music is my favorite. My favorite country music singer is Taylor Swift who is gorgeous and gifted, her famous song, Love Story, is my favorite song of this type. However, Taylor now turns into a pop singer who makes me feel a little bit sad and disappointed.

3. Yes, I have learned how to play guitar since I was 10 years old. Now, with more than 10 years' practice and study, I am a master of guitars. I perform every year at the anniversary celebration of our university.

4. I prefer to study how to play the violin. As I have mentioned, I can play the guitar well, and the way to play the violin is somehow similar to the guitar. I mean both of the instruments require the player to use the left hand to press the string. I believe it is easier for me to learn the violin.

5. Yes, I do. Learning a musical instrument can help children to cultivate their interest in music and art. They will also discover the beauty of music and composition thus developing aesthetic value.

6. Yes, I think music is the best medicine to cure my pain and sorrows, it is just like magic. I mean, it is so magical for music to express so many different moods only with the change of the beat and sequence of the notes. When I listen to the melody of mu favorite song, I feel cured and are ready to continue my work.

7. Actually I am not fully used to listening to music when I am doing my homework, just like other students do. I am more used to listening to the music when I feel lonely, tired, or sad, since I think it is a good way to cheer myself up.

8. Yes we do share songs with each other. It has become a hit today to share songs in social medias to express feelings, or only to share them without any purpose. For me, the reason for me to share is that I want to like these songs with good melody or moving lyrics to my friends, just like sharing my birthday cake.

Math

1. Do you think mathematics is important?

2. Do you think it’s difficult to learn mathematics well?

3. Are girls generally good at mathematics?

4. Do you often use a calculator?

5. Are you good at mathematics?

6. Is it important to use mathematics in your field?

7. Are you good at remembering numbers?

1. Yes, I think it is. We all need a basic grounding in maths so that we can do daily tasks, like managing our money, working out bills, and so on. But for some advanced mathematics, it depends on what you do. For example, if you are a programmer, math would be very important. But if you are a writer, math is not quite useful.

2. Yes, of course. Learning math is just like solving puzzles. My math teacher once told me it would be satisfying when you could get an answer. Unfortunately, as I grew up, especially after being introduced to more advanced math, I can hardly feel this sense. So personally I find it quite difficult to learn math well.

3. Emm…I do not think girls are generally good at mathematics, especially advanced mathematics. Although girls are generally careful enough to do some simple math problems and calculations, they behave worse in mathematical logic. Plus, many girls consider math is too far over their heads.

4. It depends. I like to exercise my brain with some simple calculations, but I use a calculator to cope with the complex stuff .

5. I have to say, no, I am not. When I was in junior high school, I tend to be the top students since I was reaaly good at maths, but afterwards, when I started senior high school, things becomes different and sometimes I found it difficult to work out these problems, sometimes I cannot even find the right formula to use.

6. Yes of course, maths is important in commercial majors like marketing. Sometimes we have to do surveys and analyze the raw data to reach to a conclusion. Without good skills in maths and statistics, sometimes it is difficult to complete the process.

7. Yes I am. I have the ability of memorizing phone numbers, whenever others tell me a number through phone,  do not need to write it down on the piece of paper, instead, I am able to memorize it until I call this number to the person I would like to talk with.

Laugh

1. Do you like to watch movies or TV shows that make people laugh?

2. When did you laugh last time?

3. Do you think it important to laugh with friends?

1. Yes, I really like, such movies or TV shows make me feel relaxed and happy. When I was in bad mood, I’m much more willing to watch comedies, because they can help me to transfer my attention and go out of the shadow.

2. I’m a girl who really like to laugh, so I think last time I laugh should be yesterday. I was watching a talking show program yesterday night, and there were some jokes in the show which make me laugh out of tears. Even now I think of them, I still find it was funny.

3. Yes, of course. In my opinion, friends mean people who I would like to spend time with them. The time should be joyful, pleasant and enjoyable. Laughing with friends seems to be the happy experience, and it helps to reinforce our friendship.

Spending time by yourself

1. Do you like spending time by yourself?

2. What did you do last time you were by yourself?

3. What do you usually do when you spend time by yourself?

1. Yes, I enjoy spending time by myself. In other words, I enjoy doing something alone. We have to social with others not only in life but in our work time. It has been more and more difficult to have our real private time, I mean the time just for myself. Therefore, I like to do something alone to enjoy that private time which makes me to think something or just relax.

2. I read a book before I slept. Always, the bed time completely belongs to me, and I choose to read books at that time. I remember I read a detective book last night, and the plot was pretty attractive and a little scaring. I like that book and I wonder what happened then, so I still will read it tonight.

3. One of my habits is baking, and usually I do it when I’m alone. And every time I do baking, I hope no one would disturb me. Focusing on it makes me feel relaxed and peace. It is a kind of way to release my pressure in daily life. Also, I would like to read books which I’m interested in to spend time by myself.

Park

1. Are public parks very important in China?

2. Are there many public gardens in China?

3. Do you think there are enough parks or gardens in your hometown?

4. What do you think are the benefits of having gardens in the city?

5. Why do people who live in cities like public gardens?

1. Yes. In China, you can see lots of parks. It not only does god to the environment, but also provides a place for he old to do morning exercise.

2. Yes. These parks not only do god to the environment, but also provide a place for he old to do morning exercise.

3. I think so. in my hometown, you can see public parks nearly everywhere ad it’s enough for people to have a rest or do morning exercise.

4. Plants in gardens can absorb the pollution in the air and people can rest ad do morning exercise in gardens.

5. Because people in cities seldom have chance to go to countryside to enjoy the fresh air and contact with nature. However, gardens are the only way city people can enjoy the nature.

haircut

1. What ’s your favorite hairstyle?

2. How often do you have your hair cut?

3. How much do you usually spend on your haircut?

4. Do you often change your haircut?

1. I prefer short hair because it is easy to handle. I've kept short hair style for xxx years.

2. I go to the barber's once a month.

3. It usually takes me 40 rmb to have my hair cut.

4. I seldom change my hairstyle./I change my hairstyle once every year.

Where you live

1. Which town or city do you live in?

2. Are you going to move in the near future?

3. Do you live in a house or an apartment?

4. Do you plan to live there for a long time?

5. What can you see from your window of your flat or your house?

6. Have you ever lived in the countryside?

7. Will you live in the countryside in the future?

1. I live in Shanghai with my parents. We moved to this lovely city three years ago. I enjoy living in Shanghai and I have made some new friends here.

2. I plan to move to Qingdao where is a coastal city in the east of China. I have been to Qingdao last year. The beautiful weather and delicious seafood attract my interests.

3. I live in a apartment which is located in the center of my hometown. Its transportation is very convenient.

4. No, I will move to another place when I graduate. Because I want to live by myself and try to be independent rather than relying on my parents.

5. From my window, I can see the building next to my apartment. It was an office building that includes many little companies.

6. I didn’t live in the countryside for a long time, but I usually spent my summer holiday in the countryside in my primary school because my grandparents lived there. Since my parents both have their work in the day, I was asked to go to the countryside when I was in summer holiday. In my memory, the life there was interesting. I had peers to play together and my grandparents cooked yummy dishes. Most importantly, I didn’t have to do homework that time.

7. I don’t think so, because I have lived in city for almost 20 years, and I have been used to living in cities. This means it is very inconvenient for me to live in the countryside. My company, my friends and my parents are all in the city, I will feel lonely if l go to the countryside.

Work or Study

1. Where do you work?

2. What kind of job do you do?

3. What have you learned from your job?

4. What do you major in?

5. Are you happy with the subject you are studying in?

6. What have you learned in your area of studies?

1. I work in a travel agency as a tour conductor. My company is located in Shanghai and mainly focuses on international travelling, especially travelling to European countries.

2. I work as a tour conductor for international travel. My responsibilities are to order the tickets and accommodation for our guests and introduce the tourist attractions to them.

3. I work for international travels, so I have opportunities to travel abroad and experience diverse cultures from different countries. Besides, my job promotes my communication skills because I need to chat with my customers from all walks of life in journey.

4. My major is English education and I focus on the teaching strategies in classroom for students who do not speak English as their first language.

5. I enjoy learning my subjects and I think my major is very useful for the current education situation of English in China.

6. I learned the teaching strategies in language classrooms. For example, how to plan a lesson, how to communicate with students and how to assess students language competence are all the categories I need to work on.

Jeans

1. How often do you wear jeans?

2. Do you like wearing jeans?

3. Why are jeans popular?

4. Will jeans be popular in the future?

1. I don’t wear jeans very often because I think jeans are too casual for work. I only wear jeans on weekends for informal occasions.

2. I like wearing jeans because jeans are durable, especially Denim. Denim is typically thicker than regular pants and, if taken well care of, can last for years.

3. Because that jeans are versatile and can be worn with casual and dressy casual outfits. In some companies, they can even be worn to work. Apart from that, jeans can also be dressed up with a nice shirt or sports jackets.

4. Jeans have been worn for more than 100 years and are by far the most popular style. I believe jeans are time-tested and will be popular in the future.

Visiting hometown

1. How often do you go back to your hometown?

2. How often do you visit your grandparents?

3. What do you bring as gifts when you go back for visits?

4. Do you enjoy visiting friends more or families more?

1. Since I’m a college student, I go back to my hometown on every summer and winter holiday. So, I go back twice a year. But if there’s something emergency happens at home, I’ll also go back then.

2. Well, that really depends. As my grandparents live in the rural area, so I need to catch a two-hour bus to go to their place. And during my staying at home, time is really limited, so the real circumstance maybe they will come and see me at my home. I feel bad about that, I should go and visit them more often.

3. Normally that would be the local food and snacks from the place I currently live in. For other times, I’ll bring some souvenirs when I was just back from a trip to home. I think it’s a good tradition because it shows my love and caring to my family.

4. To be honest, I enjoy visiting my friends more. Cause they share common topics and interests with me, I never find it boring staying with them. Whereas as for my families, they may expound something mechanically to me and ask me to do it. I feel uncomfortable doing so, but on the other side, I love my family. So, it’s really a dilemma for me, every time when I visit them, I feel struggle inside.

Vacation

1. How often do you go on vacation?

2. Do you want a long or short vacation?

3. What was the most exciting thing you experienced in a trip?

4. Tell me about your dream vacation.

1. I go on vacation twice every year. In July and August, my family go abroad together to relax ourselves after months of hard works. In winter vacation, which is around Febuary, I would go back to my hometown.

2. I prefer a short vacation. Sometimes I get bored in summer vacation and find nothing to do in late August. Short vacation is better for relaxation and is easy to get back to work.

3. When I was on vacation in Hawaii, I went scuba diving and saw various of fishes and marine species, for instance schools of jelly fish, pen fish, even clusters of sea cucumbers.

4. My dream vacation is going to the Great Britain with person I like. It does not need to a long vacation----a few days would be fine. We can get up in late morning and have brunch in the cafe with great view. In the afternoon, we would spend some times on sightseeing. I want to go to aquarium, castle and theme parks.

Languages

1. How many languages do you speak?

2. How did you learn the language you speak?

3. Do you think English is hard to learn?

4. Are you currently learning other languages?

1. I can speak both Chinese and English.

2. I got to learn Chinese as it is my mother language, so I learned it when I was a child.

3. Yes, a little bit. English is such a different language compared to Chinese, which makes it hard for Chinese to learn not only its alphabet but also its pronunciation.

4. Actually I am currently learning French by myself because I am interested in French culture.

Photos

1. Do you like taking photos?

2. How do you share photos with friends?

3. Why do people share photos with others?

4. Do you prefer to take pictures by your phone or by camera?

5. Would you like to know more about photography in the future? Why?

1. I like taking photos.To tell the truth, I am good at photography. I organized a photographic exhibition with my friends when I was in college and lots of people enjoyed the picture I took.

2. I like to post my photos on social medias like Instagram and Weibo, where my friends have access to my lovely pictures.

3. Photos always come with stories. People like to share their stories and experience behind photos with their friends. For photographers, they like to exchange photographic skills by sharing photos with others.

4. I prefer to take photos by my camera and I like to take my camera with me when I travel to other cities. Photos taken by camera have higher quality and are easier to edit on computer.

5. Sure. I enjoy taking pictures and I want to promote my photographic skills, especially for portrait photography. I want to take more lovely pictures for my friends when we hang out.