ORAL TOPICS FOR A-LEVEL EXAMINATION BY HUFLIT FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER TOPIC FIONA Hello! My name is Fiona I work in a school in the morning, and in the afternoon from Monday to Friday In the evening I watch television, listen to music, read or write letters In Britain, we don’t work at the weekend On Saturday, I go shopping in the morning or in the afternoon, and in the evening I sometimes go to the cinema or see my friends I don’t live with my family, so on Sunday morning I go to my parents’ house We have a Sunday lunch together, and then my father and brother watch football on television My sister and I don’t like football, so we go for a walk with Mom on Sunday afternoon On Sunday evening, I correct my students’ homework I go to bed at 9.00 I don’t like Monday mornings! Questions: 1/ What does Fiona do? How often does she work? She is a teacher She works from Monday to Friday in the morning and afternoon 2/ What does she usually in the evening on weekdays? In the evening on weekdays, she usually watches TV, listens to music, reads or writes letters 3/ Does she often see her friends every night? No, she doesn’t see her friends every night She sometimes sees her friends on Saturday evenings 4/ Does she live alone? When does she go to her parents’ house? Yes, she lives alone She goes to her parents’ house on Sunday morning and stays there until the afternoon 5/ When does she correct her students’ homework? She corrects her students’ homework on Sunday evening 6/ What time does she usually go to bed? She usually goes to bed at o’ clock About me, I usually go to bed at ten TOPIC THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE According to a legend, the worst disaster in the history of the city of Chicago began in the barn on the night of Sunday, October th, 1871 A woman named Mrs O’Leary was milking her cow when the cow kicked over a lantern and started a fire According to historians, a combination of bad planning and dry weather allowed the fire to destroy the city While firefighters were fighting the fire downtown, the wind blew it across the river Therefore, suddenly the city was burning on both sides of the river! The firefighters didn’t have enough men and equipment to fight the fire Chicago was still burning when rain finally came on Tuesday and put out the fire In the end 2,000 acres of land and 18,000 buildings burned because of a cow Amazingly, Mrs O’Leary’ house survived Legend = truyền thuyết disaster= thảm họa a barn = kho thóc cow = bò sữa lantern = đèn lồng to fight (fought/ fought) = chiến đấu firefighters = lính cứu hỏa acre =mẫu tây (1 acre = 4,000 square meters) Questions: 1/ When did the worst disaster in the history of the city of Chicago begin? That worst fire began on Sunday night of October th, 1871 2/ What was Mrs O’ Leary doing at that time? She was milking her cow when the cow kicked over a lantern 3/ Why did the fire destroy the city easily? The fire destroyed the city easily because the weather was dry and windy, so the fire spread very quickly 4/ What happened while the firefighters were fighting the fire downtown? While the firefighters were fighting the fire downtown, the wind blew the fire across the river, so the city was burning on both sides of the river 5/ Did the firefighters have enough men and equipment to fight the fire? No, they did not have enough men and equipment to fight the fire 6/ Did the fire destroy Mrs O’Leary’s house? No, fortunately Mrs O’ Leary’s house was still safe, because the wind did not go to that direction It was really amazing TOPIC THE INTERNET In my opinion, the Internet is a very fast and convenient way for me to get information I can also communicate with my friends and relatives by means of e-mail or chatting However, I not use the Internet very often because I don’t have much free time For me, the Internet is a wonderful invention of modern life It makes our world a small village People use the Internet for many purposes: education, communications, entertainment and commerce However, the Internet has limitations It is not only time-consuming and costly but also dangerous because of viruses and bad programs Moreover, Internet users sometimes have to suffer various risks such as spam or junk e-mail, and personal information leaks So, while enjoying surfing, be alert! Questions: 1/ According to the writer, what is the Internet? According to the writer, the Internet is a very fast and convenient way to get information 2/ How can he communicate with his friends and relatives? He can communicate with his friends and relatives by means of emailing or chatting 3/ What people use the Internet for? People use the Internet for many purposes such as education, communication, entertainment, commerce, and so on 4/ Why is the Internet dangerous? The Internet is dangerous because of many reasons such as timeconsuming, money- consuming, viruses, bad programs, and so on 5/ Do Internet users sometimes have to suffer various risks? What are they? Yes, Internet users sometimes have to suffer various risks Some of the risks are junk e-mail (spam), scams, personal leaks, and so on 6/ What should we while browsing some websites? While browsing some websites we should be alert to avoid risks or cheats TOPIC 16 THE PLACE WHERE I LIVE The place where I live is a village It is called North Thorsby It is Lincolnshire, in the east of England The village is very old It was founded in the fifteenth century North Thorsby used to be a big village, but now is quite small These days, only about four hundred people live there A lot of families have left the village They have gone to work in larger towns and cities where there are more jobs There is a beautiful church, called St Helen’s, in the center of the village There are no bus stops and no railway stations There are only two small shops The nearest supermarket is about 5km away There used to be a school here, but it has been closed because the population is too small The main industries are agricultures and farming Unfortunately, there are no cinemas or theaters I like our village because it is small and quiet But my older sister doesn’t like it It isn’t exciting enough for her She would rather live in the large city, where there are more cinemas and discos for teenagers Questions: 1/ Where does the writer live? When was it founded? The writer lives in a small old village named Thorsby (in Lincolnshire, east of England) It was founded in the fifteenth century 2/ Is St Helen’ s a church or a supermarket? Is it beautiful? It is a church in the center of the village It is beautiful 3/ Are there any bus stops or railway stations in the village? How many shops are there? No, there aren’t any bus stops or railway stations there There are only two small shops in the village 4/ Why has the school been closed? The school has been closed because the population is too small 5/ Does the writer like the village? Why doesn’t his older sister like it? The writer likes his village because he likes its smallness and quietness His older sister does not like it because she prefers living in a large city where there are more cinemas and discos for teenagers TOPIC 17 VACATION Last month, Karen Brown went on a business trip to Miami Her plane left London Heathrow at 9.25 in the morning It was a very good flight She had a window seat and the food was excellent The plane landed at 3.20 in the afternoon American time Karen took a taxi from the airport to the Miami Beach Hotel, which was right by the beach Her room was on the ninth floor, and had a balcony with a lovely view over the seas When she got up in her room, she quickly phoned her husband in London The weather was hot, so she decided to eat on her balcony She called Ron series and ordered chicken, squawfish and cool beer Then she felt tired, so she went back into the room and went to sleep Vocabulary: Ron series = Chuỗi nhà hàng ăn hiệu Ron To order sth = gọi Balcony =ban công, bao lơn Questions: 1/ Where did Karen Brown go last month? Last month she went on a business trip to Miami, USA 2/ What time did her plane leave London Heathrow? Was it a bad flight? Her plane left London Heathrow at 9.25 in the morning It was a very good flight 3/ Which hotel was she in? Where was her room? She stayed in the Miami Beach Hotel, which was right by the beach Her room was on the ninth floor 4/ What did she when she got up in her room? When she got up in her room, she quickly phoned her husband in London 5/ What was the weather like? Where did she decide to eat? The weather was hot in Miami, so she decided to eat on her balcony TOPIC 18 LANGUAGES The names of languages are often like the names of the countries where people speak them So Italian is the language of Italy, Russian is the language of Russia, and Greek is the language of Greece In Turkey, people speak Turkish and in Poland, they speak Polish In Japan, people speak Japanese and in China, they speak Chinese But some languages are not so simple People speak Arabic in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa People speak German in Germany, but they also speak it in Austria and part of Switzerland You can hear French not only in France, but also in Canada, Belgium and in many other countries in Africa Portuguese is the language of Portugal, but also of Brazil And people speak Spanish not only in Spain, but also in most of South and Central America Questions: 1/ What are the names of the languages often like? The names of the language are often like the names of the countries where people speak them 2/ Which is the language of Italy? Russia? Greece? Italian is the language of Italy, Russian is the language of Russia, and Greek is the language of Greece 3/ Where people speak Arabic? People speak Arabic in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa 4/ Can we hear French in Canada, Belgium and in many countries in Africa? Yes, we can hear French in Canada, Belgium and in many countries in Africa 5/ What is the most popular language people speak in South and Central America? Spanish is the most popular language that people speak in South and Central America TOPIC 19 DINOSAURS Dinosaurs lived for more than 160 million years ago Some dinosaurs ate only plants and some ate other animals Some dinosaurs were bigger than an elephant But about 65 million years ago, the dinosaur died out, or became extinct Maybe an asteroid hit the earth and made it too cold for the dinosaur to live Dinosaurs are not the only animals that died out In January 2000, the last Pyrenean ibex died in Spain Scientists aren’t sure why it did not survive Some say it didn’t survive because of over hunting Others believe its habitat disappeared little by little Today there are animals in danger of becoming extinct The giant panda is in trouble People are cutting down the bamboo forests that provide its food Pandas need a lot of food because they are big and heavy The Komodo dragon is also endangered It is a very large reptile that lives on a few small islands of Indonesia It is in danger because people are hunting it Also, it is losing its habitat Vocabulary: Dinosaur = khủng long To die out = tắt ngúm, biến Asteroid (n) = thiên thạch To become extinct = trở thành tuyệt chủng Pyrenean ibex = dê núi Pyrenean Habitat = môi trường sống, nơi động vật/ người … Questions: 1/ Did dinosaurs eat only plants? Were some dinosaurs bigger than an elephant? Some dinosaurs ate only plants, but some ate other animals Yes, some dinosaurs were bigger than an elephant 2/ What happened to the dinosaur? When? The dinosaur became extinct without any clear reasons It began to die out 65 million years ago 3/ Why did the dinosaur die out? The scientists are not sure why they died out Some say that their extinction was due to human over-hunting Others think that maybe an asteroid hit the earth and made it too cold for them Others say their habitat disappeared little by little 4/ Where Komodo dragons live? Komodo dragons live on some small Islands of Indonesia 5/ Why are Komodo dragons in danger? Komodo dragons are really in danger because people are hunting it Besides, they are losing their habitat TOPIC 20 GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799) He was the first president of the United States He became president in 1789, eight years after the American War of Independence His early life: George was born in Virginia His family owned a big farm and had slaves George didn’t have much education During his life, he had three jobs: he was a farmer, a soldier and a politician He loved the life of a farmer He grew tobacco and owned horses He worked hard, but he also liked dancing and going to the theater In 1759, he married a widow called Martha Custis They were happy together but didn’t have any children His late life: He was Commander- in- chief of the army and fought the British in the War of Independence When the war ended in 1783 he was happy to go back to the farm, but his country wanted him to be the president Finally in 1789, he became president, and gave his name to the new capital city He started building the White House but he never lived in it By 1797, he was tired of politics, he went back to his farm and died there two years later Vocabulary: Early life = phần đầu đời Late life = phần cuối đời President = Tổng Thống widow =góa phụ widower = ông góa vợ soldier =người lính politician = trị gia Commander- in- chief = Tư Lệnh Trưởng The army = quân đội The British = Người Anh Questions: 1/ How many jobs did he do? Did he love the life of a farmer? He had three jobs: he was a farmer, a soldier, and a politician And he really loved the life of a farmer 2/ When did he get married? Did George and Martha have any children? They got married in 1759 And they did not have any children all their life 3/ When did he become the president? He became the president in 1789 due to the masses of his country 4/ What did he build? He built the White House, but he never lived in it 5/ How long was he the president? He was the president from 1789 until 1797 (for years) 6/ Whose name did the new capital city take after? The new capital city took after his name “Washington D.C.” ... we hear French in Canada, Belgium and in many countries in Africa? Yes, we can hear French in Canada, Belgium and in many countries in Africa 5/ What is the most popular language people speak in... and North Africa People speak German in Germany, but they also speak it in Austria and part of Switzerland You can hear French not only in France, but also in Canada, Belgium and in many other... South and Central America? Spanish is the most popular language that people speak in South and Central America TOPIC 19 DINOSAURS Dinosaurs lived for more than 160 million years ago Some dinosaurs