IELTS PREPARATION

ENGLISH GRAMMAR

IELTS SPEAKING LESSON 2

IELTS Speaking part 1: HOMETOWN
REVIEW
1. Do you work or study? (What is your major?)
2. Why did you choose this school?
3. What are the most interesting things about your major/ school?
4. What is the thing that you dislike the most about your major/ school?
5. What’s your plan after graduation?
6. Do you think that students today have to study too much?

I. READING FOR IDEAS: YOUR HOMETOWN - NEIGHBORHOOD

1. Ideas
1. Where? A. I live in … province which is located in the northern/ central/ southern part of
Vietnam.
B. I was born and brought up in a small town/ countryside in the southern/ northern/
central part of Vietnam.
C. It is a small town in the suburb of HN/ near the beach/ in the mountainous area/ in
the highlands which is called...Soc Son.

2. City Life D. There are high-quality schools, modern healthcare, well-paid jobs, and various
entertainment facilities.
E. A place promising for better job/ study opportunities.
F. It is famous for a wide range of delicious street foods.
G. There is a lot of traffic and people say the city never sleeps.
H. Traffic jams happen regularly.
I. High living costs make it harder to save money and support one's life.
J. High crime rates.
K. High levels of water/ noise/... pollution.
=> The air quality is extremely poor, which is really harmful to people's health.

3. Country Life M. Peaceful atmosphere and fresh air.

N. A place to escape the hectic life of the city.
O. The cost of living is low.
P. An ideal place to make a home and raise children.
Q. Poor quality of healthcare and education.
R. Limited access to entertainment and transportation.

4. People S. Kind/ Nice/ Friendly/ Helpful

(The locals and T. Always offer (me/…) some help when in need.
neighbors) U. Means/ Cold-hearted/ Noisy/ Nosy
V. Only care about their business.

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2. Vocab
Hiện tại, tôi live in Hà Nội city, nhưng thực ra tôi được brought up ở 1 countryside nằm ở suburban
area/ southern/ northern/ central part của Việt Nam.

Ngày trước luôn tin rằng cuộc sống ở a countryside mới là tuyệt nhất. Tôi có thể enjoy a slow pace of
life cùng với fresh air và tranquil atmosphere. Bên cạnh đó, con người ở làng quê thường có a sense of
community và my neighbors thì luôn rất kind, họ luôn sẵn sàng offer tôi some help khi tôi gặp khó
khăn, một điều hiếm gặp nếu sống ở a big city khi mà mọi người thường only care about their
businesses.

Mai này, có lẽ tôi sẽ settle ở làng quê để escape the busy life/ the hustle and bustle of the city thay vì
move to những thành phố lớn mà thường bustling with more job and study opportunities. Bên cạnh đó,
sẽ rất dễ dàng để raise a family ở quê tôi do the cost of living thì rất là low.

Mặc dù có những lợi ích không thể phủ nhận, cũng có một vài khó khăn khi sống ở vùng quê như: the
quality of healthcare, education và local facilities thì vẫn poor, access to entertainment và
transportation thì vẫn limited. Hy vọng những điều này có thể sớm được cải thiện bởi the authorities và
urbanization trong tương lai.

Nói 1 chút về Hà Nội, nơi đây thì luôn nổi tiếng về a wide range of delicious street foods, the locals thì
cực kỳ friendly, mọi người luôn có cơ hội tiếp cận với high-quality schools, modern healthcare, well-
paid jobs và nhiều entertainment facilities (cinemas, parks, restaurants, shopping centers, coffee
houses, upmarket shops …) cũng như nhiều places of interest.

Nếu sống ở a big city như Hà Nội, vẫn có những disadvantages nhất định: traffic jams/ congestion(s)
thì happen regularly và khiến mọi người mất đi một vài giờ quý giá mắc kẹt trên đường mỗi ngày; high
levels of air, water and noise pollution thực sự có hại cho sức khỏe của người dân; high living costs
đồng nghĩa với mọi người phải cố gắng hết sức để earn (more) money to support their lives; high crime
rates làm cho nơi đây thực sự không phải là a perfect place để nuôi dạy trẻ em,…

Exercise 1: Use the words above to complete the sentences

1. Now, I’m living in Hanoi city, which is located in the northern part and also the capital of Vietnam.
(But, I was brought up in the countryside in the central part of Vietnam.)
2. I always believe that life in the countryside would be perfect because I can enjoy a slow pace of life
along with fresh air and a tranquil atmosphere. Besides, people in the countryside often have a sense
of community and my neighbors are very kind as they always offer me some help when I have
difficulties, which is different from life in a big city where people only care about their businesses.
3. In the future, I think I would like to settle in the countryside instead of moving to (V-ing) some big cities
which are bustling with more job and study opportunities. The first reason is that I can escape the
hustle and bustle of the city. The second reason is that it is very easy to raise a family there as the cost
of living is very low.
4. Although there are undeniable benefits, there are still some disadvantages when living in the countryside
such as: the quality of healthcare, education and local facilities is very poor, access to entertainment
& transportation is limited. Hopefully, those can be improved by the authorities and urbanization in
the future.

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5. As for Hanoi, this city is famous for a wide range of delicious street foods, the locals are very friendly
and people living there always have a chance to access high-quality schools, modern healthcare, well-
paid jobs and a lot of entertainment facilities (cinemas, shopping centers, …) as well as a bunch of
places of interest.
6. If you choose to live in a big city like Hanoi, there are some disadvantages for you like: traffic
congestion happen regularly which is a waste of people’s precious time everyday, high levels of air,
water and noise pollution is really harmful to citizen’s health, high living costs means that people have
to try harder to earn money to support their lives and high crime rates makes this place really not a
perfect place to raise kids.

Exercise 2: VOCAB NOTE

1. Bring up sb (v): nuôi lớn ai
→ To be brought up (v): ………đượ c nuô i……………………………………………
2. Paddy field (n): Cánh đồng
3. Specialties (n): Sự đặc biệt
4. Industrial (a): Công nghiệp
5. Run-down (a): Kiệt sức
6. Shopping center (n): trung tâm mua sắm
7. Job and study opportunity (n): Cợ hội học tập và làm việc
8. Central (adj): trung tâm
9. Neighbors (n): hang xóm
10. Kind (adj): Tốt bụng
11. To offer s.one some help: Yêu cầu giúp đỡ
12. To only care about one’s business: Chỉ quan tâm đến công việc của họ
13. To escape the busy life of the city: Thoát khỏi cuộc sống bận rộn nơi thành phố
14. To raise children: Nuôi con
15. The cost of living = living costs (n): Chi phí sống
16. The poor quality of healthcare and education: Chất lượng giáo dục và chăm sóc sức khỏe thấp
17. Limited access to entertainment and transportation (n.p): Kết nối hạn chế đến giải trí và giao thông
18. A wide range of: Rất nhiều, đa dạng
19. The locals (n): ng dân
20. High-quality schools (n-n): chất lượng trường học tốt
21. Modern healthcare (n-n): chăm sóc sức khỏe hiện đại
22. Well-paid jobs (adj-n): Công việc trả lương cao
23. Entertainment facilities (n-n): Cơ sở giải trí
24. Traffic jams (n-n) = traffic congestions tắc đườnh
25. Air quality (n): Chất lượng ko khí

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26. High levels of water/ noise/ air pollution: ô nhiễm không khí/ tiếng ồn/ nước
27. To earn money (v-n): kiếm tiền
28. To support one's life: Hỗ trợ cuộc sống của ai đó
29. (High) crime rates (adj-n-n): Tỉ lệ tội phạm cao
30. An ideal place (n): địa điểm lý tưởng
31. Nosy (adj): ồn ào
32. Playground (n): sân chơi…………

II. QUESTIONS

1. HOMETOWN
1. Where are you from?
I’m from Soc Son town which is suburb of Ha Noi city. It is far from Ha Noi about 45 km and it takes
me
40 minutes to go to Hn from my hometown. . Although my hometown, a small town does not have
many interesting places or buildings, but it has a beautiful landscape. It’s a really nice place with lots
of paddy fields and mountains
2. What do you like about your hometown? (Why?) (What do you like the most about it? Why?)

My hometown is famous for villa and homestay. It is close to nature and has many types of
houses. It is suitable for groups or couples or families. I think this is an ideal destination for
everyone to relax, stay away from busy life, and enjoy the weekend. Besides, my hometown is
also famous for Giong temple. Many people come there to pray for good health, good results
on work and study. Every year, Giong festival is organized and it attracts many people from
many cities to take part in. It’s a very big festival and sacred. Moreover, the people in my
hometown are always so friendly and helpful

3. Has your hometown changed much since you were a child?

Yes, it has changed a lot. When I was little, my place was just a small town with lots of paddy fields. But right
now, many clothing shops, supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants are opened. It’s becoming an
industrial town with high-quality facilities for education and healthcare.

4. Are there any changes you would like to make in your hometown? (What changes would you like to
see in this area?)
Well, if I could change anything, I want to build more shopping centers with upmarket shops and some chain
stores. Besides, I also want to more modern library is opened because the more book we read, the more
knowledge we can gain. Knowledge can guide us to overcome problems we face in our daily life.

5. Would you prefer to live somewhere else? (Why?)

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Although I love my hometown but in the future, I want to move to another place with more job and study
opportunities. Or maybe I will go abroad if I have chances and I will be able to meet new people and
experience a lot more exciting life

4. NEIGHBORHOOD
1. What is your neighborhood like?
Well, my neighborhood is a lovely place with little traffic and a lot of green trees. Besides, I think it is
a safe place to live because the crime rate here is really low.

2. Is there anything you don’t like about it?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sample answer:
Hmm, the thing I don't like the most when living here is that my neighbor is a bit nosy. I mean, they are
good people, but sometimes they pay too much attention to things that are not their business.

3. Do you think your neighborhood is a good place for children?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sample answer:
Yes, definitely. The area where I live has a lot of good schools and playgrounds, which can create a safe
and educational environment for children.

4. How could your neighborhood be improved?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sample answer:
I think more roads should be built so that people can travel more easily. Besides, the local authority should
plant more trees to improve the air quality in the area.

HOMEWORK
Do all the tasks below, RECORD them, and then send them to the teacher ^^
(Làm các bài tập bên dưới, ghi âm và gửi lại cho giáo viên ^^)

Exercise 1: Answer questions below

2. How long have you lived in your city?

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I have lived there for around 18 years but in the next year, I will move to HN city
to study at my university.

3. Is there anything you dislike about your city?

My hometown is a small town so it’s a bit boring for me. There isn’t a
shopping mall, or any other means of entertainment and not many interesting
places and high-rise buildings. The streets are not very crowded as well.
However, I believe that it has been improving day by day and becoming a
potential destination for the increasing number of visitors.
5. Do you plan to live there in the future?
Although I love my city, in the future, I want to move to another place with more job and study
opportunities. Or maybe I will go abroad if I have chances and I will be able to meet new people and
experience a lot more exciting life.
4. Do you know many people living nearby?
I would say I know most of my neighbours. We live in a village where people spend their times with their
friends and neighbours and I know quite well the people who live next door. I have a close friend who lives
next door, we' ve been playing for eight years. She often takes me to school
Exercise 2: Write a short paragraph (75-100 words) to DESCRIBE AN IDEAL CITY/ COUNTRYSIDE
YOU WANT TO LIVE IN THE FUTURE

I would like to tell you about Singapore, the city I want to live in the most in the future. It' s the
name of the capital and also the name of a country. When I was grade 10, I had a chance to visit
Singapore and we stayed there 4 days.It has a really good location and there are many terrific
attractions in the city. Singapore is a tiny country that is smaller than many major cities around
the world When I arrived in Singapore, I was quite impressed by the way the city looked. The
streets were incredibly clean, It is well-known for strict laws. If you dump rubbish a, then you will
get fined up to few thousand dollars. That’s why Singapore is very clean. Largely due to a 50,000-
strong cleaning workforce employed to keep the streets clean, Singapore also doesn’t have large
lands for agriculture, all the food and even water have to be imported from Malaysia and other
countries, but it still develops to become a strong and powerful country. You can see a lot of
skyscrapers in the central. Singapore is famous for education, medicine, financial and you can get
high salary if you work in this city. For me, Singapore is well worth visiting or living for many
reasons. Firstly, the public transport system in Singapore is extremely reliable. People don’t have
to spend hours waiting for buses or trains, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. English is
the first language of this country so it was great to get the chance to practice my English-speaking
skills with the local people and also other tourists. Besides, it' s a very safe country with very low
crime rate. You can leave anything out at night without worrying because camera appear
everywhere

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