【正确答案】Topic Card A
a) How shall we provide a better life for the old people?
Candidate A: I would like to choose the first topic.
The first solution is that the company or working unit concerned should take the responsibility to take care of the retired employees. The company should pay a certain sum of money to the retired each month, during the employee's working years the company should put aside some money for the future of its employees. After one retires, the money can be returned to the employees.
The second solution is that the individuals should be fully responsible for their own future. When one is young and working, one should plan carefully for his old age life. It is advisable that each month he should at least save money from his salary, if possible to buy insurance for all family members.
The third solution is that the major responsibility lies on the government. The government has the financial ability and resources to handle this issue satisfactorily. Every year, people are required to pay taxes to the government. It is time for the government to repay and reward them. The government should establish some specialized institutions and work out some preferential policies to deal with the old age problem.
The last solution is that the young should assume their filial duty to take care of their parents. It is a traditional practice in China. Parents have devoted all their life to healthy growth of the children. It is the young's duty to show respect and piety to their old parents who don't possess a sound body and the ability to make money.
To sum up, both government and the ordinary citizens should work together to provide a better life for the old.
Candidate B: Do you want to live long?
Candidate A: If my mental health and physical health was good, I would like to live long.
Interlocutor: What is the secret of their long lives?
Candidate A: Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of ife.
b) Do you think developing tourism is a good thing?
Candidate A: I would like to choose the second topic.
I think it is a good thing.
With the development of the people's living standard, more and more people can afford to travel. Developing tourism is helpful to promote the understanding and communication between countries.
Firstly, beautiful scenery, attractive tourist spots and splendid culture allure tourists from different parts of the world, which provides many opportunities to promote exchanges among people from different backgrounds.
Secondly, travel enriches one's knowledge, widens one's vision and enhances mutual understanding. In the past, Chinese people knew little about the outside world. Through traveling, we have expanded our scope of knowledge, and we have come to know the world better and have been learning how to develop our country better.
Thirdly, tourism boosts local economy and promotes commercial exchanges. Singapore is such a good example. It is a small country with scare natural resources. But owing to the prosperous tourism, the county's economy develops very well and it is named one of the four dragons in Asia.
Candidate B: Do you like traveling? Why?
Candidate A: Certainly. I can appreciate the beautiful landscape, leave behind the unhappiness and enjoy the life.
Interlocutor: Do you like traveling alone?
Candidate A: Perhaps not, because you can't share the good things with your friends. Traveling alone is not convenient for you to take photos. And it is not safe for a girl.
c) What makes a successful interview?
Candidate A: I would like to choose the third topic.
To be successful in a job interview, you should demonstrate certain personal and professional qualities. You need to create a good image in the limited time available, usually from 30-45 minutes. Furthermore, you must make a positive impression which the interviewer will remember while he interviews other applicants. At all times, you should present your most attractive qualities during an interview.
You should take care to appear well-groomed and modestly dressed, avoiding the extremes of too elaborate or too casual attire. The right clothes worn at the right time, however, gain the respect of the interviewer and his confidence in your judgment. It may not be true that "cloths make the man," but the first and often lasting impression of you is determined by clothes you wear.
Besides care for personal appearance, you should pay close attention to your manner of speaking. Since speech is a reflection of personality, you should reflect confidence by speaking in a clear voice, loud enough to be heard without being aggressive or overpowering.
Finally, to be really impressive you must convey a sense of self-confidence and enthusiasm for work. As already indicated, you demonstrate self-confidence by your manner of speech and dress. You further show it by being prepared for the interview with information and questions about the position. The eagerness with which you discuss the job rather than the salary may reveal your enthusiasm.
The appropriate dress, good manner of speaking, curiosity about the position, display of confidence and enthusiasm make your interview successful.
Candidate B: How do you deal with the nervousness during an interview?
Candidate A: I will make full preparations before an interview to avoid the nervousness.
Interlocutor: Do you think the first impression count in the interview?
Candidate A: Certainly. Whether you leave a good impression decides you could get a job or not.
Topic Card B
a) How should our children be trained to cope wisely in the future?
Candidate B: I would like to choose the first topic.
The realization of China's modernization relies on the children of today.
Childhood is a time of physical and mental development, so efforts must be made to provide an ideal environment for their development and encourage intellectual, physical and moral training.
How should our children be trained to cope wisely in the future? We should provide them with a good material life, but more importantly, a good spiritual life. Patriotism and communism must be spread among children to stimulate lofty ideals and hard work to' enliven the Chinese nation.
China needs talent that has developed morally, intellectually and physically. The practice of only enabling people who receive an education to develop intellectually could result in a deficiency on the part of a generation of children.
We have to put right the tendency of stressing only intelligence and ignoring moral and physical education and necessary physical work. Instead of children only receiving a classroom book-learning education, we should encourage them to mingle with society and nature so that they can be more adaptable in society.
Candidate A: All work and no play make John a dull boy, how do you think of it?
Candidate B: I believe that. The children will lose interest in study if we give them endless educational activities.
Interlocutor: Some adults force children to study, what do you think of it?
Candidate B: It is the nature of children to be fond of play. It is unwise for adults to force children to do what they hate to do. If parents lay too much restriction on children's extracurricular activities, the development of children's individuality and creativity will be undermined. The well-intentioned efforts will only turn out to be a thankless task.
b) How can we deal with the problem of unemployment?
Candidate B: I would like to choose the second topic.
Unemployment is viewed as the number one problem in China now and the government has launched a major attack on the problem. The following steps are what the government should take to deal with unemployment.
Firstly, establishing unemployment fund which can help the unemployed workers to support themselves.
Secondly, the unemployed receive vocational training, which is expected to pay off in the short term and give the unemployed an advantage in the job market. It is due to the lack of professional skills that these workers have lagged behind in the society. These training programs aim to equip the workers with some special skills, such as typing, sewing, and cooking.
Finally, psychological advice is also available, since unemployment, apart from exerting financial pressures, brings enormous psychological discomfort. With the advice, the unemployed will learn how to adapt to the fierce competition in the technological age.
Candidate A: What are the negative effects of unemployment?
Candidate B: It does great harm to the psychology of the laid-off people, and it affects the economy development and stability of the society.
Interlocutor: What is your attitude to the problem of unemployment in the future?
Candidate B: With the joint efforts of the government and the society, we can win the current war on unemployment.
c) Should the development of private cars be encouraged or restricted in China?
Candidate B: I would like to choose the third topic.
To judge this issue, we should look at three aspects: What are the advantages of private cars; what are their disadvantages; and is China ready for the free development of private cars?
First of all, the private car is a symbol of freedom. It enables an individual or a family to travel anywhere at any time, without relying on public transport. It is convenient for shopping and transporting children to and from school. Moreover, in the case of illness, it can carry its owner or other sick person to hospital without delay.
However, too many private cars can lead to traffic jams, thus slowing down life and work rather than speeding it up. In addition, automobiles are major polluters of the atmosphere. And, last but not least, the more cars there are on the roads, the more traffic accidents occur.
It seems to me that China, at its present stage of development, should restrict the number of private cars. For one thing, it would be a waste of resources to build a huge automobile industry at a time when only a few people can afford to buy cars. For another, the country must first bring pollution under control before adding to the problem with more cars.
Candidate A: Do you want to own a private car?
Candidate B: Sure, with a car I can go anywhere I want; I can enjoy my leisure by making trips to the country on the weekends instead of staying at home.
Interlocutor: Will private cars be popular in the future?
Candidate B: I think so. Living standards will be improved in future, and the desire for comfort and independence the car can bring won't be eliminated.