Solution

Speaking

PARTI

Describe a place in your city or town where you like to go in your free time.

There’s a huge shopping mall just outside my city. It’s one of the biggest in the country, and people come from all over, even from faraway places, to shop there. It has hundreds of stores of all different kinds. It also has restaurants, clubs, and movie theatres. It also has a couple of areas kind of like indoor parks where you can sit on benches and watch a water fountain. There’s a lot you can do there.

Why do you like to go there?

I like to go there because there are so many different things to do. Whatever I may need to buy, I can buy it there. If I want to get together with my friends, it’s a good place for us to meet. We have our choice of restaurants, movies, and clubs. It’s kind of like a little city all under one roof. I especially like to go there in the winter when it’s too cold to be outside.

Is there anything you don’t like about it?

I can only think of one thing I don’t like about it, and that’s the parking situation. The parking garage is very crowded and sometimes I spend a long time driving around looking for an empty spot. That really annoys me. They should have a system to let people know where the empty spaces are so we can go right to them without driving around and around.

Is it a popular place for people in your city? Why or why not?

It’s a very popular place for people in my city. The main reason is because there are so many different things to do and buy there. There’s something for everyone. Another reason people like it is because it’s all indoors. We live in a cold climate, and the winters can be very, very cold. No one likes to walk around outside then. If you go to the shopping mall, you don’t have to go outside to get from place to place.

How often do you use the Internet?

I use the Internet quite frequently. I use it in the course of my work every day. For example, I frequently use e-mail to discuss things with my colleagues. I often have to look for information online, for both work and personal reasons. So, I’d have to say I use the Internet several times a day.

What are some things you do on the Internet?

Besides e-mailing my colleagues and my friends and relatives, I use the Internet for a number of other things. I often use it to find information I need for my work. I also use it to research products before I make a big purchase; I mean something expensive. Last year I had to buy a new refrigerator, so I did some research online to figure out what kind I wanted and what it should cost. I often read the news online, and I find out about movies I want to see and books I want to buy. I do a lot on the Internet.

Do you prefer shopping online or in real stores? Why?

As I mentioned, I like to research products online before I make a major purchase, but usually I prefer to buy things in a regular store. Especially if I’m buying something expensive, I like to see it before I buy it. Also, shipping costs can be very high, and you don’t have to pay them if you buy from a store. Sometimes it’s hard to find things locally, and sometimes you can find a really, really good price online, so sometimes I buy things that way. But usually I go to stores.

PART2

A hobby I enjoy is painting. I can’t say I’m very artistic, but I like painting. I do watercolor paintings, so the materials I need are paint and brushes, water, and special watercolor paper. I learned to paint by taking classes. Frankly, I can’t remember how I got the idea to learn to paint, but once I decided I wanted to do it, I looked for classes at the local community center. I’ve taken several painting classes there, and I’ve learned a lot. I enjoy painting because it’s very relaxing. When I paint, I can take my mind off my work and off personal problems. I just think about my painting. I also like the challenge. It’s a challenge to try to make a painting look the way I want it to look. I work all the time to improve my technique. I’ve had a lot of frustrations, but when I feel like I’ve finally made a painting look the way I want it to look, I feel really happy. It’s a satisfying feeling. Another thing I like about painting is that it gives me something to hang on the walls of my apartment! Of course, I only hang up the successful Paintings.

PART3

What hobbies are common in your culture?

People in my country enjoy all kinds of hobbies. One hobby that is very popular now is collecting comic books. Comics are very popular and some people try to collect different comics, including comics from other countries. People enjoy collecting other things, too, like coins and stamps and other types of things. Some people are very artistic and they like painting and drawing.

Are there any hobbies that you think are not worthwhile?

For me, some hobbies would be a real waste of time. I would not enjoy collecting baseball cards, for example, because I am completely uninterested in baseball. But I can’t say that it wouldn’t be worthwhile for somebody who likes baseball. I think any hobby is fine as long as it isn’t harmful to other people. I don’t think you have to learn anything special from a hobby. You just have to have fun. As long as your hobby is fun for you, then I think it’s worthwhile for you to do it.

Why do people have hobbies.?

I think the main reason people have hobbies is to relax. After working or studying all week, people want to do something relaxing in their free time, to enjoy themselves. Sometimes people have hobbies because they want to develop special skills, like drawing or sewing or carpentry, so that’s another reason to have a hobby. Also, having a hobby can be a way to make new friends. You can join clubs or groups of people who have the same hobby as you do, then you can meet new people.

How important is it to encourage children to take up hobbies?

I think it’s a good idea to encourage children to take up hobbies. Then they will have a good way to spend their free time. Instead of watching 1V or sitting around feeling bored, children with hobbies can have fun and interesting experiences during their free time. They can also learn skills through hobbies. Even if their hobby is collecting baseball cards, which may seem like an unimportant thing to do, they can learn skills like organizing, or setting goals and reaching them, all kinds of skills that will help them in life.

How are hobbies now different from hobbies in the past?

In the past people probably did a lot more handcrafts, like knitting and sewing or making things for the house. A lot of women my grandmother’s age know how to knit and sew, but not many young women know how to do these things now. I think now people are more interested in things that are related to the modern world, like collecting music that is currently popular, or playing the sports that famous athletes play. We see a lot of things on TV, and that influences our interests. I think in the past people were more interested in the home and their hobbies reflected this. Now we are interested in what’s going on in the world so our hobbies are about the outside world.

Has modern life limited the time we spend on hobbies?

I think we have less time for hobbies than we did in the past. People work a lot now and also we have the Internet and TV. We spend a lot of time watching TV or doing things online and less time making things or learning new skills. If we learn new skills, they are skills we need for our jobs