Hometowntopic雅思话题

Hometown
*Where are you from?
*Where did you grow up?
*Can you tell me something about your hometown?
*What do you think are the things that attract people to go to your hometown? *What’s the most famous place in your hometown?
*What's the oldest part of your hometown?
I was born in ***, a city belongs to ***. I have been living there for almost ** years, I have a deep impression/love about it, though I will leave it some day in the future to pursue further education in other places.
Well, the first thing I should mention is that it is famous for its natural resources, especially for coal. In fact, it provides about ten percent of the country’s total coal production. Additionally, both of the economy and culture of the city are developing extremely rapidly. You can find that the citizens become increasingly wealthy and fashionable all over the city according to what they wear and what they drive.
Xuzhou is known as Pengcheng in ancient times. It is the fourth largest city in Jiangsu Province. It is known for its convenient location as a transportation hub in northern Jiangsu. It has expressways and railway links connecting directly to Henan and Shandong. The most important industries in Xuzhou are machinery, energy and food production.
With a history of over 2000 years, Xuzhou has so many things that attract people to come to visit. For starters, there are lots of well-known tourist attractions such as Guishan Han Tomb, Yunlong Lake and Han Terra-cotta Warriors. Besides, there are millions of old antiques, crafts and calligraphies which are extremely impressive. All in all, it attracts millions of tourists from inside and outside China every year.
*What are people in your hometown like?
I would say my home town is a world of good people. Most of them are hard-working. If you travel in my hometown, you can feel free to ask people for help. You can just feel at home. They will be definitely patient with your questions and take delight in showing you around.
*Are there any changes happened in your hometown these days?
1. Well, it’s obvious that my hometo wn has developed dramatically over the past 20 years, especially in terms of the economy. I remember that when I was a little kid, it was just a small town. But now it has developed into a modern industrial city. So it’s much more attractive than it was 20 years ago. You know, at that time all the buildings were old and same. But now there are many fashionable buildings in different styles in the city. But I should say that the development of economy is like two sides of a same coin, cuz the environment is not as good as it was before. The air pollution is to some extent serious.
2. With the reform and opening up of China, more and more windows are open to the world,
including my hometown. In the past few years, people's living standards had significant improvement. More and more people can go travelling in their own cars during leisure time. Everyone has a lot of shopping needs and life quality is much higher than before.
*Is there anything that needs to be improved in your hometown?
1. Well, to be honest, I am not fond of the current situation of traffic system. To be specific, I can’t stand a large number of private cars there, which creates not only severe air pollution but also traffic jams in rush hours. You know, it’s really annoying. So if I were the mayor of the city, the first thing I would do is to take measures to develop public transport system.
2. In my hometown, the roads are very narrow. So during rush hours, many cars get stuck and often cause traffic jams, people will spend long time in commuting. I hope the government can spend more time doing useful things to deal with this problem.
*If you were the mayor of your hometown, what is the first thing that you would do?
If I were the mayor of my city, I would allocate a large amount of funds to improve the situation of our traffic by broadening our roads, building new roads and buying more public transportation like buses and taxies, because it is the most serious problem in our city. It has greatly affected the development of our city and th e quality of people’s life.
*Would you say it's a good place for children/people to grow up?
Personally speaking, I suppose it definitely is. Parents in my hometown give great priority to children's education, and many successful local people set up good examples, like Chinese painter Xu Beihong and politician Zhou Peiyuan. Children get together to share their experiences and find the most efficient way to study. In my hometown, children can grow up happily and healthily. （联系家乡话题）
●What’s your hometown famou s for?
--头疼，我们那里没什么有名的呀，那就实话实说呗；如果有，具体说一说就行，比如你们那里的食物有名，然后准备一种食物就可以啦，但一定要能描述它。

●What do you like most about your hometown?
--这个可以说气候，环境，生活方式等（可以和北京进行比较，因为喜欢是相对的）
●What do you think needs improving (needs to be improved) in your hometown?
●--可以从交通和城市环境两方面来说。

●Do you know anything about the history of your hometown?
●Or: Do/did you learn about the history of your hometown at school?
--这个真不知道，因为咱们学校不教地方史，如果想知道地方史的话，得问老一辈的人，或者去图书馆查去。

参考：
--My hometown is famous for its cuisine烹饪，especially noodles. People in my hometown are just crazy about noodles, and we’ve got about 100different kinds of noodles. And you can find restaurants selling our noodles all over the country. My favorite is a kind of hand-made noodles, which are very fresh and chewy耐嚼的, and also very tasty and nutritious, with fried pork mince炸猪排肉, a special sauce酱油and shredded切丝vegetables like cucumber黄瓜, and carrot胡萝卜. I like to add vinegar醋and fried chili辣椒powder粉末in it, giving it a very good sour酸的and spicy辛辣的taste, really appetizing!开胃的
--The thing I love most about my hometown is definitely the landscape风景. Unlike Beijing, which is very flat平坦, my hometown is hilly丘陵, with lots of hills and mountains. They are green all year round, very good places for camping, picnicking and hiking. Another thing I love is the lifestyle, which is relaxed and not so stressful, compared with big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
--I think one thing that really needs improving is the urban environment. It’s not very clean and tidy. Rubbish can be seen everywhere in the street and on the pavement人行道. Many people are litterbugs乱认垃圾的人. I think the government should punish those people who drop litter乱丢废物, and put more litter bins垃圾箱around the city.
--To be honest, no. Local history is not taught at school in my country. We only learn the national history and a bit of world history at school. But I think it’s necessary for local schools to introduce local history into their curriculum课程, because I think it would be a shame羞愧if you didn’t know anything about the history of your home city.
Hobbies and free time activities
What do you do for relaxation?
What do you usually do at night?What do you usually do at weekends?
1. I usually do some regular practice on playing the violin and piano in weekday nights. You know, practice makes perfect. Well, sometimes in the nights of weekends I would like to watch films in the cinema with my friends or simply spend time on fashion magazines.
2. I normally attend my English classes at weekends, because I want to improve my English and prepare for this exam. But things are not always like that. Sometimes I prefer to be a couch potato, stay in dorm and watch my favorite TV programmes.
When is the time you love most during the whole day?
I love the very beginning of the day, because at dawn, everything is quiet and silent. I can remember a lot of things from books efficiently. Besides, I love listening to music in the morning, which will give me a good mood for the whole day.
How often do you usually hang out?
Regularly, I hang out with my friends twice a week. As a student, we are all under pressure at studies, so we need to go clubbing or do something like that every now and then. Actually, we can study more efficiently after hanging out or relaxation.
What are some of the public holidays that China has?
As you know, there’re many traditional festivals in China, such as the well-known Spring Festival, probably it’s celebrated in your country too, the Mid-autumn Day, National Day and so on. During the public holidays, people in different places will go back home, and have a dinner together making family bonds stronger. The most important festival in China is spring festival. In spring festival we eat a lot of delicious food like dumplings, noodles. Families have happy reunions.
Do you love parties?
Actually, yes I do. Because of cultural differences, I don’t have many chances to take part in parties in China. Attending parties can relieve my pressure; I can throw away my worries for the time being, just enjoy the party, and burst into laughter.
What qualities does one need in order to be an explorer?
A healthy body and a strong psychological quality are necessary. If we’re weak, we can’t bear the long journey, we will not be a qualified explorer. We may meet many unexpected things, so a stronger psychological quality can make us clam down and handle the problem wisely.
Can you give some examples of adventurous or risky activities?
You know, a few years ago, bungee became a popular activity, and now it still is. You’re tied to somewhere like a tower, and jump from a high altitude. You’ll scream when you are in the air/ falling down. It’s really exciting. A little different from bungee, exploration is also adventurous. When you are in the forest or jungle where is full of danger, you should be careful all the time, or you’ll be in trouble.
●What are your hobbies?
--把你的爱好说一下就好。

购物，运动，健身，唱歌，跳舞，乐器，画画儿…
●Why do you like them so much?
Or: How do they benefit you?
--大家可以从缓解压力，抒发情感，改变心情，交朋友等方面去想。

●Why do you think different people have different hobbies?
--大家可以从性格，职业，教育背景，家庭环境，年龄，性别等方面说一说。

说一个方面就够了。

--I have two hobbies: reading and swimming.
--I have two hobbies, basketball and playing computer games.
--I have three hobbies, reading, music and shopping.
--Well, I love reading science fictions and detective novels. You know the stories in those books are totally different from the real world, so reading them is like travelling in another world, where everything is new and exciting, so they can hold my attention all through the book, and it’s a great way to escape the reality for a while and just relax. And for swimming, I love it because it’s a marvelous way to get refreshed after a stressful day at school, and it also helps me to keep fit. (Lose weight/maintain my figure.)
--I love basketball because I’m good at it, and it’s fun, and, it helps me to keep fit (and grow taller). And besides, after a stressful day at school, playing a game of basketball really helps me relax and wind down. I also enjoy watching NB A games with my friends. We drink beer, talk, and shout when Kobe scores. It’s always a wonderful time.
--I love playing computer games because it’s great fun, and I really like the sense of achievement I get when I make it through all the levels in a game, and become a master of the game. It’s really satisfying. (I think without computer games, my life would be so boring.)
--Music is my life. I just couldn’t do without it. To me, it’s just as important as eating and sleeping. And, um, I listen to music whenever and wherever I can. I love music because I can understand it, so I know what kind of music I need in different situations. Like, when I cannot fall asleep, I choose __________ and when I feel down, I will listen to _________ to cheer me up.
--Well, it’s difficult to say because there could be many reasons for that. Um, maybe, it’s because of the age. I mean, many children watch cartoons as a hobby but not many adults do that. Or, it could be because of gender. I mean, a boy is more likely to do a certain sport or play computer games as a hobby whereas girls prefer shopping or reading love stories in their free time.
--I love shopping because I love to see those beautiful clothes, jewelry and perfume, and if I can buy something I like, I will feel very happy and satisfied.
Work & Study
Are you studying or working? What do you do? What subjects/major are you studying?
1. I am currently a college student, to be specific, a medical student at Xuzhou Medical College, I am studying medicine and I specialize in clinical trial.
2. I am studying at CUMT. The full name is China University of Mining Technology.
3. I am studying at Xuzhou Normal University, to be specific, a student at faculty of music. I am studying musicology and I specialize in violin performance and teaching.
4. I’m currently a second year student studying at Xuzhou Normal University. My major is teaching Chinese as a foreign language. As you know, Chinese language is more and more widespread in the world, teaching Chinese seems to be a promising job. My subject contains different sorts of curriculums, such as Chinese literature, Basic English, psychology and so on. You know, teaching a foreigner Chinese isn’t a simple job, that’s why we are always busy with our homework.
*Why did you choose this major? Do you like your university?
1.I selected this major mainly for two reasons. One was that I was affected by my father who was a very famous surgeon in our city. I hope that one day I can become an excellent doctor just like him. The other I guess was that I personally had great passion for biomedical science such as biochemistry, physiology and pathology.
2. I chose this major just by chance coz I didn’t get good scores in m y college entrance examination, and my father said, the major TCFL in Xuzhou Normal University is not bad, you can go and have a try, so…But I’m lucky enough to choose this major, not only coz I am a fan of being a teacher, but
also due to the friends I made here. It has become a hot major since Chinese was widely spread in recent years. It can be said that the major will have a good employment prospect when I graduate from school.
*How was your first day of university?
It was a hot day when I entered the new school, everything is unfamiliar to me. I was busy with carrying my luggage, and my dorm was in chaos, all my clothes needed tidying. Then, a kind-hearted senior showed me around the campus and told me what I should do and shouldn’t do.
I met my new classmates on the first day, and we introduced ourselves one by one. In the evening, my roommates and I shared the special and local products we brought from our own hometowns, which was fantastic. It was not easy to adapt to a new environment at the beginning, but it was a new start in my life.
*What are the courses you like and dislike most? What are the things you like and dislike in your major?
(be passionate about..., be fascinated by, be crazy about..., love, be into, be not keen on, is not my cup of tea, be not my strong suit)
1. My favorite course is math, and singing is the subject I dislike most. I am a person with rigorous logic. I have a special sense about numbers. I can easily get the useful information from a series of numbers which seem like no relation by first sight and I once got an award in math competition in Jiangsu Province. Actually it is generally known that the entire world relies on the constitution of math. We know all the problems can change into models which are made up by numbers, so we should make them turn into math problems and use the mathematic ways to solve them. In this way we can deal with problems easily. I think this course is very important and I am good at it. It is my favorite subject. I am a girl who is not good at singing or memorizing. I cannot remember the lyrics or the tunes of songs, so singing is not my cup of tea. I hate it most.
2.As you probably know, if you decide to learn a musical instrument, you should sacrifice a lot of pastime to practice even it is boring and you have little time to go to parties with your friends or travel with them. That is what I feel a little regretful for.
3. As you probably know, students who learn liberal arts are not good at math, so there’s no doubt that I am not keen on math. In contrast, I’m crazy about history of literature. I don’t have a special sense about numbers and calculation; math can even ruin my good mood of the whole day. But I enjoy reading masterpieces about Chinese history. Every person in the story was alive and attractive, their characteristics were unique. The author always gave enough space for readers to imagine. I just like the feeling, without any restriction, totally free.
*Do you love your high school teachers? (cram knowledge into one's brain)
1. Frankly speaking, I’d have to say I am not fond of any of my high school teachers, because they were just cramming knowledge into my brain without considering what I really liked. But I should say that they should not be blamed. There must be something wrong with the whole education system.
You know, in China test score is almost the only standard to judge a student. That forces teachers to just teach students how to pass tests.
2. I really love my high school teachers. My high school is an outstanding high school. The teachers are very excellent and knowledgeable. Actually my favorite teacher is my math teacher. He is not only excellent and knowledgeable but also very humorous and responsible. To some extent/ In some degree, my high enthusiasm on math came from him. He also encouraged the children to be creative. So I liked him most.
3. Honestly, I suppose only few students don't hate their high school teachers, especially their senior high school teachers. Coz teachers in senior high schools are only concerned about grades; they want to increase the rate of graduation. But my history teacher was different. He was humorous，he often used interesting ways to create an active environment in class and improved the study efficiency. Moreover, he was patient to answer each question we asked. He also encouraged us to be creative. He taught me a lot and I am really grateful to his kindness and teaching.
*What do you think a good teacher would/ should be like? What qualities do you think a good teacher should have?
1. From my point of view I think that a good teacher should be knowledgeable, humorous and responsible. These are the characteristics my favorite teacher has to own. Because I think learning from a teacher who has troubles in answering questions that we ask is a waste of time. A funny teacher can create a funny and active environment in class and inspire our passion in learning. It is very helpful to children. A responsible teacher is always patient enough and tries his best to make sure that every student learns well. So I believe these characteristics are what a good teacher should own.
2. Well, to be a good teacher, it’s not sufficient to have rich knowledg e only, but also own enough teaching experience and know what the best way to make everyone master knowledge is. No one will be interested in a boring lesson, so a successful teacher should have the ability to raise students’ attention to studies by making class funny and active. The most important quality is that a good teacher should not only teach lessons, but also teach students how to adapt to the society. As you know, everyone has to work in society after graduation, a good teacher has the duty/job to teach us comprehensive skills such as how to get along with other people, how to overcome difficulties and so on, which are essential to be an useful citizen in the society.
*What do you think is the best age for children to start school? (Why?)
Generally speaking, the best age for children to start school varies from person to person. On the one hand some people think the earlier a kid goes to school, the more he/she acquires. In their opinion, the development of intelligence should be stimulated as soon as possible in order to expand kids' mind, so 3 years old is a good age to start kindergarten. On the other hand, some people think kids should not start school too early, because it will spoil kids' happy childhood by
giving them too much things to learn. 7 years old is good enough for kids to start school.
*Compare the importance of facilities and equipment with the importance of good teachers.
Let me see, well, I suppose that we should give a great priority to good teachers rather than facilities and equipment. A teacher without advanced facilities and equipment still can give vivid lessons, it all depends on their teaching skills and their knowledge. Facilities and equipment are just assistant tools, they are not the core of the process of teaching. Using them will only make classes more wonderful and efficient. The charm of a good teacher will let any tools seem to be useless.
*Do you think computers will ever replace teachers?
It’s not easy to predi ct the future, but because of the fast pace of technology development, I think it will come true. There’s a trend that almost everything becomes electronic. For instance, in some developed countries or even some advanced areas in China, long distance learning by Internet has already replaced real classrooms, teachers use network to give lessons and students acquire knowledge just at home, easy and convenient. Maybe one day, teachers will be replaced by computers.
*What could the government do to improve the education system?
There’re many factors should be considered. Firstly, government should enact a relevant law to improve the standard of being a teacher. Secondly, spend more money on education; get rid of the poor students' tuition. Last but not least, pay more attention to quality-oriented education rather than exam-oriented education, this is urgent in China.
*Who helps you most in your study?
1. Well, I’d like to say that I am really a lucky dog on this issue. I’ve got a roommate whose name is ***. He has a common goal with me. Both of us are dreaming to study in the UK. During these years, every time when we felt tired or giving up, we kept reminding each other of the dream that we are following. That’s why I could hold on to it so long. So I would say it is *** who helps me most.
3. My mother has been giving me a lot of support in my study. She respects my idea very much. She doesn't force me to learn anything. Her support has always been my great motivation of learning.
4. Well, you’ve got me there. Many people gave me helping hands during my education, like my teachers, my friends, my family and even strangers. But who helps me most, maybe my mother, she really gave me a lot of support and useful information. When I got high scores, she rewarded me and meanwhile worn me not to be swelled with pride. But if I failed my examinations, she didn't blame me for my failure; instead, she encouraged me and never gave me much pressure. I thank her very much.
*If you were working, which do you think would be more important, the happiness of work or the income of work? (a sense of satisfaction and achievement)
1. I believe the most important thing in people's life is to find the origin of their happiness .We can get the sense of satisfaction from doing our favorite things. When working on those, we can inspire
our energy to make them perfect and feel accomplished, and as a result, we can make big contributions. And of course, we will get much more money because of our great success. So we should not worry about the income when we do our favorite jobs, because the joy of work can help us earn more money and acquire more happiness.
2. As for me, having happiness of work is like a sense of satisfaction and achievement. It is something that can’t be measured in terms of money. It is much more important than income. It is a goal I would not trade for anything. If we don’t like the job, we would lose the interest in it, we will do everything without motivation. Even if we earn much money, we won’t feel delighted in our life.
*Do you have much homework? Do you have enough free/ leisure time?
To tell you the truth, yes, as an undergraduate, I still have a lot of homework to do; I don’t have enough leisure time to enjoy my college life. My English homework, in particular, takes up the most of my time. I have to spend time in practicing speaking, reciting, listening and writing. When it comes to mid-term or a final examination, we nearly make use of every minute to go over all subjects.
*What are the jobs that young guys kill for today? What are the popular jobs among young guys?
I suppose that the most popular jobs among young people are IT engineers, college professors, surgeons, physicians, electrical engineers, financial advisors, accountants, company managers. Because it is generally known that the modern world relies on electrical productions and economy is developing rapidly. People care more about comfortable lives than ever before. The electrical information and engineers have greatly contributed to the development of the world. At the same time financial advisors, accountants and company managers have also helped with the quick increase of the global economy. So many jobs are needed in these careers and people can get high salaries in these industries. That’s why these jobs attract so many young guys.
*Do you think it is easy to get a job at the moment? (Job vacancies are in short supply)
I think it is very difficult to get a job today because of the economy crisis in recent years and the rat races in the world. As we all know that the recent economy problems are big barriers to the world’s economy development. Many companies have shut down. Millions of people lost their jobs while the opening companies decided not to accept them or even reduce employees. At the same time many knowledgeable students graduated from universities, making the competition of finding jobs become more and more intense.
*How do you think of the frequent job hopping? (bright side and dark side, a bottleneck in one's career)
Actually, I prefer not to change jobs too frequently. It is generally known that different companies have very different working styles. So people have to spend a lot of time adapting to the new working environment and making friends with new colleagues. Changing jobs too frequently will certainly lead to the decrease in loyalty and may have an adverse impact on your future career. So if there is no bottleneck in my career, I will not change my job.
*Do you think people should work at weekends? Do you think people who are working at weekends should get double or even triple pay? (Sacrifice one's private time, deserve)
1. I guess in many ways it’s fairly justifiable to give people who work at weekends an extra pay, especially when you consider that they are sacrificing their precious private time which they may spend with family or just have a good rest. They deserve a double or even triple pay.
2. Of course, I think so. The more work we do, the more money we should be paid. Working at weekend’s means people have to devote their leisure time, they sacrifice more than others, so they deserve a double or even triple pay.
●What’s your major? =What subject do/did you study at university?
●Is it popular in your country? Or: How popular is it in your country?
--大家想想一个专业火不火的最直接体现是什么。

●Why did you choose the subject/major?
--不要老是我爸妈怎么着，还得说说你自己在选择这个专业时的想法。

●Do you like it? (Why?)
--这个问题问的是，在你学习这个专业的过程中，你是否很享受，还是觉得上了贼船了？
●Do you think it’s important to choose a major you like?
--当然，兴趣是最好的老师。

●Do you think it’s got a good future?
●Or: Do you think it can help you find a good job in the future?
●Or: Do you think it will be easy to find a job when you graduate?
--考察你对将来时态的运用。

好找工作+为什么？不好找+为什么？
参考：
--My major is/was International Business.
--Yes, it is. In my class alone, there are 40 students. And there are about 300 students studying this major in my department. And as I know, many universities have this major. I think the main reason why so many students choose the major is because it’s got a good future. I mean, as。