TOPIC 3 - PEOPLE, RELATIONSHIPS & EMOTIONS

Contents
SPEAKING PART 1: ................................................................................................................................... 2
Gardens and Parks................................................................................................................................... 2
Science .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Shoes ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
SPEAKING PART 2 and PART 3: Describe a person .................................................................................... 5
1. Describe a famous athlete you know............................................................................................ 5
2. Describe a businessman you admire ............................................................................................ 7
Related questions: ............................................................................................................................... 8
1. Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way.............................................................. 8
2. Describe a creative person whose work you admire ..................................................................... 8
3. Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting ................. 9
WRITING TASK 2: PROBLEMS – SOLUTIONS ........................................................................................... 10
TASK: You should spend time to fill in the blanks the missing words which are given to you at the end
of each question.
SPEAKING PART 1:
Gardens and Parks
1. Would you like to play in a public garden or park? / Would you prefer to play in a personal
garden or a public garden?
I think I go to parks more often because there is a really beautiful park near my house. Sometimes I visit
these parks to avoid all the _______________________ of the city, since they are often very quiet and
peaceful, giving me a sense of _________________________
• hustle and bustle (n): sự vội vã
• tranquility (n): sự yên bình
Or
I think I go to parks more often because there is a really beautiful park near my house. I remembered
visiting the National Park with my father and my brother last week. That was before my brother’s entrance
exam to secondary school, so we figured we could take him somewhere relaxing to _____________ from
the stress. The park was a little crowded when we got there, and my brother was too scared to play
around, since he is a _____________boy. So we just sat on the bench and had some ice cream.
• free sb’s mind from sth (v): giải tỏa đầu óc
• timid (adj): nhút nhát

2. What do you like to do when visiting a park?

There I can ________________ myself without any _____________ and also it’s a good chance to take
exercises like jogging or just sit by the lake talking with friends, which can really bring people closer
together.
• unwind (v): thư giãn
• Interuption (n): xao nhãng

3. How have parks changed today compared to the time when you were a kid?
I think that parks in my area have changed for the better. It used to be full of trash and now, since people
stop ________________ and start picking up their rubbish instead, there is a huge difference in the
_________________ and _______________ of the park.
• litter (v): xả rác
• appearance (n): bề ngoài
• vibe (n): không khí

4. Where do you prefer to keep your pet, indoor or outdoor?

That really depends on what kind of animal I have. Certainly I would want to make sure that my beloved
pet lives in an _______________ which closely ________________ its natural habitat. If I had a dog, I
would try to walk it as much as possible. And as for cats, I would keep it inside.
• ideal environment: môi trường tuyệt vời
• resemble (v): giống
• natural habitat (n.phr): môi trường sống tự nhiên.
Science
1. Do you like science?
Among 4 major branches of science. I enjoy studying __________ the most, which includes subjects like
_______________ and _______________. It _____________ to the research about relationships that
individuals make in the living society and I’m intrigued by the idea of being able to read somebody’s mind
 • Social Science (n): khoa học xã hội
• Psychology (n): Tâm lý học
• Linguistics (n): ngôn ngữ học
• devote (v): hiến dâng
2. When did you start to learn about science?
I think Vietnamese schools start teaching _____________ subjects quite early. I can still remember
studying the _______________of rubber in grade 3 and Math was one of the ________________subjects
since grade 1. To me, it seems that my country focuses more on the natural side of science as the
_________subjects of schools’ ________________ mostly belong to this branch.
• Natural Science: khoa học tự nhiên
• elasticity (n): tính đàn hồi
• compulsory (adj): bắt buộc
• core (adj): trọng tâm
• curriculum (n): chương trình học

3. Which science subject is interesting to you?

To me, it's ________________. Lately, I've read about _______________, which is one of the branches in
the big field, and it ______________ me how contexts contribute to the meaning of the ______________.
Since then, I could recognize people's intentions a bit in conversations like when they are trying to
____________a hidden message under their words.
• Pragmatics (n): ngữ dụng học
• lighten (v): khai sáng
• utterance (n): phát ngôn
• imply (v): ám chỉ

4. What kinds of interesting things have you done with science?

When I was in high school, I had done some Chemistry experiments with my classmates. The teacher
usually required us to use different substances to ______________ between unlabelled
________________. After that, I had to write a group report of how the substances reacted.
• differentiate (v): phân biệt
• test tube (n): ống nghiệm
Shoes
1. Do you like buying shoes? How often?
I think every girl loves shoes, but I never really go shopping because I need a pair. I usually buy one when
I _______________ something unique. Actually, I did take gorgeous _______________ home last year.
However, since the quarantine started, I don’t have the need to purchase shoes as I don’t go out much.
• bump into sth (v): tình cờ gặp
• stiletto heels: giày mũi nhọn

2. Have you ever bought shoes online?

Not really. Because my feet are quite thick compared to others’ of the same size, I always have to be
________________when trying shoes, so I don’t want to risk buying a pair online without an actual check.
Besides, the last time my mother ordered a pair of _____________________, but the seller sent a red one
instead. That was a lesson of a lifetime.
• cautious (adj): cẩn trọng
• ankle boots (n): bốt đến mắt cá chân
 3. How much money do you usually spend on shoes?
Because I don’t feel the need to ____________________ on shoes, it often costs below 1 million VND for
this item. For me, the appearance and _________________ are the top elements when I shop for shoes.
• spend a fortune: tiêu nhiều tiền
• comfort (noun): sự thoải mái/dễ chịu

4. Which do you prefer, fashionable shoes or comfortable shoes?

I would say both are important as they are suitable for specific occasions. About the fancy shoes, they are
significant when I attend a party or maybe an event. On the other hand, _____________ shoes are more
______________when I go to work since they directly affect my __________________.
• comfy (adj): thoải mái
• convincing (adj): thuyết phục, hợp lý
• productivity (n): năng suất
SPEAKING PART 2 and PART 3: Describe a person
1. Describe a famous athlete you know
You should say
● Who the person is
● how you knew him / her
● What he/she has achieved
and explains why he / she is famous
Model answer:
It was when I was in high school that I discovered Công Phượng. I went home after the lessons and the
whole family was watching the first __________________of the soccer game. I stopped by for a while and
I noticed a player who wore the shirt of the number 10, who was Công Phượng as I mentioned before. To
explain more about him, he is a ___________________ who received his early fame at the early age of
16. Since the day he joined the national U19 team, Công Phượng has been recognized for his
_______________. He could either collaborate with his teammates or attack the opponents alone;
however, his individual _____________ make his reputation more prominent to the public as they often
embody surprising factors in the match. The Công Phượng ______________ the ball is often considered
“irritating” by the sport critics, for many of his rivals _____________________ wanting to get the ball back
from him. In terms of the achievements, I think he has taken part in the national team’s
_________________for Vietnam to accomplish various successes. The most recent one I can recall is the
AFF Suzuki Cup Championship back in 2018, but his _________________ do not stop there. I remember
reading an article about his personal awards that this brilliant athlete won throughout his career. He used
to receive the Young Player of the Year in 2015 and the V-League Attack King in 2020. In fact, I reckon that
he will be the fundamental element of the Vietnam national team for the upcoming World Cup
_______________.
- half (n): một hiệp
- forward (n): tiền đạo
- flexibility (n): khả năng linh hoạt, mềm dẻo
- dribble (v): rê bóng
- rival (n): đối thủ
- come unstuck: gặp khó khăn
- endeavor (n): nỗ lực, sự cố gắng
- attainment (n): tài năng/học thức (do trau dồi mà có)
- qualifier (n): vòng loại
Part 3
• What kinds of exercises do Vietnamese people like?
From what I can see, the elders ________________ jogging because it is free, they can go to a public park
to do the exercise. Moreover, jogging is easy to do, you don’t have to be fully guided by anyone.
• What characteristics do you think an athlete should have?
Not only that that person needs to have excellent ________________ but he or she also has to keep a
healthy mental state. Sometimes the pressure of a training process or a competition is harsher than
people expect.
• Why are so few top athletes?
The percentage of people possessing the IQ above 140 is from 0.25 to 1% of the population, so I think
________________ the number of sports players. There is only a few people who are in the elite category.
• What's the best way to become a top athlete?
From my point of view, planning a well-structured training program is ________________ to future
performance of an athlete. It must be designed to fit the physical and mental condition of the participant.
• Be drawn to sth: bị thu hút bởi
• The same goes for sth: điều tương tự
• Tantamount (adj): tương đương/đồng nghĩa với
• stamina (noun): sức chịu đựng/nghị lực
 2. Describe a businessman you admire
You should say
• Who this person is?
• How you knew this person?
• What kinds of business this person does?
And explain why you admire this person
I’m not much of a business nerd, but there is a businessman that I have a lot of respect for, which is Tim
Cook, the current CEO of Apple. I know the symbolic human of this brand should be Steve Jobs as he has
always been acknowledged as a genius by the public in general. Actually, I had never heard of Cook’s name
until 2014, when he replaced Steve Jobs to become the company’s CEO. So, I started to browse all the
information about him. In fact, this man is called a ________________ figure in business. He began his
career at IBM, a multinational technology corporation. After a few changes of jobs in different companies,
his final destination was Apple. It was an illogical decision because; firstly, Tim was working for Compaq,
the most successful technological company at the time; and secondly, Apple was a sinking ship. The brand
didn’t make much profit that year and its whole fate depended on the upcoming product a lot. When he
entered Apple, he turned the situation around. He enforced ________________ of factories and
warehouses; and contract manufacturers were ________________ for them, which was an economic
measure to cut the company’s budget. As a result, this strategy also reduced the ________________ that
Apple had to maintain. Tim Cook is also a visionary player, for he decided to invest in ________________
in 2005, which is one of the key elements when customers buy phones these days. Products like iPad or
iPhone were produced with various memory capacities. When they were launched, they had made Apple’s
name in the market. Tim Cook was never in the ________________ like Steve Jobs, so the controversies
around the question why he was nominated as the CEO were understandable. Needless to say, the
revenue that Apple has been earning under his leadership has proved them all.
- Logistics (n): ngành hậu cần
- Turn sth around: thay đổi điều gì theo hướng tích cực
- Termination (n): sự ngừng
- Substitute (v): thay thế
- Inventory (n): hàng tồn kho
- Flash memory card (n): thẻ nhớ
- Limelight (n): sự chú ý từ truyền thông
Part 3
• What do you think is the retirement age for men and women?
In my country, the retirement age for men is 60 and for women is 55. Each year, the rate will increase by
4 months. However, people still have the option to retire early as they wish.
• What kinds of qualities do people need to run their own business?
One factor is that a businessperson must have a vision to see how the company is going to be established
and also how to _______________ it. Building is hard, but maintaining it is 10 times harder.
• What do you think are the key factors that contribute to the success of a business?
In a corporation, there are usually different departments working together to create and advertise a
product. I think if various sectors collaborate _____________________, it will bring desirable outcomes
• If you had the opportunity to have your own business, what business would it be? Why?
I know it’s a ____________________, but I would like to found an entertainment company as I love music
and films. Discovering young talents and managing them would be an interesting job to do.
- Sustain (v): giữ gìn để phát triển
- In concord (n phr): hòa thuận
- Wild goose chase: điều không tưởng
Related questions:
You can use the preparation to describe a famous person or a famous athele to answer the following
questions:
1. Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way
You should say
● who this person is
● what the problem was
● how he / she solved it
and explain why you think he / she did it in a smart way

Part 3:
• Do you think children are born smart or they learn to become smart?
I think ___________________ intelligence is true. Everyone is born with a specific talent such as in arts,
sports, or music. However, to make the gift flourish, children should practice from the very beginning
• How do children become smart at school?
One factor that affects the cleverness of students is how often they associate with peers with diverse
backgrounds. Research has indicated that the more people work with others that they barely know, the
more creative they can be. Certainly, striving to achieve high ________________ is another way to
become more knowledgable. Students can learn from their friends and teachers.
• Why are some people well-rounded and others only good at one thing?
The only thing I can say about this is that it depends a lot on the _____________ abilities of a person. For
example, Michael Jackson can dance and sing appealingly while Dua Lipa, a singer having a great voice,
doesn’t have that stage presence.
• Why does modern society need talents of all kinds?
I guess everything in society is ___________and talents in one area can be ____________ to another area
and it is a contributing factor for _____________. it is not possible for one person to do all the jobs, as he
may not __________the skills required to do that particular task. Also, by dividing the task among
different people, doing a particular work can be easily reduced. For example, doctors may find the
diagnoze and treat people how have sickness but they are not the one who can invent new technological
gadgets such as phones or Xray machines.
- Innate = inherent (adj): bẩm sinh, sẵn có
- Academic performance: thành tích học tập
- Interconnected (adj): có quan hệ khăng khít, mật thiết lẫn nhau
- Complementary (adj): bổ trợ
- Divison of labour (n.phrase): phân chia công việc
- complementary (adj): Bổ trợ cho nhau
- Possess (verb): sở hữu
2. Describe a creative person whose work you admire
You should say
● Who he or she is
● how you knew him / her
● what creative things he / she has done
and explain why you think he / she is creative

Part 3:
• Do you think you are a creative person?
I wouldn’t be so confident to affirm that, but the creativity that emerges from _____________ often helps
me do better regarding my study or work
 • Is it good for children to learn Arts?
Children’s early engagement with Arts is advantageous for their ___________ development, and I have
read research about how arts enhance blood flow to the brain. So, to me, this would be definitely a yes
• What kinds of jobs require people to be creative?
Content creators, which is a very popular job these days. The most typical example is youtubers and
tiktokers. Another one is the marketing division in general. I have never seen an ___________ for
advertisements because they change when consumers’ wants change
• Do you think leaders need to have creative ability?
They do, but there are more significant qualities that make a good leader, which is the
_______________connection that he or she pervades the whole team.
- Eureka moment: khoảnh khắc lóe sáng
- Sensory (n): giác quan
- Archetype (n): nguyên mẫu
- Intuitive (adj): thuộc về cảm xúc
3. Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting
You should say
● Who the person is
● how you knew him / her
● what kind of person he / she is
and explains why you think he / she is interesting

Part 3
• Do you have any foreign friends and do you think having foreign friends is a good way to know
the countries?
I have a friend who is a Hongkonger. When there was a widespread protest in this place, he explained to
me a lot why the Umbrella Movement was happening and why young people there were discontented
with the ____________________, so I agree with this opinion. I did learn a lot
• Do you think it is important to know the culture and language before going to another country?
Yes, it is. Knowing the basic utterances could help you to communicate, and in emergencies, you can call
the locals for help. Moreover, _______________ should be avoided by all means. To me, it is a survival
kit.
• What do you think of people who work in international companies?
First of all, I think that those people have the ability to adapt to the environment very fast and they have
an _____________________ network of business. That’s pretty admirable
• What abilities do people need to have when working in an international company?
If I were in a multicultural company, I guess that I would have to be politically correct so that I don’t offend
anyone by my viewpoint. Thus, working in this environment requires people to respect others’ cultures
even if they’re bizarre
- extradition bill (n): dự luật dẫn độ
- taboo (n): điều cấm kỵ
- immense (adj): rất rộng
WRITING TASK 2: PROBLEMS – SOLUTIONS
1. Today in many countries, people are living in a throwaway society where things are used for a short
time and then thrown away. What do you think is the cause and what problems will it lead to?
Causes:
- Significant boost in manufacturing productivity attributed to continous technological
breakthroughs.
- Commodities are upgraded rapidly due to fast-changing trends and technological advancement.
Problems:
- Large amount of waste
- Waste of natural resources

2. Đề thi ngày 20/03/2021: Many people are working longer and longer hours. What are the reasons
and effects?
Reasons:
- The job market is increasingly competitive, they need to work more to keep their job
- Living expenses today in many parts of the world are so high that they need to work more to support
their family
Effects:
- Can have a negative effect on health both physically and mentally
+ Physical health might be at risk. Examples: disc herniation, eye strain
+ Mental health conditions are more common. Examples: depression
- Less time for family → Children may grow up without enough parental care