English Recordings

Orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin, what do you see?
I see a grey spider looking at me!
Grey spider, grey spider, what do you see?
I see a purple bat looking at me!
Purple bat, purple bat, what do you see?
I see a brown owl looking at me!
Brown owl, brown owl, what do you see?
I see a green witch looking at me!
Green witch, green witch what do you see?
I see a white ghost looking at me!
White ghost, white ghost, what do you see?
I see a black cat looking at me!
Black cat, black cat, what do you see?
I see trick-or-treaters looking at me!

most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange-brown fur. Stripes are likely advantageous for camouflage in vegetation.

No two tigers have the same stripes. Since every tiger has their own pattern on their fur, they are all unique! A tiger's tail is about half the length of its body.

It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange-brown fur. Stripes are likely advantageous for camouflage in vegetation.

WHEN the two men had gone she looked through the photographs again before putting them back.
"Not bad for a woman of forty-six," she smiled. "They are like me,
there's no denying that." She looked round the room for a mirror,
but there wasn't one. "These damned decorators. Poor Michael, no
wonder he never uses this room. Of course I never have photographed well."

WHEN the two men had gone she looked through the photographs again before putting them back.
"Not bad for a woman of forty-six," she smiled. "They are like me,
there's no denying that." She looked round the room for a mirror,
but there wasn't one. "These damned decorators. Poor Michael, no
wonder he never uses this room. Of course I never have photographed well."

WHEN the two men had gone she looked through the photographs again before putting them back.
"Not bad for a woman of forty-six," she smiled. "They are like me,
there's no denying that." She looked round the room for a mirror,
but there wasn't one. "These damned decorators. Poor Michael, no
wonder he never uses this room. Of course I never have photographed well."

The next Basketball World Cup will take place in 2023, from August 25th to September 10th. It will mostly take place in Japan and Indonesia.
(short pause)
A basketball game lasts 40 minutes. On a basketball court, There are 2 teams of 5 players. The players must wear shorts, a jersey and sneakers. They must use a round ball and a basketball hoop.
(short pause)
To win, the strikers must dribble and score goals.
The defenders must block the ball and take the ball, but they must not charge the other players or push them.
The players must not kick the ball and carry it for more than 3 steps.
(short pause)
To play this sport, you should not be individualistic but you should have team spirit and you should be fast.

Online Shopping

Topic: Online shopping is becoming more common these days. What effect could this have on the environment and the types of jobs required?

Model answer:

The ubiquity of online shopping has brought with it concerns about the environment and an evolving job market. In my opinion, online shopping increases fossil fuel emissions and requires a massive, unskilled workforce for both delivery and production.

Online shopping uses fossil fuels in the making and transportation of goods. In order to manufacture a given product, such as a television, book, or bag of muesli, there is an environmental cost from sourcing and transporting all the elements, powering the factory that assembles it, and creating the plastic packaging, which is also a petroleum byproduct. In the case of a large company like Amazon, the product must be driven or flown to various centres around the country in order to be available for next day delivery. From the storage warehouse, it is then driven or flown to the consumer who ordered it, further burning fossil fuels. The net impact on the environment is self-evidently massive and hastens climate change.

Moreover, online shopping is such a sprawling business that it manipulates the labour market. First of all, there are the workers directly involved. Deliverymen must pack, unpack and ship products while the whole operation also requires a variety of managers, foremen, and office workers. These workers are notoriously underpaid and exploited when working for the largest online retailers, who also streamline the means of production in order to offer the lowest prices. Instead of sourcing from local businesses, which would be slightly more expensive, they opt for large factories largely based in China that can cheaply and quickly produce standardised products. This requires an army of factory workers, working at low wages in unsafe conditions.

In conclusion, online shopping contributes greatly to climate change and has created deep fissures in the job market. Governments should regulate these companies before their rampant profit-driven efficiency has unforeseen social and political implications.

Retirement

Topic: Some think that governments should support retired people financially while others believe they should take care of themselves. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Model answer:

Many today have come to the conclusion that retired seniors should be supported by the government and not left to their own meagre resources. While I agree there are certain cases where governments are liable, citizens ought to be incentivised to handle their own finances.

The main reason many support a government backed retirement plan is the dire condition of many seniors. There are a number of possible causes deserving due attention. Some seniors are without family, others may be war veterans and have trouble finding work due to physical or psychological impairments, and still others may be victims of economic downturns. Without support they must fall on the mercy of society and will wind up at soup kitchens and seeking out chronic charity or even begging. Simply put, governments are their last refuge and in the best position to lend a helping hand.

Despite the rare instances mentioned above, nations ought to encourage ownership of one’s own future. If all citizens knew the government would provide a decent retirement fund for them, they would have little incentive to work hard, save money and make wise investments. Governments deal with large sample sizes and, granted this would not happen with many responsible adults, it still poses a sizeable national risk. An analogous example of this is the way parents raise their children. They provide for them early on, much like how governments offer free schooling, but then children are expected to grow up and take responsibility for their own lives. Parents that coddle their children for too long end up spoiling them in the same way that a national retirement fund would deprive individuals of the opportunity to become self-reliant.

In conclusion, the advantages of a more self-assured, mature citizenry outweigh the odd unavoidable case of desperation. There should be a degree of balance to allow for these exceptions while still nurturing more life-affirming values.

Internet & Phone Dependence

Topic: More and more people today are becoming overly dependent on the internet and phones. Is this a positive or negative development?

Model answer:

The advent of smartphones has led to widespread internet addiction. Although this shift has its conveniences, it signals a decline in healthy activity.

Those who contend that the overall value of phones and the internet is a net positive can easily point to its versatility. The vast majority of people today would either reluctantly or enthusiastically admit they cannot live without their phones. If you are on a road trip or meeting a friend at a new cafe, you will need Google maps to find your way. The best method of booking a restaurant or researching online and offline businesses is through Facebook. All that only touches the surface of what the internet allows for ranging from sending emails, trading stocks online, posting on social media, to binge watching videos on streaming sites.

Despite the pile of advantages listed above, phones and the internet take up more time than they merit. The reason for this is that people get stuck in feedback loops, exchanging their time for momentary bursts of dopamine, no different from any other drug addict. Before the internet an individual might waste time watching television but still engage in a greater proportion of healthy habits like hanging out with friends, reading books, making art, exercising or taking up another worthwhile hobby. The healthy rush from those activities is chemically identical to scrolling through an algorithm mindlessly. The only distinction is that some distractions have more value in terms of physical and mental health than others.

In conclusion, the ubiquity of an internet living in your pocket has led to a decrease in engagement with healthy activities. In order to remedy this, people must take it on themselves to break their dependence as no government will ever regulate this drug properly.