Task 1
Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.
Social media is not just a technology for communicating or entertainment. It’s now a place where we spend our time. For some people, such as those living away from their family, it can become the main place where they live. Three billion people, around 40% of the world’s population, use online social media. We spend an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. It’s entertaining to scroll through memes, photos, and life updates from the people we’ve met throughout our life, but we often fail to understand how impactful daily social media use can be.
As with food, gambling and many other temptations of the modern age, excessive use for some individuals is probably inadvisable. But at the same time, it would be wrong to say social media is a universally bad thing, because clearly it brings myriad benefits to our lives.
Task 2
Study the advertisement.
INDOOR SKYDIVING IS REAL FLYING
Experience the sensation of flying
in our state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnels!
You are considering indoor flying in a vertical wind tunnel at iFly and now you’d like to get more information. In 1.5 minutes you are to ask four direct questions to find out about the following:
- duration of indoor flying experience
- weight and age restrictions
- flight packages
- training session
You have 20 seconds to ask each question.
Task 3
You are going to give an interview. You have to answer five questions. Give full answers to the questions (2–3 sentences). Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Tapescript for Task 3
Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss pets. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.
Interviewer: What pet or pets do you have or would like to have and why?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Why do you think people keep pets?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What exotic pets do people in Russia keep? Why do you think they choose to keep exotic animals as pets?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: In your opinion, why do some people dress up their pets?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Would you buy a pet from a pet store? Why or why not?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Thank you very much for your interview.
Task 4
Imagine that you and your friend are doing a school project “Accommodation choices”. You have found some photos to illustrate it but for technical reasons you cannot send them now. Leave a voice message to your friend explaining your choice of the photos and sharing some ideas about the project. In 2.5 minutes be ready to:
- explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing them and noting the differences;
- mention the advantages (1–2) of the two types of accommodation;
- mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two types of accommodation;
- express your opinion on the subject of the project – which type of accommodation presented in the pictures you’d prefer and why.
You will speak for not more than 3 minutes (12–15 sentences). You have to talk continuously.
