ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

HA NOI
FINAL EXAMINATION
SUBJECT: Speaking- Level: SUMMIT 1 (E5)

Duration: 3 hours

SET 1

Section D1: PANEL DISCUSSION (12 marks)

1. Music is only a waste of time. Do you agree or disagree?

Disagree because:
+ Music helps us relax
- Improve our feelings/moods:
* when we are sad, ………..,
* when we are happy, …..
-
+ Music is useful in learning
- Learn English/languages:
* Song lyrics are simple
* They are easy to remember:
* We listen to favourite songs repeatedly without feeling bored => learn by heart
+ Music encourage communication
- Music is shared language for all people around the world to communicate
- Music is more effective than words in some cases: show love (………..),
+ Music is a way of making money
- Many people choose music as their career: singer, composer => some of them earns a lot
of money
- Some music channels (on radion, TV, youtube, …) pay people money if they upload good
music
2. Money has nothing to do with happiness. Do you agree or disagree?

I agree with the idea that money has nothing to do with happiness.

Some people say that happiness denpends on money. They think money can buy everything and if
something cant be bought with money, a lot of money can. For them, happiness means materialistic
things/possessions such as big house, luxurious cars, beautiful clothes, expensive jeweries, etc.
Such things can be purchased with money. As a result, they try their best to earn as much money as
possible and buy material things to be happier.

For me/Other people, there are many things which can make them happy that has nothing to do with
money. They include relationships, time, health.

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People’s relationships can’t be improved with just money. They depend on love, loyalty, and
honesty. In family, the love among the members decide the happiness. To have close and true
friendship, people need to be loyal and trust one another. In other relatsionships, honesty, not the
money, is the foundation.

Many people seek happiness through money. As a result, they spend most of their time on earning
money. They don’t have time for family, friends, personal habbits, entertainment. Gradualy, they
become lonely. They may regret that the money they have can not buy the time they have lost.

A person cant be happy if he/she isnt healthy. If a person work too hard to make money, it will
affect their health. There are many illnesses/diseases which are impossbile to cure so in those cases,
having a lot money is worthless.

In conclusion, it can’t be denied that money is important in people’s life. However, there things that
money can not bring about.

3. You are what you wear. Do you agree or disagree?

Disagree:
Purpose: party, work …
Agree:
+ Express individuality
- personality: colour (white, green, red), style (elegant: simple), price (rich or poor) => express
personality
- stand out of the crowd: attract attention, flashy, shocking (example: unusual, ),
4. Animals should be used for entertainment such as circuses, bullfights, or cockfights. What is
your opinion?
5. Living in the mega-cities has a lot of advantages. Do you agree or disagree?

Job: easy, (several businesses), high salary

Facilities: schools, traffic, shopping centers, entertainment
Health care: good hospitals, skilled doctors

6. Advances of technology such as email, voice mail, cell phones, and the Internet are
destroying any idea of privacy and leisure. Do you agree or disagree? (10)
7. Parents should let their children have or do anything they want. Do you agree or disagree?
No
- spoil the children: dependent, lean on parents, lack motivation
- harm the health: eating habit, lifestyle
- improve future: if parents are strict, kids are more obedient; if kids are controlled, they will
work and study harder
8. What are some reasons people donate money?

They donate money because of the following reasons.

First, they want to get publicity or advertising:
- Doing charity is a good way of advertising: appear on media (TV, Newspapers, …) =>
people know more about them => earn more money
- Other people will thank/admire them:
Second, they want to say “thank you” for past help:
- Some people who have a lot of money used to be in hard situation, and they received the
help of others.
- At present, they help others to return to those who supported them.
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 - More than anyone, they understand their contribution can give new opportunities to people
who are in the same situation like them in the past.
Finally, they want to feel good about themselves:
- Share share what we have with others: happy, generous (which are human trait), common-
sense way of living
9. Pets bring a lot of benefits to people. Do you agree or disagree?
10. Who do you think should spend more time making themselves attractive – men or women?
Why?

Women:

- Nature: in their gene/blood,

- Work:

- Men:

- Life pressure: prevent aging, relaxing

Section D2: INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE (8 marks)

1. Where would you prefer to live, in a big city or in a small town? Why?
I prefer to live in a big city for the following reasons:
Job: easy, (several businesses), high salary
Facilities: schools, traffic, shopping centers, entertainment
Health care: good hospitals, skilled doctors
2. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Explain
I am an optimist.
Easygoing, friendly, fun, funny, helpful, lovable, outgoing, reliable, talkative
I am funny.
+ always joke: I remember many funny stories. I learn from films, internet, books. I used to
attend a class where I learned the skill how to make others laugh or smile by telling jokes.
People love it when joke because they can have fun.
+ like watching happy movies: When I watch a movie, I always choose one with happy
ending because it will make me more cheerful.
I am outgoing
+ like being with people: I usually go to crowded places such as shopping centers, parks,
etc. where there are a lot of people around. Being alone usually makes me bored.
+ have a lot of friends: I have a lot of friends. They are my classmates or people I usuall
meet in my everyday life. In addition, I also have several friends on the Internet. I
sometimes talk with them on computers.
+ like travelling: I like travelling to places around the world where I can see news things
and make new friends. Travelling helps me relax and learn more about cultures worldwide.
I am easy going:
+ hardly get angry
+ look on the bright side:
3. Would you like to spend or save money? Why?

Spend money:

- to meet every day life demmand: food, clothes, accomodation, travel, entertainment, etc.

- boost economy:
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- improve knowledge:

Save money:

- for emergency:

- for future plan:

4. Do you care much about your appearance? Why? Do you do anything to improve it?
Yes:
- Work:
- Personality:
- Love:
How
- dressing
- sports:
- eating healthy:
- cosmetic surgery
5. Are you a fashion follower? How important is fashion to you?
Yes: own many shoes and clothes, follow the trend,
How important is fashion:
- Work
- Personality
- Love:
6. Do you like raising a pet at home? Why?
7. What do you do in your free time? Are you a slave of technology?
8. Are you a ‘small T’ or a ‘big T’? Why?
9. Are you satisfied with the amount of leisure time you have in your life? Why?
10. Are you a careful shopper, or do you buy things on impulse?
A careful shopper:

- Save money:

+ cheaper: find discounted goods, compare price, buy with big number (cheaper),

- save time:

+ choose things quickly:

+ avoid spending too much time on traveling:

11. What animals do you think make good pets or bad pets? Why?

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 ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

HA NOI
FINAL EXAMINATION
SUBJECT: Speaking- Level: SUMMIT 1 (E5)

Duration: 2 hours

SET 2

Section D1: PANEL DISCUSSION (12 marks)

1. Music will save the world. Do you agree or disagree?

2. Money has nothing to do with happiness. Do you agree or disagree?
3. You are what you wear. Do you agree or disagree?
4. Animals should be used for entertainment such as circuses, bullfights, or cockfights. What is
your opinion?
5. Living in the mega-cities has a lot of advantages. Do you agree or disagree?
6. Advances of technology such as email, voice mail, cell phones, and the Internet are
destroying any idea of privacy and leisure. Do you agree or disagree?
7. Parents should let their children have or do anything they want. Do you agree or disagree?
8. What are some reasons people donate money?
9. Pets bring a lot of benefits to people. Do you agree or disagree?
10. Who do you think should spend more time making themselves attractive – men or women?
Why?
11. Do you think people should just accept the way they look or try to change their appearance?
- Work:
- Personality:
- Love:
12. In what ways is your generation most different from your parents’ generation? What do you
like best or respect most about your parents’ generation?
- Life style
- Thinking
- Taste: music, sports, family
- Living conditions:
My generation is very different from my parents’ generation in many ways, especially in
living conditions and the tastes for music and sports.
First,
Đoạn 1: living conditions
In parents’ generation: hunger (didn’t have enough to eat, worked hard to earn a living),
poor living standard (lack of clothes, traffic, fresh water), education (many people didn’t go
to school) => at present: save for rainy days, wish for a steady/stable life

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 In my generation: several choices for food (abundant, don’t have to worry about food
shortage, many options for job, work hard to enjoy), good living standard (fashion), excelent
education (most go to university), => save less (spend more, many choices to work), wish
for enjoyable life
Đoạn 2: taste (music, sport)
In the past:
Music: listened to traditional music, classical music, folk music, revolutionary music on
radio, cassette players,
Sport: few chances for sports due to hardship (hard life)
At present: rock, pop, EDM, rap on the Internet, smart phones
Sport: several chances for sports (tennis, golf, billards) which are unavailbale in the past
In conclusion, it is clear that my generation has better and more opportunitites than my
parents’. However, I still respect their life in the past because without them, I can not have
my present life.
13. “The pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity. The optimists see the opportunity in
every difficulty.” Do you agree or disagree?

I agree with the idea that the pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity. The optimists see the
opportunity in every difficulty because of the following reasons:

Optmists: look on the bright side, pessimists: look on the dark side

Section D2: INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE (8 marks)

1. Where would you prefer to live, in a big city or in a small town? Why?
2. Would you like to spend or save money? Why?
3. Do you care much about your appearance? Why? Do you do anything to improve
it?
4. Are you a fashion follower? How important is fashion to you?
5. Do you like raising a pet at home? Why?
6. What do you do in your free time? Are you a slave of technology?
7. Are you satisfied with the amount of leisure time you have in your life? Why?
8. Are you a careful shopper, or do you buy things on impulse?
9. What animals do you think make good pets or bad pets? Why?
10. Talk about the people and organizations you would or would not give money to.
Explain your reasons
11. What things do people do today to make themselves more attractive? Which
techniques do you think are the most successful?
Physical beauty:
- sports
- eating
- cosmetic surgery
Inner beauty:
- improve knowledge
- behave well to others:
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 - sympathize with others

12. Have you ever been underdressed or overdressed for an event? What happened?
How did you feel?
Who: I
What: wear suits for meeting, not knowing that there will be pool party by the sea
after the meeting
When: Last summer,
Where: downtown, office, the sea, hotel
How: weird, alone, lost,
Why: I am not the same with others
13. Do you think the way a person dresses has an effect on how he or she works? In
what way?
Many people think that in work, the only important thing is result and what they wear
is not important. However, the way a person/ staff/employee dresses/choose to wear
really has a huge effect/influence on how he or she works/ how the person perform at
work.
Yes
- Professional: uniform (formal, trustworthy, organized)
- Effective: beautiful (feel confident, work more easily), comfortable (easy to move,
do hard work)
- safe: when we work in dangerous conditions, we need suitable clothes to complete
our work (helmet, gloves, boots, safety shoes, masks, glasses: firefighter, electrician,
miners, sailors, pumper, welder)
14. What is more important to you – a person’s beauty on the outside or on the
inside? Explain.
Many people think the inner beauty is very important for each person. Personally, I
think outside beauty has an equal importance for the following reasons:
First, easy to find a job
Second, more confident
Third, relationships (love, friendship)
Finally: outer beauty doesn’t last forever. One day, it will be gone. Therefore, we also
need inner beauty such us kindness, knowledge, ethics, loyalty, love,etc.
In conclusion, ………………
15. In your opinion, how should people behave in public places? Do you think it’s
important to speak up when people behave inconsiderately in public?
16. Why do you think animals become endangered? What are some threats to the
survival of animals in the wild?
17. Which type of advertising do you find the most effective? Why?
18. If you could give parents one piece of advice, what would it be? If you could give
teenagers one piece of advice, what would it be?
19. In your opinion, what technological advances save us time?
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20. In your opinion, why does one person develop into a risk-taker and another into a
risk-avoider?