中高口二階段口試：口語Topic 練習
Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Read the following passages:
The banquet for Chinese billionaires held by two of the richest Americans, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett is dubbed by local media as the Hongmen Banquet, a historical anecdote indicating a feast or meeting set up as a trap for the invited.
Amid concerns that the hosts would pressure wealthy Chinese to donate to the Giving Pledge project they initiated in June to persuade US billionaires to leave most of their wealth to charity, only a small number of Chinese businessmen had accepted their invitations to the dinner as of last week, which created a stir over the willingness of China's rich to give their money away for a good cause. A fierce debate has been ignited on the merits and difficulty of philanthropy and charity for the country's newly wealthy.
Answer the following questions in your own words:
Why is the banquet considered as the Hongmen Banquet? What are the merits and difficulties of philanthropy and charity? People's view towards donation varies widely in western countries and in China. What might be the reasons?
參考回答：
The reason why the banquet is considered as the Hongmen Banquet is that all attendees are supposed to donate a large sum of their wealth to charity as the hosts of the banquet are Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who are the top philanthropists in the world. Both of the hosts have promised to give away their entire fortune after death, which is unthinkable in China, even for the country’s top billionaires.
As for philanthropy and charity, Chinese people think differently compared to people from western countries. In most cases, Chinese people pass on all the money and property which they have strived for in their entire life to their descendents. And their descendents will accept them as if it is meant to be. While in western countries, donating to charity is not uncommon from average families to rich people, and many of them donate out of religious reasons. In Bible, there’s a story about a rich man who wants to go to heaven after death. The God says it might be possible if a camel can pass through the eye of a needle. Death with huge fortune leaving behind is humiliating in the view of many westerners. That’s why they’re generous in donating.
Philanthropy and charity in China have seen fast development in recent years. They have helped an untold number of people by providing food, safe drinking water, and daily necessities to them. At the same time the mentality of benevolence has been extensively spread in our society. Despite the traditional way of passing down the fortune to one’s descendents, an increasing number of people are willing to help others by donating part of their wealth. The younger generations are doing better, and philanthropy and charity in China are bound to thrive in the future.
Directions: Read the following passage and then talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Read the following passages:
March 23, 2010 marks Google’s withdrawal from mainland China. From that day, users visiting are being redirected to . Earlier this year, Google’s spokesman announced, “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on . ... We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down , and potentially our offices in China.”
Topic: Censorship on the Internet
Questions for Reference:
1. What do you think of Google’s retreat? Is it simply a business scheme?
2. Is censorship necessary on the Internet?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of censorship?
參考回答：
Google’s withdrawal from China is not a simple business scheme as far as I am concerned. To some extend, it might be politically motivated. Some politicians in the United States may take the advantage of Google and make it a tool to export American values and seek hegemony. We cannot deny that the Internet has been playing an important role in our life, largely by changing the way we communicate with each other. However the same Internet can be a hotbed of such vulgar information as pornography and terrorism. Thus, censorship on the Internet is sensible and necessary. It is for sure that excessive censorship is a violation of privacy. A free flow of information should be maintained as one of the features of the Internet. And it is the government’s responsibility to secure the free flow of information. On the other hand, appropriate censorship is also needed to filter harmful information to reduce its negative effect on the society. As far as I know, Google practices censorship even in the United States. So it’s unfair to accuse China of censorship on the Internet. In summary, proper censorship is needed on the Internet to secure a healthy source of information.
Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Topic: How to lead a low-carbon life?
Questions for Reference:
1. What is the definition of low-carbon life?
2. What is the correlation between low-carbon lifestyle. and climate change?
3. What can individuals do to lead a low-carbon life? Cite examples to illustrate your point.
參考回答：
Low-carbon life encourages people to minimize energy use and greenhouse gas emission, especially the emission of carbon dioxide which scientists say is a major cause of global warming. In other words, we are encouraged to leave less carbon footprint in our daily life. When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of carbon dioxide. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of carbon dioxide. All those activities can put strains on the environment and lead to a worsening climate change. That’s why low-carbon lifestyle. is advocated. Everybody has to share the responsibility to tackle climate change. Some changes in your life can make a big difference to the environment. Firstly, choose public transport instead of private cars. If you have to drive a car, car-pooling is recommended. Secondly, switch your computers, air conditioners, and other electronic appliances to energy-saving mode; choose energy-efficient bulbs; turn them off when they’re not in use. Thirdly, use reusable carrier bags, cups, chopsticks as more environmentally-friendly alternatives to disposable commodities.
