Đến với phần thi Speaking Part 1, Family & Friends là một chủ đề đã quá quen thuộc với tất cả chúng ta rồi phải không nào? Thế nhưng trả lời như thế nào để vừa thật tự nhiên lại vừa gây ấn tượng với những vị giám khảo khó tính? Nếu bạn chưa biết thì hãy để series IELTS SPEAKING của EBest gợi ý cho bạn những câu trả lời cực xịn luôn nhé!

A. FAMILY

1. Do you have a large family or small family?

I come from a nuclear family with 4 members. Since our family is not large, we get along pretty well and share the same interests. I think it’s much easier to live in such a small family because the less people there are, the less conflict will there be.

Nuclear family (n): Gia đình “hạt nhân”, chỉ bao gồm cha mẹ và 1/ 2 con
To get along well (v): Hoà thuận, hoà hợp tính cách với nhau

2. How much time do you manage to spend with members of your family?

Since I got a job I’ve been having a lot on my plate. I leave the house early in the morning and wouldn’t come back when the sun is down so I have to say I can’t spend as much quality time with my family as before. Having said that, I still try my best to make up for that by taking my parents out for dinner on the weekends. I want us to enjoy every second we have together.

To have a lot on one’s plate (v): Rất bận rộn, có nhiều việc phải làm
Quality time (n): Thời gian dành cho gia đình, bạn bè,…

3. In what way is your family important to you?

Well, when I was younger, my parents even had to give up on their own lives to raise me up and ensure my well-being. As I grow older, family is always where I can turn to whenever I feel down because I know that my parents and siblings would always open their arms to hold me and forgive me for my mistakes. No matter what I do, I can never make it up for what they have sacrificed for me and I guess no words can describe how grateful I am to be a part of this family.

To give up on something (n): từ bỏ điều gì
Well-being (n): trạng thái khoẻ mạnh, hạnh phúc

4. What sorts of things do you like to do together?

We are the biggest sports fans so we’d love to watch soccer matches together as a family, either through the screen or at the arena. I really love how the atmosphere of a game brings us even closer. We also go out to have dinner or simply a coffee on the weekends. Spending quality time with my beloved family is probably the best part of my day.

Arena (n): Sân vận động, trường đấu
To bring someone closer (v): Khiến ai đó xích lại gần mình

5. Who are you close to in your family?

I am close to every single family member in different ways. However, it’s my mom I am closest to when it comes to sharing my stories and secrets. Maybe it is because I am a girl so talking to my mom makes me feel more comfortable. My dad, on the other hand, is not a person who would always talk about his own feelings so I find it pretty hard to tell him about these kinds of things.

6. Should we rely heavily on our families or is it better to try to be independent?

I believe that being independent does not mean we have to live separately from each other. We all need either financial or emotional support from our family in certain phases of life. If being independent means breaking the bond with my family, I do not want such independence and freedom.

Financial support (n): sự trợ giúp về mặt kinh tế
Emotional support (n): Sự trợ giúp về mặt tinh thần, cảm xúc
Phases of life (n): Các giai đoạn của cuộc đời
To break the bond (v): Cắt đứt mối quan hệ

7. Are people in your country generally close to their families?

Vietnamese people have a tendency to maintain a close relationship with their families, I mean both geographically and emotionally. People in Vietnam really appreciate sentimental values, just like those from any other countries around the world, but the way we show our love and care may be a little different.

To have a tendency to do something = To tend to do something (v): Có xu hướng làm gì đó
sentimental values (n): các giá trị về tinh thần

B. FRIENDS:

1. Are your friends mostly your age or different age? Why?

I can say that most of my close friends are around my age. We were classmates in schools and grew up together so that simply made us closest friends. I think it’s much easier to keep conversations going with people my age because we were born and raised in the same environment and received similar education, which leads to us seeing eye to eye in many different things.

To keep something going (v): Duy trì, kéo dài việc gì đó
To see eye to eye (n): Ăn ý, hiểu nhau chỉ bằng ánh mắt

2. Do you prefer one or two close friends or many friends?

When I was in my teenage years, I thought it was kinda scary to be left out in a group of people. I tried to make a lot of friends and turned myself into the life of the party and so everybody would want to talk to me. But as I grow older, I realize some of them are just fair-weather friends so I now keep my circle smaller. One or two close friends are enough for me to keep me in high spirits and I wouldn’t ask for more.

Be left out (adj): Bị gạt ra một bên, lạc lõng trong đám đông
The life of the party (n): Người nổi bật nhất, luôn là tâm điểm của mọi ánh nhìn
Fair-weather friends (n): Những người bạn giả tạo, chỉ khi thuận lợi mới tìm đến mình
Circle (như Social Circle) (n): Vòng tròn xã hội (nhóm xã hội mà mình tham gia)

3. Do you usually see your friends during weekdays or on weekends? Why?

I usually see my friends during weekends. On weekdays we all have hectic schedules to follow and it seems impossible to catch up with them during working hours. We go on coffee dates or go for dinner on Saturdays and Sundays, when we have more time to spare.

Hectic (adj): (lịch trình) dày đặc, kín, cực kì áp lực và bận rộn
To catch up with someone (v): Tìm ra ai, gặp gỡ ai sau một thời gian

4. Do you prefer to stay alone or with your friends?

I am an extrovert and I can’t stand being alone for like 1 hour without anyone to talk to. So if you ask me, I would definitely opt for going out with my friends. My friends would always pull some silly jokes on me and crack me up even even when I’m feeling down.

Extrovert (n): Người hướng ngoại
To stand something/ someone (v): Chịu đựng điều gì/ ai đó
To pull jokes on someone (v): Kể chuyện khiến ai đó cười
To crack someone up (v): Làm ai đó cười phá lên
To feel down (v): Cảm thấy buồn chán

5. The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?

Well, it was just last weekend when we met. We went swimming together at the pool nearby and then had some beefsteak for dinner. We had a whale of a time together as we all have that great sense of humour.

To have a whale of a time = To have a lot of fun (v): Cảm thấy rất vui

6. In what ways are your friends important to you?

I have 3 closest friends since middle school and I feel super lucky to have them around. We went to school together and went through all the ups and downs in life. I cannot imagine how dull my life would be without these people. They are super funny, caring and supportive. We can share almost everything with each other and that’s what makes us best friends.

Ups and downs (n): Những thăng trầm, vui buồn trong cuộc sống
Dull (adj): Buồn chán, tẻ nhạt

7. Are friends as important to you as your family?

To me, my family is irreplaceable, but this does not make my friends any less important to me. I wouldn’t care much about those ordinary friends, for sure, but my best friends are just like my brothers and sisters so I love my family and friends equally.

Irreplaceable (adj): Không thể thay thế được

8. What do you expect from a good friend?

Well, this is an interesting question. Not that I have never thought about it before, but I have never come to any conclusion about it because my friendships often started pretty naturally. However, I guess supportiveness and sincerity would be the traits that I look for in a friend. I want my friends to be my confidants, who would stand by my side through all the thick and thin.

Supportiveness (n): Tính hay giúp đỡ
Sincerity (n): Sự thành thật
Confidant (n): Tri kỷ, người có thể tâm sự được
To stand by one’s side (v): Ở bên cạnh ai đó
Thick and thin (n): Những thăng trầm, vui buồn trong cuộc sống

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