003（8.5）

This is the speaking test of the International English Language Testing System. The examiner is Michelle Lester.

Good afternoon. Can you tell me your full name, please?

Good afternoon. My full name is Anna Petrova.

And what shall I call you?

You can call me by my first name, just Anna.

Where are you from, Anna?

I come from Moscow, in the capital city of Russia, and it is located at the west side of the country.

Very good. So, in the first part of the exam, I'd like to ask you some questions about yourself. Let's talk about books and films. What kind of books or films do you like?

I enjoy reading, but I don't really have a favorite genre. But lately, I have been reading a lot of science fiction. As far as films are concerned, I really like crime thrillers.

Do you prefer reading digital or traditional books?

You know, it depends really. If I'm traveling to college or on holiday, I like to read ebooks as they're on my tablet and then I don't have to carry a book with me. But if I'm at home, I prefer a real book.

How often do you go to the cinema?

I don't go as often as I would like. There isn't a cinema near my house and I have to go into town if I want to see a film, so I probably go once a month or even once every two months.

Would you prefer to spend an evening reading a book or going to the cinema?

I really enjoy going to the cinema and I try to see a film every month or two. But actually, I also like lying on the sofa and reading a good book. It's much more exciting and relaxing than catching a train or a bus into town to go to the cinema, you know.

Let's move on to talk about traveling. What form of transport do you use most often?

I go to college every day on the bus from my house, so that's the one I use most often. The journey takes around half an hour and I have to catch two buses.

Is there any type of transport that you don't like?

I'm not fond of flying or of traveling on a ship. Being on a plane makes me feel quite anxious, actually, when you take off and land. And I have only been on a ship once, but I got quite seasick.

What's the public transport system like in your country?

In my city, it's very good. The buses are reliable and the trains always run on time. People don't mind leaving their cars at home to go to work, and this service is really good.

Is there anything about traveling around your local area that you would change?

I think they should create more cycle lanes. More people would probably travel to work or to their college or university if the roads were safer for cyclists. At the moment, if you ride a bike, you have to share the road with cars and lorries, which isn't very nice.

Now, moving on to the second part of the test, I'm going to give you a topic and I'd like you to talk about it for one or two minutes. Before you talk, you have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes if you wish. Do you understand?

Yes.

Here is your topic: Describe a gift that you liked.

Okay.

Okay, I'm ready.

Remember, you have one or two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now, please?

Well, I have received lots of nice gifts in the past from my friends, you know, and from my relatives and family. But I think the one that comes to my mind most of all is something my sister gave me last year for my birthday. She always gives people something thoughtful, and for my birthday, she made a photo album of my running achievements. On the inside page was a photo of the first race I had done. I think it was a five-kilometer run. My sister had also done this run, so the photo was of both of us at the end of the race holding our medals.

She used each page for a different event or a big achievement, and under each photo, she wrote a nice message. Some of the messages were really, really funny. The pages are thick black paper, and she used white ink to write some of the messages, which makes the whole thing look lovely. It was one of the nicest presents I have ever received in my life. It shows how my running has become better over the past few years, and the photos are memories of some happy occasions. The album was only about half full when she gave it to me, so there are lots of pages left for future runs. Each time I do a special one, I add a photo, and my sister writes a message next to it. There are lots of pages in the album, and I think I will be adding photos to it for many more years. It was, you know, a really thoughtful gift, and I'm sure I will save it forever.

We have been talking about the subject of presents, and I'd like to discuss this subject with you with some more general questions relating to this topic. First, do you think it's better to give rather than receive?

It's always lovely to receive a present from somebody, but I think it's better to give. It's a great feeling to give someone something that's really valuable.

What types of gifts are particularly special for the person receiving them?

I think it's always nice when someone gives something that the person has mentioned in the past. For example, if a friend or relative is chatting with someone and you hear them say there is something they were thinking of buying or have always wanted, getting them that means you are listening to them and shows it's a thoughtful present.

Is giving someone money for a birthday present more thoughtful than buying a gift?

Sometimes it might be. There might be something they're saving up for, and giving them some money towards it could be better than buying them something they might not really want. Anyways, lots of people don't have enough money to spend a lot on a present, but they can still get something that's valued.

Are certain ages easier to buy presents for than others?

Definitely, yes. I have young nephews and nieces, and it's always easy to choose something for them. But I find it quite difficult, you know, thinking about what to buy my older relatives, and they usually have the things they want.

Why might it be good for a company to give a customer a free gift?

I think it's important that a company shows customers they're appreciated. If they have been buying products or services from a company for a long time, giving the person a free gift shows them the company values their custom.

That is the end of the speaking test. Thank you, Anna.

Thank you so much.

这是国际英语语言测试系统的口语考试。考官是Michelle Lester。

下午好，请告诉我你的全名。

下午好，我的全名是Anna Petrova。

我该怎么称呼你？

你可以叫我名字就好，叫我Anna就行。

Anna，你来自哪里？

我来自莫斯科，俄罗斯的首都，位于国家的西部。

很好。那么在考试的第一部分，我想问你一些关于你自己的问题。我们来谈谈书籍和电影。你喜欢什么类型的书或电影？

我喜欢阅读，但我没有特别喜欢的类型。不过最近我读了很多科幻小说。至于电影，我真的很喜欢犯罪惊悚片。

你更喜欢读电子书还是传统的纸质书？

你知道，这真的取决于情况。如果我去大学或度假，我喜欢读电子书，因为它们在我的平板电脑上，这样我就不用带着书了。但如果我在家，我更喜欢读纸质书。

你多久去一次电影院？

我去得没有我想的那么频繁。我家附近没有电影院，如果我想看电影，我必须去城里。所以我大概一个月去一次，甚至每两个月去一次。

你更喜欢晚上读书还是去电影院？

我真的很喜欢去电影院，我尽量每一两个月去看一场电影。但实际上，我也喜欢躺在沙发上看一本好书。这比坐火车或公交车进城去看电影要更令人兴奋和放松。

让我们谈谈旅行吧。你最常用的交通工具是什么？

我每天坐公交车去上大学，所以这是我最常用的交通工具。路程大约需要半小时，我得换乘两次公交车。

有没有你不喜欢的交通工具？

我不喜欢坐飞机或坐船。坐飞机让我感到很紧张，尤其是起飞和降落的时候。我只坐过一次船，但我非常晕船。

你们国家的公共交通系统怎么样？

在我所在的城市，它非常好。公交车很可靠，火车总是准时。人们不介意把车留在家里去上班，这项服务真的很好。

在你所在的地区，关于旅行方面有什么你想改变的吗？

我认为他们应该多建一些自行车道。更多的人可能会骑自行车去上班或上大学，如果道路对骑自行车的人更安全的话。目前，如果你骑自行车，你必须和汽车和卡车共用道路，这不是很好。

现在进入考试的第二部分，我将给你一个话题，我希望你谈论它一到两分钟。在你开始说话之前，你有一分钟的时间思考你要说什么。你可以做一些笔记。你明白吗？

明白。

这是你的话题：描述一个你喜欢的礼物。

好的。

好，我准备好了。

记住，你有一到两分钟的时间，所以不要担心如果我打断你，我会告诉你时间到了。现在请开始说话。

嗯，我过去收到了很多不错的礼物，来自我的朋友和我的亲戚和家人。但我认为最让我印象深刻的是去年我姐姐给我的生日礼物。她总是给人一些很有心意的礼物，这次她为我的生日做了一本我的跑步成就的照片集。内页是一张我第一次比赛的照片，我记得那是一场五公里的比赛。我姐姐也参加了这次比赛，所以照片是我们俩在比赛结束时拿着奖牌的样子。

她用每一页来记录不同的赛事或重大成就，并在每张照片下面写了一些好听的话。有些话真的很搞笑。这些页是厚厚的黑纸，她用白色的墨水写了一些话，使整个东西看起来很漂亮。这是我一生中收到的最好的礼物之一。它展示了我这些年来跑步进步了多少，这些照片是一些快乐时光的回忆。这本相册在她给我的时候只有一半满，所以还有很多页留给未来的比赛。每当我参加一场特别的比赛，我会加上一张照片，我姐姐会在旁边写一句话。这本相册有很多页，我想我会在未来很多年里不断往里面添加照片。这是一个非常有心意的礼物，我相信我会永远保存它。

我们一直在谈论礼物这个话题，我想和你讨论一些与此话题相关的一般性问题。首先，你认为送礼比收礼更好吗？

收到别人的礼物总是很美好的，但我认为送礼更好。给别人一些非常有价值的东西是一种很棒的感觉。

什么样的礼物对收礼的人来说特别有意义？

我认为当有人送一些对方以前提到过的东西时，总是很好的。例如，如果朋友或亲戚在聊天时提到他们想买或一直想要的东西，送给他们就意味着你在倾听他们，表明这是一个很有心意的礼物。

送人生日礼物时，送钱比买礼物更有心意吗？

有时候可能是的。也许他们正在攒钱买某样东西，给他们一些钱比买他们可能不太想要的东西要好。很多人没有足够的钱在礼物上花很多，但他们仍然可以得到一些有价值的东西。

某些年龄段的人比其他人更容易买礼物吗？

绝对是的。我有年轻的侄子和侄女，为他们选择东西总是很容易。但我发现为年长的亲戚买礼物很难，因为他们通常已经有了他们想要的东西。

为什么公司给客户赠送免费礼物是好事？

我认为公司应该向客户表示感谢，如果他们一直从公司购买产品或服务，送他们免费礼物表明公司重视他们的客户。

口语考试到此结束。谢谢你，Anna。

非常感谢。