Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №18/1999

Some Helpful Tips for Writing a “ Topic”

I. FAMILY

1. “A family is a group of people who live in the same house.” Do you think it is true? What is a family in your opinion?

2. What issues do you think cause conflicts between parents and teenagers?

3. Would you prefer to be an only child or one of two or three children? Is it better to be the youngest or the eldest child in a family? Give your reasons.

4. You work on a magazine answering the letters sent in to its problem page. Decide what advice you can give to a girl who has written in to say that she is always quarrelling with her sister.

5. Turn over the pages of your family photo album. What can it tell you?

6. A contemporary family is different in many ways from a 19th century family. Say how and why.

II. FRIENDS AND FRIENDSHIP

1. Do you have a really good friend? What makes this person so special for you? Do you believe that your friendship will last long? What makes you think so?

2. Some people believe that the best part of one’s life consists of one’s friends. Do you share this point of view? Give your reasons.

3. What kind of things do you think can cause friendships to break up? Have you had any experiences of friendships coming to an end?

III. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. JOBS, CAREER

1. Is career-making a vital thing for you? If given a choice what areas would you pick for your future successful career?

2. Identify and speak about the most important factors in choosing a career in modern society.

3. You are to give a talk on professions which are prestigious in Russia today and popular with young people. What will you say?

4. Would you rather have a dull but well-paid job or an exciting but poorly-paid one? Explain your choice.

5. Some jobs are more suitable for men and others are more suitable for women. Do you think this is still true? Give your reasons.

6. You have been invited for an interview to get a job. What will you tell the interviewer to make him get interested in you? What will you like to find out about the job?

IV. TRAVELLING

1. People say: “There is no place like home.” Yet a lot of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. What makes them leave their homes and go to faraway places?

2. “Each journey is the penetration into the world of beauty and importance.” Speak about your personal experience of a journey which has really impressed you.

3. If you could travel to just one place in the world where would you go? Give your reasons.

4. Travelling broadens one’s outlook and knowledge. Do you share this opinion? Give your reasons.

V. BOOKS. READING

1. How do you select books for your home library? What is your idea of a private collections of books?

2. Radio, video and TV have made reading unnecessary. Do you agree? Give your reasons.

3. Comment on the statement: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” (Francis Bacon).

4. You are to give a talk on “young reading”. What genres and authors would you dwell on?

VI. BEING FIT AND HEALTHY

1. Every year we all suffer from the epidemic of the flu. Describe the symptoms of this disease and say what should be done in case you fall ill with it.

2. Fitness is important. The fitter you are the better you feel and the more you can enjoy life. How fit are you? What do you do to keep fit?

3. Do you agree that people who become ill because they are smokers should have to pay for their medical treatment? Give your reasons.

4. You have made up your mind to lose weight. Would you keep a diet or go in for exercise? Give your reasons.

5. Camping is fun for both heart and body. Do you agree? Give your reasons.

VII. MASS MEDIA. TV

1. Comment on the saying, “A good newspaper is a national talking to itself.” (Arthur Miller)

2. Your family is travelling by train. Just before the departure they ask you to buy some newspapers to read on the train. Which one would you choose and why?

3. You have won a free subscription to a newspaper or a magazine. Which one would you choose and why?

4. Do you consider TV a blessing or a curse and time-waster? Give your reasons.

5. What qualities do you look for in a TV programme?

VIII. SCHOOL AND SCHOOL LIFE

1. Going to school does not involve having fun. What do you think about it?

2. You are Head Teacher making a presentation of your school before the Municipal Education Board. You want to persuade them to increase your school budget. Your point is that the school is really good and is worth additional funding to work on some interesting projects. What would you say?

3. Do you think secondary education should prepare you for life in general or for a particular job? Give your reasons.

4. Say what you like and dislike in your school.

IX. ENGLISH IN MY LIFE

1. Why is it important to speak English today? How can English be helpful to you in your future carrier?

2. Why do people take up foreign languages?

X. LEISURE TIME

1. Tomorrow is your day off. What would you prefer, to get up early and spend the day in the country, or to stay at home and sleep in, watch TV and read books? Give your reasons.

2. Your foreign pen-friend wants to know how Russian teenagers spend their free time. What would you write?

3. Do you think cars, telephones, TV, etc. are good or bad for our leisure? Give your reasons.

XI. PROBLEMS OF A BIG CITY

1. “Only a madman would choose to live in a large modern city.” Do you agree? Give your reasons.

2. You are hosting a foreign guest. Instruct him/her of some possible problems he/she can come across in the city.

3. What do you think is the worst problem we have to deal with in St. Petersburg? What should be done about it?

XII. NATURE PROTECTION. ECOLOGY

1. Some people believe that the climate on the Earth is changing because of man’s activities and pollution. What do you think about it?

2. The Gulf of Finland is an important area for tourism in St. Petersburg. What are the problems of its environmental protection?

3. You are to give a talk to junior classes “Be Kind to Nature”. What will you speak about?

4. Environmentalists propose riding bicycles when you go downtown or to the countryside. Do you think it is an absurd thing to do? Give your reasons.

5. Are you aware of the need to look after the environment, or do you believe it is none of your concern and there is little you can really do? Give your reasons.

XIII. ARTS

1. You are to spend some time alone on an island. You can take a book, a music piece, and a video with you. What will they be and why?

2. Many people believe that it is much more convenient to watch a performance on TV than to go to the theatre. You don’t have to bother about the ticket, a baby-sitter, transport, etc. What do you say?v