PRE-TEST B COURSE

SPEAKING LESSON 11
Lesson focus Part 1: Hair, Makeup, and Perfume.
Part 2: Boredom, Software, Toy, and Appliance.

PART 1: HAIR

1. How long have you had your hair in its current style?
 Well, I’m a creature of habit and don’t like drastic changes, so I’ve been keeping this
hairstyle ever since I was a high school student. It might fluctuate in length, but it
stays pretty much the same.
 Forever. I don’t really think much about my hair. As long as it looks good then that is
all I worry about. It is too expensive to always go to the hairdressers.
 A month ago, I felt like a change so I decided to have a perm. My hair is naturally
straight so it is a completely new look for me. My friends like it but my mum is not so
keen.

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 2. Do you like to go to the hairdresser’s or barber’s?
 Um not really. I used to when I was younger because I used the same barber for a
while. He was special not only because of his talent for cutting hair, but also for the
entertaining and hilarious stories that he told. Unfortunately, he’s no longer
available since he retired a few years ago. Ever since then I haven’t been able to find
an equivalent replacement. It’s usually me mostly sitting in silence, looking at the
mirror, and watching my bored face starring right back at me.
 Yes, I love it. It’s nice when someone takes the time to take care of you and to make
you look your best. It makes you feel special, even though you are paying for it, the
feeling is still there.
 It’s a necessity. Unfortunately, you can’t escape it. Our hair always grows so it needs
managing to keep it under control. That’s why I can’t say I like or dislike it.
 I don’t think about it. It’s a part of day to day life. I have far more important things
that I really need to worry about like my job, and my family.

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3. Have you been given a haircut that you didn’t like?

 Yes. I’m afraid so. I always have a hairstyle in mind before I go but I sometimes have
difficulty expressing the exact length that I want it to be. So I typically just use my
hands to demonstrate a rough approximation. Most of the time, my barber gets it
right. However, one time, in particular, I got butchered. The barber made a sudden
clip of my hair a lot shorter than I had wanted it. After that gaffe, there was no
choice but to make the rest of my hair that way.
 Several times when I was younger and did a lot of experimenting with my hair by
changing styles frequently. Sometimes the results would be a disaster, and I would
have to wear a hat for weeks.
 Once. I wanted to change my look and decided to colour my hair, which, in hindsight,
was a terrible idea. I mean it didn’t fit me and I had to change it back to my original
look.

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  Never. I’m not a fashion conscious person, and do not pay too much attention to hair
fashioon or the current trends, so I like to keep it simple.

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4. Would you like to change the colour of your hair?

 Dyeing my hair? I have given it some thought a few times but I haven’t done it yet. I
have nothing against it as I think it makes some people look more attractive. I guess
you can say that I’m pretty happy with my natural hair colour. I’ll have to rethink it
though when the dreaded grey hair turning days come around, which I hope is far
into the future.

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 PART 1: MAKEUP

1. Do you often wear makeup?

 Yes, I do. I don’t wear heavy makeup, but I put on foundation, eye shadow, mascara
and lipstick on a daily basis.

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2. What does wearing makeup mean to you?

 I guess it gives me confidence because I feel naked without it. I look washed out and
tired when I don’t wear it.

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3. Do you give makeup as gifts?

 No, not as a rule. It’s quite a personal thing so I don’t feel comfortable buying it for
someone else. What I tend to do is give a gift card and the person can choose that to
buy themselves.

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 4. What do you think when you see a man wearing makeup?
 I don’t give it a second thought to be perfectly honest because I don’t think makeup
should be viewed as male or female. In fact, many men wear it nowadays and look
great, it’s become the norm in my country. It’s not a big deal.

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PART 1: PERFUME

1. Do you use perfume?

 Yes, I do. I tend to wear some every day. I have a quite expensive brand so I just dab
a few drops on my neck, and this lasts me all day.
 Yes, I do, I wear a light cologne for work, and then a heavier one if I am going out on
a date. I think it’s important to wear a light cologne at work, if not a heady scent
might distract people.
 No, I don’t wear perfume at all nowadays. I tried it a couple of times when I was
younger, but I decided not to wear it anymore since people can be very sensitive to
its odour. You know, some people have allergic reactions and don’t feel comfortable
around it.

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2. Would you spend a lot of money on a perfume?

 Yes, I think I would. If I was buying a present for somebody, I’d be happy to splash
out on a nice perfume.
 Definitely not, it’s not worth it for me. I tend to go for budget-friendly colognes. I
won’t usually wear any for work, but I do like to dab some on for a special occasion.
 It depends really. If I was buying it for myself, I don’t think I would spend too much, if
I was buying a present for somebody, then yes, I’d fork out a bit of extra money.

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3. Do you give perfume as a gift?

 No, not as a rule. It’s quite a personal thing so I don’t feel comfortable buying it for
someone else. What I tend to do is give a gift card and the person can choose that to
buy themselves.
 Sometimes. I have friends and family who like different things. Some of them are
really into cologne and perfume, so I know what to buy for them, while others prefer
different kinds of presents.

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4. What kind of perfume do you like?

 Based on my previous responses, you’ll probably guess that I’ll say no to this
question. And if you did, you are right. To be perfectly honest, it’s been so long since
I have worn any that I can’t remember any of the smells associated with many of the
big brand names.
 I’m only keen on expensive brands. I mean they have a beautiful fragrance and
although they tend to be pricey, they are worth it because you don’t have to put
much on. In the long run they are more economical.
 I’m averse to them. Whether it’s fragrances, sprays, colognes. They all make my skin
itch, so I stopped using them a long time ago.

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PART 2: BOREDOM

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 Describe a time when you got bored when you were with others
You should say:
 When it was
 Who you were with
 What you did
And explain why you were bored

Sample Answer:
I was struggling to think of a time when this happened because I don’t often get bored when
I’m with others, but I do tend to get bored when I’m on my own. Then I suddenly
remembered an occasion, a few years back, so I’ve decided to talk about that time.
I can’t remember precisely when it was, but like I said, it was several
years ago and I went with a group of close friends to the
pictures/cinema to see La La Land. This film won loads of awards
and everyone was raving about it so I was really looking forward to
it. I’m a massive fan of musicals so I couldn’t wait.
So the film started and during the opening number, I was already
thinking ‘this isn’t what I was expecting’. The male and female leads
are top actors, but they’re not great singers. Don’t get me wrong,
they’re not terrible, but in a musical I expect pitch-perfect voices.
Whenever I watch any film, if I am not gripped by it in the first few minutes, I switch off
and, to be brutally honest, I found this film mindnumbingly boring and I was bored to
death. It was tedious, monotonous and I actually nodded off.
My friends/mates were shocked at the end when I confessed that I had fallen asleep
because they all thoroughly enjoyed it. I find that when a film is hyped so much, my
expectations are very high and when it doesn’t meet them, I’m often bored stiff. I just found
the acting and the singing mediocre and it didn’t grab my attention.
I know I’m hard to please, but I loved Frozen and stayed awake for the whole film and it’s a
kids film really. I think the problem is, I have the attention span of a goldfish and get bored
too quickly.

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Answer:
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 PART 2: SOFTWARE

Describe a piece of software that you use often

You should say:
 What it is
 What you use it for
 How you got ot know about it
And explain why you use it often.

Sample Answer:
To be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure if the software that I’m going to talk about is
classed as a piece of software or an application because I’m not an IT geek, but I know it’s
not hardware so I’m guessing it is software, anyway I’ve decided to talk about Microsoft
Office.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been using a version of Office

and, in a nutshell, it is indispensable. When I got my first PC, many
years back, it came with an Office package and I’ve been utilising
it ever since. As you’re probably aware, there are various
components such as word, excel and powerpoint and the others
have slipped my mind, but actually I don’t use any of the other bits
of it.

Like I said, I mainly use three parts of Office – word for typing documents, excel for
producing spreadsheets and powerpoint for presentations. I’ve been making use of it for
years, but sadly I’m no expert and really I should go on a course to become more proficient.
I’m just so snowed under with work that I struggle to get my work done so I don’t have
time to learn how to use it better. I know I should because if I became more (IT/computer
literate), then I would probably be able to get my work done more quickly.
With word and powerpoint, I’m an average user, but I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to
excel. I wish I could use it better so I really should find time or make time to do a course. It
would save me time in the long run because I waste hours trying to figure out how to do
stuff in it. Mind you, despite being a satisfactory user of it at best, I couldn’t live without it.

2 PRE-TEST B COURSE – SPEAKING | ZIM ACADEMIC ENGLISH SCHOOL

Answer:
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PART 2: TOY

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 Describe a toy you enjoyed playing when you were a child
You should say:
 What it was
 When you got it
 How you got it
And explain how you felt about it.

Sample Answer:
When I was a child, I used to have a teddy bear, which was called Pooh. He was named after the
book character Winnie the Pooh. If I remember rightly, he was given to me by my parents on my 6th
birthday. I have a vivid memory of losing him once when we were visiting London Zoo. I screamed
and wailed, but luckily he had been handed in to the lost property office. I cuddled and hugged him
when I got him back and I promised to never lose him again. In actual fact, I still have him and he sits
on my bed.

Anyway, what does he look like… well now he’s pretty scruffy and he has seen
better days. When I first got him, he had lovely soft fur, but because he had to
be washed after he got lost, his fur is all matted and it isn’t as soft as it used to
be.

When I became a teenager, I got rid of a lot of my old toys because I no longer
played with them and they were cluttering up my bedroom. However, the one
thing I kept was Pooh. I could never part with him because he’s part of the
family.

Like I said, he has seen better days and he is a bit tatty now. On one occasion, I was fighting with my
brother and he grabbed Pooh and pulled one of his legs off. You can imagine how devastated I was!
Fortunately, my mum was able to stitch his leg back on.

I feel that it’s essential to keep some things from your childhood and I’m pleased I’ve kept this
particular toy because it was like a comfort blanket for me when I was younger and still now, if I’m
having a bad day, I’ll give him a cuddle and feel a bit better.

2 PRE-TEST B COURSE – SPEAKING | ZIM ACADEMIC ENGLISH SCHOOL

Answer:
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2 PRE-TEST B COURSE – SPEAKING | ZIM ACADEMIC ENGLISH SCHOOL

 PART 2: HOME APLLIANCE

Describe a useful home appliance that you use often

You should say:
 What it is
 What it is used for
 How often you use it
And explain why you think it is useful.

Sample Answer:
To be perfectly honest, I was torn between talking about my oven and my washing machine
because they are both indispensable items, but I’ve decided to talk about the latter.

When I was growing up, I didn’t take much notice of the

washing machine because my parents did the laundry. I
just put my clothes in the washing basket and several days
later they appeared in my wardrobe washed and ironed.
Now, I’m living in my own house and need to be self-
sufficient, so I’ve realized how invaluable the washer is.
On average, I do about four loads of washing a week so
it’s like every other day and if it broke down, I’d struggle
because I can’t handwash all my clothes.

A normal wash takes a couple of hours, but if I need something in a hurry there is a quick
wash setting that does a load in about half an hour. I tend to use that setting if I need
something for the next day and it’s late at night and I need to get it done before I go to bed.

I have a tumble dryer as well, but I don’t use it much because it uses an awful lot of
electricity so isn’t environmentally-friendly or cheap to run. Admittedly, the washer uses
an astronomical amount of water so it isn’t good for the environment; however, many
modern washers wash at lower temperatures than in the past so they are greener than they
used to be.

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Answer:
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Describe a time when you solved a problem using the Internet.

2 PRE-TEST B COURSE – SPEAKING | ZIM ACADEMIC ENGLISH SCHOOL

You should say:

What the problem was

How you solved it

How long it took to solve it

And explain how you felt about it.

 READING FOR IDEAS

To be perfectly honest, I think I use the internet on a daily basis to solve one problem or
another. I cannot imagine life without it because as soon as I am struggling with anything, I
turn to the internet for help.
I recently bought a new computer and when I set it up, everything was working fine until I
tried to print a document and a box appeared on the screen which said ‘Unable to find
printer’. I’ve had the printer for a good few years and I couldn’t find the instructions that
came with the printer when I bought it. I consider myself to be computer literate, but
everything I tried didn’t work and I was becoming increasingly exasperated/infuriated. After
half an hour of connecting and reconnecting the printer to the PC, it was still not working so
I went on YouTube.
Within a couple of minutes, I found a video of someone explaining how to connect my make
and model of printer to a computer. The video was great – to the point, no waffle and
really easy to follow. Although the internet and, in particular, YouTube is great, sometimes
you need to watch loads of nonsense before they get to the bit that is useful. I have even
watched many videos and got to the end and I still didn’t know how to resolve the problem.
Anyway, like I said, this video had the solution to the problem and I followed it step by step,
pausing it between each stage and within a couple of minutes the printer was working. In
the past, in the dark ages before the Internet was invented, I don’t know what we did to
solve problems. I guess you always had to get someone else to do it for you whereas now
you can fix many things yourself and, to be honest, this is a real life-saver.

Answer:

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Describe a time when you received a call from someone you don’t know in a public place.

You should say:

2 PRE-TEST B COURSE – SPEAKING | ZIM ACADEMIC ENGLISH SCHOOL

 When and where it happened

What were you doing at the time

What the call was about

And explain how you felt about the situation.

 READING FOR IDEAS

A few weeks ago, during my lunch-hour I was sitting in a café having something to eat,
when my phone rang. This in itself is nothing unusual, but on this occasion, it was not
someone I knew as the caller referred to me as ‘Sir’. None of my friends or colleagues ever
address me in this way.
I asked who the caller was, and she told me she was from a cell phone company and they
had offers on new cell phone packages. I asked her what company it was, and was told that
it was a different company to mine.
I thanked her and told her that I was not interested, but at the same time I wanted to know
how she had my number, which is part of my private information. She refused to answer
my question. This made me feel suspicious because I don’t like strangers invading my
privacy.
At this point I hung up. I then decided to find out how they got my number. I called my cell
company who informed me that they use my information for marketing purposes, but
would take me off their list If I was not happy about it. I told them to do it immediately.
I had mixed feelings afterwards because I understand that companies need people’s
information to sell things, but shocked by the fact that my cell company had not asked for
my permission.

Describe a time you heard someone you didn’t know talking on the phone in a public place

You should say:

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• When and where it was

• What the person was talking about

• What you were doing at the time

And explain how you felt about it

I have to say this is one of my pet hates. If you are in a restaurant, café, shop, wherever, you
shouldn’t be making or receiving phone calls. Before mobile phones were invented, we
managed to live without making calls like this so I do not understand why people need to do
this.
Only last week, I was commuting to work by bus and the person who was sitting next to me
took out her phone and called someone. Now, don’t get me wrong, if someone is ringing to
tell someone when their bus arrives so they can be picked up, then I don’t have an issue
with it, but she started talking about something that had happened to her at work and what
angered me the most was that she was using swear words and there were children on the
bus. This is totally unacceptable, as it is inconsiderate and thoughtless.
A lot of the other passengers started sighing and glaring at her, but this woman was
oblivious and carried on talking. This is what infuriates me about people who do this, they
are totally unaware of their surroundings and don’t give a thought to those around them.
Nowadays, some just seem to use their phone as a way of passing the time. This is so wrong
– they should use their time wisely, for example, they could read a book, learn a language…
there are loads of things that you could be doing rather than annoying everyone around
you. It is selfish and I would support a law that banned the use of speaking on mobile
phones in public places unless it is an emergency. I doubt it would ever happen though and
there would be a public outcry if the government tried to implement it.

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