QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Where is your hometown?

My hometown is on the south-east coast of Northern Ireland. It’s called
Dundrum and it’s about 1 hour south of the capital city.

2. Is that a big city or a small place?

Sample answer 1: My hometown is a medium-size city, so it normally
takes local people less time to commute. We can save a lot of time.
Sample answer 2: My hometown isn’t a major city in China but it’s not
small either. As far as I know, it has a population of 5 million people. So
the urban area is always crowded with people. It’s also the largest city of
the province by land area.

3. How long have you been living there?

Sample answer 1: I’ve been living in my hometown since I was born.
I’ve never thought about leaving my hometown because my entire
social circle is there and the cost of living is pretty low. However, I also
want to work in a different city for a few years to broaden my
horizons.
Sample answer 2: I’m a Beijinger born and bred, so l’ve lived here all
my life. I’m not telling you exactly how long, because my age is a
secret…. I’m a girl after all.
Vocabulary: born and bred (idiom): used to say that someone
was born and grew up in a particular place, and has
the typical character of someone who lives there.
Sample answer 3: I have been living there since I was born, so it’s
about 20 years. I didn’t leave my hometown until I graduated from high
school.

4. Do you like your hometown?

Sample answer 1: Yes, I do. Our local food is delicious. Beef ball is
famous in my hometown. Tasty food always brings happiness to people.
Sample answer 2: Yes, I do. I’m from Harbin, which is a city in the
northeast of China. It’s famous for the Ice & Snow Festival there,
which is a really cool annual event in my hometown. Tons of visitors
come to my city to see it every year. I love being a tour guide and
showing my friends from other cities this tourist attraction.
5. Is there anything you dislike about it?
Sample answer 1: There are traffic jams in every city. My city is no
exception. They are quite annoying especially during rush hours. That is
the only thing I dislike about it.
Sample answer 2:I love the city I live in. But of course, every rose has
its thorn. Sometimes, the buses are really slow here. So as a commuter,
I often get fed up with having to wait for long periods of time. I just
want to get places on time, but the public transportation can make that
easier said than done.

6. What do you like (most) about your hometown?

Sample answer 1: There are many public parks in my hometown. I like
them very much. When I feel tired, I always go to the park with my
friends. So it is a good place to make us relaxed.
Sample answer 2: Like I said, Beijing is the capital, so the transport is
very good and a lot more convenient than in other cities around China.
Another thing really like is the food. There’s just such a variety; not just
Chinese food but cuisine from all over the world

7. What’s your hometown famous for?

Sample answer 1: Shenyang is rich in history. For example, the
Japanese invaded the city and committed many atrocities (that is to say
many crimes) during the occupation. This is still remembered by many
of the elderly folks to this day. Another example that I could mention is
the Imperial Palace that belongs to the last dynasty – the Qing dynasty –
in China. I think a sense of history is what makes Shenyang distinctive
and special.
Sample answer 2: You see, as it’s an industrial city, I’m afraid, there’s
nothing it can boast of. There are neither ancient buildings nor other
places of interest that could possibly attract tourists. However, it is in my
city that the best shoes are produced.
8. Do many people visit your town?

Living Example sentences

cost of living The cost of living is fairly reasonable.
 There is a fairly slow pace of life where I
pace of life
come from.
the rat race I moved out to avoid the rat race.
atmosphere It’s got a really relaxed atmosphere.
The air quality is terrible because of the
pollution
pollution.
Like most places it suffers from
overcrowding
overcrowding.
poverty You can see poverty everywhere.
One of the best points is that is has excellent
amenities
amenities.
sense of What I enjoy most is the sense of community
community there.

Areas of a city

If you are asked where you live, you should try and be precise.

Areas Example sentences

We live in a residential area on the outskirts of

residential area
the city.

There is a shortage of accommodation so they are

housing estate
building some new housing estates.

Fortunately the industrial zone are outside the

industrial zone
city limits so the pollution is not too bad.

suburbs Most people choose to live in the suburbs as it is

 much quieter there.

Most of the superstores are some way from the

outskirts
city centre on the outskirts of the city.

It is quite a safe place but some of the inner-city

inner city
areas can be dangerous late at night.

heart of the I suppose the heart of the city is the main square
city in the city centre.

neighbourhood The neighbourhood I live in is quite affluent.

Means of transport

Transport Example sentences

Where I come from the congestion is

congestion
terrible.

Like most places we get traffic jams in the

traffic jams
rush hour.

There is not really a rush hour – it is too

rush hour
quiet for that.

Fortunately I live near a convenient bus

bus route
route.

underground There are lots of means of transport –

system/subway even a subway system.

commute Some people choose to live in the country

 and commute in to work.

Adjectives

You will of course need some adjectives too. You should note how I use
“fairly” “really” and “quite” to qualify these adjectives.

Adjectives Example sentences

quiet/peaceful It is a fairly quiet place.
lively/bustling/vibrant The centre of town is really lively at night.
Of course it is quite industrial like most
industrial
modern cities.
It is one of the largest provincial cities in
provincial
the country.
cosmopolitan There is a really cosmopolitan atmosphere.
While some parts of it are industrial it is
green
still a green city.
historic It is a fascinating historic old town.
Some people might call it sleepy while I
sleepy/relaxed/dull
find it rather dull.

Famous − well-known

In the 12 days they were in Nevada they paid visits to some of the
most famous landmarks in America
situated

located somewhere

Windsor is situated 20 miles (32km) due west of London in the Thames

Valley.

imposing local buildings

visually impressive buildings

There ‘s the imposing Queen ‘s Hotel.

huge

extremely large

The universe is so huge and so old we must expect loads of different

places where life could exist

shopping mall

shopping centre
All high streets and shopping malls are slightly rearranged versions of
each other.

poor area

region; part of world, country or town lacking money

Cities have rich and poor areas.

ethnic neighbourhood

a district forming a community with a common national or cultural

tradition within a town or city

PThe multitudes of ethnic neighborhoods in Melbourne are found

mainly out in the suburbs.

district

an area or quarter within a city or town; a locality within a country

Melbourne had three identifiable districts: upper middle class, middle

class and working class.
traditional

relating or conforming to well-established customs, practices or style

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and moderns.

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g.,

buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a
society or enterprise

Wit is starting to be developed with increasing number

of infrastructures and establishments.

establishment

a business organization, public institution, or household

More and more educational establishments are starting business studies

transportation

a system or means of taking people or goods from one place to another

It is a small city but there different kinds of transportation are available

agriculture

the science or practice of farming

Agriculture and fishing are common in my hometown.

fishing

the activity of catching fish, for commercial or sporting reasons

The seas around Mayo support a wide variety of fish species which
provide the sea angler with excellent fishing.

pace

the relative speed of progress or change

We will remind students to raise their hands if the lecture pace is too
fast.
poverty

the state of being extremely poor

Absolute poverty in the globalising developing countries fell sharply in

the last 20 years.

amenities

organizations, businesses, or buildings providing a service in a particular

location

The village offers an excellent range of amenities including grocery and

food stores, post office , public house , primary school and Churches of
various denominations.

outskirts

outer areas of a town or city

A gondola from the town centre or a cable-car from the outskirts take
you up to Rochebrune

shortage

an insufficiency of something needed or wanted

One of our biggest problems locally is the shortage of housing,
particularly for young adults.

congestion

the fact or instance of blocking or overcrowding a place, especially with

traffic

The new bridge should ease congestion in the area.

vibrant

full of energy and enthusiasm.

A vibrant cosmopolitan city.

bustling

full of activity and people

Louth is a beautiful unspoilt Georgian town , with a bustling market

provincial

relating to or involving a province

Scenes of violence were reported in provincial towns

dull

boring

Students short of money have always faced long hours of dull or

repetitive work in supermarkets , pubs or clubs

local delicacy

something that is good to eat belonging or relating to a particular area or

neighborhood

But the French were the first to consider geese a culinary delicacy

growing rapidly

ncreasing quickly

The interactive games industry is growing rapidly

culture

art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities, considered

collectively

It is less stressful than a big city , and full of bookshops , libraries , and
people interested in culture

downtown

n or relating to the business and commercial centre of a town or city

The heart of Sydney’s downtown

intersection

a road junction

The University’s main entrance and reception is at the intersection of

Borough Road and Albert Road.
dramatic change

sudden and striking difference, modification or an alteration

This dramatic change was caused both by the presence of the pairing
family and by the introduction of herding and agriculture

railway

1-a track made of parallel bars on which trains run

2-the system of transport

Japan’s privately run railway, for example, is among the best in the
world.

industrial facilities

the means to do something, as provided by the equipment in a building,

room, or other place

A very large number of the city’s industrial facilities were destroyed or

severely damaged

familiarity
experience and knowledge of something

Increase customer familiarity with a product

crowded roads

roads full of people

The roads can be very crowded with traffic

accessibility

being physically accessible or available

South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with

easy accessibility from the north via the M5

traffic

vehicles moving on roads

At peak hours, we have been overloaded with traffic.

it used to be

used to talk about habitual actions in the past

Downtown used to be very commercial, with merchants selling their

products.

improved economically

Become better

Multiple new train lines improved economically remote city’s parts.

business center

a place where businesses can rent offices or rooms for meetings, events,
etc

Business Center is located along Norton Shops.

building

structure such as a house

The engineer said the Council does not intend to demolish
the building or breaking the street line on Market Square.

expanding

growing larger in size or scope

Northampton is an expanding area and wages for care assistants cannot

match those to be found in industry , ‘ says Bill Aitken , the department
‘s operations manager

Word Formation

growth

noun

The borough has experienced one of the fastest population growths in

England in the last decade

to grow
verb

North America, that ‘s second behind Mexico , whose population

grew 1.8 percent over the previous year.

growing

adjective

The interactive games industry is growing rapidly

tradition

noun

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.

traditional

adjective

My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.

accessibility

noun

South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with easy

accessibility from the north via the M5.

to access
verb

With the opening of the bypass scheduled for early December shoppers
should be able to easily access the town’s businesses.

accessible

adjective

Peterborough and Swindon now almost as accessible as suburbs only

fifteen miles away from Piccadilly

Collocations

beautifully
delightfullys
pleasantly
conveniently
inconveniently
centrally
remotely

adverb+

situated
neighbouring
surrounding
northern
southern
rich
wealthy
poor
working-class
coastal
country
local
metropolitan
rural
suburban
urban
agricultural
business
commercial

adjective +

district
build
found
live in

verb +

town

big
large
major
little
small
nearby
ancient
historic
medieval
old

adjective+

town
hall
square
walls
council
life
planning

town+noun

town

the centre/middle of (the) town

the edge/outskirts of (the) town

phrase

town

good
great
ideal
terrible
adjective+

place

interesting
busy
crowded
quiet
strange
faraway
out-of-the way
remote

adjective+

place

big
high-rise
large
tall
low
single-storey

adjective+

building

small
attractive
beautiful
fine
imposing
impressive
magnificent
crumbling
ancient
historic
old
seventeenth-century, etc

adjective+

building
build
erect, put up
demolish
destroy, flatten, gut, knock down
pull down
damage
renovate
restore