1.To have a successful conversation, the two speakers must share the same opinions
on what they are discussing. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons
and examples to support your point of view. (trái ý kiến nha)
H: In my opinion, I suppose that it is not so vital to have the same point while discussing. To
clear up my view, you can see that not every meeting and not all discussions reach a
common idea from the beginning, many conflicting opinions are raised before a consensus is
reached. I always believe that conflict helps us understand each other’s opinions clearly. It’s
not so bad, Uyen
U: I know what you mean, but we're not at the same point right now. You know, dissimilar
thoughts always lead to a debate, even an argument if we can‘t get each other's views. And
when the misunderstanding continues, it could lead to the worst scenario like we’ll be mad at
each other or even end our friendship. So having the same opinions is one of the things that
make every conversation successful.
H: For instance, you and I know, are discussing this statement and we have different points
that don't matter or affect our friendship.
U: Yeah I partly agree with you but I also keep my opinion. I have my view and you have
yours.
2. When people succeed, it is entirely because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do
with their success. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement? Give
reasons and examples to support your point of view. (trái ý kiến nha)
H: In my opinion, I also believe that luck plays a minor role but it is not unimportant to
people’s success. How about you?
U: Contrary to your belief, luck can sometimes be a factor in your success. I believe that
perhaps it is true that half of the things we do are decided by luck, and the other half decided
by yourself.
H: Ok, to clear up my view, I will give you an example about Bill Gates. I don’t reject his hard
work; however, he also has the luck to achieve success. The evidence is that his mom and
dad also are both high-ranking people in society and before he dropped out, he was a
student at Harvard University. It is Harvard, the best university in the world.
U: Yes, but what you know is not enough because At the pivotal period of his corporate
career, fortune smiled three times on Bill Gates. He also relies on luck to get success when
making business decisions.
H: I think that you have your opinion and I have mine. It’s ok, different people have different
points of view.
3. Some people claim that prevention is better than cure. To what extent do you agree
or disagree with this saying? Give reasons and examples to support your point of
view. (cùng ý kiến)
H: In my opinion, I always believe that prevention is better than cure. What about you? How
is your thing?
U:I totally agree with you. For example, during the last covid wave, our country attempted to
prevent infection by announcing a period of social distancing to protect and prevent infection.
H: Yeah, not only Covid-19, many diseases as well, such as Dengue fever, it has been a
fatal disease up to now. In the rainy seasons, you can see that to prevent this disease,
people usually sleep under nets at night or use mosquito spray, electric mosquito nets, and
so on to protect themselves.
U: I am happy that we have the same point of view.
H: Well, it’s like an apple a day keeps a doctor away
U: Absolutely.
4. Nowadays, young people often send their aging parents to nursing homes. Do you
think this is a positive or negative trend? Give examples to support your viewpoint.
(cùng ý kiến)
H: Nowadays, I can also see that lots of people send their old-aged parents to nursing
homes and I don’t suppose that this trend is positive. What do you think about it?
U: I absolutely agree with what you’ve said. Elder people are really sensitive, they are so
afraid of being abandoned. They will think that their children no longer need them when they
send them to the nursing home.
H: Yeah, I agree with you, because we are Asians, the concept of having to take care of
parents in old age is deeply rooted in the subconscious. I think it's a bit unfilial to put parents
in a nursing home. They will feel lonely and disappointed when they have no children or
grandchildren. That's bad for the person who gave birth to us and raised us.
U: And of course, filial piety toward parents is one of the most charming features of
Vietnamese culture. It shows the beautiful side of Vietnamese people, who are always
remembering and respecting their origins, loving and sharing with everyone around them.
H: Yes because we live in the traditional Vietnamese way.
5. Recently, while young people often consider backpacking as a thrilling way to
travel, parents only see the dangers of this trend. Do you think the advantages of this
outweigh the disadvantages? Give examples to clarify your viewpoint. (trái ý)
H: In my opinion, although parents don't have good impressions of thrilling ways to travel, I
suppose it is a positive youth trend and outweighs these disadvantages. What do you think
about that?
U: To me, despite its advantages, a backpacking trip is kind of adventurous and dangerous.
So I have to disagree with you this time.
H: But besides these disadvantages, when traveling thrillingly, you can have an opportunity
not only to expand your knowledge and experience but also learn how to deal with
unexpected situations such as being out of gas, making conflict with locals or fixing
damaged vehicles on the road or highway. You just have a chance to experience these
when you get out of the safe zone.
U: You have a great point about this, but I did went through these experiences actually. I
moved to Saigon by myself, so I have to deal with them all the time, so I don’t need any
backpacking trip to learn anything. And yes, all the situations that you mentioned, if they
happen in an unsafe area or there's no one around, that will be extremely dangerous. You
could be scammed, robbed, harassed or even threatened with your life.
H: Ok I suppose that you have your opinion and I have mine. It’s great because each person
has their points of view.
Topic 6: Plastic bags should be banned completely to help protect the environment.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to support your point of
view.
Part 2:
I believe that plastic bags should be banned. While they may be useful in our daily lifes, the
harms that they have caused us are unacceptable. Obviously, plastic causes serious
pollution, everyone knows that. Plastic bags take a long time to dissolve, and the number of
discarded plastic bags is growing by the day. We are now dealing with a massive amount of
plastic waste from plastic bags.
H: Contrary to your view, I think we should release new environmental legislation about
plastic instead of being banned completely. You can also see that nowadays, plastic plays a
vital role in people's life. All parts of your life and everything surrounding you was made of
plastic, not only plastic bottles or plastic bags but also your lunch box or even your shoes,
especially the raincoat. Because of their popularity, the elimination of plastic seems
impossible.
U: Currently, Vietnam ranks fourth in the world in terms of the amount of plastic waste
dumped into the sea, which has a negative impact on our health. People always use plastic
bags as food containers, particularly for hot foods. The heat will melt the plastic bags, which
will then dissolve into our food. We take that piece of plastic into our bodies when we eat
that dish. They can cause us to get cancer if used for a long time.
H: I think that you have your opinion and I have mine. It’s ok because each person has their
point of view.
Topic 7: Some people think that working out at the gym is more effective than working
out at home. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to support your
point of view.
Part 2:
I disagree because working out at the gym or at home is up to each person. Some people
feel that exercising at home is more effective because they don't want to be seen and they
don't feel comfortable. Another thing is that working out at the gym will be quite expensive
than working out at home.
H: You are right. However, I suppose that working out at the gym helps you have more
excitement as well as motivation. Whenever you feel lazy or tired, you have to think about
the amount of money you will waste if you don’t go to the gym.
U: I am also a person who prefers to practice at home And when you are at home, you can
exercise whenever you want and relax because the space is free and no one is competing
with you for equipment.
H: I think that you have your opinion and I have mine. I am the kind of person who is very
lazy when practicing at home because I suppose I will have lots of time to do it and always
delay it. Just because I always delay practice over time, I lose the belief in myself. I prefer
working out at the gym than at home. It’s ok because each person should have their own
point of view.
Topic 8 : Should schools teach subjects like art and music? Give examples to support
your point of view.
U: I believe that those are the subjects that must be taught, and maintaining teaching these
subjects is essential. Because sciences such as chemistry, physics, and biology are
practical subjects that require our knowledge. However, it might be difficult for art students
who enjoy singing, painting, or writing poetry. We become more imaginative and emotional
as we study subjects like art and music.
H: I agree with that. In my opinion, art, and music are like therapy for the spiritual. Besides
science lessons, students should be taught arts or music not only to get them free time but
also to reduce their stress after hard study. I get the same point as you, perhaps art or music
lessons, it is a good chance to find an art or music prodigy.
U: How boring would life be without music? I believe we should study both science and art
because they are both useful in our lives. We can't always be too scientific, artistic, or
dreamy. We must strike a balance.
H: That’s right, although, in Vietnamese education, science is likely more than art or music;
however, in Western Countries, they are both crucial for students to have holistic
development. On some occasions, having more classes for art and music can get students
more time for the subjects they love.
Topic 9: People think that foreign cultures threaten the identity of the nation. To what
extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to support your point of view. (Mọi
người nghĩ rằng văn hóa ngoại lai đe dọa bản sắc của dân tộc)
In my opinion, many people are misunderstood about cultural integration and imitating their
inherent cultural change. Many young people today follow the trends of the times and are
constantly changing without forgetting their inherent identity.
For example, many people tend to live and study according to foreign habits. If it's good, I
fully support this and encourage them to improve. But cultivate, not change. And if they are
not aware of this, it will be a danger of losing national identity.
H: I think you are overthinking and over worrying about that. In my opinion, I think that the
national culture is something that is ingrained in the subconscious of the people in that
country. We should not blame imported culture for fading the national culture, it is the
people's rejection that makes the national culture fade. For example, our Vietnam, although
many cultures have been imported into our country, we still retain the inherent identity of the
nation. Even though we have been colonized by the Chinese for thousands of years, we
have not been assimilated with Chinese culture.
U: Yeah I think that you have your opinion and I have mine.
Topic 10: Are social skills more important than education when looking for a job?
Give examples to support your point of view. (cùng ý kiến)
I would say that social skills are more necessary when looking for a job. No matter what you
do, social skills are what can help you understand and approach problems faster.
You'll be more experienced at solving a problem and likely to create more relationships as
you know how to engage in conversation and gain more understanding of social realities.
What you don't learn in school is a life experience. Social skills will make you more likely to
advance at work and you will also learn many things beyond the textbooks.
H: I can’t agree with you anymore. Although certificates are crucial for looking for a job,
social skills also play a vital role in this process. I get the same point as you that there are
more necessary things we have to learn outside the school area or textbook. Besides some
skills you told, some skills we have to get such as how to write emails for business partners
or make proposals. They are vital although they are just little details in some people's
opinions. Moreover, social skills help you not only understand social realities but also get to
maintain and improve communication. No matter your position, industry, or experience level,
no matter if you are a longtime or newbie in the company, social skills are so crucial.
U: That makes two of us.