TOPIC 24 -Talk about a person you had to be friendly with but didn’t really like.
BAND 8.0+
PART 2
Alice (English US)
George (English US)
Who was this person?
When did it happen?
Why do you have to be friendly, and why didn’t you like him or her?
What did you think about it later?
ANSWER
I believe that each of us has people we enjoy talking to and people we don’t particularly like, but for various reasons, we still have to maintain friendly relationships with them, whether genuine or not.
After going through this topic, memories come back to my mind. If my memory serves me right, it was about 20 years ago. When I was in sixth grade, I had to be friendly with my biology teacher, Mr. Thi, even though I didn’t like him.
He is quite tall, about 170cm , has black hair, and has a straight nose. And I hated him because I felt he was unfair to students. He usually gave pop quizzes with information that we were not prepared for.
He was also biased. He favored students who liked and admired him. So I thought that it would be a good idea if I would pretend to be friendly with Mr. Thi. Especially in the next final test.
I had to have a big presentation on my final topic. It would have a big impact on my final point. So I thought it would be a great idea to be nice to him so that he would get a good grade on this final exam.
Even though I didn’t like him, I have to admit that he was really knowledgeable. And he was really intelligent enough to solve problems.
At the end of the year, I gave a 10-minute presentation about the environmental impact of nature.
Fortunately, my attitude and my presentation were well received, and I got a high score. 9 out of 10 points.
I was over the moon and ecstatic. Although I didn’t express my true feelings to Mr. Thi, I think it was the right decision.
After all, I think that he was an excellent teacher and willing to help any students. Because he passed on a great deal of knowledge to me, I am grateful for that.
And I know that we need to know a person better before judging their character.
PART 3
Alice (English US)
George (English US)
- If you met Mr. Thi today, would you still be friendly with him?
Actually, our relationship has improved since my final presentation. In my wedding ceremony, I invited him to attend. And he was present and gave me a gift and the best wish. So our relationship now is really good and happy.
- Do you think it is necessary to be friendly?
Yes, definitely. It may be useful if we are nice to others, because most of the activities that we do require working with other people.
So they can provide support during difficult times and have many chances to make friends.
- What are some ways that people express friendly behavior?
There are several ways that we can express our friendly feelings towards others, like
Being polite, smiling, asking questions, giving gifts, and showing that we are interested in them.
Remember that a person’s name is also a good way.
And lastly, we should be good listeners.
- Is there a difference between friendly and polite behavior?
Yes, there is a clear distinction between courteous and friendly behavior.
Being polite means saying hi or thank you and greeting people. But being friendly is more than that; we have to show that we are interested in that person and pay attention when they are talking. And spend time with that person, even if we don’t have much time.
- How important is it to be friendly at work or school?
In my opinion, being nice to everyone in the workplace or school is really essential.
We can create strong bonds among ourselves. And they are willing to help us in any way they can. And we can work collaboratively to get a better result.
- Some people pretend to be friendly when, in fact, they are not. Why do people do this?
Just like the situation I just mentioned with Mr. Thi, I had to be nice to him because I wanted to have good points.
So I reckon that people are friendly with their boss or authorities because they want to avoid troubles and can get some help from them.
Like myself, I talked to policemen gently, and I didn’t get fined when I didn’t wear a helmet last month.
- Is it a good idea to ask a person directly what you want?
I am straightforward, so I think that it is a good idea to get to the point because everyone is rushed. I will appreciate it if they get to the point directly and don’t beat around the bush.
VOCAB
- Genuine –adj-
- Nghĩa: chân thành, thành thật, không giả dối
- Phiên âm: /ˈdʒɛnjʊɪn/
- Ví dụ: She expressed her genuine appreciation for their help.
- pop quizzes
- Nghĩa: bài kiểm tra bất ngờ
- Phiên âm: /pɒp ˈkwɪzɪz/
- Ví dụ: The teacher occasionally gives pop quizzes to test our understanding of the material.
- Biased –adj-
- Nghĩa: thiên vị, có thành kiến
- Phiên âm: /ˈbaɪəst/
- Ví dụ: The article presented a biased perspective, favoring one side over the other.
- favor
- Nghĩa: ưa chuộng, ưu ái
- Phiên âm: /ˈfeɪvər/
- Ví dụ: The favored candidate won the election by a large margin.
- be over the moon -idiom
- Nghĩa: rất hạnh phúc, rất vui sướng
- Phiên âm: /biː ˈəʊvə ðə muːn/
- Ví dụ: She was over the moon when she received the job offer.
- pass on something to somebody
- Nghĩa: truyền đạt, truyền cho ai đó
- Phiên âm: /pæs ɒn ˈsʌmθɪŋ tuː ˈsʌmbɒdi/
- Ví dụ: Can you please pass on the message to your sister for me?
- get to the point -idiom
- Nghĩa: đi thẳng vào vấn đề chính, không vòng vo tam quốc
- Phiên âm: /ɡɛt tuː ðə pɔɪnt/
- Ví dụ: Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.
- beat around the bush -idiom
- Nghĩa: nói vòng vo, không đi thẳng vào vấn đề chính
- Phiên âm: /biːt əˈraʊnd ðə bʊʃ/
- Ví dụ: Instead of beating around the bush, please state your opinion clearly.
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Composed by Ms.Ngọc IELTS
