Free time, animals, jobs, money

Szabadidő, állatok, munka és pénz

A tételben szereplő témák:- Topics
 - homeless people
 - teacher
 - job
 - earn money
 - movie
 - sport
 - spare time
 - room
 - cook
 - fever
 - ...
 
 

 
TASK 1

Examiner:     Good morning!  Take a seat, please.
How are you feeling at the moment?
How did you feel this morning when you woke up?
What will you miss most now that you’re leaving school?
Would you stay one more year?  Why (not)?

Now I’m going to ask you a few questions.  If you can’t understand me, I can repeat the question once.  Let’s get started.

A
If someone gave you a lot of money, what would you buy with it?
First of all it depends on how much money I got from this person.  If its more than $ 1 million than I would give $ 250.000 to my family because they deserve it and need it too.  The rest of the money I would use to have my own life: live without my parents, have my own car, house or flat.  And the most important things is that I would buys a new plastic deck of poker cards.

Do you think the government should give money to homeless people?
My definite answer is no because if they got money they would buy alcohol with it.  Or spend it on something not important and not useful.  I think the government should make sure these people have a chance to work and provide accommodation for them.  It will help them live a better life.

Do you think teachers are paid enough?
I don’t think teachers are paid enough.  Their payment is almost the lowest in the country, and I can’t understand why.  The society doesn’t esteem them, although we learn the most things from them.  But the situation is not the same in every educational institution because teachers in a university earn a lot more money than a teacher in a primary school.

Do you think that minorities should be given job priority because of their race, so that they can earn money to support their families?
Questions about the minorities are difficult ones.  I think most of them don’t want to work, they just want to get the financial support, and because of this the ones who want to work don’t get any jobs.  It wouldn’t change anything if they got priority, because as I said most of them don’t want to work, and most employers wouldn’t employ them.  I don’t know what the solution would be.

What’s more important in a job: to make a lot of money or to have a lot of fun?
I think both.  I mean, nowadays it’s really important that you have a job which gives you a secure financial background, especially if you have a family to support, but if you don’t enjoy your work, then what’s the point really?  I don’t think I could hold on for a long time in a job that I didn’t like.

I see.  Now let’s move on to the next topic, which is spare time.

B
Are there any kinds of movies you dislike?
Musicals.  I despise musicals.  You watch a film and all of a sudden rather than actually saying what they feel, the characters start singing.  And it’s awful and I wan to get up and leave.  So instead of getting up and leaving I just don’t watch them.

Do you play any sports?
Yes, I do.  I’ve always loved football and I’m useless at it, but I love playing it.  At the moment I try and play once a week on Margaret Island.  It’s jumpers for goalposts, people come along and ask if they can join in and it’s a bit of exercise and a lot of fun and I think that’s what sport should be about, rather than it being competitive or frustrating.  It should be fun, or else what’s the point?

What is the worst movie you have ever seen?
It’s very difficult, because pick anything with Tom Cruise in it and you’re probably almost there.  Mission Impossible: 2 has got to be pretty close to one of the worst pieces of cinema history ever, it was just terrible!  Or Leonardo di Caprio films are pretty much up there as well.  Titanic was just awful.  Looked like it was in a bath, and the guy just can’t act.  Or he can’t smoke cigarettes either, he looks like a girl.

What are some things you can do in your free time without spending any money?
I think the ultimate is pigeon watching.  You sit in the park and you watch the pigeons.  Because the pigeons are almost more interesting than many people you actually meet.  Because you watch them, you see their facial expressions and the way that they move and you’ve got a pack of pigeons and then you’ve got the big boss, and you’ve got the little one, and the boss comes over and he goes, “No, that’s my bit of bread.”  And that is just great.  I don’t think you can beat that.

If you had more free time, how would you spend it?
I’d spend it on me, I think.  I think I would make sure that I did things that were for me and that I didn’t feel guilty about.  I can’t really think of anything specific…  Oh yeah, I can.  I would take up playing the piano again!  I used to play twice every week, but then had to stop when school became too hard.  I really miss it, so I’d probably start that again.

Well, I see.  Now, let’s change the topic.  We’re going to talk about your home and pets.

C
What is the worst thing about your hometown?
The worst thing about Budapest is the litter.  People drop litter anywhere, so there is  a lot of rubbish on the street.  So I hate that.  It’s really terrible.  People come out of McDonalds and they throw their cups away, I mean their burgers, burger-wrappers and stuff, and it’s disgusting.  And it kind of reflects upon the people of Budapest, who, of course, can be wonderful, but they’re also a little bit rude.  I mean, as well as they can be friendly, they can also be kind of, a bit hard.  So while I do love the people of Budapest, sometimes I find them a little bit difficult to live with

Describe your favourite room.
My favourite room is probably my own room.  It has a computer on a kind of old sewing machine, and then it has a bookshelf in the corner.  It’s really quite big.  It’s got a big window, with a door and a balcony, looking out onto the street, and it has a massive rug and two bean bags, which are very comfortable.  And it has a DVD player and a television, so it’s a really nice room to relax in.  Oh and there is a bed, of course!

Do you consider yourself an animal lover?
Yes, I do.  I love animals.  I think they’re great.  Of course, not cats.  But I like dogs, I think they are very cool, and I really like horses.  I think they’re both really intelligent animals.  I’ve never really spent a lot of time with animals, other than riding horses and playing with dogs, but definitely those two I like.  That doesn’t mean that I’m vegetarian, because although I do love animals, I also love eating them.

Do you ever talk to your pet or other animals?
Well, I don’t talk to them like I talk to humans.  I mean, I don’t have full-blown conversations or ask them what time it is, because they couldn’t tell me.  But for instance when you’re riding a horse, you do talk to the horse.  You say ‘Well-done’, ‘Slow down’, that sort of thing, and ‘You’re a very handsome horse’, and you give lots of encouragement, because they’re intelligent animals.  Apparently they’re about the same intelligence as a three-year-old human.  And we would talk to a three-year-old human.

If you could be an animal, what would you choose to be?
This is a great question, but it’s so difficult.  I mean, one of the first things I think is: a dolphin.  Freedom of the sea, whizzing around, you’ve got your family, you know, everything’s in place, it’s lovely.  But then you think, ‘Well, what about being a bird?’   Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be an eagle or something, flying above some high mountains and having the eyes of an eagle, being able to see for miles and miles and miles. It’s very difficult to choose.

Thank you, that’s the end of the first part of the test.

TASK 2

Now look at this situation.  You can study the sheet for half a minute.  When you are ready, start a conversation with me.  I am your friend.

Your friend has decided to cook lunch for her family this weekend.  She comes to you for advice about what to cook.  Discuss the options with her, considering the following:

 her previous experience
 how much time she will have
 what kind of food her family likes
 how much money she wants to spend on it






- So have you cooked for them before?
- A couple times, yes, but I haven’t done it for a long time.
- I think we would need to find some food that is similar to something you have already made.  That way it will be new for your family, but easy for you too.  Have you made paste for them yet?
- Yes, once.
- Great!  I know some really good pasta recipes.  How much money do you want to spend on it?
- Not too much, but the market next to our flat is not expensive, and I guess I will buy most things there.
- Brilliant.  Does your family eat meat?
- Yes, they do.
- OK.  Final question.  How much time will you have to prepare it?
- A bit less than an hour.
- OK.  Here’s what I’d recommend.  Heat up some olive oil and put some garlic in it, then add about half a kilo of minced meat and let it cook a little.  Then add some mushrooms that you have washed and sliced, tomatoes also cut up into small pieces, and lots of nice spices like oregano and basil and maybe some parmesan cheese.  In a different pot, cook the pasta and then mix the two together.  My family loves this.
- Sounds great, thanks!
- No problem.

Thank you, that’s the end of the second part of the test.
 
Kidolgozta:
Csíky Anna (csikyanna@yahoo.com)
és a Karinthy Frigyes Gimnázium 12.D osztálya