Maturita Topics

Střední odborná škola a Střední odborné učiliště André Citroëna, Boskovice, nám. 9.května 2a

Projekt: Zvyšování kvality výuky anglického jazyka technických oborů na Střední odborné škole a Středním odborném učilišti André Citroëna v Boskovicích

I N V E S T I C E D O R O Z V O J E V Z D Ě L Á V Á N Í

Tento projekt je spolufinancován Evropským sociálním fondem a státním rozpočtem České republiky

Questions for maturita conversation topics PaedDr. Jaroslava Patloková

MY LIFE AND SKILLS, MY AMBITIONS 1. Why are you studying English?

2. What plans do you have in your personal life (not school/work) after leaving school?

3. Which is more important to you, money or liking your job? Explain.

4. What does success mean to you?

ME AND MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS 1. When you have a problem, who do you talk to and why?

2. Who is the family member that you admire most and why?

3. What are some ideas that you disagree with your parents/grandparents about?

4. If you could choose to have more siblings, would you? Why or why not?

DESCRIBING PEOPLE 1. Describe yourself (appearance and personality)

2. When you meet someone new, what is the first thing you notice?

3. Describe your best friend (appearance and personality)

4. Do people make judgment based on people’s appearances? Explain.

MY DAILY ROUTINE, HOBBIES, AND FREE-TIME ACTIVITIES 1. What are your hobbies?

2. How are your weekends different from your weekdays?

3. Do you think having a daily routine is a good idea? Why or why not?

4. What would you like to change about your daily routine?

BOOKS AND READING 1. What are the benefits of reading?

2. Do you enjoy reading? Why or why not?

3. What kinds of book do you enjoy/dislike and why?

4. Do you prefer foreign authors or Czech authors? Why?





FILM AND THEATRE 1. What is your favourite film and why?

2. What kinds of film do you dislike and why?

3. What is your opinion on pirating of DVD’s (illegal copying)

4. How is theatre different from film?

MUSIC

1. What is your favourite kind od music and why?

2. Do you think violence or profanity in songs is a problem?

3. What are some special or traditional musical instruments or musical styles in your country?

4. Should students learn about music and music history in school? Why or why not?

MY HOME 1. What do you like about the place where you are living now? What do you dislike?

2. What makes ‘a house’ into ‘a home’?

3. Is it common for Czech people to own their own home? At what age can people usually

afford their own house or flat?

4. What is your favourite room in your house/flat and why?

MY TOWN/VILLAGE AND REGION 1. What is the best thing about your hometown? The worst?

2. Describe some historical places or monuments/buildings in your village/town.

3. Tell me about this region of the Czech Republic.

4. How do you see your hometown changing in the next 20 years?

MY SCHOOL LIFE AND FUTURE PLANS 1. Why are you studying English and how do you think you will use it in the future?

2. What are your future career plans? What skills have you learned in secondary school and

how will they help you in your future career?

3. What is your opinion of the Czech education system? What would you change if you could?

4. Our school has been involved in European Union project and paid by it. What do you know

about this project? Do you think it is worth doing? Give some reasons.

5. Whay kind of work experiences have you had so far? How will they help you in a future

career?





EDUCATION 1. Describe the Czech Education System from age 5 to 18

2. What are the qualities of a good student? What are the qualities of a good teacher?

3. What subjects are most important for students to study and why?

4. Should education be free? If yes, until what age or level of education and why? If no, why

not?

5. What do you think about involving schools into implementing/carrying on different kinds of

projects? Are there any benefits that school could gain?

MEDIA 1. Do you think that TV has made society lazy? Why or why not?

2. How can media influence society in negative ways? In positive ways? Do you believe in

freedom of the press (newspapers, magazines, etc. are free to print whatever thay want) –

why or why not?

3. Should parents limit how much their children watch TV? Why or why not? What about the

type of TV they watch (sex, violence, drugs, etc.).

4. Discuss your opinion of television news. Is it accurate? Does it show important issues? Is it

too sensational? Are the reporters educated and good speakers?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

1. Why is it important to be computer literate (have advanced knowledge of computers) in the

21st Century? How will you use computer knowledge in your future?

2. Do you think that computer courses should be required in Czech high schools? Why or why

not? If yes, what skills should they teach?

3. Illegal copying of information (copying-pasting of homework assignments) from the

Internet has become a big problem in schools. What should schools and parents do to stop

this?

4. What do you think Information Technology will allow us (human beings) to do in the

future?

WEATHER AND THE SEASONS

1. Global weather patterns are changing…why do you think this is? What are some possible

causes? What are some possible problems?

2. In what ways do you think weather affects the way people feel? How does it affect their

lifestyles?

3. What is the weather like in the Czech Republic for each season? Which season is your

favourite and why?

4. What kind of climate do you prefer when choosing a place to go on vacation? Why?





TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT 1. What do you have to do to get a driver’s license in this country? Do you think it’s sufficient

(enough)?

2. What is the best form of transportation in your country and why?

3. What do you think is the most dangerous form of transportation worldwide? Why?

4. How is transportation connected to pollution? How can transportation pollution be

decreased? How do you prefer to travel?

THE ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES AND THE CITY I WOULD LIKE TO

VISIT/HAVE VISITED 1. In what part of your life (work, social, travel, etc.) do you think you will use English in the

future?

2. If you had the opportunity to study abroad in an English-speaking country, would you do it?

Why or why not?

3. What is one English-speaking country you would not like to visit? Why?

4. If you have visited an English-speaking country, what surprised you about the country?

What did you like/dislike about your visit? Would you go again?

THE CZECH REPUBLIC 1. Choose 4 of the following dates and discuss their importance in Czech history:

1. 1415, 1526, 1918, 1939, 1948, 1968, 17 November 1989, 1993.

2. Choose 4 of the following people and discuss their importance in Czech history and culture:

St. Wenceslav, Jan Hus, Antonin Dvorak, T.G. Masaryk, Karel Capek, Vaclav Havel.

3. What virtue (Justice, Charity, Modesty, Patience, etc.) do you think is valued most in Czech

culture and why?

4. Give us at least 5 tips for happy travels in the Czech Republic (safety, transport, food...)

FOOD, COOKING, AND EATING OUT 1. Do you agree with the saying, “You are what you eat”? Explain why you agree or disagree.

2. Imagine that you can have a meal with all of your favourite foods (healthy or unhealthy!).

Describe this perfect meal (drinks, appetizers, main course, desserts).

3. What is your favourite restaurant? Why do you like it? What do you typically have to eat

there? Describe the atmosphere and the staff who work there.

4. If you could try food from any country, what food would you try and why? OR describe any

unusual foods that you have tried from another country?





HEALTH AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE 1. What disease frightens you most? Why?

2. Who is the healthiest person in your family? Who is the least healthy? What are your

families healthy/unhealthy habits?

3. What do you think of the health service in this country? How could it be improved?

4. What is your opinion of alternative medicines (acupuncture, herbal remedies, diet changes

chiropractics, etc.?)

5. What forms of exercise are popular nowadays?

SPORTS, LEISURE, AND GAMES

1. What is your favourite sport to watch and/or play? Describe this sport.

2. What activities (sport and non-sport) are available for teenagers in your town/region?

1. What do you do in leisure time? Be as specific as possible.

2. Describe some sports and activities that can be done in the winter in your country.

3. Then, describe some that can be done in the summer.

4. Professional athletes are often paid very high salaries. Do you think this is good or bad?

Why?

TODAY’S WORLD PROBLEMS 1. What can YOU do in your daily life to help reduce the amount of household waste garbage)

we are producing? What are you personally doing to protect the environment?

2. When you see a poor person begging for money, do you give them any? Why or why not?

3. What do you think is the biggest cause of war in our world? How can it be stopped?

4. Which social problem is of the greatest concern to you? What else in the world worries you?

5. What do you think of drug and alcohol problems in the society? Should drugs be legalised?

Why or why not?

6. Crime – can it be stopped?

YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR PROBLEMS 1. When you have a problem, who do you talk to about it and why?

2. What do you think about the statement: Young people are different.

3. Describe some of the ways that teens today rebel.

4. Describe some of the pressures that you or teens in general have to deal with.

1. Teenagers and peer pressure, role models – discuss these terms.

5. Describe your generation (teenagers today): values, morals, taste in clothes, teaste in

music/film, work ethic, attitude toward, etc.





HOLIDAYS/MY IDEAL TRIP 1. Describe the best or the worst holiday you have ever had.

2. Describe your ideal trip.

3. How do you understand this statement: Travel broaden our horizon/mind. Do you agree

with this? Why?

4. What is one place/country you would NOT go on holiday? Why would you not go there?

TRADITIONS AND FESTIVALS 1. Describe your family’s Christmas traditions (food, acitvities, people, etc.)

2. Describe how you celebrate the New Year. Do you make New Year’s “resolutions” – why

or why not?

3. Describe another foreign holiday or festival.

4. In the Czech Republic, towns and villages still have harvest festivals in September where

there are traditional dancing and costumes, food and small shops. Do you like this tradition

– why or why not? Do you go to these festivals? Do you think it is a good tradition to keep –

why or why not?

SHOPS AND SHOPPING 1. When you buy something, what is most important to you: price, quality, fashion trend,

status/image?

2. Is it easy to return items in this country if you decide you do not want them after you have

bought them? Why do you think this is?

3. There are a lot of discount stores in the Czech Republic that sell lower quality goods at

cheap prices. What is your opinion of these stores?

4. What is something that you want to buy, but think you never will?

THE EUROPEAN UNION 1. What was the fundamental objective of establishing the Eropean Union and what is it now?

2. What negative effect do some people think the European Union has had?

3. Do you know which country had an honour of Presidency of the European Union since

January 2009 till June 2009?

4. How do people feel about more countries entering the European Union?

5. Do you know in which year the Czech Republic joined the Eropean Union?

6. Look at the flag of the European Union. What does it symbolize?

7. How many members all together does the European Union have?

How do you feel about these “negative”statements made by some politicians?





� “The Eropean Union represents only empty symbols.”

� “EU looks like impressionistic picture - the longer distance, the better picture.”

Note: Feel free to discuss other ideas related to the topics as you speak!

SPEAKING TEST

Giving Personal Information

(warm-up stage – the beginning of the exam) PaedDr. Jaroslava Patloková

� How long have you been learning English?

� What do you find easy/difficult about learning English?

� How will you use your English in the future?

� What is most important when learning a foreign language � What are the essential features of a good school/education

� For which subject did you study most and which was the easiest for you?

� Which subjects do you consider the most important?

� What are the components that create the relationship between the teacher and the students?

� Is there anything you would like to change at your school?

� Do you think Czech schools should be involved into European Projects? Why?

� Which (new) study programmes does your school offer?

� How do you think your knowledge of English could help you to find a job?

� What did you enjoy about your school?

� What are your interests and hobbies?

� What are your plans for the future?

� What careed would you like to accomplish when you finish school?

� You are nering the end of your time at school. Looking back would you say your memories

are mainly happy ones?

� Where will you go after you finish your exam(s)?

� Is there something you wish was different today?

� What type of work are you interested in now?

� Are you finding it hard to decide what career to choose?

� How important is the salary in choosing a job?

� What does success mean to you?

� How do you like spending your holidays?

� Which places would you most like to visit?

� Do you have any plans for your summer holidays?

� Should everyone learn a second language?





� What are the advantages of learning a foreign language?

� Would you like to live in another country? Why?/Why not?

These warm-up stage/personal questions were taken from the following areas:

1. My schooling (What I liked best, what I liked least, what I think should be changed...)

2. The importance of learning English language/other foreign languages

3. Planning future career (my ambitions and future plans)

4. Planning summer holidays

Questions for Maturita Conversation Topics

- aimed at students preparing for FCE speaking exam or maturita

V level oral exam (B2) For each topic there will be the picture stimuli and students will be encouraged to compare

and contrast the pictures.

Statements or questions to be discussed:

1. OLD AND MODERN TIMES In the past people used to work harder but life was simpler. People nowadays lead a more

comfortable but complicated life. Life now is much busier and more stressful than it used to be...

Useful expressions:

Lifestyle, transport, overseas travel, jobs, facilities, health, pastimes,by car, by train, by

horse, on foot, in the past, a hundred and fifty years ago, in the future, now, then,

nowadays

2. HEALTHY DIET AND LIFESTYLE The doctor says Tom is overweight and he has a risk of heart disease in later life. Discuss what

he should be doing and what he should be avoiding if he wants to stay healthy and live longer.

In general, what food do you think is healthy and what food is unhealthy?

Usefull expressions: high in fat, rich in vitamins, high in proteins, high in fibre, high in

carbohydrates, feeling good, feeling bad, health problems, treatment, sunbathing, eating

junk food, eating salad, smoking, drinking alcohol





Can/could, might/may, should, leads to, results in, causes, ends up with, creates, produces,

contributes to

Why not..., Give up... You could try... instead of...In place of...

3. CITY LIFE AND COUNTRY LIFE If you live in the country, you can live in a farmhouse or a cottage, but if you live in the city you

are more likely to live in a block of flats or a house.

Useful expressions:

Block of flats, farmhouse, filed, valley, fresh air, hill, skyscraper, traffic jam, offices,

stockbroker, lorry, trains busses, multi-storey car park, city center, motorway,

underground

advantages, disadvantages

however, but, whereas, in contrast, on the other hand

4. FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS Christmas is celebrated on the 25

th of December every year. It is celebrated in many countries

worldwide. People give gifts to their family and friends on this day.

Useful expressions:

Types of festivals, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, May Day,

religion/religious, moods, acitivites

It’s traditional, it’s customary, In my hometown, worldwide

5. SHOPPING Compare and contrast the types of shops in the picture. Do you find going shopping enjoyable?

Why? Do you think that large supermarkets should replace all small shops?Which of these

places provides a more personal and friendlier service? Why?

Useful expressions: baker’s, newsagent’s greengrocer’s, grocer’s, chemist’s, butcher’s,

supermarket, hardware store, fishmonger’s, clothes shop, sweet/candy shop

6. CLOTHING AND FASHION If I were to go on holiday to the Bahamas, I would take a lot of light summer clothes with me

like shorts and T/shirts because it’s hot there and I would want to keep cool.

Useful expressions: Materials: denim leather, wool, silk, lycra, cotton, fur, velvet...

Clothing: shirt, top, T-shirt, polo-neck sweater, blouse, cardigan, skirt, underpants,

knickers, pullover/jumper, dress, suit, waistcoat, jacket, leggins, (boxer) shorts, jeans,

overcoat, mac, hat, cap, helmet, sunhat, top hat

Accessories: briefcase, belt, scarf, sunglasses, gloves, braces, tie, handbag





Styles: formal, conservative, trendy, scruffy, eccentric, smart, elegant, casual, sober and

conventional, tasteful and stylish

7. YOUNG AND OLD To be young is a period of life when you are protected and can be carefree. You are at an age

when...

Useful expressions: unsociable, carefree, lively, mischievous, rebellious, mature, sensitive,

sociable, stubborn, (in)dependent, nostalgic, conservative, solitary, protective, active,

caring, thoughtful, tolerant, ignorant, strict, arrogant

Physical characteristics and aspects of personality (child, adult, elderly person)

at an age when, it is a period of life when, it is a stage when, a time when...

he is more/less, he has more/fewer, he has become more/less

8. EATING OUT What I like about fast food restaurant is that you get rapid serivce and the foods quite cheap.

The problem with them is that they can get noisy and overcrowded.

Useful expressions: fast food restaurant, mobile canteen, snack bar, restaurant, pub, picnic

site, covnenient for travellers, varied menu, rapid service, comfortable seating, self/service,

freshly cooked food, good wine list, nice wine, friendly conversation, cheap, expensive,

tasty food, intimate, formal/informal surroundings

the best thing about, some people prefer...because, one of the advantages of, in my point of

view, having said that, what I like/don’t like about, the problem with

On the whole, You can expect..., You’ll usually find..., Whereas/but, similar to...,

Generally, which is.., I can’t stand, all sort of things

9. EDUCATION Can you think of any problems, faced by schools and their pupils? Would you prefer to study at

home and go to school only to take exams?Would you prefer to go to a state or a private

school? Why?

Useful expressions:

subjects, tution, grants, fees, education, donations, qualifications, teachers, career,

promotion, salaries, training, further education, research

It would be a good idea to, it would be best to, this would lead to, this would result in, this

would cause, this would give us, this would help

10. HOBBIES AND PASTIMES





Playing a musical instrument will help you develop a knowledge of music and rhythm. It will

also help you become more skillful .However, it can be quite an expensive hobby which requires

a lot of practice. It can also be isolating as you will need to spend a lot of time on your own.

Identify the hobbies and pastimes in the pictures, then say what kind of equipment, qualities and

skills you need for each one of them.

Useful expressions: collect, play, watch/listen to, go, make, playing a musical instrument,

basketball, fishing, stamp collecting, reading, playing chess, canoeing, gardening......to be

good at sth., to be hopeless at sth

11. FILMS “I saw “Die Hard 2” last week. It was thrilling but a bit bloody and violent in some parts.”

Useful expressions: ticket, usher, screen, projector, interval, auditorium, box office, budget,

on set, on location, car chase, sequel, subtitles, co-star, star, screenplay, soundtrack,

camera crew, producer, director, screenwriter (scenarist), special effects

Exciting, violent, cliché, bloody, funny, action-packed, colourful, dull, humorous, gripping,

intellectual, charming, frightening, sentimental, light-hearted, dark, witty, pessimistic,

ghastly, thrilling, optimistic, moving, watchable

12. HOMELESSNESS AND UNEMPLOYMENT Look at the pictures of two men. What words come to mind when you look at them? What are

the differences between them?

Useful expressions:

a shop doorway, a police station, a cardboard box on the pavement, under a railway arch,

in a charity hostel, get food from, suffers from (to show you are angry at something which is wrong). It’s a disgrace, It’s disgraceful, It’s a

bad reflection on our society (to show people are forced to do something they don’t want). have to, are made to, are forced

to, to be thoughtful, to be ignorant

13. RECYCLING What problems does rubbish cause? What is recycling? What can be recycled? Do you recycle

in your home? How?

Useful expressions: pile up, throw, natural, recycled, compost heap, rain, waste, protect,

industry, recycling, fertilizer, dumped, disposal, pollution, rubbish, reused, recyclable,

scrap, collecting, environmentalism

14. GOVERNMENT SERVICES





Nurses are important to the health service. They look after patients and ease their discomfort. If

there were no nurses, patients wouldn’t be looked after at all and this would lead to the

deterioraton of health care.

Useful expressions: Emergency services, allocate, welfare state, taxation, budget, finances

are important, are useful, are vital, without, if there were no...there wouldn’t be...

15. CRIME AND CRIME PREVENTION I would tell my neighbours that I was going away for some time so that they could keep an eye

on my house and notify the police if they notice anything strange..

Useful expressions: crime being committed, burglary, robbery, theft, mugging, burgling,

housing estate, break/ins

Fit a burglar alarm, get a safe, take karate lessons, insure your valuables, get a gun, fit

stronger locks, cancel the papers

16. JOBS AND LIFESTYLES A successful entertainer’s life can be quite exciting. She/he is exposed to a lot of publicity and

within a short period this success can lead to a wealthy lifestyle. However, they tend to suffer

from stress as the career can be quite insecure.

Useful expressions: entertainer, business executive, office clerk, professional athlete,

freelance journalist, architect, doctor, teacher, publicity, popularity, excitement, stress,

job insecurity, good salary, benefits x drawbacks

comfortable, on the breadline, poverty, ambition, achievement, business, well off,

dreaming

17. TECHNOLOGY Opinion A: Computers have revolutionised industry.

Opinion B: However, they led to a reduction in the amount of avalable jobs in offices.

Useful expressions: cash card, device, reusable, development, computers, mobile

phones/cell phones, robots, solar power, answerphone, fax machine, word processor,

virtual reality, internet, X-rays, microwave ovens, satellites

18. NEWSPAPERS AND TELEVISION Do you buy a daily newspaper? Why/why not? How often do you watch the news on TV? Which

do you prefer, reading a newspaper or watching TV and why?

Useful expressions: televised, top stories, leading article, mass media, exclusive,

correspondent, conferences, camera crew, cameraman, broadcasts, analyse, research,





article, deadlines, headlines, channel, news bulletin, viewer, journalist, columns, reporter,

reader, sections

Both, on the other hand, in the same way, likewise, alternatively

19. SPORTS AND GAMES I like volleyball the most because in my opinion it is exciting and competitive. I don’t like fishing

because I think it’s monotonous and boring.

Useful expressions: athletics, volleyball, karate (do), jogging, fishing, skiing (go),

basketball, tennis (play), motor racing, cricket, football, American football, Wimbledon

Tennis Final, European Cup Final (football)

20. ADVERTISING Where do you see adverts? Do you have any favourite advertisements? Give examples. Are

there adverts you don’t like? Why not?

Useful expressions: campaign, stereotypes, target, promote, market research, product,

commercial, agency, consumer society

It’s probably..., It must be..., It could be..., It’s probably aimed at..., I think it’s targeting...,

It may be..., I would advertise in/on

Taken and adapted from:

Evans, V., Milton J.: FCE Listening and spekaing Skills for the Revised Cambridge FCE

Examination. Express Publishing 1998

PaedDr. Jaroslava Patloková, November 2009

Documents

Maturita Topics