部分常考话题

1. And what shall I call you?

Most people call me Xiao Huang.

2. Where do you come from?

a. I was born in Xi‘an， which is one of the major cities in China. It used to be the capital city at one point in China’s history.

b. I come from Shanghai， but I was born in Xi‘an. My parents moved to Shanghai when I was just 4 years old， so I really don’t know much about Xi‘an， apart from occasional summer visits to see some good friends of the family. In fact， I don’t have any relatives at all living in Xi‘an.

3. Where is your hometown?

Xi’an is located in Shanxi Province， which is in central China.

4. Could you tell me something about your hometown?

a. Hmm. . well， the population is about 6 million. It‘s famous for its historic sites， especially for the Terracotta Warriors. Xi’an was named the capital of China several times over many dynasties. Also， Xi‘an is the starting point of the famous Silk Road， which was important in ancient times. The weather is extremely hot in summer， about 40 degrees Centigrade， and fairly cold in the winter， about 14 degrees Centigrade below zero.

b. Okay. Well， first of all， my hometown is “X”。 I was born in the city， but moved to the outskirts of the town when I was small. “X” is a fairly large city — a pretty important economic centre actually. It has a population of 3 million. It’s pretty flat， and is situated right near a large lake.

5. What is the climate like in your hometown?

It‘s generally very hot in summer， about 40 degrees Centigrade. In winter， it’s cold — about minus 14 degrees Centigrade. The spring and autumn are both mild and pleasant， with temperatures ranging from 12 to 25 degrees Centigrade. Oh， and the summer time is extremely humid as well. There are four seasons. Winter is cold and snowy; spring is short and rainy; summer is hot and humid; and autumn is beautiful.

6. Tell me about what‘s the biggest traditional festival in your country. Definitely the Spring Festival. I suppose it’s somewhat like Christmas in western countries. Spring Festival is the only time when all families gather together and stores and business are closed for several days.

7. Can you describe one of the main festivals celebrated in your country? National Day， which is on October 1st， is a big holiday. We get three days off and there are a lot of fireworks displays. There are large flower pictures and other types of flowers decorating the city，and some of the larger cities hold parades.

8. Which city， in your opinion， is the best city in China?

Beijing， because it‘s the capital of China and has a very rich culture. In addition， Beijing is more beautiful than many other cities， because it’s the showcase of China. A lot of money has been invested in Beijing and it is a very interesting place to visit.

9. Has the transport changed over the past 20 years in China?

Yes， very much indeed. We used to have very few bus lines years ago. Most people would use their bikes to get to places in the city. But now in big cities， there are more bus lines linking different places so it is a lot more convenient. Some cities also have subway lines so it makes traveling much faster than before. There are also more taxis in cities and more people are also using that as a mode of transportation.

10. Let‘s talk a little about traveling and transport. For a long trip， how do you prefer to travel? In my country， if it is a long trip， I would prefer to take a train ride. Not only is train ride more economical， but also the time and route have shortened tremendously in the past few years. Air travel is more expensive and they are often beyond my budget.