Part 1
Pet
Did you have a pet when you were younger?
Well, I used to have two cats and a dog when I was in kindergarten. I always love having pets around because I enjoy their company, and… honestly, I’m a bit scared to be alone in my house.
What kinds of animals do people like to have as a pet?
I believe it depends on personal preference. For me, I must say I am a hundred percent a cat person. It is almost impossible for me to go a day without seeing my cat. But some of my friends really prefer dogs since dogs are loyal and cheerful.
Do you think city is a suitable place to keep pets?
Yes, I mean why not. So far my cat’s been more than okay living in my apartment; he’s clean, well-fed and very healthy. But of course, it would be more enjoyable for animals to live in the countryside since the air is cleaner and there is a lot more space for them to run around.
Being alone
Do you like being alone?
Oh, sometimes I do but again, all of us do once in a while, right? But honestly, most of the time, I would prefer not to be alone, which is why I have pets. They never fail to make me feel warm and welcome, sometimes even more than my friends.
Is it important to have some alone time occasionally?
As I said before, yes, definitely. I always find it hard to concentrate when there are people around, so whenever I need to work, I have to be on my own. Other than that, spending some “me” time watching films or dancing along to your favorite songs can be quite relaxing.
What do you like to do when you are alone?
Let me see… I like listening to music when I am alone, because I always tend to sing along, which is quite embarrassing if someone’s around. Also, I enjoy spending time finishing my personal tasks because I work most effectively when I’m alone.
Part 2
Describe a person who helps protect the environment
• Who this person is
• How this person protects the environment
• What difficulty this person has faced
And how you feel about this person
Well, today I am going to tell you about my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Minh, who is a perfect example of an environmentally friendly person.
About Mrs. Minh, she has been my neighbor for at least 4 years now. She is in her 50s and is actually a retired university lecturer. As a neighbor, Mrs. Minh is really kind and helpful as she never refuses to help me when I’m in need. From lending me some cooking spices, to taking care of my little sister when other family members are absent.
But what I find most impressive about her is how environmentally conscious she is, which is why she has been doing a lot of activities to help protect the environment. To be more specific, Mrs. Minh knows so much about the detrimental effects of plastic bags to our planet. She told me about how it would take these bags million of years to completely dissolve and how they can cause severe harm to sea animals. That’s why ever since she moved here, I have never seen her used them once; instead, everytime she needs to get the grocery, she brings her own cloth bag… you know, the type that you can bring home to wash and re-use the next day. Other than that, she also participated in many voluntary works to clean up garbage or joined hands in other campaigns involving raising awareness about global warming.
The effort she put into protecting the environment is really inspiring and admirable. In fact, now I am also replacing plastic bags with my cloth bags as often as I could. I always think that good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others; so I know what she does will continue to make bigger changes.
Thank you for listening.
Part 3
Why should we protect the environment?
I think it is essential that we protect the environment since a polluted living environment can have direct effects on our livelihood. For example, air pollution can cause respiratory diseases and cancer, among some other severe diseases; water pollution also destroys our health inside out. Therefore, keeping the environment clean and protected means keeping our lives safe and healthy.
Who are responsible for the protection of the environment?
Since all of us are sharing a home we call Earth, we should share an equal amount of responsibility in protecting the planet. It’s not any government’s duty, it’s a global problem that needs to be solved by all living human. I believe that only by working together would we be able to make a change.
What is the most serious environmental issue now?
As you can see, in big cities like Hanoi, air pollution is one of the most concerned problem. Most people have to wear a mask when they go out to avoid breathing in the polluted air, filled with dust and other toxic exhaust fumes coming out of vehicles. Other than that, I think water pollution is also a prime example. A lot of rivers or even oceans are full of garbage, which definitely contributes to numerous health problems for humans and causes many deaths of aquatic animals.
Band 8.0