tai lieu on tap chung chi b2

Thai Nguyen University
School of Foreign Languages
English Department
2015

B2 Express
Coursebook

For internal use only

Compiled by
Nguyễn Dương Hà, M.A
Lê Thị Hằng, M.A
Đỗ Thị Trang Nhung, M.A


English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Contents
LESSON 1 - GETTING TO KNOW........................................................................................................................3
LESSON 2 - EDUCATION.....................................................................................................................................8
LESSON 3 - CUSTOMS, CELEBRATIONS AND HOLIDAYS..................................................................................17
LESSON 4 - SPORTS AND GAMES....................................................................................................................27
LESSON 5 - JOBS AND JOB-HUNTING..............................................................................................................37
LESSON 6 – MODERN LIVING..........................................................................................................................45
LESSON 7 – HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE................................................................................................................54
LESSON 8 – HOME, SWEET HOME..................................................................................................................61

English Department, School of Foreign Languages, TNU

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

LESSON 1 - GETTING TO KNOW
STARTING OFF

Task 1: Discuss these questions with another student.
a How do you generally feel when you meet people for the first time?
b What are the things you want to know about people when you first meet them?
c In your country, what types of questions are OK to ask on first meeting someone? What types
of questions are not OK?
In Korea, it’s OK to ask
someone’s age, so you
know whether to use
formal language.

In Canada, it’s not OK to
ask
someone’s
age
because some people
don’t like to say how old
they are.

In Mexico, it’s OK to ask
about someone’s religion
because some people
think it’s too personal.

Task 2: Work in pairs. Take turns to ask and answer questions about each other's

background. Talk about the following.
- where you were born
- where you live now
- where you went to school
- how many brothers and sisters you have
- what you like doing in your free time
- how long you've been learning English
- if you need English for your work
How many similarities and differences are there in
your backgrounds?
Try to use some of the phrases below in your responses.
Answering personal questions
Well, actually...
That's a difficult question but…
I've never given it much thought, but...
As a matter of fact, / In fact,…
Generally speaking, I…

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Task 3: Make a list of any other questions you could ask your partner about his or
her background. Think about your own answers to your questions as well.
Asking for personal information
So, tell me what ... is.
Could you tell me about ... ?
I’d like to know what… is/would be.

What would you say… is/would be?
Could you describe …?

SKILLS FOCUS: PROVIDING INFORMATION
Task 4: Below are some possible answers to the questions. For each question, decide
which you think is the best. Give reasons why the other answers are less satisfactory.
1

Do you work or are you a student?
a I work.
b

I'm currently studying history at Moscow State University. I'm in my second year.

c

I work as a dentist in Budapest. It's a very rewarding job and I earn good money. We get
vast numbers of foreigners coming to get dental treatment in Hungary because it's far
cheaper here than in many other countries. As well as being cheap, we offer high quality
dental care and our patients are always happy with our work. I had to study for many
years to be a dentist but it was worth it. People generally respect you for being a dentist as
it's considered to be a good job, although perhaps it isn't as prestigious as being a doctor. I
could have chosen to be a doctor and in fact, this is what my father wanted me to do.
However, I have some friends who are doctors and they say they work very long hours
and can't spend enough time with their families. I think I made the right career choice.

2 Why did you choose that course or job?
a I didn't choose it.
b

I chose it because French was always my best subject at school and I enjoy meeting new
people. I thought interpreting would suit me, therefore, as you have to be a good
communicator and of course skilled in foreign languages.

3 What is the most difficult thing about your studies or job?

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
a I'm not sure. Er ... I would say the most difficult thing is that we have tight deadlines, so I'll
be given a project and then told it's to be completed in one week, which is nowhere near
enough time. That's difficult but it doesn't stop me enjoying my work.
b I don't enjoy attending meetings. It's often very boring and the meetings last too long.

Task 5: Listen to two students, Nagwa and Carlos. Which question does each of them
answer?
1. What do you most enjoy doing with your friends?
2. Have you ever had the opportunity to really help a friend? How?
3. Would you prefer to spend your holidays with your family or your friends?
4. What’s your happiest childhood memory?
Nagwa……………

Carlos……………

Now listen to them again and say if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1 They both give very brief answers.
2 They give a few details to support their answers.

3 They use a variety of tenses appropriately.
4 They speak in a relaxed, natural way

Task 6: Match the questions to the responses in the box below.
1. Do you live with your family or with friends?
2. Do you have any brothers or sisters?
3. Are you a student or do you have a job?
4. Are you interested in football?
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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
5. How do you prefer to travel?
6. Where do you come from?
7. Have you learned any languages other than English?
8. Are birthdays an important event in your country?
9. How do you normally get to college in the morning?
10. What color do you like?
a. No - not at all.
b. I like the train
c. I'm from a small village in the mountains d. I'm a student,
e. Yes, I have.f. Yes, they are,
g. No, I'm the only child.
h. Well, my favourite color is red,
i. Actually, I'm staying in a university hall of residence
I take thethe
trainsentences
to Central aStation

Task 7:j.Develop
– j in Task 5 by adding a phrase or sentence 1 – 10

below.
1. In fact, I'm not very interested in any kind of sport, to be honest with you.
2. because you can see out of the window or read a book ... but sometimes you have to fly
because of the distances involved.
3. a long way from the capital city of my country.
4. and I study literature. I’m in my second year, and I love my college very much because my
friends and teachers are really cool. It makes learning there lots of fun.
5. I studied Spanish at school although I don't remember very much now.
6. and it's customary to share a cake or give a card or present.
7. I have ten cousins that I grew up with, so I didn't ever feel lonely.
8. so I usually buy my clothes in this color as I think it looks fashionable on me.
9. as I'm an overseas student studying here for a year.
10. and then I catch the express bus - it takes about an hour altogether.

Task 8: Work alone. Think about how you could answer each of the questions in
Task 5. Then work in pairs and take turns to ask and answer the questions.
Task 9: Write at least two simple questions about each of the topics below.
Example: What type of music do you like listening to?

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

Task 10: With a partner, ask and answer the questions you wrote in Task 8. Give

extra information to elaborate your answers. Use the phrases in the list
below to help you.
I used to…., but now I …
What I like about it is … because…
The great thing about … is …
I suppose most people…

Homework
Read the questions below and think about how you could answer each of the
following questions.
1. Are you good at recognizing people you have only met once or twice before?
2. What is the best way for people visiting your country to make friends?
3. Who do you think has had the most influence on your life so far? Why?
4. Tell me about a friend of yours and how you got to know him or her.
5. Who is the best teacher you've ever had?

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

LESSON 2 - EDUCATION
STARTING OFF

1. Work in pairs. Find eight reasons for studying abroad by matching the beginning
of each sentence (1-8) with its endings (a-h).
1. You live in and learn about
a. with other ways of thinking.

2. You get to know
b. new people.
3. You benefit
c. new friends.
4. You learn
d. more independent.
5. You become
e. after yourself.
6. You learn to look
f. from other approaches to studying.
7. You come in contact
g. to speak another language.
8. You make
h. another culture.
2. Which, for you, are the three best reasons for studying abroad?
3. Can you think of other reasons for studying abroad?
4. Have you studied abroad? If so, why? If not, would you like to? Why (not)?
VOCABULARY

Task 1 Complete the sentences below about courses with nouns from the list.
requirements

analysis criteria dissertation essay
module paper portfolio programme

evaluation

a In order to study photography, you have to fulfill the course ……...., which include a
foundation qualification in art.
b

Many people fail at medicine due to the difficulty of meeting the assessment…….... .

c

Most mature students enrol on a part-time…….... .

d At the start of each academic year, students choose which core…….... they will take.
e As part of their jobs, many lecturers are expected to submit at least one academic ……....
per year.
f

Students on the fine art programme are required to present a…….... of their work.

g After collecting your data, you will need to carry out an in-depth of …….... it.
h To get a good mark, students should show they are capable of making a critical ……....
of the literature.
i

At the end of the course, each student must submit a 4,000-word long …….... .

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
j. After you have submitted your MA ……...., you will have to wait about four months for
your final grade.

Task 2 Look at the sentences in Task 1 again. Which verb introduces the noun in
each case?
Task 3

The statements a-j below were made by students about courses they are
taking. Complete each sentence with a feature from the list.
research project deadlines easy-going tutors
end-of-year examination background reading list extensions
weekly seminars individual tuition ongoing assessment
practical work vocational content

a The tutors provide you with a...........before the course.
b As part of our assessment, we have to plan and carry out a.........
c It's a very flexible programme: we have very..........
d It can get very stressful: we are assessed by.........
e Coursework has really fixed.............You can't get...............
f Everyone gets.............if they are experiencing difficulties.
g The course is marked by...........of written work.
h I spend a lot of time doing...........in a laboratory.
i It's mostly..............: it will all be useful for my career.
j There are regular.............in which people take turns to make presentations.

SKILLS FOCUS 1: EXTENTION
Task 4

Listen to how Nikolai and Magda answer questions.

1. What is Nikolai’s favourite subject and what reasons does he give?
2. How will Magda use English in the future?

Now listen again and answer the questions below. True or false?
T
1. They answer the questions very briefly.

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F


English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
2. They give reasons for their answers.
3. They sound positive and enthusiastic when they are speaking.
Tips:
 Listen carefully to the question and make sure your answers are relevant.
 Answer the question and where possible:
- give reasons for your answer, or
- add a little extra information.

Task 5

Work in pairs. Take turns to ask your partner the question in the box.

Student A
Can you describe the school you go to / went to?
What would you like to study in the future if you had the chance? Why?
How much homework do students in your country generally do?
Can you tell me what you most enjoy about learning English?
Tell me about the best teacher you’ve ever had?

Student B
Do you prefer studying alone or with other people? Why?
Can you remember your first day at school? Tell me about it.
Would you like to study in a different country? Why (not)?
How important are exams in your country?
How important is learning English to you?

SKILLS FOCUS 2: PHOTO COMPARISION AND CONTRAST

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Task 6
A. Look at the photos. What are they
talking about?
B. Choose two that you would like to
compare and answer these questions.
1. What do the photos have in common?
They both show…
2. What is different about them?
In this one… whereas in the other one…

C. Listen to Bethia, a university
student talking about two of the photos
and answer the questions.
1. Which two photos is she talking about?

2. What ideas did she express? (Take notes)
3. Which of the adverbs in the box did she
use?
actually

almost certainly clearly
possibly probably

obviously
really

perhaps

4. Did she mention the same similarities and differences as you?

D. Listen again and tick (√) the expressions she uses from the table below.
Referring to
the photos

In the first photo,…
In the second photo,…
There’s one picture of…
And another picture…

Similarities

Both of…are…
They both seem to be…
Neither of them…
In this one…. and in this one…

Differences

One thing which is different in this one…
The main difference between … and … is …
This one is … whereas / while … is …

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Speculating

This person looks as if she’s/he’s…
He seems to be…
Perhaps/Maybe they’re…
They’re probably…
He could be / might be…

E. Take turns to speak for a minute about the two photos you have chosen. Use your
answers in B and expressions from the table.

Task 7
Work in pairs. Look at the pictures below, choose two that you would
like to compare and take turns to speak for a minute.

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

SKILLS FOCUS 3: A SHORT TALK
Task 8
a

A. Answer the questions below about the teachers you had at school.
How well do you remember your teachers?

b Was there a teacher you especially liked? Why?
c How in general can teachers make lessons more interesting and fun? Is it important to do
this? Is it always possible to do this?

B. The list below gives some qualities that teachers might possess. Decide if each
quality is Important (I), Useful (U), or Not important (N).
Qualities of good teachers
They speak many foreign languages.

.........

They have a lot of hobbies.

.........

They set high standards.

.........

They are able to explain difficult things.

.........

They tell lots of jokes.

..........

They maintain discipline.

..........

They avoid negative criticism.

..........

They speak loudly.

..........

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
They give a lot of praise.

..........

They are very athletic.

..........

They mark and return students' work quickly.

..........

They are good-looking.

..........

They know the subject well.

..........

They are polite to the students.

..........

C. Which other qualities would you add to the list?
Task 9
A. Look at the task card below. Listen to a person answering the question. Make a

brief note on the card of the answers they give to each prompt.
Describe a teacher you can remember from your schooldays.
You should say
- what this teacher looked like
- what subjects they taught

- what kind of person they were and explain how this person has influenced you.

B Match each phrase in the list to one of the functions a-d.
a Introducing your choice.
b Explaining the reason for your choice.
c Describing physical features.
d Describing character.
Physically, he/she was ...

I can remember ... really well.

The ... I've chosen is ...

He/she looked ...

What... taught me was that...

Character-wise, he/she was ...

In terms of personality, ...

I'll never forget him/her because ...

C. Listen again. Which phrases from B does the speaker use?
D. Take one minute to think and make notes about your own talk on this topic, using
your own experience. Then practise speaking for two minutes using your notes and
the phrases in B.
MAKING NOTES
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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Task 10
Another student made the notes below for the task in A. Add the words
in the list below to the appropriate part of the diagram.
short
fat
amusing
relaxed
rolled tie up and down

looked out of the window while speaking
made boring subjects interesting
made difficult subjects easy
cheerful personality

Task 11
The notes in A and B below describe the advantages and disadvantages
of different ways of making notes. Answer the questions below.
a Which list relates to the technique in Task 3?
b What kind of note-taking does the other list describe?
c Which method of making notes would work best for you?
List A

List B

encourages creative thinking

encourages logical thinking

many ways through the ideas

one way through the ideas

takes little time to write

can take a long time to write

uses very few words

uses more words

can be messy

very tidy

Task 12
Using a note-taking technique you prefer, make notes on the taskcard
below, using your own experience. Then practise speaking for two minutes using
your notes.
Describe a person you know who has helped you in some way.
You should say
 how you know this person

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 what abilities this person has

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 how this person helped you and explain how this help has influenced your life.


English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

HOMEWORK
I. Look at the pictures below and read the examiner’s instructions.

II. Describe your first day at college.
You should say
• Name of college and course
• What difficulties you encountered
• How you felt in the end

LESSON 3 - CUSTOMS, CELEBRATIONS AND HOLIDAYS
STARTING OFF
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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Pair work: How do you celebrate in your country? Check (√) the statements that
are true for you. Then compare with your partner.
We give thanks for a good harvest.
We visit our ancestors’ graves.
We celebrate a religious figure.
We celebrate the birthday of my country.

We celebrate education and learning.
There is a special day to celebrate work.
We honor the leader of our country.
We do thing to protect our world.

VOCABULARY

Task 1

Task 2

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

SKILLS FOCUS 1: PHOTO COMPARISION AND CONTRAST

A. Look at the three photographs and discuss these questions in
pairs.
1 Do you know people who regularly spend some of their free time doing these activities?
Maybe you do them yourself.
2 What abilities do people need to do these activities successfully?
3 Why do people enjoy doing these things?

B. You are going to hear two people talking about the photographs.

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
1. First, read the examiner's instructions.
Here are your pictures. They show
different indoor leisure activities. I'd
like you to compare two of the
pictures and say what skills and
abilities each activity requires and
what participants enjoy about each
activity.
2. Now listen to two people talking
separately about two of these photos.
a Which two photos are they comparing?
b Which speaker gives a better response
to the instructions? How?
c What is the problem with the other
speaker's response?

C. Listen carefully to the second
speaker again. Complete some of
the things she says.

What does the speaker say?
to start her answer?

Finish her answers

I’m going to

to introduce what she says about chess?

…………………………………………….
To play chess

to change the subject from chess to cookery?

…………………………………………….
As far as
…………………………………… I think
……………………………………………

D. Work in pairs. Think of some appropriate replacements for the adjectives in
italics in these phrases from the second speaker's talk.
1 To play chess you need a very logical mind, ...
2

... you need endless patience.

3

Being a successful cook is probably more to do with creative instinct than just practical,
skills.

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
4

Chess players like solving complex problems.

E. Choose two photos above and take turns to speak for a minute about them.

SKILLS FOCUS 2: PHOTO DISCUSSION
Task 3
It is a good idea to have a selection of phrases ready for starting the tasks
in the Speaking test. Look at these phrases and decide which would be appropriate and
which would be inappropriate.
1 A Would you like to start or shall I?
B You start.
2 A I don't know what to say.
B OK, so we have to talk about each of these goals and say which is closest to our opinion.
Well, this...
3 A Shall we go through all the goals first and then decide which is closest to our opinion?
B OK, a quick look through and then decide; simple!

Task 4
Here are some words and phrases students often use in photo
discussions. What are they used for? Write them in the correct boxes.

What do you think?

So, is that agreed?

Shall we go on to the second

Let’s move on to the next

I (totally) disagree.

question?

picture.

So, how about this picture?

I can’t agree (with you there)

Now we have to decide…

OK, let’s make our decision.

Do we agree on that?

I (completely) agree.

I don’t really agree. I think… I’m not sure I think…

You’ve got a point (there),

Do you agree (with me)? I’d

Do you have any thought s on

but (the way I see it)…

say…

this?

I think… What about you?

(Yes,) that’s a good idea.

You’re right.

Bringing our partner in to the conversation

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

Keeping the discussion moving

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Reaching a decision

Task 5

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

 Work in pairs. The pictures show important moments in people's lives.
- Discuss together what would be the best way of celebrating each of these occasions.
- Decide which two of these occasions you would be happiest to celebrate.
How to go about it

Task 6
Work in small groups. You are going to go on holiday as a group. Each
group should choose a different kind of holiday in the pictures below.

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015

a. Discuss ways to persuade the other groups that this would be the best type of holiday for you
all to go on. Think also of the objections that the other groups might raise and of how you could
counter those objections. You may need to consider these aspects of the holiday:
activities
fun

accommodation

cost

learning experience

weather

b. Regroup and take it in turns to present the holidays you have been thinking about. Try to
persuade the others that your idea is the best one. Raise as many objections as you can to other
suggestions that are made.
c. At the end vote on which holiday you think your group should go on. You are not allowed to
vote for your own suggestion.
d. Feed back to the class as a whole, saying which holiday your group voted for and why.

SKILLS FOCUS 3: A SHORT TALK
Task 7

Work in pairs. Talk about a festival in your hometown or country.


What happens during the festival?



What does the festival celebrate?



Do you participate? Why (not)?

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English oral proficiency – Level B2 2015
Task 8
Read the task card. Give yourself one minute to plan your answer,
making notes if you wish.

Now listen to the sample answer.

HOMEWORK
I.

II- Work in pairs. Read the task in the box below and look at the photos. What
different types of end-of-year trips are you asked to discuss?
.

Imagine that your college is organising an end-of-year trip for its students. The
photographs show some of the options.
• First, talk together about how each of these trips could benefit the students.
• Then decide which one you think would be the most suitable.

Now do the complete task yourselves.
• Talk about each of the photos in turn. Take about each of the photo in turn. Take about 11/2 to 2
minutes do this.
•

Decide which trip would be most suitable. Take about 1 to 11/2 minutes do this.

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