Hard lesson learned while travelling in Naples Italy 20 years ago.
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Streetwise English

SWE #7 How I got scammed in Naples Italy

“I love watching the World Cup, which is without doubt the biggest and most exciting international football tournament in the world today. Every four years, it brings the world together in a celebration of the beautiful game. Every time the World Cup rolls around, it's like a huge party!

I especially enjoy the opening match between the host nation and the defending champions. It's always an emotional, high-stakes encounter that sets the tone for the tournament. As the games go on, the intensity builds, and it's so exciting to watch the best teams in the world battle it out for the cup.

When I watch the World Cup, I'm usually with my family. We get together to watch the big games, and it's a great excuse to spend some quality time together. We all love football, so it's a great way to bond over something we all enjoy. Plus, it's always fun to debate and discuss the games afterwards.

I think my favourite thing about the World Cup is the atmosphere. It's a truly global event, and it's so cool to see people from all over the world coming together in one place to enjoy the sport. It's a great feeling of unity, and it really brings out the best in people.

As well as that,the games are always thrilling, the atmosphere is electric, and spending time with my family, and friends while watching is always a blast. 


Thank you.”

IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe a sports program you like to watch

“For years now, I've dreamed about taking an adventure in Vietnam, and I feel like I’m finally ready to take the plunge! I would be super excited to explore the lush jungles, cruise the bustling cities, and experience the unique culture of this vibrant country.

I’d definitely want to go on this adventure with my best buddy John, as he’s also really into travel and adventure, as well as always up for anything.

I would really like to get out and experience all that Vietnam has to offer. I would love to be able to climb the incredibly beautiful limestone cliffs of Halong Bay, which I’ve seen on a few different documentaries, and is on the top of my bucket list. 

Another adventurous thing I’d really want to try would be scuba diving in the gorgeous coral reefs, as well as relaxing on some of the stunning beaches. I'm sure I would also be able to enjoy some amazing local food, and maybe even take a few cooking classes. As well as that, I’d also love to learn more about the fascinating history of the country.

I guess I would be a little nervous about the whole trip, but I’d also be very eager to get out there and explore. I'm sure there would be some bumps along the way, but hey, that would be all part of the adventure. I'm always ready to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the unknown.

I'm so looking forward to having an epic adventure in Vietnam one of these days, and I'm sure it would be an incredible experience and I’d have so many wonderful stories to share with everyone back home. I'm sure it won't be long before I'm actually packing my bags and hitting the road!


Thank you.”

IELTS speaking part 2 - an adventure you would like to go on

“As I live in a pretty small town, I haven't had the opportunity to meet many people from different countries or cultures, but I've had the pleasure of getting to know James, an English teacher from the UK. 

James hails from London, and moved here about 2 years ago to work as an English tutor in one of the local high schools. I guess he’s in his mid-twenties, and being one of the few foreigners here, has become a kind of local celebrity. 

The first time I met James was at an English corner, which was held at one of the local coffee shops in town. I saw it advertised, and decided to go along, as I really needed to brush up on my English speaking skills. I remember, I was the first to arrive, and introduced myself to James, and was immediately taken aback when he started to introduce himself in the local dialect! 

We got chatting, and hit it off from the start, getting along like a house on fire. Not only did it turn out that we were both football fanatics, but also shared the same taste in music. 

We have since become the best of mates, and hang out at least once or twice a week. I really love chatting to him, and getting to learn all about English culture, as well as sharing different aspects of my own culture with him. I have great respect for James, as he has really made an effort to immerse himself into the local culture here. On top of that, getting to know him has been a real eye opener, and helped to dispel any negative cultural stereotypes.”

Describe a person you know from another culture

"A person who’s really inspired me to do something is actually my uncle Dave, who started his own tech company about 5 years ago.He’s now turned it into a highly successful company, employing over 50 people today, which I think is a very inspirational story.

 I’ve always had an interest in anything related to technology, especially computers, and my uncle both inspired and motivated me to make the decision to study computer science in college.

I had to make this decision about 3 years ago, at which time I was at a crossroads in my life, and was at my wits end trying to decide something that I knew would affect my whole future life in a pretty short space of time. However, after getting some inspirational advice from my uncle Dave, I decided to follow in his footsteps, and study computer programming. 

The main reason I find him such an inspiration is that he started this business from scratch, while still only in his early twenties, and within only 3 years turned it into the success it is today. I watched him when he first started in this business, and how he poured his heart and soul into it ,to get the business going, and I’m always so inspired by the way he literally eat’s, sleeps and breathes the business .

 Even though his business has grown so much, he still never  sits back, and keeps working hard to keep growing and expanding the business,and always goes the extra mile, which is something that really motivates, and inspires me to keep studying hard. 

 
Thank you….."

Describe a person who inspired you to do something

“I’m not actually a huge fan of TV, but there is one show that I do enjoy watching every weekend. It’s called _______ idol, which is a hugely popular reality show, where aspiring singers compete against each other for a shot at fame, or even a record contract.




The show is on every Sunday night at about 8pm, and I normally watch it at home with my family.




Young people who dream of being a famous singer, can have the chance to be chosen to perform on the show in front of judges who select the best performers. Later on the public can also get involved, and vote for their favourite singer by phone or online, and the singer with the most votes becomes the winner.




One of the things I love about this show is that it gives any Joe Bloggs off the street, not only a genuine chance to show off their talent, but to also have a shot at fame.




I think we all dream of what it might be like to be a star, and this show really opens doors for some of these dreamers, if of course they have the talent.




On top of that, it’s a lot of fun watching the early stages of the show, and passing judgement on the different contestants as well as supporting the best singers, as if I had discovered them myself.

Describe a TV program that you like to watch - IELTS speaking part 2

“Well I'm certainly not a photography geek, but I do like to take photos now and again using my smartphone camera. I remember about a year ago I went on a trip to Phu Quoc, which is a very beautiful island in the south of Vietnam, and famous for its amazing sunsets. 




I guess like most tourists, I really wanted to get that perfect shot of one of the island's famous sunsets. I remember, I first did some research online to try and find out the best spots to photograph the sunset on the island. After deciding on what I thought would be the best location, I made sure to get there early as I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity.




The sunset certainly wasn’t a letdown, and lived up to its reputation.

I don’t actually remember how many shots I took, but I’m sure it was at least a few dozen, and I just hoped that even a few of them would do it justice.

After I got back to my hotel room, I started going through all the photos I had taken on my phone, and there was one that really stood out. It was the perfect shot, and really captured the beauty of the sun setting over the beach, with the sea in the background. 




I felt proud as punch when i looked at it, and couldn’t wait to post it on my social media account, for the world to see. Within just a few minutes I started to receive lots of likes and complementary comments on the post, which really made me feel so proud of it.

Describe a photo you are proud of-IELTS speaking part 2

“It’s sad to say, but there have been too many times I’ve seen terrible examples of plastic waste. The one time that really sticks in my mind was about 2 months ago when I visited a very famous and beautiful lake, just a stone's throw from my hometown. The whole area is famous for its natural beauty and scenery, and has become a very popular place for tourists to visit.




I went there with a couple of my friends, as we thought it would be the perfect place to enjoy some of the wonderful natural scenery the country has to offer.




I can still clearly remember as we took a path down to the lake, there were plastic bottles and bags tossed everywhere all the way down to the shore of the lake. The lake itself was in an even worse state, with plastic bags, bottles and discarded styrofoam boxes floating on the water, which was a pretty depressing sight. 




It was obvious that so many ignorant visitors to the lake bring along some food or drinks to have a picnic, leaving their waste behind, or just tossing it into the lake without a thought about the harm they are doing.




I was so disgusted and ashamed by the sight that we took lots of photos to post on some public social media groups, and try to bring some attention to this environmental mess. It was truly heartbreaking to see such a beautiful place destroyed by people's ignorance, as well as making my blood boil, that nobody seemed to care.

Describe a time you saw a lot of plastic waste-IELTS speaking part 2

“A family member that I'd really love to work with in the future is my cousin John, who is a few years older than me, and now has his own successful marketing company. I’m now in my final year of studying media marketing, and John has always been there for me, anytime I needed some advice or help with my studies. I guess you could say he has been like a mentor to me.




I actually had the pleasure of working with him during my summer holidays last year, which was a really amazing experience, and I got a lot of great hands-on working experience . 




As I'm studying media marketing, John's marketing company would be a perfect fit for me to put my years of study to use. I’m especially interested in social media marketing, and would love the opportunity to specialise in this niche market. I have also discussed this with my cousin, and he is also very interested in breaking into this market in the future.




If this could happen in the future I really would be over the moon with happiness, and it would be like a dream come true. I think it would be an amazing opportunity, as well as a challenge that I would relish. I think I could learn so much from my cousin, as well as working hard to prove myself. I also think having him take me under his wing would be a great start to my working life.