Speaking (2)

Famous personality,

     I know of many famous personalities, but here I would like to talk about Barack Obama

·         Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States.

·         He is the first African American to hold the office.

·         He is about 49 years old.

·         He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.

·         His father Barack Obama, Sr., is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas.

·         He is married to Michelle Obama and has two daughters Malia and Sasha.

·         Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School.

·         Obama's presidential campaign began in February 2007.

·         He won his party's nomination, against Hillary Clinton.

·         In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain

·         and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009.

·         Obama is also the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

·         He has respect for variety of cultures.

Favourite book from childhood

·        I have read many books in my childhood – like story books, comics and so on

·        But here I would like to talk about a book that is very special to me even today

·        The title of the book is Grimm’s fairy tales

·        The book is written by W.C.Grimm

·        This book was gifted to me by my mother on my tenth birthday

·        She bought the book from an exhibition

·        This book has many fairy tales

·        To name a few – the frog prince – the sleeping beauty – snow white and the seven dwarfs and so many more

·        Even today I flick through the pages of the book when I am free.

·        The pages of the book have turned yellow but still the book is very special to me

·        I remember I was very possessive about the book

·        I never used to give it to anybody

·        Sometimes I used to take it to school also

·        Once I took part in a story telling competition and I got first prize

·        I told the story of The Frog Prince

·        The stories are very interesting and meaningful

·        Along with the text there are many pictures also

·        I have covered the book with glazed paper

·        Every night before going to bed, I used to read one or two stories

·        My brother also used to read stories from this book

·        This book inculcated in me the habit of reading

·        You know ma’am, nowadays the habit of reading is going down in children

·        My mother always inspired me to read books

TV programme that you did not like

·       Well, I live watching TV

·       In fact whenever I get free time, I glue myself to the TV screen

·       I watch a few daily soaps and some reality shows

·       The recent programme I saw and did not like was – Raaz pichle janam ka – which means the mystery of the past life

·       I saw the programme last week when I went to visit my cousin

·       There I saw it for the first time

·       My cousin never misses any episode

·       The programme was telecast on NDTV Imagine at 9.30 p.m.

·       The program was hosted by mr Ravi Kishan

·       He hosted the programme very nicely

·       As per the program, a person can peep into his past life

·       I did not like it because it appeared very unrealistic to me

·       Moreover, the past is over and there is no fun digging into past life

·       I also feel that such programmes can breed superstitions

·       Such programmes are not my cup of tea

·       Later on I came to know from my cousin that the programme has been withdrawn

·       Maybe it did not appeal to the masses

A dangerous sport

·         There are many dangerous sports played in the world

·         Like boxing, rugby, wrestling and bungee jumping

·         Some people play dangerous sports because they love adventure

·         Others play for money

·         Any sport which can risk life is dangerous

·         Here I am going to talk about the most dangerous sport of all according to me

·         It is wrestling

·         It is a contact sport

·         I see wrestling programs on TV

·         My brother is all the time watching wrestling

·         Players injure each other badly

·         There is so much blood from wounds

·         It is a very old game

·         In Punjab it is called pehalwani

·         If it is played with rules it seems not so dangerous

·         But on the TV they seem to play without any rules

·         That is very bad

An animal that lives in water

·         Almost two third of the earth is covered with water

·         There are many animals that live in water

·         Such animals are called aquatic animals

·         Many types of fish live in water

·         Here I am going to talk about an animal that lives in water but is not a fish

·         It is a mammal

·         It is the whale

·         It gives birth to its young one and suckles to feed it

·         It cannot breathe under water

·         It has to come to the surface to breathe

·         Even the little baby has to be pushed to the surface to breathe.

·         The whale can live under water for a long time on one breath.

·         The whale eats small fish in the water

·         Such small fish are called plankton

·         The blue whale is the largest mammal

·         The largest land mammal is elephant.

·         I saw a program on whales on Discovery channel

·         I was very impressed by the whale.

·         I was so excited I saw the whole program

·         The program also talked about many other animals which live in water.

·         The frog can live on land and water

·         It is an amphibian

Tell us about something you want to be, but you are not at present,

Tell us about something you want to be, but you are not at present, you should say- Who is the person you want to become?– Why do you want the change?

There are so many people in our life whom we envy and want to be like.

This is a very difficult question to answer.

I would not want to be in the shoes of a famous person because I value my privacy a lot.

Famous people have name and fame but one thing they certainly lack is their private life.

So, here I am going to talk about a person like whom I really want to be and that is my mother.

I am not saying that because she is my mother and naturally I like her, but I have seen the look of admiration for her in everyone’s eyes who know her.

She’s a perfect role model for me.

The way she manages everything is amazing.

My grandparents and all other relatives adore her.

She has excellent culinary skills and our home is always spic and span.

She is very particular about her looks and regularly does yoga and visits the beauty parlour also once in a while.

I really wish I can be like her.

I admire her for her meticulous planning of things

I admire her for the way she is there for the neighbours whenever they need her and yet no work of the home is ignored.

She is a graduate but she chose not to work outside as she thinks that managing the home is a full time profession.

Only in this matter I would like to differ, otherwise in all other ways I wish to be like her.

I wish God makes me like her one day

Favourite Season

Ÿ India is a diverse country. We namely enjoy four seasons i.e. summer, winter, autumn and spring.

Ÿ Because of global warming summer season is extended and we have summer for almost six months a year.

Ÿ My favourite season is however winter.

Ÿ Winter lasts from December to February.

Ÿ The climate is pleasant, energetic, soothing and dry.

Ÿ Another reason to like winter season is that there are a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables which can be healthy and tasty.

Ÿ I also like to wear woolen clothes, which I can wear during this season only.

Ÿ I generally go to visit different places in the winter vacations only.

Ÿ I also look forward to the New year celebrations with my friends.

Ÿ Nights are very long in the winters and I love to sleep till late in the morning especially at weekends.

Ÿ In summers we sweat a lot and there are so many power cuts , so I don’t like summers.

Ÿ Trees shed of their leaves in autumn ,a very gloomy season.

Ÿ Spring is also a wonderful season.

Ÿ Everywhere there are blooming flowers and the weather is also generally very pleasant.

Ÿ In spring generally my exams are near and so my favourite season remains winter.

An equipment you use other than a computer ( mobile phone)

·         We use many things in our day to day life.

·         An equipment I use other than the computer is a mobile phone

·         My father gifted me this mobile phone when I passed my 10th class with good marks

·         It is a small mobile – a Samsung X-210 model

·         It is black in colour, rectangular and slips into my pocket easily

·         It is a folder type model.

·         It has many features like watch, calculator, FM radio, alarm, timer and a memory card to store phone numbers

·         It does not have a camera but all other features are very useful

·         I can also play games on my mobile

·         I value this phone a lot because my father worked overtime in his office to save money for this mobile

·         He knew I had always wanted one

·         I never misuse it

·         I use it to stay connected with my family when I am away from home

·         Many new models of mobile phones have come in the market but in my eyes this is and will always be the best mobile phone

·         My heart skips a beat even at the thought of losing it or parting with it

I have given and received many gifts in my life

·         Here I am going to talk about a gift which I gave to my younger brother on her eighteenth birthday.

·         It was a mobile phone.

·         He had always wanted a mobile phone.

·         But my parents would not buy him one

·         I saved all my pocket money for five to six months to buy this mobile

·         It cost me Rs 2800

·         It is a small mobile – a Samsung X-210 model

·         It is black rectangular and a folder type model

·         It has many features like watch, calculator, FM radio, alarm, timer and a memory card to store phone numbers

·         It does not have a camera but all the other features are very useful

·         I was overjoyed to see the happy look on my brother’s face when I gave him the mobile

A house you’ve been to ( not your own )

I have been to many houses – of my friends, of my relatives, but here I would like to talk about a house which I visit frequently.

It is the house of my best friend Rahul

It is a very beautiful house.

It is on the GT Road in my home town only.

It is a two storeyed red brick house.

On the outside there are two palm trees where lots of birds have made their nests

They have a very well-maintained lawn on the front.

There are beautiful flowers in the garden

All the members of his family are so hospitable that you feel at home there

The interiors have also been decorated very nicely

On the wall just in front of the main door there is a big family photograph in which my friend and his whole family is there

My friend belongs to a joint family.

There are six bedrooms in the house.

All are very spacious and well-lit.

All members of his family have a close bonding with each other.

The best thing I like about his family is that they all eat dinner together.

They have a kitchen garden in the back yard where they grow fresh vegetables.

I frequently go to his house because his mother is a great cook and she makes delicious pizza

I am very attached to that family that is why I go to their house very often.

An animal you like the most (Strange/ seen for the first time)- Snakes

·         Saudi is a diverse country

·         There are many types of animals found in Saudi

·         There are pet animals, domestic animals and wild animals

·         Here I am going to talk about an animal which I saw for the first time in a park near my home

·         It was a huge big snake, black in colour and about 4 feet long

·         Many people gathered around it.

·         A snake charmer was called and he played an instrument and then very deftly caught the snake in a box and went away.

·         Snakes are beautiful animals.

·         They are reptiles.

·         Unlike the other reptiles, snakes have no limbs; so they crawl.

·         Their body is covered with scales and they shed their skin once in a while and this is called moulting.

·         There are two types of snakes, the poisonous and the non-poisonous.

·         Most of the snakes are non-poisonous.

·         Snakes feed on small birds, frogs, rodents etc.

·         The poisonous snakes use their poison to kill the prey.

·         But the others wind around the victim to kill them.

·         Such snakes are called constrictors.

·         Cobra, vipers and krait are poisonous snakes whereas python and rat-snakes are harmless.

·         Snakes are not our foes but are friends because they eat away the rodents like rats who are a great enemy of man.

·         We should not kill snakes.

A time when you were stuck in a traffic jam

·         Traffic jams are very common now-a-days

·         Every person seems to own a vehicle now-a-days

·         The problem is worse in big cities like JEDDAH

·         Traffic moves at a snail’s pace during peak hours

·         Once I had gone to JEDDDAH

·         On my way back I got stuck in a traffic jam

·         A huge procession was going on

·         It was a 2 km long procession

·         People were paying obeisance to the book

·         Because of the procession we were stuck in the procession for two hours

·         It was very hot

·         We could not budge an inch forward or backward

·         Nor we could leave our car

·         All people around us were very restless

·         Finally we heaved a sigh of relief when the traffic started moving

Favourite magazine / periodical / journal

·         My favourite magazine is “………………….”.

·         It is a monthly.

·         It is an international magazine.

·         The editor of the magazine is …………..

·         I like this magazine because it is not a magazine to be read and throw away.

·         It is a collectible.

·         I have collected many past issues of the magazine in my personal library.

·         There are many regular features of the magazine.

·         The feature I like the most is ‘word power’.

·         It gives me 20 new words of English every month with their meaning and antonyms.

·         It helps me to improve my vocabulary.

·         The other regular features are “laughter is the best medicine ”, ‘life is like that’ and ‘humour in uniform”

·         All these articles contain jokes and humours which are as fresh as fresh fruits and vegetables.

·         There are also many quotable quotes in this magazine.

·         Another article I like is “…………..”

·         It runs for 15-20 pages.

·         It contains a true story or an abridged form of a novel.

·         All these articles are very inspiring.

·         Reading this magazine relaxes me.

·         This magazine is entertaining and educative.

·         Everybody in my house reads it.

·         This magazine has something for everybody

My Hobbies

·         My hobbies are watching TV, listening to music and doing a little bit of gardening.

·         Whenever I’m tired , I listen to music.

·         I like all types of music.

·         When I listen to music, all my worries and tensions fly away.

·         Whenever I get free time, I do some gardening also.

·         I have a kitchen garden in the back of my house and a small lawn in the front.

·         I talk to my plants, share my joys and sorrows with them, I get a feeling that they are listening to me.

·         Sometimes I gift a vegetable or a flower to my neighbours as a token of my love.

·         I also watch TV whenever I can grab time.

·         My favourite channel is Animal Planet.

·         I like this channel mainly because I am an animal lover.

·         Every time I switch on the TV and watch this channel, I get a new word of English.

·         In this way it improves my vocabulary also.

An activity you would like to do more often

·         Well, something I would like to do especially if I am feeling a bit stressed, is to go out for a walk.

·         I already go for walks but I would like to do it more often.

·         I usually go for a long walk, but I do not rush, I just walk at a normal speed.

·         Because I find if I walk fast it doesn’t relax me.

·         I quite often go out for a walk in the evening, if I’ve had a hectic day since morning.

·         It is much better than just sitting in front of the television in the evening, or something like that.

·         Or sometimes I go for a long walk at the weekend, if it’s been a really bad week.

·         I usually go to the park.

·         Or I walk down the side streets near my house.

·         I don’t like walking on the main road.

·         Because of the noise, you end up even more stressed.

·         I really love walking.

·         I find it very relaxing.

·         It always makes me feel better afterwards.

·         I am not sure why.

·         I think one thing is the change of place.

·         It sort of slows me down.

·         And it is good just getting out of the house and being out of doors.

·         It helps me to, kind of, get things into perspective, you know.

·         And finally, I meet so many people- neighbours-on the way.

·         It sort of build up a community spirit.

·         So I would like to go walking daily

Favourite room

·         The room in our house, I like the best, is our kitchen.

·         Perhaps, the kitchen is the most important room in many houses but it is particularly so in my house because it is not only where we cook and eat but it is also where friends and family meet.

·         I have many happy memories of time spent here.

·         Ordinary daily events such as making breakfast, lunch and dinner or special occasions such as a birthday party etc.

·         Whenever we have a party people gravitate to the kitchen.

·         It always ends up the fullest and the noisiest room in the whole house.

·         The room is not huge but big enough to hold a rectangular four-seater table in the centre.

·         There is a large window above the sink looking out onto the huge Amaltas tree in the garden.

·         There is a four burner gas stove at one end and a plate rack on the other .

·         All our friends come directly in the kitchen and join in whatever is happening there.

·         No doubt some of the best time of my life has been spent in the kitchen.

Website

·         One of my hobbies is surfing the net and I have visited many sites.

·         One useful website is yahoo.com.

·         My friend told me about this site.

·         It is educational, family friendly, safe for kids and adults and above all it is very easy to navigate.

·         I check my e-mail regularly on yahoo.com.

·         I also have yahoo messenger which helps me to chat online with my friends and relatives who also have this messenger.

·         Sometimes I play games online.

·         My favourite game is Word Racer.

·         It is a vocabulary building game.

·         I have learnt many new words through it.

·         Yahoo answers is a forum on this site where you can ask any question and you will get replies from all over the world.

·         Yahoo maps is a link on this site through which you can locate any place of the world.

·         There is also an astrology link on this site.

·         You can do a lot of online shopping at yahoo.

·         You can search for jobs at yahoo jobs. You can read the latest news and the latest advertisements.

·         There is something for everyone on this site. I think this is a complete site in itself.

Photograph

·         I have a collection of many photographs in my album.

·         Here I’m going to describe one in which my cousin and I are standing with our grandparents in our farmhouse.

·         There is a small round table on which there is a cake.

·         I remember vividly, it was the golden jubilee celebration of my grandparents. My aunt baked and iced the cake at home.

·         She’s an expert cook. She only clicked the photo.

·         That’s why she is not there in the picture.

·         But her presence can be felt through the cake.

·         Only the four of us were there in the picture.

·         Last year when I celebrated my parents silver jubilee, I wished in my heart that I celebrate their golden jubilee too.

·         The tablecloth which is spread on the table was embroidered by my grandma. She had a gifted hand in needle and thread work.

·         Both my grandparents are no more in this world now.

·         I really treasure this photograph as this brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood.

·         Now I have a digital camera in which I capture precious moments.

·         Maybe one day my children will value them.

·         I like painting and drawing too but can’t find enough time for these arts out of my busy schedule.

A book you read recently ( Favourite book)

·         I have read many books but here I would like to talk about the Wings of Fire” by Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

OR

·         My favourite book is the “Wings of Fire” by Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

·         That is the best book.

·         It is his auto-biography.

·         It was first published in 1999.

·         This book became popular only after Dr. Kalam became the president of India.

·         He was sworn in as the president of India on 25th July 2002.

·         Mr Arun Tiwari helped Dr Kalam in writing the book.

·         Dr. Kalam says why he wrote his autobiography.

·         This book is very motivating.

·         From this book I came to know all about the life and achievements of Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

·         Dr Kalam was born in a very poor family in the southern parts of India at Rameshwaram.

·         The reason why I admire him is that his life shows how & ordinary boy from a deprived class (poor family) could reach the highest level of the nation.

·         He became not only the best rocket engineer but also the first citizen of the nation.

·         It is true that he described his posting as the president as a piece of luck but his achievement as a rocket engineer were absolutely because of sheer hard work.

·         He is role model for one & all.

·         The success of Dr Kalam depended on the fact that he was willing to grow daily.

·         He learned everything that come to him &was looking for thing to learn.

·         The real success of Dr.Kalam is in his application of the discipline, what he learned, in other fields also.

·         That is why he could contribute to artificial limbs of lesser weight.

·         In him we find a person with insatiable quest for knowledge & with great love for suffering fellow beings.

·         I like everything about the book. There is nothing that I don’t like

·         Another book he wrote is “The Ignited Mind”

Story of A Film (‘Pinjar’)

·         I have seen many films in my lifetime but here I am going to talk about Pinjar, which is based on a novel written by Amrita Pritam

·         She was a famous Punjabi writer

·         The film is based on the plight on the plight of women during the partition of India

·         Pinjar literally means skeleton

·         It is the story of a young hindu girl Puro who lives with her family happily

·         She is engaged to Ramchand

·         One day Puro is kidnapped by Rashid

·         Actually Rashid’s aunt was once kidnapped by Puro’s family and Rashid wants to take revenge

·         After kidnapping Puro, Rashid falls in love with her

·         One day Puro somehow escapes from Rashid’s captivity and comes back home

·         Her family does not accept her because they think she is not chaste any more

·         Unfortunately, her brother Trilok, who loves her a lot is not home at that time

·         She returns to Rashid and gets married to him

·         When trilok returns home he burns Rashids farm and crop.

·         Meanwhile, Puro is very unhappy with life and becomes a Pinjar, Skeleton

·         Then partition is announced

·         Lajjo, Puro’s sister-in-law is kidnapped by muslims

·         Rashid helps Puro find her

·         Puro falls in love with Rashid because of his goodness

·         Rashid gives her the option to go to her family in India but she refuses

·         The film ends on a happy note.

STORY OF A FILM (‘Bend It like Beckam’)

·         A film have enjoyed recently is ‘Bend It like Beckam’.

·         What made me want to see it was the title first of all.

·         I was also interested to see what it’s like for an Indian teenager growing up in England.

·         It was directed by Gurinder Chadha and it stars two young British actresses Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley.

·         The film is set in present-day London.

·         The main character is an Indian girl called Jess.

·         She comes from a very traditional Indian family, who all want her to learn to cook and get married like her elder sister.

·         The problem is that Jess wants to play only football, which her parents won’t allow her to do because they say, it is unsuitable sport for a girl.

·         Encouraged by her friend Joules- played by Ceria Knightly- she starts playing for a local girls’ football beam, but tells her family that she got a part time job in a Shop.

·         Eventually her parents find out, of course, and try to stop her.

·         Things get really complicated when it turns out that both she and Joules are in love with Joe (the team’s young male coach)

·         So jess is forced to choose between her family, her friend and the man she loves.

·         However it all ends happily and jess is allowed to continue with her foot balling career.

·         Although, sometimes the film is a bit slow moving and the dialogue is quite difficult to understand at times, there are a number of things I liked about this film.

·         There is quite a lot of humour in the film and there are some amusing characters especially Joules mom, who is always worrying about her daughter.

·         The scenes showing Jess’s sisters’ wedding are very warm and colourful.

·         The sound track is good too with a mixture of rock and Indian music.

Best Friend A person with whom you like to spend time with

·         My best friend is ……... I really like to spend my time with him.

·         I met him when I was in the 4th class in the …….Primary School where I studied.

·         I like him because he is an honest and straightforward person.

·         He was a very happy mentality.

·         Whenever I was in trouble he used to come and help me.

·         He tried to be very understanding and never fought with me.

·         In class I was weak at maths and he used to help me.

·         I had a very bad handwriting and he helped me to improve my handwriting also.

·         He has a habit of reading.

·         His father has subscribed to the Reader’s Digest magazine.

·         I started reading because of him.

·         He is a very loving, caring and affectionate person.

·         So, he became a very intimate friend.

·         Now also he lives near my house and we spend our evenings together.

·         We go for movies together, do shopping together and even play together.

Law which is good - PNDT act

·         There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time.

·         All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general.

·         Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos.

·         The law I am going to talk about here is PNDT act i.e. Pre Natal Diagnostic technique Act.

·         This was first enforced in 1994 and then amended in 2002.

·         In this there is a fine of Rs 1 lack, imprisonment and cancellation of the registration of the Doctor who is caught doing the test.

·         It is a disgrace for the Indian society which considers the birth of a girl child as a bad investment in future.

·         She is considered a consumer rather than a producer and this narrow view point has led to practices like female foeticide.

·         The situation is worst in Punjab.

·         In many parts there are only 700 girls per 1000 boys.

·         This decline in sex ratio might lead to degradation of moral values of society resulting in

- Polyandry

- violence against women

- red trafficking.

·         This low is being strictly implemented but still there is a fear that there is a fear that these practices are going on in the back street.

·         I feel that law alone is not sufficient .

·         Other measures like-

-          Providing old-age-pension to parents who have no son.

-          Free and compulsory education for girls.

-          Job reservation for women

-          and equal share in property would also help.

·         In the end I would like to say that all of us have to work together to form a gender balanced society.

Law which is good - ban on smoking

·         There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time.

·         All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general.

·         Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos.

·         The law I am going to talk about here is ‘Ban on smoking in public places’.

·         This law was made effective from 2nd October 2008

·         In this law, smoking is strictly prohibited in public places , such as hospitals, courts, bus stops, cinema halls and so on

·         If any person is caught smoking in public places, he can be fined Rs. 200

·         Smoking is very bad for health

·         It is bad for the smoker and also for the passive smoker

·         There are many diseases caused by smoking like

-          Lung cancer

-     ·         If a pregnant woman does passive smoking then the child can be born with defects

Polluted City

·         Well ma’am pollution is a big problem these days

·         There is hardly a place which is absolutely pollution free

·         Here I am going to talk about a city JEDDAH which is very very polluted

·         It has all sorts of pollution – air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution

·         I went there last week

·         In fact I go there quite often as my relatives live there

·         Industries dump their effluents in the surrounding area and this causes water pollution

·         The population of JEDDAH is far more for its size and this has given rise to slum areas in the outskirts

·         The people in these slum areas are mainly labourers from other states

·         They too litter the place.

·         There are many vehicles also which cause air pollution

·         Whenever I come back from JEDDAH, I heave a sigh of relief

·            There is so much air pollution in JEDDAH that my eyes start watering.

Changes in your life

·         Change is the law of nature.

·         My life has also seen many changes.

·         I would like to talk about here about some changes that are worth mentioning.

·         I used to be a very fat and chubby child.

·         A real couch potato.

·         Then one day there was a drama competition in school.

·         I was given the role of a fat and dumb girl/boy.

·         Everyone laughed at me.

·         I decided to change that image and I started exercising daily.

·         I stopped eating chocolates and candies.

·         The changes became obvious and in six months I was a new person.

·         I felt more confident and active.

·         You know what, I even got better in studies

·         Then I made new friends.

·         I used to be an introvert.

·         I started going out and meeting people.

·         I started finding the world a better place.

·         Another change that I would like to talk about here is in my nature.

·         I used to spend all my money on chocolates.

·         Once I helped a poor class fellow with some stationery material.

·         I found great happiness in it.

·         I used to live for myself only.

·         But I found a new meaning of life.

·         So you see ma’am, changes are a part and parcel of life.

An interesting place in your Home Town Favourite Restaurant

·         There are many restaurants which I frequent but here I am going to describe ……………...

OR

·         There are many interesting places in my home town but here I am going to talk about ……………..

·         It is on ………………..

·         Actually it falls in the suburbs of ………

·         I like it because of the delicious & quality food , quick & prompt service & a friendly atmosphere.

·         It is always swarming with people & brimming with activity.

·         The food is priced at very normal rates.

·         It is a huge place with a seating capacity of about 200 people.

·         The interior is decorated to simulate a traditional SAUDI scene.

·         Handicrafts adorn the walls which give the place a very ethnic look.

·         The food served is mouth watering & delicious.

·         The restaurant is very clean & hygienic.

·         The waiters are amicable & friendly.

·         It is a must visit place for one & all

·         It is so interesting that one can never feel bored there

An Interesting news story that you read in paper

·         I read the Tribune daily.

·         It gives many interesting news stories.

·         The news story that I am going to talk about here is on Global warming.

·         I read it in the editorial section of the paper.

·         The editor Mr H K Dua had presented the article in a very nice way.

·         It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it.

·         The way he wrote about the causes and effects was very eye catching.

·         It was an eye-opener for me.

·         We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it.

·         He also told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

·         Then he told about effects of global warming.

·         There are three main effects.

·         Firstly there is rising sea level.

·         Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates.

·         That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler.

·         Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue.

·         This is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat.

·         The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags.

·         I felt very enlightened after reading this news story.

·         I decided to start using recycled things immediately.

An interesting news story that you watched on TV

·         I have watched many interesting news stories on TV

·         A news story that I saw recently was on Global warming.

·         I saw it on Star news Channel.

·         It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it.

·         The way they showed the causes and effects was very eye catching.

·         It was an eye-opener for me.

·         We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it.

·         The news article told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

·         Then it told me about effects of global warming.

·         There are three main effects.

·         Firstly there is rising sea level.

·         Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates.

·         That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler.

·         Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. T

·         his is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat.

·         The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags.

·         I felt very enlightened after seeing this news story.

·         I decided to start using recycled things immediately.

Speech that somebody delivered and you heard. Speech by a famous person

Ÿ In my life I heard many speeches. But here I would like to discuss with you a speech which my principal delivered when I was in 10th class and it was on the most burning issue nowadays - that is “GLOBAL WARMING”.

Ÿ My school principal is very famous person in my home town and is known for his oratorial skills.

Ÿ He talked on the topic of global warming.

Ÿ The whole globe is involved in it.

Ÿ The way he described the causes and effects was very interesting.

Ÿ It was an eye-opener for me.

Ÿ We humans are the causes and we humans can lessen it.

Ÿ He also told us how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

Ÿ Then he told us about the effects of global warming.

Ÿ Firstly is the rise in the sea level.

Ÿ This is because of the melting of mountain peaks.

Ÿ Second effect is changing climate.

Ÿ We all know that summers are getting hotter and winters are getting colder.

Ÿ Finally, we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue.

Ÿ This is because mosquitoes and flies prosper in the heat.

Ÿ He also told how to lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like

u     Not cutting down trees.

u     Planting more trees.

u     Using recycled materials.

u     Saying no to plastic bags.

Ÿ I felt very enlightened after listening to his spellbinding speech.

Ÿ I try to avoid using plastic bags and also accept recycled material even though quality is low.

Language apart from English

A language I would like to learn apart from English is French

There are many reasons for this

The first and foremost reason is that I want to visit my uncle and aunt who live in France

They told me that if you wish to communicate with Franco phones it is very essential to know some French

There, very few people know English

My uncle has also offered to sponsor my fees for higher education

In that case, if I choose to study there, then learning French would be a necessity

Another reason is that my parents are planning to move to Canada

So, my knowledge of French would come very handy there

It might help me in getting a job

French is spoken in 33 countries

It is the second most commonly taught language after English

Even in my country, if I know a foreign language, then I can get a good job in the tourism industry

Everyone knows, tourists from all parts of the world flock to India

Those who are multilingual definitely stand a better chance in the job market.

Future Plan

·         Every human being makes plans for the future

·         In the same way, I too have made some plans for my future

·         My immediate future plan is to go abroad for my higher studies

·         I want to go to London for my higher studies

·         That is why I am taking IELTS

·         I want to do a course in hotel management

·         This is the fastest growing industry nowadays

·         There are a lot of job opportunities in this field

·         It is a highly lucrative profession

·         This profession is very popular all over the world

·         My brother who lives in London told me about this course

·         He has searched some colleges for me

·         He told me the value of this course over there

·         My dream is to open a hotel

·         Through this course, I will learn about the different sections and departments within the hotel industry

·         All my family members are involved in this plan

·         They are saving money for my study abroad

·         My ultimate future plan is to open a hotel in my home town

·         My family will join me in this venture

Project you made in school

·         Project work is part and parcel of school curricula

·         I have made many projects in my life

·         But here I am going to talk about a project which I made when I was in 10th class

·         This project was on the topic of pollution

·         Our teacher gave us this project for competing in an environment fair

·         This fair is held every year in December in my home town

·         We were a team of three students

·         We collected all data from different sources like the internet, library, magazines and so on

·         We presented all three types of pollution on thermocol

·         In this project we showed the causes, effects and ways to control pollution

·         We won first prize in this competition

·         Our school principal also appreciated us

·         This project also touched the topic of global warming which is a burning issue nowadays

·         After that my project was hung in the class room

Talk about the climate in your country

·         Climate refers to the long term atmospheric condition.

·         Saudi weather and climate conditions are very diverse and can reach extremes.

·         The climate of Saudi is essentially a temperate one.

·         Also, water bodies lie on two sides thus giving some parts a coastal climate.

·         The weather of Saudi changes every now and then thus giving the people the much-needed relief from the extreme weather conditions.

·         We have four seasons based on the climate.

·         Summer, winter, autumn and spring

·         The duration of summer in Saudi is from April to September.

·         It is very hot in the summer months.

·         We have the monsoons during summer which last from July to August.

·         We have rains in the monsoon season which brings some relief from the extreme heat of summers.

·         The winters in Saudi can get cold.

·         It becomes bone chilling during the months of November to February.

·         The northern part of Saudi experiences harsh weather conditions

·         The hilly areas experience sub-zero temperature conditions.

·         Spring lasts from end of February to beginning of April. It is very pleasant in the spring season.

·         It marks the end of winter and the beginning of summer

·         Autumn lasts from the end of September to the beginning of November.

·         It marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter

·         The trees shed their leaves in autumn.

Shift work

Shift work is not a new thing.

Many departments have been working in shifts from ages.

For instance, health department and police department

We also have night trains and buses.

Even manufacturing industries have been working in shifts to increase production.

But today, we belong to a 24/7 society and so shift work has become very-very common.

All these call-centres and other MNCs are working round the clock

Shift work has many advantages

To students, it gives the opportunity to earn while they learn.

To some people it gives the opportunity to look after family commitments/responsibilities

Also, those people who need more money can work two shifts a day

People can also do some side business

On the other hand, shift work has some negative points

The sleep pattern of persons working in shifts is disturbed

This can lead to health problems like hypertension and depressions.

By working at unsociable hours, the family life is also disturbed.

So we can see that as every garden has weeds, similarly, shift work has both, pros and cons

But on the whole pros are much more

Shift work is here to stay

There is simply no going back.

Good news that you received through phone

Well madam, Telephone is ubiquitous nowadays and it is the most common method of communication. I have received many news through phone. Here I am going to talk about a news which I received last month. It was about my cousin’s wedding. My uncle called and told me that Ibrahim, my cousin’s wedding has been fixed for May 21st. The best part of the news was that the marriage is to take place is Almadinah. You know my uncle lives in LONDON. He moved to LONDON with his family 8 years ago since then he never came to Saudi. I was so happy on hearing the news that I jumped up with joy.I am looking forward to this wedding.They are going to stay with us only.My cousin Ibrahim is 4 years older to me but we are very good friends.My parents have started making arrangements for the wedding.The marriage palace has been booked.The caterers have been booked. Shopping for clothes has been started.

I have also bought a ……….

Sporting event

Sporting events are very common now-a-days.My favourite game is football .So, here I am going to talk about a sporting event which I saw in the football stadium at Jeddah It was a one day matches between Ittihad and hilal. My uncle had arranged passes for us .I had watched many matches on TV but watching a match in the stadium was a different experience. I had gone with three friends but we had won .It was the happiest moment of our lives

We returned home at night.

Best stage of life

Life is full of stages like childhood, adulthood and old age but the stage I like the most is childhood. All stages have their positive and negative sides. I think childhood is the most colorful age of anyone’s life. We have no worries, no tensions and no responsibilities. Childhood is the period of innocence. It is the period of learning. I remember I was very naughty. I was a very chubby child. Everybody used to pick at my cheeks. I used to play hide and seek with my friends in the street and I remember I used to hide myself in the oldest of places. Nobody could find me.One day I hid myself in the almirah and I remember I could not open it.

It was a huge almirah.I fell asleep.After a long time ,my mother opened the almirah and found me in it.There were so many people in the house looking for me.I was the centre of attraction.I could not understand why my parents were so happy but I felt very important. I loved to eat rice pudding made by my mother. I remember she used to make it for me. I also threw tantrums when I wanted something and I remember I always got what I wanted. In school I was very naughty and I had lots of friends.

Good Cook You Met In Life

I met many persons in my life.But here I am going to talk about one person who is my friend’s mother.One day my friend invited me to dinner.There were so many dishes on the dining table.I was surprised when my friend told that all dishes were prepared by her mother.They included traditional Saudi dishes like rice pudding. It was such a sumptuous dinner.I kept licking my fingers. My friend also told that she can cook Chinese food, Italian food, fast food and bake cakes also.I was really surprised.I learnt a few recipes from her.She gave me some very nice kitchen tips.I tried baking a cake that she taught me. It did not come out very good.I think cooking is an art and few people are gifted.My friend’s mother has a gifted hand in cooking.

Describe a successful experience

Life is full of experiences .

Some experiences are successful and in some you are not so lucky

But all experiences teach valuable lessons of life

Here I am going to talk about one experience which was very successful

It so happened that my uncle and aunt had come from America with their daughter

They were looking for a suitable match for their daughter

Fortunately they found a match and the wedding was fixed.

There were only 10 days for the entire preparation

They were worried as to how the preparations could be done in such short notice.

But I took the charge and helped my uncle in all preparations

We jotted down the work and distributed duties

Then we booked the marriage palace, the caterers, the decorators, the DJ and the hotel rooms for guests

My aunt and my mother took charge of the shopping for the bride and groom

Everything was planned so meticulously that all enjoyed the wedding

We had looked into the minutest detail

Even my parents were surprised at the way I had planned things

Since then I have come to be known as the event organiser in my family

Now, whenever there is any function everyone comes to me for suggestions

I feel very happy when I do something for them

Dancing

Do you enjoy dancing? (Why/Why not)

(You need to react to the question, first.)

Yes I do, I really love (like) dancing. No, I don’t love….

Definitely, I am very fond of dancing. Not really, I am not very fond of…

Certainly, I am very interested in dancing. No, I don’t think I am interested in…

Of course, I am very passionate about dancing.

Yes, I enjoy dancing.

I am very excited about dancing.

(Then elaborate on the answer)

It is a time that you can forget about yourself and relax your mind and body. It also gives you a great deal of inner satisfaction. I think it is a great way to release your stress.

I think it’s the best way to enjoy your time with your friends. You can get close to them and strengthen your friendship.

I believe, dancing is a wonderful way to exercise your body. It involves vigorous physical activity and burns a lot of calories. The only way I exercise is by dancing, and that keeps my body fit.

This is a very good way to show your talent before others. I am quiet a good dancer and I get a lot of appreciation from people. That gives me great confidence and enhances my personality.

I don’t think I have the talent to dance. I look very awkward when I dance and it gives me very little satisfaction.

I don’t have an opportunity to dance. In fact, I live in a very orthodox culture and dancing is not very popular here. The only people who dance are the professional dancers and it is not very common among ordinary people. However, I love watching other people dance.

Has anyone every taught you how to dance? (Why/Why not)

Not in the recent past. But when I was a small girl, I went to a dance school in my village, where I learned some classical dance. I also learned folk dance from a teacher in my regular school during that time.

No, no one has ever taught me how to dance. I learned dancing by watching videos and dancing with my friends. It is not very difficult to learn simple dancing and I learned it in a very informal way.

Tell me about any traditional dancing in your country?

We have a number of traditional dances in my country, both classical and folk. A very popular classical dance form in my country is ................ You need many years of training to master this dance. It is usually staged during festivals and cultural programmes. It has a very ancient origin and was patronised by kings in the olden times. Dancers perform with graceful and rhythmic movements and in rich and colourful costumes.

Do you think that traditional dancing will be popular in the future? (Why/Why not)

I think so. Traditional dancing will be very popular in the future. A lot of parents now send their children to learn traditional dancing and children automatically develop a liking for this type of dancing. Apart from that, there are a lot of competitions in schools and colleges in traditional dancing. Again, foreign tourists show a lot of interest in traditional dancing. So there is great possibility that traditional dancing will be popular in the future.

No I don’t think so. In the future more and more people will be interested in modern dancing, both western and Indian. So traditional dancing will lose its charm for people. Moreover, traditional dancing requires many years of training and dedication and many people don’t have time for that. It is also an expensive affair. Again, traditional dancing has a very small audience. So I think traditional dancing will become less popular in the future

Describe someone in your family who you like.

You should say:

How this person is related to you

What this person looks like

What kind of person he/she is

And explain why you like this person

The person whom I like the most in family is my brother who is just younger to me. We are eight children, I am the second and he is the third.

He doesn’t look like me at all. He rather looks like my mother and is the most handsome person in the family. He is closer to me than any other member of the family, more than even my parents.

He is not very good at his studies or in any arts and music, but is very good at heart. He is very good humoured, and you know, makes everybody laugh with his witty conversation. He has a special way of attracting people towards him.

He is a very just person, and if there is a misunderstanding in the family, he is the first person to find a solution to it. When he does something important, he comes to me and talks about it, and he usually he accepts my advice. He is also quite daring and enterprising. Although he is not very educated he runs a very successful business and lives a happy life.

I like him very much, mainly because he understands me more than any other member of my family. He has also supported me and stood with me whenever I had a serious problem or trouble.

So I would say that he is someone I like in my family.

Part 3

Discussion Topics

Family similarities

In what ways can people in a family be similar to each other?

People in a family can be similar to each other in many ways. They usually resemble each other in their physical appearance. For example, children look like their parents, in their facial feature, colour, type of hair and so on. They can also be alike, in their character and behaviour.

Do you think daughters are always more similar to mothers than to male relatives?

Not always! There are many daughters who look more like their fathers or other male members of the family than mothers. That includes their colour, face, hair and so on. But I do think that most daughters look like their mothers in physical features.

What about sons and fathers?

I think it is the same with them as well. There are many sons who resemble their mothers more than their fathers or other male members of the family.

In terms of personality, are people more influenced by their family or friends? In what ways?

People are usually more influenced by their family than friends, because as children, most people live with their families. And that is when an individual’s personality is developed. Even after that, people spend more time with their family members and interact with them more closely than their friends. This intimacy with the family members has a great influence in their character formation. On the other hand, friends also have a significant influence in one’s personality, but not as much as family members.

Genetic Research

Where can people in your country get information about genetic research?

There are many sources in my country, where people can get information about genetic research. I think the most common source is books. You can find books on genetic research in public libraries or in bookshops. Apart from that, there are a number of universities and institutes that does research in genetic studies. There are a lot a lot scientist and professors, who can give information about this subject. I think, the internet is a wonderful source to get information about genetic research. If you search Google, you will come across many websites that will give you, at least, the primary information about genetic research.

How do people in your country feel about genetic research?

In general, I think people in my country have a positive attitude towards genetic research. They know it has a lot of benefits in terms of better agricultural production and prevention of many genetic diseases. However, some people are worried about genetically modified foods. They fear that it can be dangerous to human health.

Should this research be funded by governments or private companies?

I think both government and private companies should jointly or separately fund genetic research. It should not be the monopoly of either of the parties. If private companies alone fund genetic research the benefits of the research may not reach the common man, because of their profit motive. So government also has the responsibility to fund it, so that everybody enjoys the benefits.

Part 1

Musical Instruments

Which instrument do you like listening to most? (Why?)

My favourite musical instrument is the flute. (I love listening to the flute, the most). I have always wondered why I like flute. May be, it is because of its simplicity or because of it sweet sound. Flute has a very soothing music and it goes directly into your heart. I think it is very easy to learn flute, but I am not sure. Anyway, I like it.

Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?

Not really, I don’t think I have the talent for it. So I have not seriously tried. When I was small, I just used to play with the harmonium, but actually, I could never play any proper notes. Even now, I love to press the keys of the electric keyboard and I like to hear the sound. But I have never learned to play any musical instrument.

Yes I play the keyboard. I started leaning it at a very early age. My mother bought me a toy piano when I was a small kid. I started playing it on my own. Later, I went to a music school, where I leaned to play the electric organ. Now I play it quiet well.

Do you think children should learn to play a musical instrument?

It is good in one way. As children, you have the time and interest in learning a musical instrument. In think learning a musical instrument can give a lot of confidence to children. They will learn to perform before other people. They can be proud of the fact that they know how to play a musical instrument. It is the best way to know whether a child had the taste for it. However, we should not force a child into it, especially if he doesn’t have the talent for it.

No I don’t think children should learn a musical instrument. It is the time for them to play and enjoy games. Playing a music instrument is a very serious job. It requires a lot of patience and discipline. So I think it is better not to force children into it at an early age. If they have the taste and talent they will learn it later.

How easy would it be to learn to play an instrument without a teacher?

I think, it is not easy to learn a musical instrument without the help of a teacher, because you have no one to clear your doubts. Not only that, you can never learn it, systematically. There are people who learn musical instruments like guitar with the help of a book or through the internet. But, I don’t think you go can very far, in this way.

Why not! There are a lot of people who learn musical instruments without the help of a teacher. You can get books and lessons from the internet. The advantage is that you can learn at your own pace and convenience. Then why go for a teacher.

Part 2

Describe something healthy you enjoy doing

You should say:

What you do

Where you do it

Who you do it with

And explain why you think doing this is healthy.

Playing sports, cycling, exercising

I have been playing badminton for the last few years. This is something that I really enjoy. When I started I wasn’t a good player. Over the years I have improved tremendously. Every day I wait for the evening to play badminton.

I play it in our college campus. We have an indoor court and so the wind doesn’t disturb our game.

I play with my colleagues at work. There are about 6 to 8 people who play regularly and if you don’t reach the court in time, you don’t get to play the first game. After a game is over, usually the losers have to give chance to the other players, who wait outside.

I think this has definitely kept me fit. I have lost about 6 kilos in the last 2 years, just because I play this game. I have no other exercise and I don’t need any. I can eat anything I like and I can burn my extra calories in the game. Now my body has become very flexible and I have improved my stamina. My movements have become easy and my body is much more flexible now. I can even run up steps without panting. My cholesterol and blood sugar levels are much lower than before. So this is something healthy that I enjoy doing.

Part 3

Keeping fit and healthy

What do most people do to keep fit your country?

Most people, in my country do some kind of manual labour and that keeps them fit. They don’t need any other exercise. The farmers work in the field and there are a lot of people who work in constructions and similar manual jobs. The middleclass white collar workers and the rich people are also very health conscious and do regular exercises like jogging, walking in the morning or playing some games. There are some people who work out in gyms to keep themselves fit.

The most common exercise, that people in my country do, to keep themselves fit, is to go for a walk. If you get up early in the morning and look at the streets, especially in cities, you can see a lot of people walking by the side of the road. There are also a lot of evening walkers as well. Some jog or cycle or do some exercise or play some games. There are a lot of people who visit gyms to be fit. Yoga is another popular exercise that people are interested in.

How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise?

It is extremely important for people to engage in some kind of regular exercise, especially after 30 or 35. Otherwise we will be prone to common lifestyle diseases like, high blood sugar or blood pressure. Heart ailments are very common among people who have no physical exercise. Regular exercise can give your body a lot of immunity against such diseases. It can burn your extra fat that causes all these ailments. So, regular exercise is essential for people to keep themselves fit.

Health and modern lifestyles

Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy?

See, people have a valid reason for thinking so. People today love comfort and luxury and they want to satisfy their appetites at any cost. Rather than cooking at home, they love to eat out, at restaurants and fast food joints. Fast food may be tasty but contains a lot of fat that is not good for health. Previously people used to walk or engage in some kind of manual work. That is not the case today. Personal vehicles and modern devices have made their life easy and people have great aversion towards sweating their body. This lifestyle naturally invites diseases.

Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives?

The simple answer is laziness. Today many people do not have the discipline to lead a healthy life. They love comfort and convenience in everything that they do. In fact, they don’t realise that their comfort and luxury are going to end soon. They need to face the reality sooner than later.

Should individuals or governments be responsible for making people lifestyles healthy?

It is the individuals themselves who are responsible for making their lifestyles healthy. It is one’s personal freedom to lead a healthy lifestyle. Government has nothing to do with it. No government can interfere into such personal affairs. Government can’t ask people to eat this or that. The only thing that government can do is to spread awareness about this issue. Nothing more than that.

What could be done to encourage people to live in a healthy way?

The best way to encourage people to live in a healthy way is to spread awareness about the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. This can be done through the media like television and newspapers. At an early age, children should be given education about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It should also be included in the curriculum. Moreover, sports should be made compulsory in schools. Another effective way is to give gym and sports facilities in factories and offices.

Part 1

Traffic where you live

How do most people travel to work where you live?

Most people in my place travel to work using public transportation system. We have both government and private bus services that are very efficient and frequent. The bus fares are also quiet moderate, and that makes it the favourite mode of travel for ordinary people to go to work. People, who go to longer distances to work, usually make use of trains. We have a number of short distance trains, which are very cheap. A lot of people also have their own private vehicles to go to work. Most young people have their own motor bikes. The more affluent go to work by car.

What traffic problems are there in your area?

Traffic problems are quite frequent in my area, especially during the peak hours of morning and evening, when people travel to work or study and back. As many roads are very narrow and cannot hold the increasing traffic volume at a time. So traffic moves at a snail’s pace, especially during the rush hours. There are also a lot of puddles on the roads especially during the rainy season and manoeuvring them would further slow the traffic down.   There are constant repairs on the roads which are both slow and ineffective and traffic is often diverted through narrower roads making the situation still worse.

How do traffic problems affect you?

Traffic problems affect me very badly. I need to reach work on time and very often the unexpected traffic snarls and jams do not let me do it. I have made it a point that I start from a bit earlier from home, so that these unexpected delays do not affect me much. Another problem is that driving in high gear, exhausts your fuel tank very fast.

How would you reduce the traffic problems in your area?

The first thing that the government should do is to widen the roads with immediate effect and that can definitely reduce the problem tremendously. Another area that the authorities can look into is to engage a big company to make roads that can last for a longer period of time.   It would definitely reduce the constant repairs on roads. People also should be made to obey traffic rules very strictly.

Part 2

Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.

You should day:

What kind of game or sport it is

Who you play it with

Where you play it

And explain why you enjoy playing it.



In fact I don’t play any games at the moment, because I don’t have the time or opportunity for it. It is very difficult for you to play a game once you get out of your school or college. There are very few playgrounds for the public.

May be, I will talk about the game I played when I was in college. I was very interested in soccer, and I played in the forward line. It was usually played in the evening when the sun was not very warm and that preserved a lot of your energy. I hope you know that football requires a great deal of running and if it is very hot your stamina will run out fast.

I usually played with my college mates. We would break into two teams and sometimes the numbers would vary from seven to twelve, depending on the number of people who were interested in playing the game. It always used to be great fun to play with your mates in a very friendly atmosphere. Since everybody knew each other there were hardly any hard tackling or rough play. Everybody enjoyed the spirit of the game.

We played in the football ground, just in front of our college. It was quite a big ground and so we had to run around a lot, but that gave us a lot of physical fitness.

I enjoyed playing soccer because there was a thrill in scoring goals and winning. You kept improving with every game and that gave you a great deal of motivation and competitive spirit. Even when you did not play, during the day, you kept thinking about the game. So it was great fun and I always waited for evenings to play soccer.

Discussion topics:

Children’s games

How have games changed from the time when you were a child?

Games have changed tremendously over the years. When we were children the standard of the game or the players was not as good as it is today. Moreover, newer rules have been introduced to make it more appealing to television audiences. I think the speed of the game has considerably increased. There is much more money in sports and games today, so more and more young people are interested in making it a full time career. That was not the case when I was a child.

Do you think this has been a positive change? Why?

Yes, it has definitely been a positive change in all ways. Games have become more popular and players get much better rewards. Televised games have made it possible for people to watch games in the comfort of their homes rather than going to a stadium. Watching games has become a very easy affair. Overall, the standard of the game has improved.

Why do you think children like playing games?

Children are physically very active and you can’t keep them idle for a long time. They always like to be with their friends, playing some games. Psychologically, at their age they can think of engaging in any serious activity for a long time. Playing games would occupy them time in a very effective way; otherwise they are going to create some mischief at home.