Task 1 : Retelling a story

I once knew an old man whose bad memory made him famous. John Smith was so forgetful that he sometimes forgot what he was talking about in the middle of a sentence. His wife had to constantly remind him about his meetings, his classes – even his meals! Once he forgot he had eaten breakfast twice, at home and at school. His wife like to remind neighbors, “If John didn’t have his head tied on, he would forget that too!” Since Smith was a professor at a well-known university, his forgetfulness was often an embarrassment. It wasn’t that he was not clever, as some critical people tended to say, but just very, very absent-minded.

One hot summer day, Professor Smith decided to take his children to a seaside town about a three-hour train ride away. To make the trip more interesting for his young children, he kept the name of the town a secret. However, by the time they arrived at the station, Smith forgot the name of the town he was planning to visit. Luckily, a friend of his happened to be in the station. He offered to take care of the children while Smith hurried back home to find out where he was going.

The professor’s wife was surprised to see him again so soon.

“Oh, my dear, I forgot the name of the town.”

“What? You forgot the name? Maybe one day you will forget my name! Now I’ll write the name of that town on a piece of paper, and you put it in your pocket and please, please don’t forget where you put it.”

Satisfied that she had solved the problem, she sent her husband off again. Ten minutes later she was astonished to see him outside the house for the third time.

“What is the matter now?”

“As you told me, I didn’t forget where I put the name of that town, but I forgot where I left our children!” (325 words)

Task 2: Talking on a given topic

Directions: Describe a teacher of yours whom you find unusual.

Task 3: Role Playing

Directions: Many high school graduates in China are going overseas for their college education. A Friend of yours is graduating this year and would like to ask for your advice on whether it is a good idea for a high school graduate to go abroad to study.

Student A: You think this friend should go by all means, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember you should start the conversation.

Student B: You think this friend should finish college in China before thinking about going abroad, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember your partner will start the conversation.