1. Conversation:
Talk about the following questions with your partner for about 5 minutes. The
pictures are there to help you.
- What impact has the advent of new technologies, the internet and AI had on the younger generations? Do they socialize in the same way as their parents did? Where do they hang out? Do you have a favourite haunt?
- What's your idea of fun? Is it a foam party? Family get-togethers? Staying in on your own? Do you sometimes enjoy painting the town red? Or are you a culture vulture? What are the pluses and minuses of each situation? What gives you a real buzz?
- Why has the burgeoning no-frills travel market soared? Do you think this is a good thing? Why have all-inclusive hotels been so controversial? Should free booze be banned on all-inclusive deals?
- Should there be a crack down on lager louts? Should young revellers be allowed to roam the streets performing scenes of debauchery? Should fines be introduced? Should the resorts beef up police and CCTV presence during the popular summer months? What would you do?
2.
Below there are some issues related to the topic. You must talk about at least
two of them for 3 minutes approx. you may be asked further questions about the
topic when you have finished.
Partner A
- Have you ever joined a conversation club to practise your English? Can you describe how the sessions developed? Have you joined other clubs? Would you recommend any of them? What are the benefits and drawbacks of joining a club? What other activities have you done to improve your English?
- Are you an intrepid traveller? Do you enjoy going off the beaten track and visit secluded coves and unspoiled beaches? Or do you prefer going on package holidays? What are the pros and cons of either way of travelling?
- Do you like surprise parties? Have you ever been to one? How was it? Who was the life and soul of the party? Where there any party animals or party poopers? Are there any wet blankets among your group of friends? Have you ever been to a stag or hen do?
Partner B
- Are you an inveterate traveller? Do you enjoy going gallivanting? Do you prefer to travel with friends or single-handedly? What are the swings and roundabouts of solo travel?
- Have you ever visited a place or attended an event that didn't live up to the hype? Have you ever had to lodge a complaint or a compensation claim?
- What's your opinion about the following overgeneralizations: "young people avoid interaction," "young British holiday makers are all beer-swilling lager louts," "no-frills airlines can have a nasty sting in the tail", "there is a new generation of couch potatoes who spend all day on the sofa looking at their smart phones and eating ready meals", "young people don't dress up for special occasions anymore." What other stereotypes can you think of? Are any of these stereotypes positive? How fair do you think they are?
1. Pictures
traditional/folk
/fəʊk/ dance takes
place in the streets throughout the year and everybody joins in.
go clubbing (informal) to spend time dancing and drinking in nightclubs.
Alexa: a virtual digital assistant developed by Amazon.
1. Questions
the advent of something/somebody the coming of an important event, person, invention,
etc. E.g. the advent of new technology.
AI: /ˌeɪ ˈaɪ/ artificial intelligence.
hang out: to spend a lot of time in a place. E.g. The local kids hang out at the
mall.
haunt:
/hɔːnt/ a place that somebody
visits often or where they spend a lot of time. E.g. The pub is a favourite haunt of artists. We’ve been back to some of our old haunts. Is this one of your usual haunts?
paint the town red (informal) to go to a lot of different bars, clubs,
etc. and enjoy yourself. E.g. After our exams finished, we all decided to get
dressed up and paint the town red.
culture vulture: /ˈkʌltʃə vʌltʃə(r)/ a person who is very
interested in serious art, music, literature, etc.
buzz: a strong feeling of pleasure, excitement
or achievement. E.g. a buzz of
excitement/ expectation. She gets a buzz out of her work. Flying gives me a
real buzz. You can sense the creative buzz in the city.
burgeoning: /ˈbɜːdʒənɪŋ/ beginning to grow or develop
rapidly. E.g. a burgeoning
population. burgeoning demand.
no-frills: /ˌnəʊ ˈfrɪlz/ (especially of a service or product) including only the basic features, without anything
that is unnecessary, especially things added to make something more attractive
or comfortable. E.g. a no-frills airline.
soar: /sɔː(r)/ if the value, amount or
level of something soars, it rises very quickly. E.g. soaring
costs/ prices/ temperatures. Air pollution will soon
soar above safety levels. Unemployment has soared
to 18%.
booze: /buːz/ alcoholic drink. E.g. Now he’s off the
booze (= he has given up drinking
alcohol), he’s a different person.
crack down (on
somebody/something) to try
harder to prevent an illegal activity and deal more severely with those who are
caught doing it. E.g. Police are cracking down on drug dealers.
lager lout: /ˈlɑːɡə laʊt/ a young man who drinks too
much alcohol and then behaves in a noisy and unpleasant way.
reveller: /ˈrevələ(r)/ a person who is having fun
in a noisy way, usually with a group of other people and often after drinking.
roam: /rəʊm/ to walk or travel around an
area without any definite aim or direction. E.g. The sheep are allowed to roam
freely on this land. to roam the
countryside/the streets, etc.
debauchery: /dɪˈbɔːtʃəri/ immoral behaviour involving
sex, alcohol or drugs. E.g. a life of
debauchery.
beef something up (informal) to make something bigger,
better, more interesting, etc. E.g. Security has been beefed up for the royal
visit. They’re taking on more workers to beef up production.
CCTV: /ˌsiː siː tiː ˈviː/ closed-circuit television.
2. Questions A/B
intrepid: /ɪnˈtrepɪd/ very brave; not afraid of
danger or difficulties. E.g. an intrepid explorer.
off the beaten track: far away from other people, houses, etc. E.g. They live
miles off the beaten track.
secluded: /sɪˈkluːdɪd/ (of a place) quiet and private; not used or disturbed by other people. E.g. a secluded
garden/ beach/ spot, etc. We managed to find a
fairly secluded spot for our picnic.
cove: /kəʊv/ a small bay (=
an area of sea that is partly surrounded by land). E.g. a secluded cove.
unspoiled: /ˌʌnˈspɔɪld/ also unspoilt /ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt/: (of a place) beautiful because it has not been
changed or built on. E.g. unspoiled
countryside. It’s a country of stunning landscapes and unspoiled beaches.
the life and soul the party, etc. the most amusing and interesting person at
a party, etc.
party animal: someone who enjoys parties and party activities very
much and goes to as many as possible. E.g. Sarah's a real party animal - she
likes to dance all night.
party pooper: /ˈpɑːti
puːpə(r)/ a
person who does not want to take part in an enjoyable activity and spoils the
fun for other people.
wet blanket: /ˌwet ˈblæŋkɪt/ a person who is not
enthusiastic about anything and who stops other people from enjoying themselves.
stag/hen party/do: a party that a man/woman
has with his male/ her female friends just before he/ she gets married, often
the night before.
inveterate: /ɪnˈvetərət/ (of a person) always doing something or enjoying something, and
unlikely to stop. E.g. an inveterate liar. He was an
inveterate traveller.
go gallivanting: to go from place to place enjoying yourself.
E.g. You're
too old to go gallivanting around Europe.
single-handedly: on your own with nobody helping you.
E.g. She
single-handedly saved the town from disaster.
swings and roundabouts: used to say that there are advantages and
disadvantages whatever decision you make. E.g. If you earn more, you pay more in tax, so
it's all swings and roundabouts. What you gain
on the swings you may lose on the roundabouts.
hype: /haɪp/ advertisements and
discussion on television, radio, etc. telling the public
about a product and about how good or important it is. E.g. marketing/ media hype. Don't believe all the
hype—the book isn't that good.
lodge something (with somebody) (against somebody/something) (formal) to make a formal statement about something to a public
organization or authority. Submit. E.g. They lodged a compensation
claim against the factory. Portugal has lodged a
complaint with the International Court of Justice.
claim (for something) a request for a sum of money that you believe you have
a right to, especially from a company, the government, etc. You can make a
claim on
your insurance policy. to put in a claim for an allowance. a claim for £2 000. Make sure your claims
for expenses are submitted by the end of the month.
Complete a claim form (= an official document which you must use in order to
request money from an organization).
swill something (down) (informal) to drink something, especially alcohol, quickly and/or
in large quantities.
sting in the tail: an unpleasant feature that comes at the end
of a story, an event, etc. and spoils it. E.g. the Budget comes with a sting in
the tail—future tax increases.
couch potato: /ˈkaʊtʃ pəteɪtəʊ/ a person who spends a lot of
time sitting and watching television.
ready meals: a meal that you buy already prepared and
which only needs to be heated before you eat it.
