Giải đề Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 3, Speaking Part 2 & 3

Bài mẫu chủ đề “Describe a monument (statue or sculpture) that you like”

Ok, so I’m going to talk about one of the most famous and most recognisable landmarks in the world, and that is the Statue of Liberty, located in New York City. I think just about everybody knows this statue and associates it with freedom, or America, or New York City, or something like that. I think it's actually located on its own island, called Liberty Island, which is not too far from Manhattan where all the skyscrapers are in New York. I think to get to the monument, you have to catch a ferry. And I think a lot of people go there each year, as it's one of the most famous tourist attractions in New York City. As far as I know, the monument was given to America as a gift by the French, and it became a symbol of freedom in America and a welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. And I think it is made of copper, so it must be extremely heavy because I think it is about 30 to 40 metres tall. So, to describe the monument, I would say that it is a statue of a woman, a Roman liberty goddess to be more specific, dressed in a robe, wearing a crown, holding a flame torch in one hand above her head, and a book with some dates inscribed on its open pages. I’m not sure what the dates signify though. Another interesting fact about this statue is that it used to be a kind of reddish-brown colour, like the colour of copper, but over time, the metal had some chemical reactions with the surrounding air  and water and it has turned green now. Quite fascinating I think. 

Anyway, so I think the main reasons why I like this monument is because it actually has some interesting history, and it seems to have a lot of significance to American people and their sense of freedom. It also looks pretty cool, and if I ever went to New York City I would definitely go to this monument and walk up inside to the lookout in the statue’s crown. The view would be amazing I am sure. 

Phân tích từ vựng

• recognisable landmark: địa danh dễ nhận biết

• (to) associate: liên kết

• (to) catch a ferry: bắt một chuyện phà

• tourist attractions: điểm thu hút khách du lịch

• a symbol of freedom: biểu tượng của tự do

• immigrant: dân nhập cư

• liberty: sự tự do

• Inscribe (v): ghi/khắc (chữ)

• Signify (v): biểu thị

• Significance (n): Ý nghĩa/ tầm quan trọng

• a sense of freedom: ý thức về sự tự do

• the lookout (n): đài quan sát

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Sample

Public monuments

Question 1

Well I’d have to say that I don’t really think people in my country actually enjoy visiting monuments or statues. My country only has a very short history, and there really aren’t many famous statues or monuments that I know of. It’s not like in Europe, where the countries are steeped in rich history and culture. I think tourists in my country tend to be more interested in the natural beauty of the spectacular landscapes and natural attractions here.

Question 2

I suppose that would be to commemorate the people the statues are made of. I guess they are there to teach people about certain historical events or important people from the past. So that people have a better understanding of their country’s own history and culture. I think that kind of thing is very important in creating a sense of solidarity amongst citizens of a country. You know, it kind of gives people a common ground to unify them. I guess statues and monuments can also be used to decorate public areas as well. They can give a space a certain atmosphere I suppose.

Question 3

Well usually I think we should preserve them but I guess it really depends on what the building or monument is. I think it’s important to preserve history, and evidence of history also, not just what’s written in the textbooks. However, if the building doesn’t have much history or significance, or it just looks absolutely hideous, then I guess it would be ok to knock it down.

Từ vựng cần lưu ý:

• (to be) steeped in smth: đắm chìm trong…

• rich history and culture: nền văn hóa và lịch sử phong phú

• the natural beauty of smth: vẻ đẹp tự nhiên của…

• spectacular landscapes: cảnh quan ngoạn mục

• natural attraction: điểm tham quan tự nhiên (không phải nhân tạo)

• to commemorate: kỷ niệm, tưởng nhớ

• historical event: sự kiện lịch sử

• to have a better understanding of smth: hiểu hơn về

• Solidarity: tinh thần đoàn kết

• common ground: điểm chung

• to unify: hợp nhất, gắn kết

• to preserve history: bảo tồn, gìn giữ lịch sử

• Significance (n): ý nghĩa

• absolutely hideous (a): rất gớm ghiếc

• to knock something down: phá dở

Architecture

Question 1

To be honest, I don’t think architecture is really a popular subject at university. I mean, I don’t think it’s any more or less popular than most other subjects, at least not in my country anyway. But I suppose it does have a certain attraction. I mean, it's the perfect blend of creativity, mathematics and science. Architects need to be very logical thinking people to be able to design a building but also have a lot of creativity to give the building a sense of character or style, something that captures people's attention. 

Question 2

Well that’s a difficult question because I don’t really know much about architecture or building design. But I suppose over the years people have focused more on building homes that are more energy efficient perhaps, you know, to save on electricity and heating and cooling costs. I guess the design of homes has improved in terms of the strength of building materials also. In recent years, I think homes and buildings have probably gotten a lot bigger than homes people lived in in the past too. Nowadays, people live in ginormous homes, unlike my grandparents did when they were my age.

Question 3

That’s another topic that I don’t really know much about either, but even though I don’t really know how it changes people’s mood, I am certain that it does have a big effect on people. I guess that’s what you learn about when you study architecture right? That’s why people pay architects a lot of money I guess, to create a space with a certain atmosphere, a certain mood. Anyway, I think it happens unconsciously, you know, people aren’t really always aware of what changes their mood. Something as simple as the colour you paint the walls in your bedroom can affect how you feel.

Từ vựng cần lưu ý:

• the perfect blend of smth: sự pha trộn hoàn hảo của

• logical thinking: tư duy logic

• to capture someone’s attention: thu hút sự chú ý của ai đó

• energy efficient (a): tiết kiệm năng lượng

• to save on smth: tiết kiệm cái gì

• in terms of: về (việc gì)

• Ginormous (a): khổng lồ

• a mood (n): tâm trạng

• (to) happen unconsciously: xảy ra một cách vô ý thức

• (to be) aware of smth: có ý thức về chuyện gì

Trên đây là bài mẫu gợi ý cho đề Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 3, Speaking Part 2 & 3 được đội ngũ chuyên môn tại Anh Ngữ ZIM biên soạn. Thí sinh có thể thảo luận về đề thi và đáp án dưới phần bình luận hoặc tham gia diễn đàn ZIM Helper để được giải đáp kiến thức tiếng Anh luyện thi Đại học và các kì thi tiếng Anh khác, được vận hành bởi các High Achievers.

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