1a: Your Work
What work do you do
Why did you choose that job (that kind of work)*
What are your responsibilities at work
What is the most interesting part of your work*
Is your job (your work) very important to you(Why?/Why not?) *
Would you like to change your job* (Why?/Why not?)
Tell me about your typical daily routine at work. *
How do you and your work colleagues help each other at work(Or: Do you and your colleagues help each other at workHow?) (Or: Who gives you the most help at work?)
Do you often get together with your colleagues (workmates) after work(What do you do?)
1b: Your Studies
What subject are you studying(= 'What's your major?' in American English)
Why did you choose to study that
Where do you study
Do you like your university/school(Why?/ Why not?)
Does your university specialize in any particular subject/area*
Is there anyone who helps (helped) you (with your studies) at university/school(WhoIn what way?) (Who give you the most help?)
Do you often get together with ( = go out with = do things in your free time with ) your classmates after classes(What do you do?)
2. Your Hometown
Whereabouts (=where) did you grow up (Or, Where were you born?)
Is that a city or is it in the countryside*
Do you still live there
Does (do) your family still live there
What kind of place is your hometown(= Describe your hometown) *
How has your hometown changed in recent years(e.g., the past 20 years or since you were a child)
What part of your hometown do you like best(Why?) (= What's the best thing about your hometown= What do you find most attractive about your hometown?)
What's the most famous (= well-known) place in your hometown
Note: One of the two topics above is a compulsory topic.
3. Secondary school
Note 1: It seems that you could be asked about your secondary school studies even if you are working now or a university student now. However, if you are a university student (and especially if you are a secondary student now) and if you answered 1b, above, you probably will not get these questions. Everyone should prepare for this topic because if you get 'Hometown' as your first topic, 'Secondary School' is possible as one of your other topics.
Note 2: 'Secondary school' means the same as 'high school'. Unlike China and the U.S.A., most students in Britain and Australia go to one school from the age of about 12 to 18, called 'secondary school' (= high school). However, there are also a small number of 'Junior High Schools' and 'Senior High Schools' in Britain and Australia.
What subjects did you study in secondary school (= high school)*
What was your favourite subject ( = class) in secondary school(= high school)
And which class (= subject) did you like the least(Why?)
Which secondary school subject do you think is most useful for people in adult life
What part of your secondary school education did you enjoy most?
4. Leisure Time
When do you have free time
How do you like to relax(What’s your favourite way to relax?)
How do Chinese people like to relax
Do you think it's important to have leisure time
How does that (the way Chinese people like to relax) compare with western countries
Do your friends ever come to your home in their free time What do you usually do together?
How do you think people will relax in the future*
Compare the way people in China relax today and the way they used to relax years ago.
In your leisure time, what do you usually do with friends or family(= Do you do things in your leisure time with friends or familyWhat?)
Do you have any hobbies or interests(= What are your hobbies or interests?) *
What do you do in your holidays (= vacations)(= How do you spend your holidays?) Or: How do people in China spend their holidays?
Do you like to travel (in your holidays or free time)(Why?)
5. Rain
Does it rain much in China(WhereWhen?)
Is there any part of China where it doesn't rain much(Where?) (or: Is there an even distribution of rain throughout China?)
When (in what month/season) does it rain most in your hometown
What about the other parts of China(In which season does it rain most in other parts of China?)
Can you remember any time when it rained particularly heavily in your hometown(When?)
Does rain ever affect transportation in your hometown(How?)
How does rain affect different people’s moods (Or: How does rain effect people's lives?)
Do you like rainy days(= How do you feel on rainy days= Do you feel sad on rainy days?)
What do you do on rainy day
Do you think rain is good(Why?)
Do you think the seasons have changed in recent years, compared to the past
6. Restaurants
Do you usually go out to eat or do you usually eat at home
How often do you go to a restaurant (to eat)(Do you often go to restaurants (to eat)How often?)
Why do you (or, why do people) go to restaurants
What kind of restaurants do you like(prefer) (Why?) (Or, How do you choose which restaurant to go to?)
What kind of restaurants do young people in China prefer(Why?)
What do you usually do there
What kind of foods do you (or Chinese people) like to eat in restaurants
How (do you think) restaurants have changed, over the past few years(=How are restaurants today different to those of before?)
How do you think they will (might) change in the future*
What skills do people need to work in a restaurant?
7. Letters
Do you often write letters(How often do you write letters?)
Who do you usually write to and what do you write about
What (do you think) is the most difficult kind of letter (or email) to write(Why?)
Do you prefer to write letters or emails(Why?)
What role do emails (or letters) play in your life( = Why do you write these emails or letters?)
How often do you write emails
What kinds of emails (or letters) do you most like receiving(Why?) (= What kinds of emails/letters make you happy?)
What are the differences between handwritten letters and emails
Do you think it is a good thing that some companies send out letters/spam emails for the purpose of advertising*
8. Television and Radio
What kind of entertainment do you prefer, TV or radio(Why?)
How are radio programs and television programs different
What programs do you like to watch/listen to
When do you watch TV/listen to the radio
In China, has television/radio changed much in recent years
How do you think TV/radio broadcasts in China could be improved
Do you prefer TV news or news on the radio(Why?) *
9. Daily Routine
Tell me something about your daily routine.
(If you do not work) For you, what's the best time of day for studying
(If you work) For you, what's the best time of day (or, day of the week) for working?
What part of the (= your) day do you like best(Why?)
If you could make one change to your daily routine, what would it be?
If you had more free time, what would you do
Do you get together with your fellow students/work colleagues (=classmates/workmates) after classes/work(What do you do?) [This questions possibly in Work/Studies topic.]
10. Travel
Do you like to travel (in your holidays or free time)(Why?)
Do you think it's important to travel during your holidays(Why?/Why not?)
Do you think it's necessary to travel in order to enjoy your holidays(Why?/Why not?)
Where do you like to go(If you say you like to travel or do, in fact travel in your holidays.)
Are holidays important (to people/to you)(Why?) Or: Do you think holidays are necessary(Why?) Or: Why do we need to have holidays?
