英语角话题汇总.doc

一、 Direct and Indirect Communication 1. Do you feel that you are a direct communicator or an indirect communicator? Give an example. 2. Who do you feel you can communicate directly with and who do you feel you should communicate indirectly with? 3. In the following situations, is direct communication or indirect communication more effective? Why? a) Asking a favor b) Breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend c) Telling your teacher you didnt do your homework d) Firing an employee 4. Have you ever had a bad experience in which someone said something to you too directly? 5. If someone is communicating with you indirectly and you dont understand the message they are trying to tell you, how do you deal with the situation?二、 Friendship 1) Come up with a definition for what friendship means in China. 2) What are 3 qualities you want in a good friend? What are 3 qualities you dont want in a friend? Why? 3) How and where do people in China make their closest friendships? 4) If you move to a new place, what is a good way to make new friends? 5) What advice would you give a foreigner about how to develop good friendships with Chinese people? 6) If there is a foreign volunteer in your group, ask him/her what advice he/she has about being friends with westerners.三、 Education 1. Tell your group about your most enjoyable learning experience of the past. What made it good? 2. Describe what qualities you think the ideal teacher must have. What are some qualities you dont want in a teacher? 3. In Chinese society, do teachers have a high status or a low status? Do you think being a teacher is a good job? Why or why not? 4. Is it the teacher/schools or the parents responsibility to teach a child good morals and behavior? 5. In your opinion, do men or women make better teachers?四、 Holidays 1. What is your favorite Chinese holiday? Which Western holiday most interests you? 2. Do you think holidays are very significant? What meanings are expressed by such holidays as National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas, Spring Festival and Thanksgiving? 3. What is the history of your favorite Chinese holiday? (For example, whats the history of Dragon Boat Festival?) 4. What did you think of the National Day celebration? 5. Describe your ideal holiday.五、 Rich and Poor 1. Rank the following in order of importance to you: a) health b) family c) money d) a good reputation e) education. Why did you choose that order? 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being rich? Do you advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa? 3. Can a person be poor and happy? What do you think the hardest part about being poor would be for you if you were poor? What do you do you think would be the hardest part about being rich? 4. Whose responsibility do you think is it to take care of the poor: their family, the government, their neighbors, everyone? 5. Has the economic crisis affected your life at all?六、 Family 1. Describe your family, and tell your group a story about your family from your childhood. 2. Who do you think should have the highest authority in the home- the husband, the wife, or both equally share authority? If you think both should have equal authority, how should they make decisions on where to work or live if they dont agree with each other? 3. What do you expect to do to take care of your parents when they grow old? What do you expect your child to do for you when you get old? 4. Do you think the Chinese tradition of children taking care of elderly parents will change in the future because of the One Child Policy? How can only children cope with the pressure of taking care of their parents when they are old?七、 Cities 1. Describe your hometown, and tell your group 3 things you like about your hometown and three things you dont like about it. 2. If you were the mayor of your hometown, what problems would you try to fix? How would you go about fixing those problems? What things would you not want to change? 3. How do you feel about Changsha? What challenges do you think Changsha will face in the next 2 years? 10 years? 4. In your mind, what city is the ideal city? Is there a place where youd like to live for the rest of your life?八、 What/If 1. What would you do if someone accused you of a crime you didnt commit? 2. If you could change a major historical event, what would it be? 3. What would you do if a fierce animal was going to attack you? 4. If you could be an employee of any company in the world, which company would you choose? 5. What would you do if the person you loved didnt love you back? 6. If you could be a bird or a fish, which would you be? 7. What would you do if it was your best friends wedding, but you didnt have any money to give him/her? 8. If you had to choose one of the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) to lose, which one would you choose to lose? 9. What would you do if you got lost in an unfamiliar city? 10. If you were going to a foreign country and you could only take one thing with you, what would it be?九、 Gifts 1. Whats the best gift youve ever received? Whats the worst gift youve ever gotten? 2. Whats the best gift youve ever given someone else? Why was it special? 3. Theres a saying that goes, “Its better to give than to receive.” What does this saying mean? Do you agree with it? Does China have any sayings about giving gifts? 4. If you were given $1 million to buy gifts for your family and friends, what would you buy them and why?十、 New Years 1. What are some New Years resolutions youve made in the past? Were you able to keep those resolutions? 2. What resolutions do you want to make for 2010? If you could accomplish one thing this year, what would it be? What steps can you take to carry out your New Years resolution? 3. If you were to make “Life Resolutions,” meaning the things you want to accomplish before you die, what kinds of resolutions would you make? Is there something you feel like you must accomplish in this life time? How can you accomplish it?十一、 Cheating 1. Have you ever cheated on an exam or a homework assignment? Do you know anyone who has taken an exam for a classmate? Describe the situation. 2. Do you think its ok to cheat on a homework assignment? On a exam? To take an exam for another person? Is all cheating wrong or is it ok on some level? 3. Have you or any of your classmates been caught while cheating? How did you/they feel when you/they got caught? 4. If your classmate came to you and said that if you didnt take his(her) English test for him(her), he/she would fail his/her class and not be able to graduate. Would you agree to take the test for him/her?十二、 Winning and Losing Quotes about Winning: - “Winning isnt everything, but the will to win is everything.” Vince Lombardi (American Football Coach) - “Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet) - “Winning isnt always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing.” Manuel Diotte (Inspirational Speaker) 1. What do you think each of these quotes mean? 2. Do you agree with these quotes? Why or why not? Would you change them at all to fit your viewpoint? 3. What sayings are there in Chinese about winning and losing?十三、 Spring Festival 1. How will you celebrate Spring Festival? Who will you spend it with? 2. Which performances are you looking forward to on the New Years Eve tv program? What are some of your favorite ones of the past? 3. If you were to receive a present (not money) for Spring Festival, what present would you like to receive? 4. How does Spring Festival these days compare with how it was when you were a child? Do you like it better now or when you were a child? 5. What do you think Spring Festival will be like in the future?十四、 Charity 1. What do you think charity means? Is it an action, an attitude, an idea? 2. Have you ever given money to a charitable cause? If so, which one? Have you ever volunteered at or worked for a charitable group? What different charitable groups have you heard of in China? Internationally? 3. Do you think people will give as much time and effort to the current earthquake victims as they did the Sichuan victims? Why or why not? 4. If you could create your own charitable group, what kinds of people would you help? Why that kind of person and not other kinds of people that are in need?十五、 Names 1. Who chose your name? Why did they choose that name? Do you like your name? If you could change your name, would you? 2. Whats the meaning of your name? Do you think a persons name affects their personality? Have you ever disliked a person because of their name? 3. Do you have a nickname? How did you get this nickname? Whats the funniest nickname youve heard another person called? 4. Do you think its better to give a child a more common name or an unusual name? What do you think China should do about the problem of having too many people with the same name/family name?十六、 Dreams 1. Do you often remember your dreams? Whats the most recent dream you can remember? Did you dream it in color or in black and white? 2. Do you ever have recurring dreams? What are they about? Why do you think you dream about that specific thing? Are your recurring dreams usually good dreams or nightmares? 3. If you see a certain image in a dream, do you think it has a specific meaning? For example, if you saw the following things in a dream, what do you think they would mean: a road, your middle school, your mom, a bird, sand, an open door, darkness, teeth? 4. Have you ever dreamed something that came true in real life? Do you think its possible to know something in a dream before it happens in real life? Do you think you dream about that thing because you fear it or is there another explanation?十七、 Interests and Hobbies What are your hobbies? Are your hobbies mostly intellectual or athletic or something else? What do you like about those specific hobbies? If you have ten minutes of free time, how do you like to use it? One hour? One day? One week? If you unexpectedly have a couple hours of free time, what kinds of spontaneous things do you like to do for fun? If you had to read a book about something not related to your major, what would you like to read about? If it were a nonfiction book, what topic would you choose? If it were a fiction book, what genre of fiction would you read? Do you think that internet and tv have killed hobbies in China? Do you have any friends who dont like to use the internet or watch tv? If you couldnt use a computer or tv for a year, how do you think you would spend your time differently?十八、 Health 1. On a scale of one to ten (1 being the most healthy, 10 being the least healthy) how healthy do you think you are? In what areas of health do you think you are the healthiest? Least healthy? 2. What do you think are your healthy habits? Do you drink enough water? What are some of your unhealthy habits? Do you ever smoke or drink alcohol? 3. How often do you exercise? What kinds of exercise do you like? What kinds do you not like? 4. How is your diet? What thing do you think are important to a healthy, balanced diet? What is one thing you think you could do to improve your diet?十九、 Meeting People 1. About how many new people do you meet a week? Do you like meeting new people? If so, why? If not, why not? 2. In China, how do you know if you can trust a person you just met? Do you think it varies in different countries? Are there signs to tell you that you shouldnt trust someone? What are they signs that tell you not to trust someone? 3. Do you remember how you met your best friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse? What did you think of that person the first time you met him/her? 4. How important are first impressions to you? Do you think you are a goo