Từ vựng – Topic 15: Towns and Cities

Trong kì thi IELTS Speaking có thể bạn sẽ được yêu cầu thể hiện vốn từ vựng của mình để mô tả về những đô thị và thành phố. Hãy đọc những câu hỏi mẫu sau đây và các câu trả lời bên dưới. Chú ý những cụm từ được in đậm và sử dụng phần Glossary ở dưới cùng của trang để kiểm tra nghĩa của bất kì cụm từ nào mà bạn không hiểu nhé.

Part 1

Giám khảo: What is it like where you live?
Christiane: I live in a residential area of a busy town in the south of Spain … we have all the facilities you need … good public transport … a good shopping centre … it’s nice …

Giám khảo: Do you like living in the city?
Andrea: Yes I do … I like going out with my friends and there are lots of lively bars and restaurants within walking distance of my apartment … I’m a bit of a culture vulture as well so it’s great to have access to art exhibitions and that kind of thing …

Giám khảo: Do you get many tourists visiting your area?
Mandy: Not really no … I live in the inner-city and the area is a little run down … it’s basically a lot of high-rise flats and many of the shops are boarded up … so nothing to interest tourists really …

Part 2

Describe an interesting town or city in your country that visitors might enjoy.

You should say

• what the place is called
• where the place is
• what the facilities are like
• why visitors might enjoy going there.

Sample

Anyone who comes to my country really should spend some time in Barcelona … it’s a beautiful place … it’s not what you would call a sprawling city … it’s quite compact really and you could walk across the city in a couple of hours … but there’s no need to do that as we have a fantastic public transport system so it’s easy to get around … there are various districts all with their own character … you have the upmarket shops in the centre … you’ll find lots of chain stores you’ll recognise from your own country but also local brands as well … we have the narrow streets in the Gothic district with lots of fashionable boutiques and tourist attractions … there’s the Olympic area and the beaches along the coast … and dotted around the city are some lovely public spaces … parks and squares in the city centre and on the outskirts of Barcelona where people relax with their friends and family … and of course pavement cafes everywhere … all that and some great historical places of interest … so a great destination for tourists …

Part 3

Giám khảo:  What are the advantages of living in a city or big town?
Carrie: I think it’s having access to local facilities really … local shops as well as access to larger shopping malls in the city centre … and if you’re well-off you can afford to live in the suburbs away from the busy traffic …

Giám khảo: In your experience are city centres usually attractive places?
Mary: Some can be yes … especially those with a historical interest … but sometimes they’re full of ugly office blocks … multi-story car parks … and residents living in poor housing … it depends on the city doesn’t it?

Giám khảo: What are some of the challenges facing towns and cities?
Penny: I suppose traffic congestion is a major problem … and the growth in out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks mean lots of town centre shops are closing down … plus a shortage of good quality housing … I think these are the major challenges …

Glossary

• boarded up shops: cửa hàng đã dừng kinh doanh
• chain stores: chuỗi cửa hàng bán lẻ (của các nhãn hiệu nổi tiếng)
• to close down: dừng kinh doanh
• fashionable boutiques: cửa hàng quần áo thời trang
• to get around: đi du lịch đó đây
• high-rise flats: khu căn hộ nhiều tầng
• inner-city: khu trung tâm thành phố mà có điều kiện sống không tốt
• in the suburbs: ở vùng ngoại ô
• lively bars/restaurants: bar/ nhà hàng sôi động, nhộn nhịp
• local facilities: cơ sở hạ tầng địa phương
• multi-story car parks: bãi đậu xe hơi có nhiều tầng
• office block: tòa nhà văn phòng
• out of town shopping centre/retail park: khu mua sắm lớn ở ngoại ô
• pavement cafe: cafe vỉa hè
• places of interest: điểm đến hấp dẫn
• poor housing: khu nhà ở tồi tàn
• public spaces: nơi công cộng
• public transport system:  hệ thống giao thông công cộng
• residential area: khu dân cư
• run down: xuống cấp, cũ kĩ
• shopping centre: trung tâm mua sắm
• shopping malls: trung tâm thương mại
• sprawling city: thành phố lớn và lâu đời
• tourist attraction: địa điểm du lịch
• traffic congestion: sự ách tắc giao thông
• upmarket shops: những cửa hàng thời trang xa xỉ

(Nguồn: ieltsspeaking.co.uk)