TOPICS FOR THE ORAL PART OF »POKLICNA MATURA 2007«

Abbreviations:

PI-U1 : Prospects Intermediate – Unit 1,

PUI-U13 : Prospects Upper-Intermediate – Unit 13,

TP 3 : Talking Point 3.

ENGLISH AND OTHER WORLD LANGUAGES (PUI-U 19)

  1. English as a world language. Discuss the importance of English as a foreign language. Your experience in learning English.
  2. Would you rather be learning Esperanto or English? Compare these two languages and persuade your friend to start learning one or the other.

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (PUI-TP 2)

  1. The most important event in my life; (I will never forget the day when…) Talk about the event that was for some reason unforgettable.
  2. The most important invention of all times. Describe the invention and give arguments why you consider it the most important.
  3. The most important event(s) of the 20th century. Prepare to talk about the event that influenced the life in the last century. Why was it important?

TRAVEL AND TOURISM (PI-U4, 14, 15, 22, PUI-U5)

  1. Compare travelling by car to travelling by bus. (advantages, disadvantages; your experience)
  2. Compare travelling by plane to travelling by train. (advantages, disadvantages; your experience)
  3. Compare travelling by ship to travelling by plane. (advantages, disadvantages; your experience)
  4. Compare travelling by bicycle to travelling by car. (advantages, disadvantages; your experience)
  5. Hitchhiking as the way of travelling. (advantages, disadvantages; your experience)
  6. Describe the most exciting/beautiful/unusual place/town/country you have ever visited.
  7. Travelling by land, air and water. What is the most dangerous/the most romantic/the fastest . Name the means, their advantages and disadvantages. What is your experience?
  8. Compare travelling in the past and nowadays.

HEALTH AND SPORTS, LEISURE ACTIVITIES, HOBBIES, EATING HABITS (PI-U8, 19, PUI-U2)

  1. What do you do to stay healthy? Describe your favourite sport or some other healthy activity.
  2. Health and sport go hand in hand. How would you persuade your not very slim and rather lazy friend to start exercising?
  3. My favourite food. How do you prepare it? Discuss the eating habits of young people.
  4. Smoking is a health hazard! Your best friend is a heavy smoker. How would you persuade him/her to stop smoking?
  5. Have you ever been injured? How, where and when did it happen? What did you do?
  6. Every day we are dicing with death. Discuss the health hazards of the modern age and what we should do to avoid them.
  7. My favourite sport and leisure activities. The best way to spend free time.
  8. The role of sport in our lives. Describe your favourite sport and say how it affects your life.
  9. My favourite TV programme/TV show.

THE WORLD OF WORK / CATEGORIES OF WORK (PI-U 6, PUI-U 9)

  1. You have applied for the summer job of a graphic designer in a publishing company. They invited you for an interview. Be prepared to discuss your qualifications, skills, experience and aspirations (ambitions).
  2. Describe your ideal job. What would you have to do to get it?
  3. If you could choose, what would you like to do? What kind of job would be the most challenging for you?

ASPECTS OF SLOVENIA (vs. aspects of GB and USA) (PI-U1, 2, 14, 25,PUI-U 12, 13, 16)

  1. You are at the train station waiting for the train and talking to a foreigner who wants to know about your home town. How would you describe it to him/her?
  2. You have just met a foreigner who wants to visit Ljubljana. How would you describe it to him/her? What would you recommend to see?
  3. You are travelling on inter-rail and you have met someone who has never heard of Slovenia. What would you tell him/her to describe Slovenia?
  4. If you could choose, where would you like to get education? Compare SLO and GB/USA school systems
  5. If you could choose, where would you like to go to school? Compare school rules in SLO and GB/USA
  6. You are at the bus station waiting for the coach and talking to a foreigner who is interested in superstitions in SLO.
  7. How can you get rich overnight? Compare winning money in SLO and GB/USA
  8. Compare celebrations, special occasions, festivals & holidays in SLO & around the world

ENVIRONMENT, ENDANGERED SPECIES (PI-U20, PUI-U10, 11,1,15)

  1. What should we do to keep our environment (nature) clean? What do you do to protect the nature? How can we reduce pollution?
  2. Compare living in the city to living in the countryside. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Where would you rather live?
  3. Describe the most violentweather/natural disaster/natural phenomena that you have ever experienced. When, where, how did it happen? How did you feel?
  4. You friend wants to have a pet but doesn't know what animal to choose. Suggest what s/he should get and support your arguments. What can we/you do to help save the endangered species?
  5. What can we do to help people in need. Charities, aid organizations, etc.

COMPUTERS (PUI TP3), MEDIA:TV, NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS, FILMS (PI-U23, PUI-U6, 14)

  1. The role of computers in the modern world. Discuss the importance of computers in the modern world, communication, work.
  2. How has the Internet affected our lives/your life? (your experience)
  3. The role of newspapers and TV in the world. (entertainment, education, news, etc.) What magazines do you read and what do you watch on TV?
  4. Literature and reading; your favourite book. Describe the book and recommend it to a friend; give arguments why one should read it.
  5. Cinema; your favourite film. Describe the film and recommend it to a friend; give arguments why one should see it.
  6. Theatre; your favourite play. Describe the play and recommend it to a friend; give arguments why one should see it.

FAMOUS PEOPLE, (PI U3, 4, 9,13, PUI U2, 6, 7, 20), FAMILY (PUI-TP2), GENIUS (PUI-TP6)

  1. Your favourite celebrity: sportsperson, pop star, actor, composer, writer etc. Describe the life and work of….
  2. Describe the oldest/the strangest/the most unusual/the most interesting/the funniest person you have ever met.
  3. My family. What makes a family? What makes a good parent?
  4. The greatest person in Slovenia's history.
  5. The most important scientist(s) of our age. Describe the life and work of….

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE (2ND AND 3RD QUESTION OF THE ORAL EXAM)

  1. Articles & other materials & tasks done during lessons.

(EXAMPLES TO BE ADDED IN APRIL 2007)

(vprašanja iz jezika stroke bodo pripravljena v obliki slik ali kratkih besedil, ki bodo iztočnica za pogovor

RECOMMENDATIONS:

-prepare to talk and discuss given topics;

-make short notes about the topic, state your opinion and justify pros and cons with arguments and examples;

-use vocabulary and structures you have learnt and pay attention to your pronunciation, tenses,fluency, clearness of thought….;

-don't hesitate to ask questions if anything is unclear, keep talking English and remember: »When in doubt, roll!« (Bill Bruford, a drummer)