ORAL NOTES - Conversation

ORAL NOTES: CONVERSATION You will be asked two questions – one more personal pe rsonal like “ What makes you anxious? And the other more on general issues such as “Do you think teenagers are too addicted to the internet? Listen carefully to the question. If not clear ask them to repeat the question. Then be calm as you answer the question. If you are too fast or nervous, you tend to stumble on your answers. Here are the samples to the answers Contributed by Marc, Caleb, Jun Ming, Adolphus, Aster, Hong Yi, Amanda and Mrs Vijay. 1.

YOG – Why has Singapore been chosen as the venue? What is it about Singapore that would make it attractive as a venue? I think that the most important factor that led to Singapore's opportunity to host the YOG is its high level of safety and security. Singapore is well-known for its low crime rates. This would be appealing as it would ensure that the athletes competing in YOG would be safe from criminal attempts to harm them, especially against opposing teams which wants to play foul, making sure that it is a fair game among competitors. Singapore got this opportunity also because it is a clean country compared to some others. Singapore is probably chosen because of the comprehensive plans that the planning committee of singapore had proposed. This plan that the committee encompasses a a whole range of educational benefits, for the students of singapore, as well as in other countries. As part of this effort all schools were twinned with another country’s school and learnt about their culture and sports through many exchange activities I believe that it is due to these factors that ultimately gave Singapore an advantage when it comes to deciding the venue. Singapore is also seen as modern and has h as many facilities to have big scale event such as this. At the same time Singapore is multi-cultural and has a rich history and this is seen as plus point for  Singapore. 3. Do you think teenagers these days lead a sheltered sheltered life? Talk about what it means to have a sheltered life – probably in that teenagers do not know where money comes from. They ask and they are given. They are protected to the extent they do not know the daily happenings in Singapore. On the other hand there a re teenagers who make an attempt to contribute to society like the example of teenagers who shave their hair for “Hair for  Hope” Sample : I think teenagers today live a pampered life. They are too p rotected by their parents. Their parents would do what they can to 'protect' their child from what they think is a negative influence. Such love and care is suppose to be good ...but in the long term, it had actually brought about problems to the teenagers. The teenagers had became too uses to being safe and started to become more too easily defeated. Whenever they are coerced to do something they disliked, they would either do it with a glum face, or they may even complain to their parents, or on their blogs. 2. Do you think Singapore teenagers are so used to the good life that they cannot cope in a crisis? Yes, I feel that teenagers these days lead a sheltered life as they have almost everything they need all under 1 roof. For example, teenagers nowadays spent most of their time on the computer, either playing computer games or social networking. One example of a common website teenagers use for social networking is Facebook. Also, teenagers can meet their daily needs at home, unlike some teenagers who are living in the rural areas. People living in the rural areas have to share their facilities with the whole village as they have limited resources. Teenagers also lead a sheltered life as they can get whatever they want when they ask for it. Parents who are busy working, often reward their child with things that they want. Hence, if  Prepared by Mrs Vijay and Sec 4B

teenagers ask for anything, they will normally accede to their requests to pay for the lack of time spent with them. Lastly, teenagers lead a sheltered life as they are not really exposed to the world. When they are bullied, some of them complain to their parents and always expect their  parents to shield them when they are in trouble. They are not strong enough to face reality themselves, hence, leading to parents spoiling them by going to their defence. In my opinion, I think that Singapore teenagers are capable enough to brave the storms of  society and that they are able to overcome any challenge that is put forth to them. I say this because I've witness countless outstanding singaporeans achieving great heights in society. That alone is sheer proof that today's generation is as able as any generation before this. Being spoilt and pampered is another issue altogether. At the same time I feel that there are some Singaporean teenagers who are not able to take hardship well and at a loss what to do. 3. Ageing Ageing Population Population – Issues, Issues, generati generation on gap, Faciliti Facilities es for the elderly, elderly, healthc healthcare are Solutions? Upgrade elderly friendly facilities, create more jobs for the elderly -eg, consultants. They have a wealth of knowledge knowledge which can thus be utilized. Facilities? -More upgrading of elderly friendly lifts -More Old Folk’s Home built -More subsidies for voluntary welfare organizations taking care of the elderly. Healthcare -Policies like Eldershield implemented to help elderly - Provi Provides des help help for for disabi disabilit lities ies above above the age of 40. -However, Elderly people still largely neglected. Do not haveMedishield or CPF. Solution? Implement more funds to help the elderly. Generation Gap? The Old do not understand the young and vice versa -Breakdown of communication -eg, Young people do not understand certain traditions or customs that the elderly may have. May think that they are silly -The elderly also do not understand the younger generation eg, the liberal and open-mindedness of youths these days and think that they are being rude and disrespectful • • • • • • •

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4. Importance Importance of doing doing Literatur Literature/Mus e/Music ic as a subject subject Subjects such as Literature and Music are cornerstones to stimulating the left brain. To be an 360 degrees student in our school, it is absolutely essential that one is ably acquainted with these subjects. Although I admit that science and maths seem to be of  paramount importance in today's society, it is not right to neglect literature and music. A wise man once said," the decline of literature signifies the decline d ecline of society". Also, music is a revenue of stress relief We play music on o ur ipod, itouch, iphone, mp3s nowadays, don't we? That is significant enough to show us how important music is. In our  curriculum, we see that music is only present in our time table from kindergarten to secondary 2. Perhaps that is the ministry of education's way of telling us that music should be developed from young so as to arouse interest of the subject later on in life. Also, literature and music injects pleasure and amusement into our life; whilst literature stimulates the thoughts and abstract theories that one would think of when reading a prose or poem, music carries us in a rhythmic beat, so as lift us from our routine life. 5.

Do you you thi think nk stud studen ents ts shoul should d be be exp expos osed ed to more more outd outdoo oorr edu educa cati tion on? ? I feel that students would enjoy more outdoor education. Most of their school life is spent cooped up within the four walls of their classroom. I, myself, feel that stayi...ng indoors all the time has become a rather mundane routine. Prepared by Mrs Vijay and Sec 4B

Being exposed to outdoor education can give students a broader perspective on a certain topic in a subject which they are studying, for example examining plant samples for  biology. In my opinion, it will make lessons a lot more interesting and i think students will be more enthusiastic and participate more during lessons. In my case, i look forward to field trips and science practical lessons as i can finally leave the constraints of a classroom. The thought of studying through experiments and experience is definitely more appealing as compared to sitting in a classroom for hours with uninteresting textbooks 5. Do you you think think Singa Singapor poreans eans are are too too self cent centred red? ? If yes give examples you have seen, if no examples of people who went out of their way to help 6. What do do you think think about more foreig foreign n students students in Singapore Singapore schools schools? ? Mostly scholars from other countries who are much smarter and self-motivated. -It is unfair to the locals, These expatriates take up spots in much distinguished schools. Locals are unable to enter. -Raise the bar of competitiveness. Those who are acaedamically weak tend not to catch up and thus have a lower survival rate when they integrate into society. There are also problems when there is not much interaction between the foreign students and local students. There are also differences in culture and language which can create misunderstandings. At the same time we can learn from them as they a re committed and very determined to succeed in life. Formula 1 – First Night Race in Singapore

If you are asked about this, just think about what have read for YOG – quite a bit are similar   just that it is a different event. And you can read the following by Amanda for reference The atmosphere there during the first year was very electrifying. Everyone there was very excited about the race, myself included, since it was the first time they went to watch the race at the track, for the majority, they could o...nly watch it on tv unless they had the money to travel to watch the race in other countries. Although it was a night race, the place looked like it was in the afternoon, the lights really made it very bright. It is very intriguing when you are in a very bright place and when you in the distance, you the night sky. There were many merchandise of the various teams on sale. However they were very expensive. A plain Ferrari t-shirt with just the logo could cost $60. However there were still many hardcore fans buying those merchandises. When the race started, there were no empty seats in the grandstand. When the cars were coming round towards my grandstand, most will get up from their seats and get their cameras ready. Within seconds the cars will be out of sight. Those who failed to get a clear shot of the cars will just sit down and wait patiently until the cars came round again. It was quite hilarious to see the expressions on their faces when they co uld not get a shot of the car. This routine went on for almost the whole race.There were two big screens in front of each grandstand so that we can watch what was happening at the rest of the track. When the race was over, the fans of the winning team rushed toward the pit grandstand so that the can see the prize presentation. There was a lot of cheering and screaming around the whole track. The place was very lively.

Prepared by Mrs Vijay and Sec 4B