IELTS Speaking Part 3: Topic – An Outdoor Activity
Question:
- Would you say people spend more time outdoors today than they did, say, 20 years ago?
- Are there any outdoor activities that many people used to do but which most people don’t do now?
- What are the most popular outdoor activities in China?
- Do old and young people like doing the same kinds of activities outdoors?
- What do you think are some of the differences between working outdoors, compared to say, working in an office?
- Do people in China prefer to work indoors or outdoors?
- If you had to choose an outdoors job, what would you choose to do?
- How do you think the climate and the environment affect what activities people do outdoors?
- Do you think the air quality in your hometown has improved or worsened in recent years?
- Do you think it will be easy for the government to solve environmental problems?
- How do you think the environment in your hometown should be changed?
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Sample
Outdoor Activities
- Would you say people spend more time outdoors today than they did, say, 20 years ago?
I don’t really think so. Now with so many modern conveniences, there’s less need to work outdoors. There are so many offices and indoor jobs now that it’s almost considered “low class” to do manual labor or work outside. Most middle-class working people do not get sufficient amounts of exercise, and as a result, are weak and more prone to sickness.
- Are there any outdoor activities that many people used to do but which most people don’t do now?
One of the main ones that I can think of is walking. People still walk, but not in the same proportion that they used to years ago. Walking used to be the main source of travel, unless you could afford a horse, donkey, or mule. But now with cars, buses, and the Internet, people do a lot less walking to get to work, the store, or wherever they need to go.
- What are the most popular outdoor activities in China?
Many Chinese enjoy playing badminton, riding bicycles, performing Tai Chi, and walking. Some sports that have been adopted from other culture are also popular, such as basketball, tennis, and track sports. One outdoor activity that most Chinese both old and young like is table tennis, it is a national sport here in China so it’s not really surprising that so many people enjoy playing it.
- Do old and young people like doing the same kinds of activities outdoors?
It really depends on the people playing sports, because some old people are very fit and can keep up with the younger ones quite well. But for the most part, old people generally don’t exert themselves physically as much as the younger ones do. They’d much rather take a walk or play badminton than climb a mountain or play a full-court game of basketball.
Working Outdoors
- What do you think are some of the differences between working outdoors, compared to say, working in an office?
If you’re always indoors then you’ll get weak and sick easier; whereas if you work outside then you’re getting fresh air sunshine, which are two things that everyone needs to stay healthy. If you’re working outdoors, then you’ll probably be much more physically fit and a whole lot stronger than if you’re sitting at your desk all day. Of course, if you don’t have a balanced life then you’re bound to have complications, and if you don’t spend at least a few hours on your computer every day you might not be also to sleep at night.
- Do people in China prefer to work indoors or outdoors?
Most Chinese prefer working inside over working outside. They’ve had to work outdoors for so many years that it’s a relief to work inside. I think that a common mentality is that if you work outdoors you’re low class and can’t do anything else. This might be true in some cases, but I’m not sure that it’s true with everyone.
- If you had to choose an outdoors job, what would you choose to do?
I would probably choose a job where you have to exert yourself physically. May be I’d work on a farm or some job like that, although I’d like to learn carpentry. Oh, I know I’d work at a zoo cleaning the monkey cages. And when I’d have time off I’d go to the elephant cage and feed them peanuts.
Outdoor Environment
- How do you think the climate and the environment affect what activities people do outdoors?
If it’s really cold then you can’t do some of the things that you can when it’s really hot. If you try to play basketball the ball won’t bounce so well because the cold makes it flat. That’s why they have indoor basketball courts; they keep it warm so that the ball can bounce and the teams can play without freezing. In the cold climates you can skate, ski and snowboard, and in hot climates you can surf, swim, and play football or basketball.
- Do you think the air quality in your hometown has improved or worsened in recent years?
Improvement as far as air pollution is concerned is an impossibility, if the air has steadily gotten worse at an alarming rate. Over the past few years more people have gotten cars, more factories have been constructed, and the air has just gotten worse. The sad thing is that it’s slowly killing us all, and in a matter of years we’ll all have bronchitis, or maybe tuberculosis-not a very pleasant thought if you ask me.
- Do you think it will be easy for the government to solve environmental problems?
It won’t just hard, it’ll be almost impossible. As far as air pollution, the government is fighting a losing battle: every time they pass new regulations or set the standards higher something nasty happens. Like when the Russians were conducting the safety tests at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, it blew up in their faces. But they should definitely try to do their best to solve these problems.
- Dow do you think the environment in your hometown should be changed?
If we had more trees and plants around the city then the air would be a lot fresher. There needs to be some kind of quality control on vehicles that are going around the city, some of those farm tractors are blowing out black smoke that suffocates anybody who’s nearby. The sad thing is that people in my hometown are so accustomed to the environment being bad that they don’t really care about changing it; they just want to do what’s easiest, even if it means ruining their health and slowly killing themselves.
