1.

Society and living standards

Are living standards different today, compared to how they used to be? I think that the standard of living today is worse than it used to be, because of the crisis. My parents say that the living standards are better today than they used to be. In what ways have living standards/society changed in the last 2 years? Are they getting better or worse? !ell me about how society used to be, twenty years ago. Its different now, but twenty years ago it used to be... If you had been born in your parent"s generation, how different would life have been? If I had been born in my parents generation, my life wouldve been very different. For example, I might not have gone to university... #ow could society be improved? $hat should be done in order to improve society? Im not sure what should be done, but it is the government who must decide how to improve society. If I could improve society, I would... It would be better if there were more jobs available... %o you agree that "everyone is born e&ual"? Is there e&uality between men and women in society? If you could change one thing, what would you change? If I could... I would... If you had the opportunity, what would you do differently? #ow do you thin' future generations of Spain will live? (roblems in society today conomic crisis !ising unemployment corruption in politics "ecline in standard of living !acism "ecrease in spending power

!eductions in salaries )ocabulary and structures for writing #ociety has been changing progressively in recent years $he cost of living has grown greatly.... If lifestyles had not changed, people could not have adapted to modern ways of life. $he breadwinner of the family used to be .... %elow the poverty line &nemployment ' unemployed ' on the dole ' out of work

2. (ersonal values and ideals

$hat are your most important ideals? $hat are your 'ey personal values? I believe that... I strongly feel that... verybody should be treated e(ually. #ave your values changed as you have got older? )es, I used to believe that... but now I think... %o you agree with euthanasia? I have mixed feelings about this... #ow do you feel about the death penalty? I think that the death penalty should never be used... Is there a difference between the values of your parents and your values? *alues that were important in the past, are not relevant to children nowadays. $here did you learn the values and ideals that you have today? Should schools teach values to young people? Should there be *moral* classes?

$hey have to put themselves in the place of other people +ut themselves in other peoples shoes

mpathy Moral code thics $rust (uality

+. !he world of wor'

If you hadnt become a... what would you have done? If I hadnt become a teacher, I wouldve liked to work in a zoo. How long have you been working as a...? Ive been working as a... for 3 years. I had never worked until I started my job last year. If I hadnt studied English, I wouldnt have had a job. Is it difficult to find a job nowadays? What might be the reason for this? Even though I have a qualification, it is difficult to a find a job. I cant be sure of the reason for this, but it might be because of the difficult economic situation in !ain at the moment. What should you do in order to find a job? Ive been studying English for " years in order to im!rove my qualifications. Ive been increasing my qualifications #ou ought to write a $.%. &hat you should do is look for vacancies on the internet, in the news!a!er... Would you move to another country in order to find a job? Why or why not? What would your dream job be? If I could do any job, I would be a film director... I would've liked to have been a vet What are the advantages and disadvantages of your job? (ne of the advantages is.. )owever, there are also disadvantages. *or e+am!le... In education, every new government has changed the curriculum or educational laws, which makes it difficult for teachers. Do you think jobs are generally well- aid in ! ain? ,he civil servants, who there are a lot of... What can the government do to create more jobs? Why is unem loyment so high in ! ain? "nem loyment -any !eo!le have been made redundant . have been fired

/ lot of businesses have been forced to close %ocabulary and tructures for writing on the dole . unem!loyed 0ook for a job /!!ly for a job 1et a job 0ong working hours *ull time . !art time -any workers today are forced to work inconvenient shifts ,he night shift It used to be im!ossible for women to break through the glass ceiling salary . wages

,. -ne.plained phenomena
Do you believe in ghosts? What do your friends think? -y friends believe that ghosts are real... Do you believe in aliens#"$%s? 2nidentified *lying (bjects If I dont see it, I cant believe in it If there is life on Earth, there could be life on other !lanets... Do you believe in an afterlife#life after death? &re there always logical e' lanations for (une' lained henomena or events(? Have you ever had a aranormal e' erience? Do you think the study of ) aranormal activity) should be taken seriously? Is it a serious science? I can understand that !eo!le are curious, but I think it is more im!ortant to give money to the s!ace !rogramme... *ig $oot+ ,he -och .ess /onster... Why do you think a lot of young eo le are interested in vam ires? ,hey are myths or urban legends that have been embelished over many years ,he $aces of *elme0 ,he shroud of ,urin

/. 0ational 1nvironmental concerns

$hat can we do to help improve the environment? ,e should... ,e ought to... $hink globally, act locally. Should the government do more to help the environment? If it was up to me, I would... ,hat should be done is that the government have to... $hy has the environment become a national concern in recent years? - reason for this may be... It is due to people realising that we have to do more to help the environment. I had never thought about the environment until a few years ago, but now I believe it is a very important issue. %o you recycle? +arents have to set an example for their children +eople should be educated about the benefits of recycling $hat would you say to someone who doesn"t recycle? My advice would be, if I were you, Id recycle because... $hat do your friends thin' about recycling? My friends say that it is very important... - waste of time. $hat is the cause of environmental problems such as global warming and climate change? Most people seem to believe that it is because of... It may be due to... It couldnt have occurred without the actions of men +eople are only thinking about the present, not about the future ,e must produce in a sustainable way

+ollution

.lobal warming /limate change "rought ,ind turbines'wind farms endangered species fine comply with waste Iberian lynx litre spot on oil spill $he more people that travel in a green way, the more the city will be sustainable

2. )alues and ideals

$ho are some of the most important public figures nowadays? +oliticians are very important at the moment. )oung people are more interested in politics and politicians than they used to be because their decisions influence peoples lives. Many people have cuts in their family income so they are now more interested in how the politicians spend their money. In #pain, sportsmen have become more important in the last 01'02 years because their level of success has grown. $hey are important role3models to young people. $hat is your opinion of the 3ing and 4ueen? $hat do your family thin' about them? I think that the 4ing and 5ueen of #pain should be the choice of the people. $hey are from an old instution that shouldnt continue in the future. $he 4ing and 5ueen dont have as much power as they used to. 6ow they are just used for the image of #pain. My grandparents think that the 4ing and 5ueen are very important to #pain and good people. $here is a part of the population that are republicans and dont believe in the instution of the monarchy. $ho are the most important public figures of the past in Spain? #pain has had very important writers and artists in the past. For example, /ervantes, "ali, +icasso, .oya, 7ope de *ega. xplorer 3 /hristopher /olombus #ingers 3 /amaron Isaac +eral invented the submarine $hese people are not very important to a lot of people nowadays but everyone will know about them due to school. It is important for people to have a general culture. "uring the time of Franco, a lot of writers, artists and directors were exiled

to other countries. $hich public figure in Spain do you admire? I admire people who help other people a lot more than public figures. #ome public figures also help other people, for example, .erard +i(ue and #hakira set up a bank account in order to help other children after the birth of their own child. $ho is the most important public figure in the last 2 years in Spain? If I had to choose someone, I would say a sporting figure. ,hen you go to another country, people will always say they know +au .asol, +enelope /ru8, 9avier %ardem, +edro -lmodovar, -lejandro #an8 etc. $hich famous person 5from the past6 would you li'e to meet? If I had to choose a famous person to meet, I would choose somebody like Martin 7uther 4ing, .andhi or the "alai 7ama. If I could, I wouldve liked to have met an gyptian pharaoh. $ho was the most influential person of the 2 th century? $hy? Inventors 3 the inventor of the world wide web :enry Ford Martin 7uther 4ing :itlers actions had a huge influence on the world in the ;1th century $he creation of the &nited 6ations in 0<=2