3 Personality

Proverb：

Great minds think alike．

= Great people usually think the same things．

(If you and your friend come up with the same idea, or agree on something, you would say, "Great minds think alike.")

Sample Answer:

·Something Good about Your Personality

·One or Two Bad Habits that You Have

Practice：

·Something Good about Your Personality

	Key Words
	considerate = thoughtful	optimistic = enthusiastic = positive．
hard-working = diligent		determined = motivated = driven
sweet = warm-hearted		cheerful = encouraging
generous = kind-hearted		helpful = supportive
meticulous = thorough = precise		behavior .= attitude
efficient = productive = resourceful：		hard = challenging = tough

Something Good about Your Personality

Tell me about something good about your personality. You should say:            what your quality is whether it is a common personality trait where you live how you developed this quality and explain how it influences your life．

·Hard-working: common in China

·Studies：students are required to study hard (homework, tests).

·My parents always taught me to work hard and to be persistent.

·IELTS：busy schedule＋intensive course＝challenging

·In the future：a boss will appreciate this quality: responsible

Well, it is always very difficult to talk about oneself, but if you press meif you ask me), I would say that my main quality is that I am hard-working. You know, in China, it is a very common personality trait, because of the education we receive here.

First of all, at school, our teachers and parents always push us to work harder. In high school, we have so much homework, so many tests, and the competition is so intense to get into the prestigious universities, that every student is determined to study hard. We are required to be diligent.

In addition, my parents have always taught me that my efforts will be rewarded someday. My father always encouraged me to focus on my studies, and to never give up．He often reminded me to persist, especially before the final exams. My father is a successful businessman, and he has always worked very hard to make money and provide a comfortable lifestyle for my mother and me．I can regard him as a model in terms of ambition and determination.

These last two months, I have been studying in a training center in order to improve my English. It has been very challenging, and I followed a tight schedule, with daily classes mornings and afternoons．It has been tiring, but I did improve quite a lot. I believe in the saying "No pain, no gain."

I think that in the future I will get a good job and that my boss will be pleased with my attitude. I think that hard work is always appreciated, and I truly hope to make a decent salary in order to lead a comfortable life. On top of this, I should be able to find a good wife too, because women like reliable and meticulous men, right?

Vocabulary

devoted = passionate = determined = motivated = driven = self-disciplined = enthusiastic = focused courageous = brave = audacious    sincere = frank = honest = truthful = reliable polite = respectful = courteous            sensitive = empathetic = compassionate modest = humble                                   independent = self-reliant

1.what are the qualities that a person needs to succeed in life?

Well, I think that being hard-working and creative is essential for someone who wants to be successful. If you want to do well in business, you need to come up with some great innovative ideas. In addition, lazy people cannot achieve anything. On top of this, successful people are always smart and ambitious．They always aim high in order to motivate themselves．Some people might also believe that honesty is a key characteristic to have in order to succeed, but I'm really wondering if honesty pays in today's world.

2.  To what extent do you think successful people are happy people？

Well, it's certainly easier to be happy when you are successful. People with a good job and a great salary have more chances to enjoy life．They don't need to worry about money, and that's a great advantage．On the other hand, being successful comes at a price. I suppose that in order to be successful, these people need to focus on their work and probably spend a lot of time on their job． They might need to work overtime frequently, and they may always be thinking about their achievements．They might become workaholics and forget to spend time with their relatives and friends. As a result, it's possible that some successful people could be lonely.

3.  Do people choose friends and partners with similar personalities to their own？

To some extent, a lot of people become friends because they share the same hobbies and interests. So it's possible they might have the same personality traits, but not always. Having the same hobby is different from having the same character. In addition, I think that a man and a woman don't necessarily need to share the same personality for them to fall in love with each other. We usually say that couples actually complete one another：if a man lacks patience, he will be attracted to tolerant ladies; if a woman lacks confidence, she will look for a reliable partner. We also say that opposites attract.

4.  What personality traits are considered to be typical of your culture?

I think that Chinese people are famous for being hard-working and patient. It's due to the education we receive. In addition, I would say that Chinese people, especially the men, find it hard to express their feelings．They can hide their emotions pretty well, and they dislike talking about their problems. I think that many Chinese people are quite conservative, very traditional. Showing your anger or complaining too much is a sign of weakness. And when it comes to women, I believe that many Chinese ladies are shy and obedient. They always listen to their parents or their husband. But there are of course exceptions.

5.  Which aspects of modern life have a bad effect on people's personalities？

Modern life has a negative influence on some aspects of people's personalities．Because the economy has been developing quite a lot, people seem to have become overambitious. They are not satisfied with what they have, and they always want more. You know, many people become greedy. In addition, some people envy others because of their success．Jealousy is a big problem in today's world too. Finally, I have met some very arrogant（＝too proud) people who forgot about modesty. They want to act confident but overdo it.

One or Two Bad Habits that You Have

Tell me about one or two bad habits you have. You should say:              what the bad habits are why you developed these bad habits how they influence your daily life and explain whether you will try to get rid of them．

·2 bad habits are connected: computer games＋going to bed late

·Internet＋chat with friends＋head to bed after midnight

·I should study more at night, read, and be efficient＋bad for my eyes

·As a result, I get up late＝not productive in the morning (or get up early＝tired)

·New Year resolution but…it didn't last long！My mother also tells my father to go to bed early.

Well, actually I definitely have two bad habits, and they are interconnected．As a student, I live in a dorm at university, and I share a room with one of my classmates．We both have a laptop, and as you might guess, we play online games until very late at night. I know it's not an excuse, but every student does it at my school, even the girls. And because we play for hours at night, we never go to bed early.

Usually we get back to our rooms after dinner. We do our homework quickly. You know, I don't have too much work to do, and teachers give us a lot of time to finish our assignments at university. So I have quite a bit of time on my hands to spend online. I chat with some friends through IM (Instant Messenger) programs．And me and my roommate download games, and we play for hours．We frequently head to bed after midnight, and sometimes much later.

I know I should study more at night. It would be a good time for me to read and review my lessons．I guess I should be more efficient, but playing computer games is so tempting. In addition, everyone says it harms our eyesight. So I should try to limit the time I spend doing it.

As a result of my habit, I often get up late in the morning when I don't have class． And I suppose it is a waste of time too, because my teachers always told me that we could be very productive in the morning. And well, I don't do much usually before 11 am…And when I have class, and I must get up early, I feel a bit under the weather（＝tired) generally.

Last year, I made a New Year's resolution to get up earlier in order to study and exercise more. But I must admit (= tell you the truth) that it didn't last very long. What is kind of funny is that, at home, my mother says the same thing to my father, because he's always out, having dinner with business clients，or sometimes just having fun with his friends. I guess the lesson to learn here is that we should always listen to our mother.

1.Do children know the difference between right and wrong？

Well, it only depends on whether their parents taught them the difference or not. A child who receives no education won't be able to tell right from wrong, but if a father explains why it is improper to put your feet on the table, or why it is rude to interrupt others while they are talking, then the child will learn. You know, it's all these little things that must be taught. If the parents are fair to the children, then it's okay to be strict. Kids are not stupid: they know when they have made a mistake or said something bad. They might pretend to be sad after their father reprimands （=scolds) them, but they do get it.

2.  Do you have any regrets about the past?

Yes, definitely. I think everybody does．In high school, I should have studied harder to get better results and get into a better university. I guess I was too childish, and I didn't care enough. Now I understand the mistakes I have made. My father always says, "Better late than never." I know I won't make the same mistake again. I think the future matters more than the past. It's fundamental to be optimistic, and it's not so important to think about the past. Being nostalgic （=regretful) is sweet but useless.

3.  Do people in your country often complain about things?

Yes, of course. Everyone complains about small things ．My parents complain about their schedule and their boss who is too stubborn or too stingy．My classmates and I complain about the amount of homework teachers give us. We also worry about the future, and how difficult it is to get a good job these days. I think that because our life is pretty comfortable we always want more and we are ready to whine （=complain) about small things my grandparents’ generation wouldn't have complained about.

4.  What can be the consequences of having an unhealthy lifestyle?

Well, it depends on what you do that is unhealthy. If you constantly eat junk food, you might become overweight, and you will have more chances to get some cardiovascular diseases．If you don't sleep enough, you'll get tired and easily irritated. If you drink too much alcohol, this will cause problems with your liver. People who don't lead a healthy lifestyle are also more likely to get cancer.

5.  What is the attitude of young people in your country towards smoking?

A lot of young people really dislike the smell and the taste of tobacco. We have been taught that smoking is definitely dangerous for our health, and we are not used to the nasty smell. However, some young people take up （ =start) smoking because they think it looks cool and mature to hold a cigarette.

6.  How can alcohol affect a person?

Well, alcoholism can kill people. Someone who drinks too much wine or liquor will definitely experience some liver problems．It is said that the chances of getting cancer or a stroke are much higher when you are a regular drinker. I guess that alcoholism also triggers some social problems. A wife might want a divorce from a drunken husband, because being drunk all the time, he does stupid things．I reckon it could be compared to a drug, because if you have some personal issues, alcohol can make you feel better, but you can also get addicted to it.

Something Good about Your Personality

Tell me about something good about your personality. You should say:            what your quality is whether it is a common personality trait where you live how you developed this quality and explain how it influences your life．

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1．Which personality traits might be most valuable to society in the future?

2.  Are some personality traits more typical of men than women?

3.  How can a person's upbringing（＝ childhood education) affect his/her personality?

4.  How much can events change the personality we are born with?

5.  What would you like to change about your personality?

      6. How will your experience overseas change you?