PART 3Discussion topic: WorkExample questions:—What kinds of jobs do you think will be the

PART 3

Discussion topic: Possessions

Example questions:

— What kinds of possessions are important to people in modern Chinese society？

— Do men and women like to have the same kinds of possessions？

— In the future, what possessions do you think that people will value most？

— If you could possess any item in the world, what would you choose？

PART 3

Discussion topic:

Friendship

Example questions:

&8226;What are the most important qualities of a good friend？

&8226;What kind of people don't you like to be with？

&8226;Who do you prefer to spend time with, your best friend or your family？

&8226;Compare spending time with one's friends and with one's family.

&8226;Compare spending time with one's boss and with one's friends.

&8226;How could a person make friends with his or her boss？

PART 3

Discussion topic: TV

Example questions:

— How much do you think that TV influences our lives？

— Do you think that children watch too much TV？

— Do you think that there is too much advertising on TV？

— Is there too much violence on TV in your country？

— Are many foreign TV programmes shown in your country？

PART 3

Discussion topic:

Learning

Example questions:

&8226;How do students learn at schools in your country？

&8226;How could the learning process be improved at schools in your country？

&8226;In your country, do adults often continue formal studies while they are working？

&8226;Which subjects do you think it will be important to learn in the future？

&8226;What do you think of learning via the Internet？

PART 3

Discussion topic: Media

Example questions

— How do most people in your country get the news？

— Compare newspapers and TV as news sources.

— Do you think that the different media (newspapers, TV, radio, the Internet) are reliable sources of news？

— What are the qualities of a good journalist or reporter？

— How do you think most people will get the news in the future？

PART 3

Discussion topic:

Success

Example questions:

&8226;In your country, how is success defined or measured？

&8226;What goals do most people in your country have in life？

&8226;How can people reach these goals？

&8226;Is there a lot of competition with others trying to achieve the same goals？

&8226;What kinds of people are most likely to become successful？

PART 3

Discussion topic: Advertising

Example questions:

— What kinds of advertising can you find in your everyday life？

— Do you think that there is too much advertising in our lives？

— Do you think that certain products are better advertised in particular ways？

— Many people find advertising informative. Others claim it just creates demand for unnecessary products and services. What do you think？

— What controls should there be on advertising？

PART 3

Discussion topic: Food

Example questions

— What kinds of food do people in your country like to eat？

— Do you think that most people in your country eat healthily？

— Do older people and younger people prefer the same kinds of food？

— What kinds of food do you think will be more popular or less popular in the future？

— Is food an important aspect of cultural life in your country？

PART 3

Discussion topics:

★How values can change

Example questions:

What kind of possessions show status in your country？

Do you think it was different for your grandparents？

★The consumer society

Example questions:

Modern society is often called 'materialistic'. Why do you think this is？

Do you think consumerism is a positive or a negative development？

★The consumer market

Example questions:

What is the role of advertising？

How do you think the Internet will affect buying patterns in the future？

PART 3

Discussion topic: Sport

Example questions:

— What kinds of sports are popular in your country now, but weren't popular 20 years ago？

— Do you think that young people spend too much time studying, watching TV, and playing on computers rather than getting exercise and playing sports？

— How can playing sports help us in other aspects of our lives？

— Which sports do you think will become more popular in the future？

— Compare the kinds of sports that men and women prefer.