Talking about Life Events

Speak  English speaking Beginner

1. When is your birthday? 2. What year? 3. Were you born and raised here? 4. Did Sam grow up here? 5. Where did Lisa go to school? 6. Which university did Rick go to? 7. When will she graduate? 8. When did they get married? 9. When was your son born? 10. What day is your wedding anniversary? 11. When did they move to Pittsburgh? 12. When did his grandfather pass away/(die)?

December 29(th) That's personal. No. I wasn't. Yes, he did. In California. Princeton. Next April. They got married in June. Two months ago. It's July 17th Last September. Five years ago.

Cynthia: Hi, Victor, do you think it's possible for us to have a talk sometime today?

Victor: I'd love to, but I've got a pretty tight schedule today.

Cynthia: Oh, what have you got going on?

Victor: Well, I've got to finish a report by ten.  Then I have to drive to the airport to pick up a client of mine at eleven.  After that, I'll have a meeting with him over lunch.  I guess I won't have a break until two o'clock.  But then from three until five, I have to attend a senior staff meeting.

Cynthia: Wow, that's cutting it close.

Fei: Jerry, you've been in Beijing for a whole year now.Jerry: Oh, that's right. I hadn't thought about it. This is my first anniversary! Fei: What do you think of your first year in Beijing? Was it a good one? Jerry: Yeah, it was wonderful. Now that I think about it, I really did a lot... I've learned a lot of Chinese. I can read more than 500 Chinese characters now. Fei: And you've visited lots of new and interesting places.

Jerry: That's for sure! I've seen all of the great sites in and around Beijing, plus I visited Guizhou Province. Not too many people from my hometown have been there before! But how about you Fei. You must have done some special things in the past year.

Fei: Yes, I had a great year too, thanks to you, Jerry! I've really learned how to do many things. My English is better than it was... you taught me how to succeed at a job interview... you taught me how to play tennis...

Jerry: Hey, it wasn't me! You did it all yourself. You should give yourself some credit for being such a good student.

Fei: Don't you think it's important to be modest?

Jerry: Sometimes it is. But sometimes you have to show confidence in your ability, too.

Fei: Okay, I'll do my best. Now, how about this year? Have you made any special plans? Many Americans make some special "resolution" for the New Year, don't they?

Jerry: Yes, I've made a couple of New Year's resolutions. I've decided that this year I'm going to learn even more Chinese. I hope I'll be able to speak fluently by the end of the year. Also, I want to travel all around the country.

Fei: That will be fun. You'll be able to practice Chinese while you travel. Are there any special places you want to visit?

Jerry: I want to go all over - to the old capital city, Xi'an, to see the ice festival up north in Heilongjiang, to see the beautiful island of Hainan, and most of all, to visit Qingdao.

Fei: Why do you want to see Qingdao most of all? Is it because of the old style buildings? Or for the clean, sandy beaches? Or maybe because it's famous for having the most beautiful women in China?

Jerry: No, no, and no! I want to go to Qingdao because of the beer!

Fei: You're silly, Jerry!

Jerry: Well, what about you Fei? What would you like to achieve this year?

Fei: Let's see... I'd like to learn more English, so that I can watch movies and sing songs in English. And I'd also like to improve my performance at work.

Jerry: That shouldn't be too hard for you. I mean, for such a good student and a hard worker.

Fei: Thank you Jerry. It's very kind of you to say so!