Hometown:

1. Where is your hometown? (Or, what partof China do you come from?)

My hometown is Nanjing, the capital ofJiangsu Province. I came to Nanjing with my parents and grandparents when I was2 years old. So, Nanjing is my hometown.

2. What's the most famous thing about your hometown?

The best part of my hometown, from my perspective, is the history with more than 2000 years, and it’s also the capital of six dynasties in China. It has witnessed the rise and fall ofdifferent dynasties and I am proud of being a citizen here.

3. Is there anything worth visiting in your hometown?

Undoubtedly, I would say Doctor Sun Yet-Sen’s Mausoleum. He’s considered to be the Father of Modern China both Mainland and Taiwan. The tomb is situated in the eastern suburb of Nanjing and it’s reallymagnificent.

4. Has your hometown changed much in the past few years? (e.g. 20 years)

It has been changed a lot for the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, Jingling Hotel was the highest building in Nanjing.Now it’s surrounded by enormous skyscrapers in Xinjiekou District, which is the largest business circle in Asia. So, you know, the housing industry is changing the city on an almost daily basis.

Shopping：

1. Do you enjoy shopping?

Yes, definitely, a lot. You know how much most girls like shopping, and I am no exception. I frequently go shopping with my mother or some friends. There are many new shopping malls in my city, with a lot of new shops, more choices. It’s always exciting to go there ,and relaxing,too.

2. Do you prefer shopping in modern stores or in traditional markets?

I definitely prefer to go to the modern department stores, because I know I can find whatever I want there. The shops offer a great variety of brand-name clothes. Usually the traditional markets in my hometown only sell cheap products or counterfeit items.

3. What sorts of things do you enjoy buying most?

I like to buy books. I read a lot, and I enjoy seeing all the books on the shelves in my house. Books are great; they allow me to relax, and they open the doors to an imaginary world. They make me dream. In addition, I love the smell of new books. I know it’s a bit weird,isn’t it?

Food:

1. What’s your favorite food?

Well, that’s a tough question because I loveso many different kinds of food, especially anything spicy. I love the specialties from Sichuan Province. I am sure you are familiar with Sichuan cuisine. They use red hot chilies with meat or vegetables. Everything is so tasty and colorful! A couple of days ago, I went out for dinner with some friends and we had spicy food: meat and tofu, as well as green beans and all kinds of vegetables in a spicy hot pot. It was unbelievable! It’s going to make my mouth water just thinking about it!

2. What kinds of food are popular in yourcountry?

It really depends on where you are. You know how huge our country is. So every area offers different types of cooking, different specialties. The coastal regions are usually big on sea food: in Fujian we love to eat fish and shrimps, and crab, anything from the ocean. In the western regions of china, they tend to eat spicy food, with lots of peppers. In the north, they eat dumplings, and a lot of fried foods. In general, the Chinese eat a lot of rice and vegetables. And in the last 10 years, everyone has been eating more meat too, thanks to the economic development our country has experienced.

3. What are some of the benefits of eating home-cooked food?

Well, obviously the food is cleaner; it’snot as oily as in restaurants; and because it’s prepared with love, home-cooked food always tastes better! At home, my mother always prepares the food very carefully. She buys the vegetables herself; she selects the best parts of the meat, and gets rid of the fatty bits too. And most important, she doesn’t use too much MSG or oil.

4. What do you think about fast food?

There are different kinds of fast food. If we are talking about KFC and McDonald’s, I would tell you that, although the burgers are tasty, people shouldn’t eat there too much because the sauces there are too fattening and full of calories. This is why we call it junk food. On the other hand, there is also a lot of Chinese fast food, like noodles and fried rice. I think they are obviously not the best, but they can be convenient from time to time when you are in a rush.

Describe a traffic jam you experienced

You should say:

When and where the traffic jam took place

Whether it is common to be stuck in traffic

How the people around you reacted

And explain how you felt

A couple of weeks ago, my mother came to pick me up after school. She usually does this every Friday afternoon to give me aride home. I attend a boarding school and I only get to go home on the weekends.

Usually it takes about 15minuts for us to get home. My high school is located on the southern side of the city, next to the University campus. But my mother showed up late that time, and we got stuck in traffic. It was a nightmare.

In my city, like the most urban area, traffic gets pretty bad during rush hour. This time, the roads were completely congested,and it took us an hour to drive home. I could have walked and it would not have taken that much longer!

The problem in our city is that most streets are narrow, and the number of cars increases every day. In addition, there are too many motorbikes and bicycles that always get in the way. On to pof this, taxi drivers and new drivers don’t really respect traffic regulations, and they swerve left and right, causing a mess.

My mother complained the entire way, and I couldn’t help but sighing. It was such a waste of time! I remember sending messages to my grandmother to tell her we would be late for dinners, and my father was irritated because he had to wait for us. The whole thing was so frustrating!

1. Which type of transport do you think is most dangerous in cities?

Definitely motorbikes! In my hometown, so many people ride electrical bikes, scooters and motorbikes. The problem is that they don’t usually respect the traffic regulations, and they could be on any side of the road, even on the sidewalk. As a result, many accidents happen, and people get hurt. Last week, I saw a car hit a motorcycle, and the woman fell from her bike. It was quite violent. People should be extremely careful when they ride their bikes or scooters in the city.

2. What are people’s attitudes towards the public transport system where you live?

Well, the majority of people take the bus in my city because it is a very cheap form of public transport. It only costs 1yuan. But I really think that people still dislike taking the bus became it is always packed, especially at rush hour around 8 am and 6pm. You are usually shoulder to shoulder with strangers; you have no personal space. It is not very pleasant. As a result, anyone who can afford it will buy a car. Everyone will agree that it is a lot more comfortable than the bus, even if it releases exhaust fumes and pollutes the environment. I guess it would be nice to have more buses, and actually, there should also be some bus lanes for buses only, to help buses circulate faster in the city. It would make traveling by bus more appealing to people, I think.

3. Do town planners pay enough attention to transport when developing new areas?

I think they do now. Roads are definitely a lot wider in the newer areas of my city compared to the old city center. Nowadays, every new road counts at least 3 lanes on each side. The problem is that most cities in China were built hundreds of years ago; so most roads are narrow, because they obviously didn’t have cars in the past. As a result, a lot of buildings have been born down in order to widen the roads, and to accommodate the growing number of cars.