Describe a famous person in your country. You should say:
Who this person is
How you know this person What this person is famous for
And explain why you like this person.
Sample answer:
Today, I’m going to talk about Ho Chi Minh who is well-known in my country. He was the first President of Vietnam who led the whole nation to independence. As a citizen of Vietnam, it is normal for everybody to know him because children are educated about him since starting to go to school. Since I knew Ho Chi Minh, I have seen a lot of films and read a lot of books about him. He is always my greatest idol to study and follow. The reason why he is well-known in my country is that Ho Chi Minh devoted his life to our nation. If he had not been born in Vietnam, our country could have been invaded by other countries. I admire him for a number of reasons.
Firstly, President Ho was a very determined man. He showed his determination at a very young age when he decided to travel to France to obtain knowledge, hoping to find a way to rescue the nation. During his journey, he did various jobs to survive despite many difficulties. Being inspired by him, I have been working very hard to fulfill my dream until I can achieve it. Secondly, I knew that Uncle Ho was very good at foreign languages; he could speak fluently fifteen languages. In fact, I have been studying English for ages but I haven’t been satisfied with my English. I think this is a good opportunity to learn his experiences to improve my English level.
Follow-up questions:
- What kind of people becomes famous in your country these days?
Answer – In my country, it’s people who work in the film, sports and music industries that become more famous than others. It is mainly because their jobs are in the public. Their career is all about performing to the satisfaction of others. They would not have a job if nobody watched their work. So if they are talented, they will become famous automatically. Many politicians in my country are also famous especially those who appear in the media often mainly television. - What kind of achievements made people famous in the past?
Answer – I understand that in the past political and military achievements made people famous. Those who were in the forefront of political and military movements naturally became famous all around the country. At that time the presence of the media was less strong so it would have been difficult for performers or artists to become famous. I think what has made all the difference now is the medium that is used to reach out to people. - How do you think people will become famous in the future?
Answer – I think probably the same way people become famous today, through the mass media. As long as people depend on the mass media, those who work in the entertainment industries will be famous. Politicians too will continue to be famous because what they do has the potential to affect people’s lives. What I find strange is that the ones who are most gifted or talented always remain unsung and it will always be like that. - What are the benefits of being a famous person?
Answer – Being famous can of course be a good thing. You can use your fame to do good things for your community. If you are a famous person, you can exhort people to support a cause or draw their attention to an issue which requires public attention or intervention. - Can you think of any disadvantages to being famous?
Answer – One obvious disadvantage of being famous is that you will lose your privacy. You won’t be able to go anywhere in public, without people following you. You will always have cameras flashing in your face. Another drawback is that your personal life will become common knowledge. You may even feel isolated from the real world if you are so famous. - How do the media in your country treat celebrities?
Answer – I don’t think that the media in my country is any different when it comes to treating celebrities. They take a keen interest in their professional and personal lives and keep holding interviews and all sorts of things with them. Sometimes I get the feeling that they are overdoing it a bit. Sometimes I fail to see the news value of a story they have published about a celebrity. - Why do you think ordinary people are so interested in the lives of celebrities? Answer – What I have noticed is that it is people who have more free time on their hands who take a keener interest in the lives of celebrities. They are bored and unsatisfied with their lives. Maybe many find it a good way to forget about their own problems, to find something else to think about. It could also be to draw some inspiration from them to work harder or become more productive as the celebrities always have tales of success to share.
What do you think of celebrities appearing in advertisements?
Answer – I don’t support celebrities appearing in advertisements. Many of them hardly use the products they endorse. They appear in the adverts just for the money. I think that governments need to hold them accountable for the endorsements they make. Many a time the products turn out to be ineffective and the only reason someone has bought it was because their favorite movie star or sports star appeared in its commercial. So it’s not honest for celebrities to appear in advertisements for products they themselves don’t believe in. - Many professional athletes are very well paid. Do you think that they deserve to be so well paid?
Answer – I think so. I mean we must understand that it’s not every athlete who has a high remuneration. It’s only the extremely talented who are paid so much money. I am of the opinion that they deserve it. They should have spent most part of their lives practicing, working hard to develop their technique. Second of all, in any sport fame is passing. They are only in the lime light for a while. They have no job security. So it’s totally justified that their salaries are high. As long as their participation in a sport generates revenue for it and the government, they must be well paid. - What kinds of things give status to people in your country?
Well, education, wealth, money, large house, car, fame, career are some of the things that give status in our country. There are some other aspects of status in my country like luxury gadgets, political power, expensive dresses and publicity. However, the things I mentioned before are most prominent aspects of status in my country. For instance, people with higher education and knowledge naturally get a status that others can’t have. Similarly, wealth, cars, houses, branded dresses, and many other things are often considered as part of people’s status in many cases. - What are the important qualities to achieve our ambitions?
Determination and hard work, in my opinion, are two most important qualities to fulfil our ambitions and goals. Luck often plays its tricks but I believe fortune always favours the hard working and strong-minded people to succeed.
Apart from that, proper planning, timely execution, expertise and experience are some other qualities we need to achieve our goals in life. - Are all ambitions good in life?
I guess every positive ambition that brings happiness, success, prosperity and well-being of others is a good one. However, we are often driven by our selfishness, greed and materialistic achievements and any ambition which is aimed to fulfil our personal greed is a bad one.In general, ambitions in our life help us to work harder and give meaning in life and that’s why we should have ambitions, positive ambitions I mean. - What type of ambition young generation in your country has?
That’s a good question. The young generation in our country usually aims for a prosperous career and economic freedom. Their ambitions in life also include being someone famous so that people will know them, being a successful and happy person in later life and having a beautiful and nice life partners. They also want to explore the world and want to see a flourishing country in the future where violence and crime would be a thing of past. - Would you focus more on achieving your ambition or doing things you love to do?
Personally, my ambition in life is quite realistic and not something we hear in fairy tales only. Being able to do something I love and have passion is not different than my ambition. I want to lead a life that would be surrounded by my family members, relatives, friends and people I care about. Being able to set up my own business or doing a job that I would feel interested in is both my ambition and dream.