託福口語素材之描述一個城市
要想獲得新託福口語高分，積累必不可少。我們就開始針對托福考試的城市話題，做一些積累吧。
託福口語中對城市的描述方法
託福口語詞彙：“宜居城市”
Vancouver, the Canadian host city of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, remains the most livable city in the world, as it did in 2008.
2010年冬奧會的舉辦城市加拿大溫哥華被選爲全球最適宜居住的城市，這是該市在2008年之後再次當選最宜居城市。
在上面的報道中，livable city就是“宜居城市”，也就是適宜居住的城市。判別一個城市是否適宜居住有多項標準，包括stability， healthcare，culture，environment，education，infrastructure(穩定性、醫療保健、文化、環境、教育、基礎建設)等。 “最適宜居住城市”是通過livability survey(宜居性調查)得出的。
Livable的意思是“適於居住的”，例如：slums that are barely livable(不堪居住的貧民窟)。此外，livable還可以表示“(人)容易相處的，(行爲)可接受的”或“(生活)過得去的”。例如：Such behavior is not livable with.(這種行爲無法容忍。)
託福口語詞彙：“一線城市”
China's overall property price will climb 3.3 percent to 6 percent this year, with the first-tier cities experiencing an adjustment in the fourth quarter, China Real Estate Index said in a report over the weekend.
上週末中國房地產指數研究機構在一份報告中稱，今年中國的房價總體上會有3.3%到6%的增長，一線城市的房價會在第四季度進行一次調整。
在上面的報道中，first-tier city就是“一線城市”。一線城市是指對本國的經濟和政治具有重要作用的大都市。在城市規模、基建、財政收入、消費、對人才吸引力等各層面，一線城市一般均領先於其他城市。中國目前被普遍公認的一線城市是北京、上海、廣州、深圳。相應地，“二線城市”即second-tier city，一般指除了北京、上海、杭州、廣州、深圳、天津以外別的一些大中城市、有一些名氣的城市。
據分析，去年房產價格的瘋長和credit expansion(信用擴張)有關。由於高房價，許多原來期望在first-tier city發展的年輕人不得不轉戰second-tier city和third-tier city(三線城市)。許多不甘離開夢想之地的人或成爲mortgage slave(房奴)，或成爲ant tribe(蟻族)。另外，一線城市的高消費水平也迫使許多人成爲moonlight clan(月光族)。想結婚而又無力買房的人只能選擇naked wedding(裸婚)。
託福口語詞彙：“友好城市”
The capital cities of China and Mexico became sister cities on Monday after visiting Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong and Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard signed an agreement on establishing such ties.
週一，在墨西哥訪問的北京市市長郭金龍和墨西哥城市長馬塞洛?埃布拉德簽訂協議，中墨兩國首都確立了友好城市的關係。
在上面的報道中，sister city就是“友好城市”的意思，也可以翻譯成“姐妹城市”，西方國家有時還稱之爲twin city。友好城市指的是將地域上或政治上無關的城鎮或城市配對起來，以期達到增加居民或文化交流的目的。友好城市之間時常會互相提供exchange student(交換學生)，以及經濟或文化上的交流或合作。
和sister city相似的用法還有sister school(姐妹校)，sister ship(姐妹船，同型船)，sister company(姊妹公司)等。Sister除了有“姐妹”的意思，還可以指“護士”或“修女，女教友”。例如：the night sister(夜班護士);a Christian sister(__女教友)。
託福口語詞彙：“主辦城市”
Shanghai, the host city of Expo 2010, will offer a glimpse of a greener future, Achim Steiner, Under Secretary General of the United Nations, said Tuesday.
聯合國副祕書長阿希姆?斯泰納本週二表示，2010年世博會主辦城市上海將呈現給世人一個更加綠色的未來。
在上面的報道中，host city就是指“主辦城市”，而與之相應的主辦國就被稱爲host country，也就是“東道國”。在成爲host city之前，會有很多candidate city(候選城市)參加申辦。在此次評估中，UNEP(聯合國環境規劃署)對上海進行了air quality(空氣質量), transportation(交通), solid waste(固體廢物), and public participation(公衆參與)等九個方面進行了評估。
託福口語話題解析：城市生活
常用詞彙：
apartment, banks, bookstore, building, cafeteria, capital, church, court, countryside, courtyard, district, flat, highway, hotel, house, hospital, junk shop舊貨店; library, market, metropolis大都市; monument紀念碑; municipal市的，市政的; municipality市政當局; museum, newsstand報攤; outskirts, port, restaurant, school, scenery, shop, store, skyscraper摩天大樓; slums貧民區; stadium體育場; station, suburb, theatre, university, urban, zoo, etc.
常用短語：
art gallery 美術館; barber shop, be up to one’s neck in work 忙碌; botanical garden 植物園; city centre, city hall市政廳，市政府; city planning, densely populated, department stores, down payment 分期付款的定金; employment agency職業介紹; garden city, get one’s hands full 很忙; modern buildings, modern industry, post office, public lavatory, public telephone, residential area, shopping center, snack bar, stock exchange股票交易所; traffic light, etc.
常用句型：
1. Could you tell me where the bank is?
2. Excuse me, where is the post office
3. How do you like where you live?
4. I’m an office worker.
5. I work for the government.
6. Let’s go to the snack bar and get something to eat.
7. The mall is packed today.
8. What are the main problems of the city life?
9. When is the store / the bar closing?
10. Where is the Lost and Found counter?
託福口語模版：描述一個地方
1. 我最喜歡的一個地方 Describe a place that you like best in your city. Please state why you like it with specific examples and details.
01My favorite place in my city is the New Oriental Restaurant. The New Oriental restaurant is the largest
restaurant in our city and it provides all kinds of food, from sea food to curry, and from sushi to barbeque.
Though I am a picky gourmet, the New Oriental can make me satisfy. Besides, the New Oriental is
accessible by several buses and subway lines and it hence can be reached within half an hour from my
home, even during rush hour. The price of the New Oriental is very reasonable and the waiters there
provide well rounded service. I love the NO.
Personally speaking, My favorite place in my city is the national library based on following reasons.
Firstly, there are many books to my taste, such as fashion magazines, inspirational books, and professional books. Reading does good to our mind. As a student, we should always recharge ourselves by knowledge in order to meet the need of talents in this society.
Secondly, I always go to the library with my friends. You know, it’s a my glad to share knowledge with other people. Going to the library not only can we acquire knowledge but also can promote our friendship to some degree.
2. 與朋友最喜歡去哪裏When you are together with your friends, which place would you like to go? Explain why.
33When I am with my good friends, we will definitely go do some sports together. Most of my friends love
basketball, and we are all pretty good at it. We will play 3 on 3, or three point shootout. It’s great fun and
good to have some sweat. We used to play basketball every week when we were still at school. Although
we play less often now, it is still a great work out. We can lose ourselves in the game. Playing basketball is
also good for health too.
3. 我經常去的一個地方Describe a public area that you visit frequently. Please state why you visit it frequently and include specific examples and details in your explanation.
I usually go to Beihai Park when I have the time. I can go for a stroll in the park to relax. The park has a lot
of trees, and interesting and winding paths, where I can wander listlessly and contemplate my own
thoughts or admire the various stages of nature. Sometimes I just like to feel the breeze on my face and
savor its coolness. It gives me a sense of freedom. It also has a lake on which I can go boating. I often go
to the park with my friends on weekends. And we'll have a picnic if we stay there for the whole day.
4. 描述我上過的一個學校Describe a school that you have attended.
I like my university, Nanjing university, which locates the center area of Nanjing. We have dormitories,
teaching buildings and refectories named by number and research buildings named by subject. So you can
easily find a specific spot. There is also a large playground and gym with a number of exercise facilities.
Furthermore, it has beautiful scenery in the campus, and there are lots of trees, flowers and grasses, so
you can enjoy the fresh air and the euphonic birds’ singing in the morning.
I will introduce one of the schools I have attended. That is the New Oriental School. The New Oriental was founded by Yu Minhong over ten years ago. The aim of the school is to help students get high score in the Tofle or GRE test which permit them to go abroad and take a further study more easily. The New Oriental is full of passion, it has a powerful faculty and subsidiary schools throughout the country. Frankly speaking, It helps me a lot really.
