Conversation
After a quick greeting, use the following questions as a guideline to form an interesting conversation with your tutor. Feel free to diverge from these suggestions if anything interesting comes up.
- Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
- What are the advantages of preserving historic buildings?
- What are the advantages of replacing historic buildings?
- What is one of your favorite historic building you’ve seen?
Vocabulary
Skip this section if you have 15 minute plan. Read the word/expression and definition out loud, and your tutor will go over anything you do not understand. Practice creating a sentence or two to make sure you know how to use the word/expression properly.
Vocabulary/ Expressions
| Expression | Definition |
| landmark | (n) a location easily seen or having significance e.g. example |
| building | (n) structure with a roof and walls Each developer had a different design for the new building. |
| historical | (adj) concerning past events Not everyone knew the historical significance of the house. |
| modern | (adj) relating to the present or recent times They were looking for a more modern appearance on the block. |
| preserve | (v) maintain something in its original state Some want to preserve historical landmarks because of their importance in the community. |
| demolish | (v) to destroy They needed all the signatures before they could demolish the building. |
| tear down | (expression) destroy completely In four days, they were going to tear down the beloved monument. |
| fall through | (expression) fail, doesn’t happen The plans for the new building were going to fall through if they didn’t do anything. |
| wear out | (expression) to become unusable The steps going up to the front have begun to wear out. |
| bet the ranch | (expression) risk everything you have When making the decision, he bet the ranch that he was right. |
Something Extra
Read the following quote out loud.
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”
― Winston Churchill
Cambly Content 