TOEFL Speaking Interview – Current Events

Note that on the real test you won’t be able to read the questions.  You will only hear them.

Basically, the interviewer will ask you four questions about the same topic.  You’ll have 45 seconds to answer each one. You must answer as soon as the question is finished. You won’t be given any time to prepare your answers.

Introduction:

You have agreed to take part in a research study about current events. You will have a short online interview with a researcher. The researcher will ask you some questions.

Question One:

Thank you for speaking with me today. I’d like to know how you keep up with the news and current events in general.  Do you like to read the news online?  Or do you prefer traditional newspapers or some other source of information.  Why is that?

 

Sample Answer, Question One:

For the most part, I get my news online.  There are a couple of websites that publish in-depth articles which I check every morning when I want to know what’s going on.  I like these particular sites because they publish really long articles that go really deep into the topics I’m most interested in.   The other thing that makes them worthwhile is that I can easily put down my phone or close my laptop when I need a break… and then pick up the story again when I have some free time later on; maybe even when I’m on the subway heading to work. My parents prefer to watch cable news shows, but I find them pretty shallow and lacking in depth.  I guess that’s probably because they have to fill 24 hours of broadcast time every single day.

 

Question Two:

That’s interesting.  Next, I’d like to ask how the news makes you feel.  Some people get very anxious and bothered when they hear about current events.  Others like the feeling of staying informed because it gives them more confidence about what’s happening.  How do you feel after watching a news broadcast or reading a newspaper?

 

Sample Answer, Question Two:

Even though most of the news is pretty negative these days, I do feel better when I’m up to date with what’s happening both locally and globally. As you said, sometimes I feel more in control when I know what’s happening.  For instance, my friends are really anxious about the economic situation here in Korea because they think the inflation rates will stay high and the cost of living will always be really burdensome.  But since I’ve been reading newspapers since I was in high school, I know that economic changes are always cyclical.  Basically… things won’t stay terrible forever.  I only know that because I’m well informed when it comes to current events and, frankly, I will keep on reading newspapers and watching news broadcasts every day.

 

Question Three:

Now I’d like to get your opinion. Some people say that it is better to pay attention mostly to events happening in our own countries, and that spending too much time thinking about international events is a waste of time.  What do you think about this?

 

Sample Answer, Question Three:

Oh yeah, it’s really important to pay attention to international events.  That’s because the world is interconnected, and things happening in one country are bound to happen in another one eventually… even if that country is far away.  And, of course, learning about changes helps us prepare for them.  For example, I recently read about how AI is replacing a lot of jobs in America.  In fact, there have been dozens of stories about that trend in the American newspapers lately.  Some people don’t think  the same thing will happen in our own country because most of us here work in manufacturing, but I’m sure that it will happen here eventually.  Because I’ve been paying careful attention to foreign news stories, I have begun preparing for that eventuality by training for a new occupation.

 

Question Four:

One last question. Nowadays, many people think that it’s important for schools to teach media literacy to students.  That is, they should teach them how to tell which news stories are trustworthy and which ones are misleading. What do you think about this?  Is it good for teachers to spend time on this sort of thing, or should they stick to traditional subjects?