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Speaking

Good News

Good News

DESCRIBE A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS THAT YOU RECEIVED

You should say:

– what the good news is

– how you heard about it

– why this news was good

and explain how important this news is for you personally

 

The good news that I would like to talk about is the time I received an offer letter to attend a national conference for young leaders and individuals who are passionate about international affairs last summer. The program called Youth Model United Nations was held in NY City 3 days and was one of the most exciting journeys I’ve ever experience. It’s safe to say that being elected as one of the candidates for a national scale event where brilliant, dynamic and ambitious young people gathered gave me some sense of confidence and satisfaction.

The recruitment process was not terribly complicated but highly competitive. We had been through 3 different rounds where we were tested about our knowledge of international affairs in general, our solutions for various issues like environment and sustainable energy as well as English proficiency. Though it required time and effort to actually get tuned into the world’s current status and to provide relevant answers, the result was immensely rewarding. I recalled it was 9PM in the evening and our family were all in the living room for some quality time when I got an email from the organizer.

I was speechless, then shouted my heart out because that was a fully-funded trip and I would be able to travel alone for the very first time. Even though my parents had been worried and against it at first, I managed to convince them that if they didn’t allow me to step out of my comfort zone and explore the world, I would forever dream small and be small.

Eventually, everything went smoothly and the conference was a blast. It was an eventful and memorable 3-day adventure where I made friends with people from diverse backgrounds and became more independent in every decision and action that I took – a better version of myself. Hence, I wouldn’t mind receiving good news like this more often in the future.

 

Vocabulary

Passionate: having or showing strong feelings of enthusiasm for something or belief in something

Competitive: used to describe a situation in which people or organizations compete against each other

Rewarding: worth doing; that makes you happy because you think it is useful or important

Shout one’s heart out: to shout with vigor or intensity

Eventful: full of things that happen, especially exciting, important or dangerous things

 

PART 3

How do people share good news?

Good news is meant to be spread wide and far. Accordingly, everyone does that, especially with their beloved ones first. However, the way in which they share it may vary from person to person and depend on what kind of news it is. One of the fastest one to disseminate information, or in this case, good news these days is via social media, the internet-based platform that has transformed the way in which people communicate. Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are widely used for this kind of purpose.

disseminate: to spread information, knowledge, etc. so that it reaches many people

 

How does modern technology affect the delivery of information?

Technology basically affects everything we come across in this modern world and the advance of artificial intelligence somehow arises some concerns, too. However, its advantages seem to outweigh its drawback, especially regarding how information is being delivered. Prior to the advent of smartphones or portable tablets, people used to rely mostly on newspaper or printed materials to get updated with all the latest events around the world. But that’s ancient history. Now, you have 24/7 access to all kinds of

information you want with only a click, not only news but academic knowledge provided by different kinds of online courses and apps. How convenient!

artificial intelligence: an area of study concerned with making computers copy intelligent human behavior

outweigh: to be greater or more important than something

 

What kinds of good news have you received before?

Well, to be honest, good news is just good news no matter what kind it is, at least to me. Through my 20-something years of existence, the majority of good news I received were those related to my studying. Not that I meant to brag but truth to be told, I was excel at school and had always been in the group of students with best performance. In other words, I was a nerd. Therefore, more often than not, I was chosen to represent my class or school to compete in many contests for students in subjects like literature, English or biology. Together with other teammates, we brought home quite a few prestigious prizes that made our families, teachers and friends extremely proud.

represent: to act or speak officially for somebody and defend their interests

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