Describe a time when someone didn’t tell you the whole truth about something
You should say:
- When it happened;
- What the situation was;
- Who you were with;
- And why the person didn’t tell you the whole truth.
Sample Answer
When it comes to a time I was lied to, the first thing that comes to mind is the time I was cheated by an online shop.
The thing is that last July, I had just gotten a new job and moved out from my campus dorm to a new apartment. So I thought I definitely needed a cooker to make meals. One of my friends recommended a kind of pressure cooker that she bought online. So, on her advice, I bought one from Taobao without a second thought.
But after several weeks, I found that it often overcooked the food. I contacted the customer service of the online shop. They told me that I needed to send it back to them for a repair and there would be a charge of 200 yuan. I thought I just had a stroke of bad luck, so I paid them 200 yuan to repair the rice cooker.
However, several months later, when I was cleaning the house, I found the warranty card of the rice cooker, which stated that I had a 3-year warranty on the unit. It means the shop was supposed to repair the rice cooker for free. But they took advantage of me by lying. You know, it had been ages since the repair, so I decided to let it pass. But it really taught me a lesson. I hope that history won’t repeat itself; it’d definitely rain on my parade.
Vocab Highlights
to come/spring to mind: If something comes to mind or springs to mind, you think of it without making any effort.
without a second thought: acting immediately, without stopping to think
a stroke of bad luck: When something fortunate happens unexpectedly, it is a stroke of luck.
be supposed to do/be something: used to say what someone should or should not do, especially because of rules or what someone in authority has said
take advantage of something: to use a situation or opportunity to get what you want
teach someone a lesson: to show someone, as a result of experience, what should not be done in the future
history repeats itself: sed to say that things often happen in the same way as they did before
rain on someone’s parade: to hinder someone’s enjoyment; upset someone’s plans