Sample Answer
Do you live in a house or an apartment?
I’m currently living in an apartment near my university campus and sharing it with my best friend at college. I really enjoy living there since the location is pretty convenient for me. But of course, owning a house is also a dream of mine. (I hope to have my own backyard where I can relax.)
Where are you living now? / Why do you live there? / Do you like your living place?
I’m living in an apartment in downtown Shanghai. I have two roommates sharing the same apartment with me. It’s a nice place to live since the rent is dirt cheap for a young guy like me. Plus, my workplace is literally a stone’s throw away from there, which is the main reason why I’ve been living there for a long time. I really hit the jackpot finding this place.
How is the area surrounding your home like? / Are there any good facilities nearby your home?
My living place is in the city’s downtown area. Well, there are several tasty restaurants around my apartment, which is great for a foodie like me. And we also have a giant grocery store across the street and a small park nearby. So I have to say it’s a pretty liveable place.
What are the changes of surroundings around your living place?
Well… When it comes to the changes to my neighborhood over the past few years, I think there’ve been more high-rise buildings built nearby so the area is denser than before. Besides, my favorite improvement of this area is the building of an outdoor gym where I work out on a regular basis.
What changes do you think your neighborhood/living area need?
Um…my neighborhood is pretty close to perfect, but it would be better if there was a subway station within walking distance of my home. Now the closest subway station is about 3 kilometers away, which isn’t exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away. I heard the city has a plan of extending a subway line to the street next to my home in the next few years. I hope it’s true.
Do you have friends living nearby? /What do people living nearby do? Do you know some of them?
Yes, I do. Actually, I have a coworker, also a close friend of mine, living in the same apartment building as me. It’s a high-rise apartment so I guess there are a couple hundred people living in it. Honestly, even though I’ve been living there a while, I’ve only gotten to know the neighbor girl living across the hallway. She is a teacher at a primary school nearby.
What are your roommates like?
Well, currently, I have two roommates sharing the same apartment with me. They are pretty cool. And I’d say I’m glad to live with them since all three of us love playing video games, so we have a lot to talk about and do together. It’s really a blast for us having a game night together every Saturday.
How long have you lived there?
I’ve been living there for over three years and I love it. Even though I have to share a room with three roommates, luckily they’re all easy-going and nice, so we get along really well with each other.
Will you move home in the near future?
Well, I really have no idea if I will be moving anytime soon. But I hope not. I’ve been living in an apartment for several years. It’s a comfortable place to live and the rent is also very affordable. But sometimes it’s not up to me, I might need to work at a distant place later. Who knows, right?
What is your favorite room?
My favorite room in my home is definitely my bedroom. I think it’s where I spend most of my time. It has all my favorite stuff in it, like my books, and I got to decorate it myself. That really makes me feel at home – literally! It’s important to have somewhere you can blow off steam and just relax.
How do you think your room could be improved?
It might be great to have a large bookshelf. You know, I’m a bookworm, but I have no bookcase now…so if you go into my bedroom, you can see it’s pretty messy and tons of books are on the floor. So having a new bookshelf may help me keep the room from being a total disaster zone.
Vocab Highlights
dirt-cheap /ˌdɜːrt ˈtʃiːp/ (adj. adv): very cheap
a stone’s throw (away): a short distance
hit the jackpot: be highly successful, especially unexpectedly; win, especially a lot of money
foodie /ˈfudi/ (n) a person who is very interested in cooking and eating different kinds of food
liveable/livable /ˈlɪvəbl/ (adj): (of a house, etc.) fit to live in
high-rise /ˈhaɪ raɪz/ (adj): (of a building) very tall and having a lot of floors
work out: to train the body by physical exercise; to develop in a successful way
within walking/driving etc. distance of: possible to reach by walking/driving etc.
get along/on well with somebody: to have a good relationship with somebody
up to somebody: used to say that someone can decide about something
at a distant place: a place that is far away from where you are
blow off steam: to do or say something that helps you to get rid of strong feelings or energy
bookworm /ˈbʊkwɜːrm/ (n) a person who likes reading very much
a (total) disaster zone/area: an extremely untidy, dirty, or badly organized place