neighbourhood / online shopping

분열문 (Cleft Sentence)
I particularly loved her emotional performance.
Something that I particularly loved was her emotional performance.

I didn't enjoy the film because the sound quality was so bad.
The reason why I didn't enjoy the film was (that) the sound quality was so bad.

분열절 문장 형태
What(주어) + 동사 + 목적어 + 형용사
What(목적어) + 주어 + 동사
The thing that
Something that
That's why

What caught my eye was her gleaming(눈부신) smile.
What I would like to buy is 70's vintage Mustang.

My neighborhood is very appealing(매력적인 = engaging) because it has many tourist attractions.
-> The reason why my neighbourhood is very appealing is (that) it has many tourist attractions.

The fascinating plot makes the book worth reading.
-> The thing that makes the book worth reading is the fascinating plot.

Part 1
Do you like the neighbourhood you live in? (why/why not)

Yes, I do love living in my neighbourhood. What attracts me most is that it’s situated next to the Han River and a large park. I feel really fortunate that my neighbourhood area is so green and nature-friendly, and it's very family-oriented. There are always many kids riding bicycles with their friends or hanging around the park.

do love living: 강조 Do 동사 ~ 하는 것을 정말 좋아한다.
be situated ~에 위치하다
feel fortunate 운이 좋다고 느끼다
natural-friendly 친환경적인
family-oriented 가족 중심적인

What do you do in your neighbourhood in your free time? (why/why not)

I usually go for a walk or a run whenever I am free as there are convenient riverside parks nearby for outdoor activities. That's the great thing about living close to green areas: you can still get a taste of nature while you enjoy all the comfortable amenities downtown like trendy cafes, shopping malls, dental clinics, and so on.

go for a walk or run: 산책이나 조깅을 가다
get a taste of ~의 맛을 보다, ~을 느끼다
amenities (amenity 복수형) 생활 편의시설

What new things would you like to have in your neighbourhood? (why/why not)

I am mostly happy about living in my neighbourhood as it matches my lifestyle. But I’ve always thought that it would be nicer for the community to have public sports facilities like a sports arena or swimming pool. The majority of residents around me are families with children, and they need open sports facilities to use together, not just private gyms. Even for me, if there were a good public pool in my area, I would definitely sign myself up for swimming lessons.

match my lifestyle 내 생활방식과 맞다
resident 거주민 = inhabitant
sign up 가입하다, 등록하다

Would you like to live in another neighbourhood in your town or city? (why/why not)

Not really. Since I've been in my neighbourhood for over 20 years, I know the area like the back of my hand. There is a local coffee shop that I've dropped by almost every morning for years to get coffee before work, and there are streets where I used to hang out with a bunch of my friends during school days. My neighborhood holds so many unforgettable memories for me. Sometimes I get tempted to live somewhere new and exciting. But as everyone says, there is no place like home.

know the area like the back of my hand 내 손바닥 안처럼 잘 알다
drop by = pop by 잠깐 들르다
hold unforgettable memories 잊을 수 없는 추억을 담다
get tempted to 유혹 당하다, 부추김 당하다, 원하다
there is no place like home 집 만한 곳을 없다

Part 2
Describe a website you have bought something from.
What the website is/ what you bought from this website/ How satisfied you were with what you bought/ what you liked and disliked about using this website.

I’m going to talk about one of my favourite apps called Aladdin, which allows people to buy and sell second-hand books with just one click. The great thing about this app is that you can decide how much money you will pay, depending on the books' condition. Some books might not be in perfect condition, which makes the price lower, but others can be as good as new and in excellent condition, and that means you need to pay more. So, if you are on a tight budget, you can go for cheaper but more worn books.
Recently I was looking for books on photoshop to brush up my old skills, but I couldn't get the book soon enough as I had to wait for sellers for 2 weeks. This is one reason that I don’t like this app. Since the book supply depends on random sellers, sometimes you can’t get the books in time, so you end up buying them offline at full price. In addition, if the book that you are looking for is very popular, the price is not that cheap, and maybe as high as the original one at a bookstore.
Anyway, after the long wait, I eventually got the book in my hand and I was quite satisfied with its good condition, considering the price I paid for it. Compared with the original cost, I think I bought the book for 45% less, which even included free delivery to my home. That’s why the app is the first place I visit whenever I need to buy books.
That’s all that I can say today.

second-hand 중고의, with just one click 클릭 안 번에, be in perfect condition 완벽한 상태에 있다, tight budget 빠듯한 예산, worn 닳은, 낡은 brush up (한동안 안 쓰던 기술을) 빨리 되살리다, 되찾다, ~의 공부를 다시 시작하다, random 무작위의, in time 사간 내에 (on time 시간에 딱 맞춰), be satisfied with ~에 만족하다, for 45% less 45% 저렴하게

on sale(할인중) VS for sale(판매중)
spend money on something (중립적) 지출하다
waste money on something 돈을 낭비하다
splash out on something 돈을 흥청망청쓰다 (splash 안에 money를 포함) = splurge on 
do window shopping 윈도우 쇼핑하다;  구매하지 않고 둘러보다
just browsing 구매하지 않고 둘러보다
looking around 구매하지 않고 둘러보다 
shop around (비교하면서) 구매하다
I would shop around for a better deal.
retail therapy 
I've been working so hard. I need to treat myself.
So I splurged on clothes during my retail therapy. retail therapy 탕진잼
a bargain 
a bargain hunting, hunt for a bargain
pick up a bargain / snap up a bargain
to give someone the hard sell 구매하게끔 부담을 주다
Shop assistants try to give me the hard sell when all I want to do is look around.

online shopping 브레인 스토밍
Convenience: You can shop from the comfort of your own home and Online shopping stores are open round the clock of 24/7.
Choice: You have a maximum amount of choice when buying products via the internet
Price & Review: You have easy access to price comparisons and reviews of the products that you are interested in buying.
Time delay: There is always a time delay in receiving your purchase while 
Product problem: Lack of touch-feel-try creates concerns over the quality of the product on offer.
Fraud: Online shoppers do not always know if a site is a legitimate retail store and if it is safe to shop. 

Part 3
What kind of things do people in your country often buy from online shops?

In Korea, people buy almost everything they need online just because they don’t have enough time to go anywhere to shop. In addition, the level of Internet infrastructure in Korea is very high, so the advanced E-commerce allows people to buy almost everything online, from fresh groceries to heavy furniture.

internet infrastructure 인터넷 제반 시설, advanced E commerce 발달한 전자상거래, fresh grocery 신선한 식료품

Why has online shopping become so popular in many countries?

Online shopping provides all the products people want right to their doorstep, which allows people to spend time on other tasks. It takes less time to choose and buy things without having to go anywhere. In addition, online shops usually offer discounts on popular products since they can save on fixed costs like rent and staff. This is a very appealing advantage for buyers. On top of that, online shops can offer a broader array of options for buyers to choose, which usually isn’t possible in actual stores. For example, nowadays many Koreans try to purchase products that they've failed to find in department stores directly through foreign websites.

right to one's doorstep 바로 집까지, offer a discount on ~에 할인 가격을 제공하다, fixed costs 고정비용 = fixed expense, appealing 매력적인, 흥미로운, a broader array of options 보다 광범위한 종류의 선택

What are some possible disadvantages of buying thing from online shops? 

I think there are several disadvantages of online shopping that we need to be aware of before making a purchase. One of the most agreed upon drawbacks is we can't see the product for ourselves. We have to depend upon the product's pictures and descriptions only. Sometimes the colour or size of the product is different from the pictures due to various reasons. In addition, if the website is not secure enough, you have a risk of having your personal information hacked, like losing your card information.

be aware of ~을 깨닫다, 이해하다, drawback = disadvantage = trouble = downside 단점, have a risk of ~의 위험이 있다, have something hacked ~을 해킹당하다

Do you agree that the prices of all goods should be lower on internet shopping sites than in shops?

I do agree that most items sold online should be cheaper than they are in real shops. Considering the commerce system for online shopping, many business expenses are excluded. For example, businesses don’t have to pay salaries for a lot of employees. Rent is lower, and they can even outsource their workers elsewhere for cheaper and have them work remotely, which decreases expenses even further. Also, there are no middlemen to cut into profits. In other words, fewer expenses mean lower prices.

commercial system 상업체계, business expense, 사업비용 exclude 제외하다, outsource 하청을 주다, have something worked remotely 멀리서 일을 시키다

Will large shopping malls continue to be popular, despite the growth of internet shopping?

I believe mega shopping complexes will still be developed in the future, alongside internet shopping. I think they play a different role and provide a different shopping experience to customers. In the past, large shopping malls performed a simple role: being a place where people could buy a lot of stuff. But now, they are more so engaging places where visitors can enjoy various experiences. Nowadays, the top floors of most modern shopping centres come with multiplex theatres and a massive food court. They now offer amenities, experiences, and entertainment to enhance the shopping experience. That’s why I think large shopping malls will still be around in the future.

mega shopping complex 거대 쇼핑 단지, engaging (= appealing) place 호감이 가는, 매력적인 장소, multiplex theatres 복합 상영관, enhance 강화하다, be around 활동하고 있다

Do you think that some businesses like banks and travel agencies will only operate online in the future?

In my opinion, there is a high likelihood that we will not be able to buy flight tickets and that there will not be jobs for bank tellers in the future. Thanks to advances in telecommunication technology, most of these tasks can be dealt with online. In fact, with the development of E-commerce, it has already become very common for businessmen to transact money or loan funds online without visiting a bank. In the future, the only businesses like these that will likely survive will be those that have high-end products and cater to upper-income consumers.

there is highly likelihood that ~ 할 가능성이 높다, bank teller 은행원, advance in ~에 대한 진본, 발달, E-commerce 전자상거래, transact 거래하다, loan funds 자금을 대출하다, high-end products 고급품, cater to ~의 구미를 맞추다, ~을 충족시키다

from Siwonschool Cambridge IELTS 14 Speaking Test 4 by Sherry Park