Social Media / House product you bought / Creating a nice home / Different types of home

Social Media 브레인 스토밍

fake news, troll/haters, spam/virus/hacker, clickbait(낚시성 기사; 조회수를 높이기 위해 자극적으로 작성한 쓰레기 기사), block someone, cybercrime
악플을 달다/악플러 
He's already getting trolled on social media for his drug scandal. 악플이 달리다
My aunt falls for clickbait all the time. 낚이다
I had one hater who kept trolling my posts, so I blocked him. 차단하다 (posts = news feeds 게시물)
Facebook pushed a lot of fake news. 거짓 뉴스
When I clicked one of my spam emails, a virus alert was activated to warn me that someone was trying to hack into my account.

Part 1

Which social media websites do you use?

A
The social network site that I use often is Instagram. Ever since I joined the site about 2 years ago, I’ve been an active user of it, uploading interesting images. Unlike other social media sites like Facebook or KakaoTalk, Instagram is not designed for networking or connecting with friends. What attracts me most is that it’s more like a blog with quality photos and video clips but less text.

B
My favorite social media site is Instagram. Ever since I joined the site about 2 years ago, I’ve been an active user of it, posting interesting images. I prefer Instagram to other social network sites like Facebook or KakaoTalk as it can appeal to more users with images or short videos.

be an active user of sth ~을 잘 사용하다 (~의 실 사용자이다), upload = post = put on ~을 (웹페이지에) 올리다, be designed for ~을 의도하여 만들어 지다, what attracts me most is (that) 내가 가장 좋아하는 부분은 ~이다, 내 맘에 가장 드는 부분은 ~이다, video clips = short videos 짧은 동영상, prefer A to B A를 B보다 더 선호하다, appeal to ~에 매력을 느끼다

used to + Verb
I used to ~ but now I don't.
I used to play basketball every weekend, but I haven't done it for a long time now.
I used to ~ less often than I do now.
I used to play a computer game less often than I do now. 현재보다 컴퓨터 게임을 과거에는 덜 했었다.
I used to ~ more often than I do now.
I used to go running more often than I do now.

How much time do you spend on social media sites? (why/ why not)

A (why 에 대한 답변이 없음)
It’s hard to say exactly how much, but I am pretty sure that I waste a lot of time chatting with friends on Facebook and browsing Instagram. I used to spend less time using social media than I do now, and I’d like to reduce the amount of time I spend online, but it’s easier said than done. Sometimes I find myself losing track of time on my smartphone.

B
I am pretty sure that I waste a lot of time chatting with friends on Facebook and browsing Instagram. Since I always have my smartphone in my hand, I can be entertained or contact my family or friends wherever I am. So I suppose, I have become addicted to it.

waste 시간 verb ing ~하는라 시간을 낭비/허비하다, browse ~을 둘러보다, carry smartphones at school 스마트폰을 학교에 가져오다, be addicted to = develop a form of addiction to ~에 중독되다, it's easier said than done 실천하기 보다 말하는 것이 쉽다, lose track of time 시간 가는 줄을 모르다/잊다

What kind of information about yourself have you put on social media?

I usually upload interesting images or funny memes that I collect online to share with my friends on my social media account. I am particularly very careful not to post anything too personal or private in case I get hacked or lose my personal information. So, for me, posting a series of close-up selfies on my Instagram would be very unusual.

meme 짤방, 밈, get hacked 해킹 당하다, lose personal information 개인정보를 잃어버리다, close-up selfies 클로즈업 셀카

Is there anything you don't like about social media?

What I don’t like about social media is its impact on me. It is so influential that I get too involved and eventually cut off from my real world. Sometimes I suffer from low self-esteem as everyone on Instagram seems to have a perfect life except me, which is not true at all. That’s the moment when I am aware of how much influence it has on me.

get involved ~에 몰두하다, 관여하다, 사로잡히다, (be hooked on ~에 빠져 있다, ~에 맛들이다, During the Olympics, we all got hooked on figure skating. be into ~에 푹 빠지다, junkie 중독자 a TV junkie / video game junkie), suffer from 부정적인 경험 (나쁜 경험 등을) 하다, 받다, cut off from the real world 현실에서 멀어지다, low self-esteem 낮은 자존감

Part 2

Describe something you liked very much which you bought for your home.
What you bought/ when and where you bought it/ why you chose this particular thing/ why you liked it so much.

Among my recent purchases for my home, the most satisfying one was an air purifier for my family. As days with high concentrations of fine dust become more frequent in Seoul, I try to stay indoors as much as possible, and when I have to go out, wearing a mask has become an essential part of my routine.
When the weather was cold, it was easy enough to avoid fine dust, but as the temperature rises, opening windows has been inevitable to air out the apartment. In particular, my brother’s asthma gets worse when the fine dust is bad, and we decided to install an air purifier at home before the start of summer.
After considering a variety of options given in the market, we bought an air purifier from LG online, since we have strong brand loyalty to the company.
Now I must say the quality of life has improved a lot since purchasing it a month ago. We all agree that it was an excellent choice. One of the dramatic changes we enjoyed is that we don’t need to keep the windows shut anymore. My brother feels much more comfortable and has fewer asthma attacks. Also, we all have peace of mind from the knowledge that we don’t need to worry about the quality of air when the level of fine dust soars. Though it was rather pricy, I guess it’s a worthwhile investment all in all.

That's all that I can say now.

high concentration 고농축, fine dust 미세먼지 (cf. yellow dust 황사), stay indoors 집 안에서 지내다, 외출을 삼가다, go out 외출하다, routine 일과, 형용사 + enough to ~ 하기에 충분히 ~하다, inevitable 불가피한, air out 환기시키다, have brand loyalty to ~브랜드에 충성도가 있다, keep something shut 닫아두다 (cf close 닫다), asthma attack 천식발작, pricy = expensive 비싼, have a peace of mind 마음이 편안해 지다, investment 투자

Part 3

문제의 의견 표현

일반적인 의견일 경우
Well, some people would say that ~.
It's often said that ~.
There is an argument that ~.
의견에 동의하지 않는 경우
I'm not sure because ~.
That's not my view because ~.
I really don't think that's true because ~.

Why do some people buy lots of things for their home?

I’ve never really thought about that because people buy stuff for different reasons, but I presume that some people buy many items for their house because they want to make their home comfortable and safe for them. In particular, if they are homebodies, this could be the case. As they spend most of their time hanging around at home, having a relaxing and comfortable home with enough supplies is essential. That’s why some people seem to buy many items for their house.

presume 추측하다, 추정하다, 간주하다, homebody 집순이, 집돌이, hang around (at) ~에서 시간을 보내다, ~를 배회하다, supplies 비상식량

Do you think it is very expensive to make a home look nice?

I don't think that money is the most essential factor in decorating a home. If you are aware of basic rules and tips on home décor, there are plenty of budget-friendly options to choose from furniture to paintings. In my opinion, a beautiful house doesn’t mean that it has expensive flooring or is cluttered with luxury furniture, but how well it tells visitors the kind of people the owners are. For example, a collection of family photos hanging on the wall would give guests the impression that the host cares about their family.

decorate ~을 장식하다, budget-friendly 예산에 맞는, be aware of ~을 깨닫다, 알다 차리다, be cluttered with ~으로 어수선하게 채워넣다, give the impression 인산을 주다, 인상을 남기다, not A but B A가 아니라 B다

Why don’t some people care about how their home look? 

I presume there are several reasons why some people don’t bother much with their home environment. One of the most common reasons is their lifestyle is so extroverted or hectic that technically they don’t spend much time at home. They tend to stay outside longer, socializing or working. They could even leave their house empty travelling for a while. Another possible reason that I can think is, for them, having a presentable house is not a priority in their life unless they plan to put their house on the market. They might have few guests who visit their home or have several kids and pets to look after. Whatever the reason, it’s obvious they have more important things to do. That’s why it doesn’t matter for some people to make a good impression on their guests with fancy home decor.

don't bother much 크게 신경 쓰지 않다, tend to ~하는 경향이다, extroverted 외향적인, 활동적인, hectic 정신없이 바쁜, 빡빡한, presentable 남 앞에 내 놓을 만한, don't matter 중요하지 않다, fancy 값비싼, 고급의

In what ways is living in a flat/apartment better than living in a house?

In my opinion, there are several benefits of living in an apartment compared to living in a house. One definite plus is that, of course, people can lead a convenient life. In other words, it means a life without having to worry about maintenance, as landlords are always able to handle many issues like a clogged sink or broken light. Another advantage is, unlike common family homes, most modern apartment blocks come with surveillance cameras or regular patrols by security guards. As a result, the availability of several layers of added security can give residents in modern apartments peace of mind. In my mind, that’s why many single women and the elderly prefer living in a flat as the safest location.

compare to ~와 비교하다, lead a convenient life 안락한 삶을 살다, maintenance 보수 유지, landlord 집주인, a clogged sink 막힌 하수구, surveillance camera (CCTV) 감시카메라 regular patrols 규칙적인 순찰

Do you think homes will look different in the future? 

Yes, I think so. I suppose, as cities grow and lifestyles change, it’s possible that the homes we decide to live in will change dramatically. For example, to accommodate an increase of population with rising land value, buildings will get taller, ending up with thousands of people living in a single building as a self-contained city. Or many experts predict that people will live in underground structures in 100 years, as underground houses are resistant to severe weather and are eco-friendly in terms of energy efficiency. I am not sure when exactly these changes in housing will play out, but they are certainly not far from us. 

accommodate 수용하다, land value 땅값, end up ~ing 결국 ~하게 되다, self-contained 자립적인, be resistant to ~에 강한, ~에 저항력이 있는, play out 유발하다, 발생시키다, eco-friendly 친환경적인

Do you agree that the kinds of homes people prefer change as they get older?

It’s often said that people try to move out of their old places to different residential buildings once they grow older. For example, there are many retired people who choose to leave their big modern apartment buildings to enjoy a relaxed rural life and settle down in a small house with a garden. But I am not sure that this is the same for everyone. It seems to me that some people don’t want to leave their family home which contains sentimental value and personal memories. Plus, it could be quite challenging for the elderly to move out of their home and adapt to living in a modern apartment building. Therefore, I partly agree that aging can have an influence on people’s decision about whether they change the type of house they live in, but there are people who want to keep living in their familiar homes as long as they can. 

sentimental value 정서적 가치, 감정적 의미, residential 거주하는 거주의, rural life 전원생활, adapt to ~에 적응하다, challenging 어려운, have an influence on ~에 영향을 주다

from Siwonschool Cambridge IELTS 14 Speaking Test 2 by Sherry Park