Holidays

1. When is ______(the holiday) celebrated?
2. Is it celebrated as a family or a group?
3. Does your family celebrate this holiday?
4. Has your family always celebrated this holiday? If not, when did you start celebrating it?
5. When does the celebration for this holiday generally start?
6. Is it a religious holiday?

· Which religion celebrates it?

· Is attending a temple or a church on that day part of the celebration?

· Are there specific prayers or blessings that go with the holiday?

1. Are there special foods connected with the holiday?

• Have you eaten any of these foods?
• Do you or did you like the foods?
• Can you make these foods? Are you good at making them?

1. Is gift giving a part of this holiday?

• Are there specific types of gifts to be given?
• Who are they given to?

1. What does the holiday stand for? Why is this holiday celebrated?
2. Are the banks, post offices or schools closed for this holiday?
3. Is there is a person or god connected with the holiday?

• Who are they and do you believe in them?
• If you do not believe in these people or gods, does the celebration of these bother you in any way (e.g., ignored, dismissed, angry, etc.)?

1. Do you enjoy the holiday?

• Why or why not?

1. Do you decorate your house for the holiday?
2. Are there special songs associated with the holiday?
3. Do schools, temples or churches have special programs for this holiday?
4. Are there parties?
5. Are these for adults, children or both?
6. Do you see your relatives during this holiday?
7. Who do you visit?
8. Do you visit them every year on this holiday?

1. What do you usually do for this holiday?
2. What did you do last year?
3. What would you like to do next year?
4. Are cards sent or given for this holiday?
5. What traditional colours are associated with this holiday?
6. What holidays have disappeared in your country?
7. What new holidays are needed in your country?
8. What holiday should be abolished?
9. Do you think holidays are important? Why?
10. How many holidays do you have in your country?
11. What special clothing/customs are associated with your favorite holiday?
12. What is your favorite holiday memory? Tell us about it.
13. Who is your favorite holiday character (e.g. Santa Claus)? Why?
14. What is your worst holiday memory? Tell us about it.
15. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, should you get another day off?
16. What is best present you ever received?
17. Do you celebrate holidays differently now than you did when you were a child? \

Money & Shopping

Please remember that some questions about money may be considered too personal to ask anyone who is not a very close friend or a family member.

1. About how much did you spend on presents last year?
2. About how much do you usually spend each day?
3. Are you a price conscious shopper?
4. Are you good at saving money?
5. Are you saving money to buy something?

• If so, what are you planning to buy?
• How much will it cost?
• How much longer will you need to save before you can buy it?

1. Do you compare prices at different stores when you shop?
2. Do you enjoy shopping?
3. Do you ever buy second-hand things? ("used things")
4. Do you haggle when you shop ?
5. Do you have a credit card? If so, do you have more than one?
6. Do you sometimes buy things that you don't need?

· If so, give some examples.

1. Have you ever been in debt? (Have you ever owed money to people?)
2. How much time did you spend the last time you went shopping?
3. How often do you go shopping?
4. If someone gave you a lot of money, what would you do with it?
5. What do you spend most of your money on?
6. What do you want to buy next?
7. What is something that you have bought recently that cost a lot of money?
8. What is something that you have bought recently that was a good bargain?
9. What is something that you have bought recently?
10. What is something that you want to buy, but don't have enough money to buy.
11. What is something that you want to buy, but think you never will.
12. What is the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
13. What is your opinion about discount stores? Do you ever buy things at a discount?
14. What kind of things do you often shop for?
15. What was the last thing you bought for yourself?

· Where did you buy it?

· Why did you buy it?

1. What's the most expensive thing you have ever bought?

1. What did you buy?
2. Which do you prefer, large stores or small stores?
3. What's your favorite shopping area or store?
4. Where do you usually buy food?
5. Do you ever use a shopping list?
6. Who do you often go shopping with?
7. When you buy something, do you "shop around" and go to many stores to compare prices?
8. When you buy something, what is most important to you: price, quality, fashion trend, status/image?
9. What is the most you have ever spent on a gift?

· What was it?

· Who did you give it to?

· What was the occasion?

1. If you can't find an item at the store, do you find a clerk and ask for help, or do you leave and go somewhere else?
2. Do you enjoy window-shopping?
3. Are you a shopaholic?
4. Have you ever bought anything online? What was it?
5. Do you think online shopping is reliable? What potential problems are there?
6. Would you ever buy clothes/ shoes/ furniture/ etc.?
7. Have you ever used an online auction site?

Cinema

1. What is your favourite film?
2. Are there any kinds of movies you dislike?

· If so, what kinds?

· Why do you dislike them?

1. Do you like watching horror movies?
2. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books? How about movies?
3. Do you usually watch films at home or at a movie theater?
4. Have you ever seen the same movie more than once?

· If yes, name it (or them).

1. Have you ever seen ___? (Insert the name of a film.)
2. How often do you go to the cinema?
3. How often do you rent videos?
4. If a book has been made into a movie, which do you prefer to do first, see the movie or read the book? Why?
5. What is the best film you have ever seen?

· Who was in it?

· Why did you like it?

· Who was the director?

1. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen?

· What's the funniest?

· What's the most romantic?

1. What is the worst movie you've ever seen?
2. What was the last movie you saw?

· Was it good?

· Who did you see it with?

1. Which do you like better, action movies or comedy movies?
2. What movie star would you most like to meet?
3. Who is your favourite actor or actress?
4. Do you think that films can be educational?
5. Is there a film you could watch over and over again?
6. Who's your favorite director?
7. Have you seen any good movies lately?

1. How much does it cost to see a movie in your country?
2. Do you usually rent DVD's or videos when you rent movies?
3. What's one of your favorite movies?

· What kind of movie is it?

· Who's in it?

· Who directed it?

· Why do you like it?

· When did it come out?

· Where was it filmed?

· How many times have you seen it?

· Would you recommend it? Why?

1. Do you think movies have been developing technology or technology has been developing movies?
2. How much do you spend to buy DVD movies?
3. Do you like to see a movie many times?
4. Would you like to be an actor/actress? Why or why not?
5. Which do you prefer to watch movies or to read books?
6. What do you prefer animated movies or real movies?
7. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
8. Do you think historical movies are educational?
9. Do you like documentaries?
10. Who is your favorite movie hero?
11. What do you think about comic books movies?
12. Can you remember the name of the first film you saw that made you cry?
13. What is your favorite classical film?
14. Which do you prefer, comedy movies or horror movies?
15. Have you ever seen a movie in another country? Describe the experience.
16. Are movie trailers common at the cinema in your country?
17. Do you like foreign films that are dubbed in your mother tongue or do you like watching the film in its original form?
18. What kind of film would you like to star in? Why?
19. Do you think there should be more movies made in your country?
20. What is something that you have never seen happen in a movie?
21. What things happen too often in movies?
22. What is the name of the most boring movie you have seen? Is there a way to make it better?
23. If you could be a movie bad guy, which one would you be?
24. How often would you go to the cinema if you always had free tickets?
25. Which movie has the best story? Tell me about it.

1. If they made a movie about your life, what kind of movie would it be?

• Which actor or actress would be you in a movie about your life?

1. Do you think there is too much nudity in movies, or not enough?
2. Do you think there is too much violence in movies? Does it affect children?
3. Do you think a movie has to be expensive to become a blockbuster? Why?
4. Would you like to be in a television drama?

• What kind of character would you like to play in a television drama?

News

1. What is the role of newspapers in society?
2. Why do we buy newspapers?
3. Is the news censored in your country?
4. Will newspapers disappear in the future?
5. How does American news differ from your country's news?
6. What is your favorite section of the newspaper to read?
7. How often do you watch the news?

· Do you make a point of watching the news?

· Do you feel bad if you miss the news?

1. Which kind of news is the best? Why? (e.g. newspaper, TV, internet etc)

· Do you think there should be more or less of this news?

1. Do you think that the news is necessary? Why or why not?

· What would the world be like without news?

1. Do you think the news tells us just information without giving its opinion?

· Should the news give an opinion?

· Do you think the news influences people too much?

1. Do you think the news is shocking now?

· How has it changed over the years?

1. What do you think is the most important thing the news should report?
2. What kind of magazines do you like reading?
3. What is your favourite newspaper?
4. What is your favourite magazine?
5. Do you think that reading an English newspaper is a good way to improve your English?
6. Do you like to keep up with current events?
7. Do you think it's important to read the newspaper and know what is going on in the world? Why or why not?
8. Do you ever read news in the Internet?