1. Tick (✓) the expressions that could be used to clarify thoughts.

(Đánh dấu (✓) vào các cụm có thể dùng để làm rõ suy nghĩ.)

1. What I mean is ...

2. I think ...

3. In my opinion ...

4. What I mean to say is ...

5. Well, you see ...

6. In other words ...

7. How so?

8. The thing is. ...

9. What I meant was ...

10. I have to say that ...

11. Let me put it this way ...

2. Complete the dialogue with ONE WORD ONLY.

(Hoàn thành đoạn hội thoại với CHỈ MỘT TỪ.)

Minh: I believe that you had a wonderful year in Thailand. What impressed you the most about living here?

James: Definitely the culture of Thailand was exotic. It is completely different from my country - the USA.

Lan: How different?

Jamas: The (1) _____ is, Thailand's culture and tradition are strongly affected by Buddhism. Thai people have adopted cultural values and beliefs according to this religion for hundreds of years.

Well, you (2) _____, there are a lot of Buddhist structures across the country, especially pagodas and statues.

Lan: I heard that their culture is also influenced by Indian culture, is that right?

James: Yes. The Thai language originated from the Sanskrit language of ancient India. What I (3) _____ is the language of Thai has many loan words from Sanskrit and even the Thai alphabet is made up of curving symbols that are somehow similar to Sanskrit.

Lan: How about the influence of Western culture in Thailand?

James: Not much I guess. Historically, Thailand was occupied by many western colonists. In other (4) _____, the footprint of Western culture is not significant here compared to Asian countries like India or Myanmar.

Lan: I see. But why do many Thai people still migrate to other countries?

James: Because the income of Thai people is unequal. What I mean to (5) _____ is that a lot of low-income people in Thailand are trying to move to other developed countries such as the USA or Germany for career opportunities.

3. Match the sentences. Then use the expressions to clarify thoughts to connect these sentences.

(Nối các câu sau. Sau đó dùng các mẫu câu để làm rõ ý để nối các câu trên.)

1. For me. Hoi An is such a unique ancient town.

2. Cultural diversity can be seen all over Viet Nam.

3. Many African countries are rich in culture.

4. In terms of cultural beliefs and practices, Laos and Thailand share multiple similarities.

a. Indigenous people living in those countries for centuries have successfully passed down traditional and cultural values to the future generations.

b. These two nations share the same religious beliefs, ethnicity, and even languages.

c. People of each region in Viet Nam have their own set of cultural beliefs.

d. All of the cultural and historical sites here are well-preserved.

4. Interview two friends on what they do to preserve traditions of the country / countries where they live. Report the answer, using the expressions to clarify thoughts.

Suggested questions to ask:

• In what country do you live in?

• How do you preserve the tradition of ... ?

Phương is going to participate in Vietnamese cooking classes. What she means to say is that she can team how to cook Vietnamese traditional dishes by attending those classes.