When I was a child, my cousin once told me a story orally, and even now I remember it clearly. I don’t remember the exact name of the story, but based on what I know now, it seems similar to a traditional tale called the Empty Pot. In the story, there is a king who wants to choose a successor. He gives all the children in the kingdom a seed and tells them that who overgrows the most beautiful flower in one week will become the next ruler. Everyone tries very hard and mini by ready-made flowers to impress the king. However, there is one boy who plus his seed exactly as given but nothing grows. On the day of the contest, while everyone else has flowers, if his pot is empty, then the king reveals that all the seeds had been boiled beforehand so none could grow. The contest was actually a test of honesty. And because the boy was truthful and didn’t shoot, he is chosen as the king’s successor. I like this story because it teaches that honesty is more important than appearing clever or successful. Even though I don’t remember the name perfectly, it has stayed in my memories since my childhood and always reminds me of the value of being honest.
Band 7+: Describe an Interesting traditional story
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When I was a child, my cousin once told me a story orally, and even now I remember it clearly. I don't remember the exact name of the story, but based on what I know now, it seems similar to a traditional tale called the Empty Pot. In the story, there is a king who wants to choose a successor. He gives all the children in the kingdom a seed and tells them that whoever grows the most beautiful flower in one week will become the next ruler. Everyone tries very hard and brings ready-made flowers to impress the king. However, there is one boy who plants his seed exactly as given, but nothing grows. On the day of the contest, while everyone else has flowers, his pot is empty. The king reveals that all the seeds had been boiled beforehand, so none could grow. The contest was actually a test of honesty. Because the boy was truthful and didn't cheat, he is chosen as the king's successor. I like this story because it teaches that honesty is more important than appearing clever or successful. Even though I don't remember the name perfectly, it has stayed in my memory since my childhood and always reminds me of the value of being honest.
Actual audio transcript (What native speakers are likely to hear):
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Speaking Time: 85 seconds