Unit 20 – Different Countries, Different Cultures

Warm-up and Vocabulary

Japan, Indonesia, America, and Brazil are different countries. The food, clothes, music, and dance from a country are its culture. Let’s learn the words!

Word	Word Class	Definition (in simple English)
country	noun	A place with its own land and government (e.g., Indonesia, Japan).
culture	noun	The ideas, food, music, and art of a group of people.
food	noun	What people eat (e.g., satay, pizza).
music	noun	Sounds you listen to (e.g., K-Pop, Gamelan).
dance	noun	To move your body to music.
prefer	verb	To like one thing more than another thing.
interesting	adjective	Makes you want to know more; not boring.

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Activity 1: Crossword

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Activity 2: Check Your Vocabulary

Choose the best word to complete the sentence.

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Giving Your Opinion

In a speaking test, the examiner is evaluating your ability to communicate effectively. A simple “yes” or “no” answer provides no evidence of your language skills.

To achieve a high score, you must extend your response. This means you must show how you can discuss a topic in detail. The most effective and natural way to do this is to explain why you have an opinion and then support it with a clear, personal example.

The 3-Part Framework for a Strong Answer

A strong, coherent answer follows a simple logical structure. Think of it as three steps:

1. State Your Opinion: Give your main answer or feeling directly.
2. Provide a Reason: Explain why you feel this way. The word “because” is the most powerful tool here.
3. Give a Personal Example: Support your reason with a specific example from your own life or knowledge. Use “For example…” or “For instance…”

Let’s see this 3-part framework in action.

Example 1:

• Question: “Do you prefer Indonesian culture or American culture?”
• Model Answer:
  “I prefer Indonesian culture (Opinion) because I find the food absolutely delicious (Reason). For example, I love to eat nasi goreng almost every week; it’s one of my favorite dishes (Example).”

Example 2:

• Question: “What culture do you think is interesting?”
• Model Answer:
  “I think Japanese culture is very interesting (Opinion) because I am a big fan of its modern media and animation (Reason). For example, I watch anime every weekend, and I really admire the artistry and storytelling (Example).”

Tips:

• This structure shows coherence. You are not just stating a random opinion; you are supporting it with a logical reason and a real-life example. 
• Using a personal example (like your favorite food or your weekend hobby) is always more natural and authentic than trying to give a generic, memorized answer.
• This 3-part structure naturally helps you speak for a good length of time. It moves your answer from a 5-second “yes” to a much stronger 30-second, well-supported response.

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Skill Practice

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Exercise 1: Unscramble the Sentences

Put the words in the correct order to make a good answer.

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Exercise 2: Match the Parts

Match the Opinion to the correct Reason and Example.

Exercise 3: Time to Speak

1. Read the question.
2. You have 15 seconds to think. (Use the Helper Words!)
3. Click “Record” and speak for 30-45 seconds.

Remember the 3 steps:

1. Opinion (I think… / I prefer…)
2. Reason (…because…)
3. Example (…For example,…)

Helper Words (on screen):

• I prefer watching…
• …because I want to see… / …because it is… 
• …For example, I want to watch…