Describe a natural place you have visited

這張題卡的準備方式

這張題卡（cue card）基本上是描述和敘事兩種任務的結合，所以考官想要的是這個地方具體的感官細節，加上一段清楚的造訪故事。常見的弱答案是用模糊、籠統的詞語描述一個地方：「it was beautiful」、「there were trees and mountains」，卻始終沒有讓它成為一段真實而具體的回憶。盡量說出一兩個鮮明而具體的細節：某個特定的景色、一種聲音，或是造訪期間你記得很清楚的某一刻。

選一個你真的去過的地方，就算它很平凡也沒關係：本地的公園、你家鄉附近的湖，或是你曾經走上去的一處山坡。平凡的地方只要描述得具體，幾乎總是比用旅遊手冊上的籠統說法描述壯麗的地方，得分更高。

花大約20秒說明它在哪裡，用30秒說明你什麼時候去、跟誰去，並在說明這個地方為什麼對你特別之前，給造訪中的某個具體回憶足夠的時間，因為帶有反思和評價意味的語言，自然就適合放在那個部分。

讓回答更出色的詞彙

1分鐘準備計畫

在1分鐘的準備時間裡，可以寫下：

• where: lake in the mountains, few hours from home
• when: two summers ago, long weekend
• who: with two close friends, first proper trip together
• memory: sunrise over the water, total silence
• closing: think of it whenever stressed, want to return

範例回答

以下是這張題卡完整回答的一種寫法，用來示範結構和程度，不是要你照背。具體的地點和回憶應該來自你自己的經歷。

A natural place that really stands out to me is a lake up in the mountains, a few hours’ drive from where I live, which I visited about two summers ago on a long weekend trip with two close friends of mine. It was actually the first proper trip the three of us had taken together, so beyond the scenery, there was a slightly nervous excitement about whether it would go well, which in the end it did. We arrived quite late in the evening on the first day, and I remember being genuinely struck by how dark and quiet it was compared to the city — no streetlights at all, just the sound of water and, occasionally, some kind of bird I couldn’t identify.

The moment that’s stayed with me most clearly, though, was getting up early the next morning, mostly by accident since none of us slept particularly well on the thin camping mats, and walking down to the lake just as the sun was starting to come up over the surrounding hills. The water was completely still, almost mirror-like, and for a few minutes none of us said anything at all, which is unusual for the three of us. It’s special to me now less because of how it looked, though it was genuinely breathtaking, and more because it was one of the rare moments I’ve felt properly at one with nature, away from any screen or deadline. I think about that morning fairly often when things feel overwhelming, and I’d like to go back at some point, ideally in a different season.

這張題卡的常見錯誤

• 只用籠統的形容詞（「beautiful」、「amazing」）描述風景，沒有任何具體細節。
• 忘了說你和誰一起去，白白失去自然的敘事材料。
• 選了一個聽起來很厲害、但你其實無法描述得夠詳細的地方。
• 用一句簡短的話回答「why it’s special」，而沒有真正的反思。