Speaking Part 1 · News 5 題 Band 7+ 範答 + 新聞詞庫

Q1. Do you follow the news regularly?

I try to, although I've shifted how I consume it quite a lot in the last few years. I don't really watch the evening TV news anymore — it feels too fast and too alarmist. Instead I listen to a couple of English-language podcasts on the MRT in the morning, and I'll skim headlines on a news app during lunch. That gives me enough without leaving me anxious.

Q2. What kinds of news stories do you usually follow?

Mostly international politics and anything climate-related, with the occasional tech story thrown in. I'm not particularly interested in celebrity gossip or local crime, partly because it doesn't tell me much I can act on. If a story affects policy or something I genuinely need to understand — like a new tax rule — I'll read it properly rather than just glance at it.

Q3. Where do you usually get your news from?

A mix of sources, honestly — I think relying on one outlet these days is pretty risky. I subscribe to The Economist's daily briefing, I've got the BBC app on my phone, and for Taiwan-specific news I'll skim Central News Agency or a few trusted Substack writers. I deliberately avoid getting most of my news from Facebook because the algorithm just feeds me whatever outrages me.

Q4. Do you think the news is generally reliable?

It's a mixed picture, isn't it. Proper mainstream outlets still do real journalism, even if they have their biases, whereas a lot of what circulates on social media is either misleading or completely made up. I'd say the bigger issue isn't outright fake news; it's the slant, the selective coverage — what gets emphasised and what gets quietly ignored.

Q5. Do you think international news is important?

Absolutely, and I think it's more important now than maybe twenty years ago. Taiwan's economy, our security, even the weather — they're all deeply affected by what happens in Washington, Beijing, Brussels. Ignoring international news feels a bit like deciding not to look at the weather forecast because you're staying indoors. The world comes in whether you notice or not.

Band 6: I get news from TV and the internet. Sometimes I watch news with my parents. Facebook also has news.

Band 7+: A mix of sources, actually — I subscribe to The Economist's daily briefing, use the BBC app for international stories, and skim Central News Agency for Taiwan-specific things. I deliberately avoid getting news from Facebook because the algorithm tends to feed me whatever outrages me most.