MONOLOGUE: SPORTS

Good morning, my name is Maru and I’m going to talk about sports. I think this is a difficult topic for me because I’m not very athletic and I don’t like pretty much sports but I’ll try to say some ideas in three minutes. First I’ll speak about how I keep fit, then about the benefits of keeping fit and finally about what is the most popular sport in Spain.

I’ll start talking about my experience. I don’t practice any sport but I try to go to the gym at least three times a week. I have a sedentary work so I know I have to do something to keep fit and to avoid the consequences of being on the couch watching the television all day. I chose the gym closest to my home so I wouldn’t have an excuse not to go. My favorite class is body combat. In this activity I have a teacher who is leading all the movements that we have to do. Body combat is class based on martial arts and it is basically cardiovascular exercise. I really keen on this class because apart from being a way of burning calories, it’s also a way of relieving stress.

Secondly I’d like to say that physical exercise has a lot of benefits. For example, regular activity and a healthy diet can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and that can help reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart diseases. Also, exercise is necessary to have strong bones, to have a lot of energy and to reduce the stress. Therefore, if we want to live longer, healthy and happy, we must include physical exercise in our daily lives.

Finally, I’m going to talk about the most popular sport in Spain which is football. I think the reason for it could be because you only need a minimum of two players and a ball to play for fun and you can also play it almost anywhere. Furthermore the television and advertisement play an important role to promote football. Every week you can watch a match for free on the TV and if it is not free, you can go to a pub and watch the match with friends and have a great time. I think in Spain this became a kind of tradition especially between young people.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about sports. I hope I wasn’t too boring and thank you very much for listening to me.

MONOLOGUE: CINEMA

Good morning, my name is Maru and I’m going to talk about cinema. I think this is a fantastic topic for me because I really love going to the cinema. I’ll focus my speech in three points: the advantages and disadvantages and my preferences.

I usually watch films at the cinema because it has a huge screen and a Dolby sound which is very important if there are special effects like in sci-fiction films. It seems like if you were inside the movie and that is the main advantage that the cinema has. You can also have a great time eating pop-corn and enjoying the movie with friends. Furthermore is a good opportunity to train your ear when you are learning a language if you watch films in original version.

On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages. Nowadays the price of the ticket in Spain is too expensive although we have the spectator’s day. In this special day, usually Wednesday, the tickets have a considerably discount. However, I don’t usually go on Wednesday to the cinema because it is a working day and I don’t have free time. If the spectator’s day were at the weekends, I wouldn’t miss any good movie.

Talking about my preferences, I really like several kinds of movie such as rom-com, sci-fi and horror films. The last movie I watched was The Avengers: age of ultron. It is the second part of the movie based on the Marvel comic. The special effects of this movie were amazing and it has action from the first minute. I really recommend watching it if you are fond of Marvel comics like me.

Well, that’s all I have to say about this topic. I hope I wasn’t too boring and thank you very much for listening to me.

MONOLOGUE: THE MEDIA

Hello, my name is Maru and I’m going to talk about the media. In my opinion this is an interesting topic because “the media” plays an important role in our everyday life.  In fact, “the media” is a way of communication that reaches and influences to a large number of people. I’ll focus my monologue on three points which are advantages, disadvantages and types of media I use the most.

The main advantage of the media is that it can be used to inform about what is happening around the word. Nowadays we have several options of getting this kind of information. We can read a printed newspaper, read an online tabloid, watch the news on television, read a timeline on Facebook, etc. Thanks to the technology, the media is available for everybody at anytime.

Other important function is the entertainment. Actually, I think it is the most used function of the media. Newspaper and magazines, radio, television and online mediums are ways to entertain people and an alternative to be unaware of our own reality. However, this advantage could also become into a disadvantage if we spend too much time inactive like for example watching television because this sedentary lifestyle could affect in a negative way our health.

The last advantage I’d like to say is that it can be used to educate. For example the e-learning is very popular nowadays because it doesn’t require the physical on-site presence and allow people to study courses from any place in the world. The ways of getting education through the media are by watching documentaries, interviews, YouTube videos, serials, etc.

Regarding to the disadvantages, one of them can be the manipulation. People can be manipulated through the news, advertisement or TV programmes in order to influence their way of thinking. Other disadvantage could be the waste of time especially when we’re watching the television. This time could be used to other creative things like reading, painting, cooking or even to practise some sports outdoor.

Finally I’m going to talk about the media I use the most. I'm used to reading news on the internet because this is the media I use the most. I like having different point of view of the news and with the Internet I can read several newspapers without buying them. So, this is a cheaper and faster way of being informed of what is happening in the world. You can also search on the net whatever topic you want and with the social networking sites, you can be always in contact with friends and relatives who live abroad.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about this topic. I hope I wasn’t too boring and thank you very much for listening to me.

MONOLOGUE: JOBS

Good morning, my name is Maru and I’m going to talk about jobs. In my opinion, this is an important topic because we need to work to have an economic stability and also for feeling useful and fulfilled. I’ll focus my monologue on talking about my current job and the things that I like and don’t like about it.

I work as a laboratory technician in The Public Health Laboratory of Valencia in the area of Food Security. I’ve been working there since I finished my vocational degree in 2008 in Environmental Chemistry. The Public Health Laboratory is divided into four departments: Veterinary drug residues, Chemical analysis, Organic contaminants and Microbiology. In particular, I work for the Veterinary drug residues department and I’m in charge of analysing residues of veterinary drugs like antibiotics and hormones that can remain in animal products that we eat.

I really like my job for several reasons. There is a great team working with me which is formed by excellent professionals and wonderful people. Actually, some of them are very close friends of mine and we’ve been on holiday together many times.

I fortunately ear a living wage that allows me to live on quite well and I also have a full month of paid vacation. In addiction, the timetable couldn’t be better. I work full-time from 8 o’clock in the morning to 3 o’clock in the afternoon and I have the weekends off.

However, there are some aspects that I don’t like pretty much. I don’t have the opportunity of promotion because I would need a higher qualification like for example a degree. I’ve been thinking of studying a Chemistry or Biology degree but nowadays I can’t afford to pay the university taxes because they are very expensive. Moreover, my job is not stable because I’m not a civil servant and I have to keep my fingers crossed every time my contract is going to finish.

Anyway, I feel very lucky to have a job because at present, who have a job has a treasure. And that’s all I have to say about this topic. Thank you very much for listening to me and have a nice day.

MONOLOGUES: EATING HABITS

Good morning, my name is Maru and I’m going to talk about eating habits. I’d like to start by quoting a famous phrase that says: “You are what you eat” and what does it mean this phrase? Well, in my opinion is a way of encouraging people to be aware of the importance of having a balance diet.

First of all, I’d like to say some of the stereotypes that people have about healthy eating. Generally speaking, many people believe that taking care about their diet is related to have an obsession with their physical appearance. This is absolutely wrong because it has more to do with keeping a healthy weight, reducing the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart diseases, and basically promoting our overall health.

Secondly, I’d like to talk about my personal experience. I think I have good eating habits. I try to eat more fresh vegetables, fruits and fish and I try to cut down on red meat and ready-made food.

I am really keen on Mediterranean diet because is full of vitamins, minerals, and good fats and of course full of wonderfully delicious meals. My favourite dish is “Paella”. It is a typical Valencian dish made with rice, vegetables, rabbit and chicken.

Moreover, I always try to eat home-made food and when I don’t have enough time to cook I prepare healthy fast food such as salads with grilled fish or meat. I don’t usually eat out but when I do, I prefer to eat Spanish or Japanese food because they are my favourite.

Finally I want to talk about young people eating habits. Children and teenagers have really bad eating habits. Most of them don’t get enough food at breakfast or don’t have breakfast. They also love sweets and bakery which are full of sugar and saturated fats. When they eat out with friends they usually go to fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King because they consider this type of food very tasty and cheaper. In general, they don’t like fruits and vegetables so that’s why it is so important to teach them to eat healthily from an earlier age.

Anyway, for concluding I’d like to point out that everybody should be worry about their diet not only to have a good appearance but also to feel good and healthy. If we keep an eye on what we eat and follow a balance diet, we’ll live longer and happier. And that’s all I can say about this topic in three minutes. Thank you very much for listening to me and have a nice day.