Question
Describe a historic building you’ve visited
You should say:
• Where it is
• What it looks like
• When you went there
• And explain how you felt about it
Sample answer
I’d like to talk about the Church of our Mount Carmel, or, the West Church in the heart of my hometown. Actually it is only 5 minutes’ walk from where I live. So, quite often I just pop in and chat with the sisters there. From them I knew a lot about the church. In fact it was built in the 18th century, that is, actually still in the Tsing Dynasty. And then the Catholic church just suffered a lot. It was destroyed for the first time in 1811, yet was rebuilt about 50 years later. But then, in 1900, it was destroyed again during the Yihe Tuan Rebelion, or, the Boxer Rrebelion. And it was reconstructed again in 1912 as we can see it today.
The blueish grey exterior walls of the building, which are made of bricks, always give me a feel of seriousness. The eight exquisite frescos inside, which tell the stories of the Bible, create a grand and elegant atmosphere. Now the West Church has become a popular tourist destination. So it is not surprising that you’ll always see people taking photos with their cameras. Mind you, there is a Mass in French, every Sunday at 11 o'clock, when you can find perhaps pious Catholics only.
