Describe an important old thing that your family has kept for a long time

You should say what it is, how and when your family first got it, how long your family has kept it, and explain why it’s important to your family.

The model answers below are from a members-only video lesson

Watch the full video lesson here:

YouTube (Join): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLYVgYCj1eAuM3YudWWDaA/join

Bilibili: https://space.bilibili.com/517168902

Speaker: Joseph

I’d like to talk about an important old thing that my family has kept for a long time, which is my grandfather’s wristwatch.

It’s a simple, mechanical watch with a leather strap and a slightly faded dial. There’s nothing flashy about it, but it has a very classic design. My family first got this watch around fifty years ago when my grandfather bought it with his first salary after getting a stable job. At that time, owning a good watch was considered a big achievement, so it meant a lot to him.

My family has kept this watch for more than two generations now. After my grandfather passed away, it was handed down to my father, and recently my father gave it to me. Even though it still works, I don’t wear it every day because it’s quite delicate. We mostly keep it safely at home.

This watch is important to my family mainly because of its emotional value. It reminds us of my grandfather’s hard work and the struggles he went through to support the family. For me personally, it represents responsibility and continuity, as it connects three generations of men in my family. Every time I look at it, I feel motivated to live up to the values he stood for, which makes it far more valuable than any modern watch.

Speaker: Blondie

Actually, I love this topic because it makes me think of something sitting in my house right now. It’s not a fancy piece of jewellery or a painting—it’s actually an old, beat-up recipe book that belonged to my grandmother.

It’s this thick, leather-bound journal, but the leather is all peeling now, and the pages are yellowed and covered in flour stains and little ink splatters.

My family first got it back in the early 80s. My grandmother started writing in it when she first got married because she didn’t want to forget her mother’s traditional dishes. So, it’s been passed down through the family for over forty years now. My mom eventually inherited it, and she’s added her own little notes and modern tweaks to the recipes over the years.

The reason this book is so incredibly important to us is that it’s more than just a list of instructions for food. It’s like a family timeline. Whenever we open it, we’re not just making dinner; we’re connecting with our heritage.

In a world where everything is digital and we usually just Google a recipe, having something tangible that has been touched by three generations of women is pretty rare. It’s definitely the one thing we’d grab if the house was on fire! It’s an underrated treasure because, to anyone else, it’s just scrap paper, but to us, it’s our entire family history in one book.