Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living organisms that have had their genes altered in some way. Genetic engineering can be done with plants, animals, or even bacterias.
In Iceland, researchers are growing genetically modified barley plants inside a greenhouse to create lab-grown meat. They believe that this cutting-edge approach can lower costs, enhance food production and quality, and eliminate dependence on live animals.
Let’s watch the video to learn more about the process of genetically modifying barley plants to grow meat.
What are your thoughts on this process of genetically modifying plants to create lab-grown meat?
Do you think GM food is safe to eat? Explain your stand.
People in the US have been eating genetically modified food for many years without ill effects. Why do you think some people in the rest of the world still have doubts?
Is GM experimentation “unnatural”? Are all “unnatural” things bad? Elaborate on your stand.
How can GM food solve the global problem on food shortage?
Do you sometimes wish it could be summer all year round? Summer times are relaxing and fun. But as delightful as it is, we need the other seasons as well.
The different amounts of sunlight around the Earth during the year creates the seasons. The Earth’s orbit, rotation on its axis, and its tilt are all the reasons for spring, winter, autumn, and summer.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the four seasons.
What’s your favorite season? What do you like about it?
What is the best season to visit your country and why?
Does summer feel hotter than it used to? Is autumn shorter or longer? How have the seasons changed?
Do you always shop for new clothes when the season changes? Why or why not?
If you could eliminate one season so that it no longer existed, which would you choose?
John Steinbeck said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” Do agree that we need winter so that we appreciate summer? Explain your thoughts.
If you browsed the internet in 2019, you would have probably heard of Team Trees, a campaign started by Mr. Beast and Mark Rober, two very famous content creators found on YouTube. This campaign showed that the younger generation still care about Earth’s environment and they have done it again.
Every 1 US dollar donated to this campaign, 1 pound of trash will be removed from the ocean. Many content creators are supporting this campaign and as of writing, #TeamSeas has already gathered $14,379,559.00 in donations.
Let us find out what #TeamSeas is about by watching the video below.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think #TeamSeas will reach its goal of 30 Million US dollars?
If you had spare money, would you donate to this amazing cause?
In your opinion, will #TeamSeas help the planet?
Based on this campaign, do you think it’s possible that there will be 90% less trash in the ocean by 2040? Is it possible, in your opinion?
Must and Have to are modal verbs that show necessity, obligation and prohibition. They have little differencesin their usage.
‘Must’ is used to imply that the obligation is personal. It is an obligation the speaker sets for himself. We can only use this form in the present and in the future.
Basic sentence structure:
subject + auxiliary verb must + main verb base
subject
auxiliary verb (must)
main verb (base form)
She
must
go
now.
Examples:
I must finish this task. (Finishing the task is an obligation the speaker took on himself)
I must go. (obligation set by the speaker)
I must learn how to drive. (obligation set by the speaker)
‘Have to’ also implies obligation. However, this obligation is something external. It is something someone else asked the speaker to do and the speaker cannot change it. We can use this form in the past, the present and the future.
Basic sentence structure:
subject + auxiliary verb + have + to-infinitive
subject
auxiliary verb
Main verb (have)
to-infinitive
Past Simple
She
had
to leave
early.
Present Simple
I
have
to eat
fast.
Future Simple
They
will
have
to meet
soon.
Examples:
I have to send the report as soon as possible. (Sending the report is a duty given to the speaker.)
They had to stay there longer. (They were required to stay longer)
I have to leave now. (Leaving now is required of the speaker)
For the question form, it is more common to use “have to’ than ‘must’. It is used to ask if something is required or an obligation.
Why do you have to go? – more common
Why must you go? – less common
Does he have to drive? – more common
Must he drive? – less common
What do we have to say? – more common
What must we say? – less common
The negative forms of these two have different meanings.
The negative form of ‘must’ is ‘must not’. It shows that something is not allowed.
He mustn’t sleep at work.
You must not leave the house.
They must not stay outside.
The negative form of ‘have to’ is ‘don’t have to’. It shows that something is not necessary but you can do it if you want to.
It’s all too common in this day and age that food waste statistics are jarring. Food can be wasted in the supply chain that begins on the farm, then goes through the harvest, packing, processing, and retail shops.
There are 1 billion malnourished people around the globe and yet one-third of edible food products are wasted every year.
Watch the video to know more about food waste.
Discussion Questions:
How can food-waste minimization be achieved? What can you do in your daily life to limit food waste?
With food prices so low, how can we convey to consumers the value of food and importance of not wasting it?
What are the top three things governments can do to encourage food loss and waste reduction in their countries?
Would is a slightly more formal way of expressing repeated past habits that we no longer do. These past actions do not take place anymore.
The sentence construction usually starts with a subject followed by would and then the base form of the verb. Consequently, for the negative we use the same formula but we replace would with would not or the shorter form wouldn’t.
Subject + would/wouldn’t + base form of the verb
Examples:
Every weekend, I would go hiking.
When we were young, our parents would take us to the park every Sunday.
My teacher would give me after-school exercises everyday.
On rainy days, we wouldn’t go out.
When I was a child, my father wouldn’t give me the time of the day.
My next-door neighbor wouldn’t bat an eye whenever he heard noises from my apartment.
Would can also be used with always, often, constantly etc. when talking about repeated past actions.
As a teenager, I wouldalways sneak out of our house at night.
I would constantly correct my colleagues and they didn’t like it.
Back in college, I would often go to concerts.
In English, if an action only happened once, we do not use would + base form of the verb. Furthermore, don’t use it to talk about past states.
Examples:
I moved to Madrid in 2010. –(action that happened only once) I would move to Madrid in 2010. – incorrect
I used to be a writer. –(past state) I would be a painter. – incorrect
Both want and would like, as verbs, mean to desire or wish for something.
Want suggests a demand.
Would like is a more polite and formal way of expressing what you want.
Examples:
I want a soda. (could be urgent) I would like to have a soda. (more polite)
I want to have dinner with you. (could be demanding) I would like to have dinner with you. (more polite)
I want to speak to you. (could be urgent and demanding) I would like to speak to you. (more polite)
Want is always followed by a complement to have a complete thought. It could be a noun or pronoun as an object, a to-infinitive form of the verb or an object + verb.
Examples:
Do you want cookies? (noun object)
I don’t want them. (pronoun object)
Do you want to eat them? (to-infinitive)
The host wants him to try the cookies. (object + to-infinitive)
Would like is usually followed by verbs in the the to + infinitive form or an object.
Examples:
I would like to try them. (to try is an infinitive)
I would like to eat it. (to eat is an infinitive)
I would like to have pasta. (to have is an infinitive)
I would like a cup of coffee. (coffee is an object)
I would like a tour. (tour is an object)
I would like an orange juice. (orange juice is an object)
The short form of would like is ‘d like.
Examples:
I’d like a cup of coffee.
I’d like to try them.
I’d like to eat it.
Be mindful of the use of gerund with would like as it may change the meaning of the sentence.
Example:
I would like to dance. (This means right now I want/wish/desire to dance.)
I’d like dancing if I could. ( This means I would like to dance but I don’t know if I have a chance to actually dance or if I have the skills to dance. )
There are millions of sports enthusiasts who are always tuned in to big sporting events in the world such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. For these spectators, it is hard to ignore the large banners of sponsors all throughout the match. Some experts believe that these advertisements are contributing factors that lead to people consuming them.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript on fast food sponsorships in sports.
People are fascinated by the French diet as it allows them to be healthy and thin without dieting or exercising and just merely using the French principle. How does a population that loves steak, cheese, bread, and desserts avoid going to the gym but manage to stay healthy and live long?
Click the picture below and read the tips the French can give us about living longer, healthier, and happier lives. Be able to answer the questions that follow.
