Category: Homework

Parents Sever Ties with Their Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A parent’s and child’s relationship should be one of mutually beneficial, unbreakable love that endures all ups and down. Regrettably, some parents may find it challenging to keep this bond going. Ultimately, a parent could perhaps decide to leave their roles because they feel they have passed the tipping point. Some parents who choose to cut off contact claim that they do so for their own well-being and security.

But were you aware that some children also constantly try to behave similarly to their parents? Yes, children do estrange themselves from their parents as well. For what reasons?

Follow the link to learn more.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20221207-the-parents-who-sever-ties-with-their-children

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “cut off ” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does “ re-kindle” mean in this sentence, ”An attempt to rekindle their romance ended just before she died.”? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “ordeal” mean here, “Without the help and understanding of my daughter, I don’t know where I’d be, as this has been a very lonely ordeal,” she says.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do parents lose touch with their kids?
  2. Is it acceptable to detach oneself from kinship? Explain.
  3. Is there even an appropriate time to sever ties with your family? Explain.
  4. Why do children estrange themselves from parents?
  5. What does a toxic parent-child relationship entail?

Social Media Marketing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has its pros and cons, depending on how you use it. You can use it to earn money, communicate with people, build connections, promote a business, or solely just for leisure. With proper use, people and businesses can benefit from it.

Read the article to learn how social media helped a dying business through what some call “accidental influencer” or organic marketing.

https://xsmultimedia.com/2022/06/24/social-media-marketing-the-tropical-hut-invasion/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “organic marketing” mean, “Tropical Hut’s resurgence is a living proof that organic marketing is one of the most effective ways to revive something so good most especially in this time of digital saturation and peak consumerism.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. Explain the concept “word of mouth” in your own words. “People are more drawn into the aesthetically-pleasing ads, but nothing beats the original, word of mouth type of organic [ marketing].” Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “buzz” mean, “A lot of people may call it “Accidental Influencer/Marketing”, and others call it “Organic Marketing”—but the revival of the 57-year-old fast food chain shows that Filipinos are here for what is trending, for what is the buzz, and all everything that falls into the right places.“? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Question:

  1. Share your thoughts on this, “You can have as many clickbait captions and aesthetic photos as you want, but nothing will ever be as effective as organic marketing coming from the testimony of happy and satisfied customers.”.
  2. Based on the article, how did a certain social media post help revive Tropical Hut?
  3. How can people utilize social media to grow their businesses?
  4. What do you think are other strategies to promote a business on social media?

Factors Driving High Employee Engagement

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Employee engagement shows how enthusiastic and dedicated your staff feels toward what they do. It is an essential factor to a company’s success as it is connected to how satisfied and high the team morale is. Some advantages to having engaged employees are better performance and increased productivity.

Read the article about factors that drive employee engagement.

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/284180/factors-driving-record-high-employee-engagement.aspx

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is the meaning of the word “engagement” in this context, “Teams with higher engagement are less likely to leave their organization.“? Use it in a sentence.
  2. Explain the phrase “record high” in the sentence, “Engagement levels reached a record high in 2019.”. Use it in a sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of the idiom “pie-in-the-sky“, “What would the world of work look like if organizations could double the percentage of engaged workers? This isn’t a pie-in-the-sky question — all evidence suggests it is possible.“? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about the factors that drive high employee engagement.
  2. How can companies retain high employee engagement? How does your company?
  3. Share your opinion on this, “Changes in employee engagement are best attributed to changes in how organizations develop employees.“.
  4. What are the impact of high engagement among employees?
  5. Personally, how do you keep the level of enthusiasm and dedication you feel toward your job high?

E-mail

B1 – Intermediate

Electronic mail has made the communication system so much easier. It is mostly used for sending messages, files, and documents.

In the previous time, people wrote letters to their relatives and friends to keep communication and contact with them, which was a very slow process. But now email has changed the entire scenario. We can get connected with anyone easily.

Let’s listen to the audio below.

https://listenaminute.com/e/e-mail.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does inbox mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does spam mean? Give a synonym. Use it in a sentence.
  3. What is “ASAP“ short for? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. For you, what are the good things and the bad things about emails?
  2. How important is email to you?
  3. What you prefer, writing an email or real letters with a pen and paper? Why?
  4. Do you ever receive spam mail? What do you do with it?
  5. How many different email accounts do you have / need? Why is that?
  6. What new functions would you like to see with emails?
  7. What will replace email in the future?

Prepare for the Next Pandemic

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The COVID-19 cases may have declined significantly in the two years since the pandemic began, but our experiences are still fresh in our minds. We didn’t see that coming and were totally unprepared for it.

There have been a number of outbreaks in recent decades, thus future outbreaks of infectious diseases are regrettably unavoidable. If we are ready for them, we may be able to prevent them from spreading and becoming pandemics.


Read this article to learn how to prepare for the next pandemic.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03362-8

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “inevitable” mean? “Finally, governments must abandon the idea that spread of a respiratory pathogen is inevitable.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. Based on the context of the sentence, “This necessitates the participation of the private sector alongside governments, given its role in vaccine research, production, and distribution.”, what does the word ‘necessitate’ mean?
  3. Explain the meaning of the word “emerge” in your own words. “It is crucial that we quickly obtain and share the genetic sequences of viruses as they emerge.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think the five ways to prepare for the pandemic in the article are effective? Why or why not?
  2. How else can we prepare for the pandemic?
  3. In your opinion, do you think doing these things would actually prepare us for the next pandemic?
  4. Are you physically, mentally, and financially prepared for future pandemics? How so?
  5. How does your national government prepare for pandemics?

Pros and Cons of Social Media

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media is undeniably one of society’s most valuable tools. Almost everyone has social media accounts and some even earn money through them. We can’t deny the fact that it has helped us a lot, especially with getting in touch with our family and friends who are far away from us. However, if not used correctly, it could do people more harm than good.

Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of social media by reading this article.

https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lurk” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. Explain the meaning of “facsimile” in your own words. Use it in a sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of the word “vulnerable“? Provide some synonyms of this word.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you use social media? If yes, how many hours a day do you spend using it? If not, why?
  2. Do you believe that social media is useful?
  3. How do you think will the world be without social media?
  4. Are social media websites widely used in your country?
  5. What do you think is the greatest benefit of using social media?
  6. In your opinion, what is the worst effect of social media on its users?

Chicago Will Give Money to Households In Need

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, once said, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The expression suggests that giving is not enough to help people in need. It is more beneficial to assist them in acquiring skills so that they can stand on their own feet. However, the city of Chicago will give $500 a month to 5000 households. These beneficiaries qualified as low-income families.

Read the whole article below to learn more about this story.

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/06/chicago-will-give-500-dollars-each-to-5000-households/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “bounceback” mean here, “This city will be spending $31.5 million on a year of this pilot program, which they hope will help Chicago in its Pandemic economic bounceback.”? Use it in another sentence.
  2. What is “oversight”? Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does “track record” mean? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the initiative of GiveDirectly?
  2. According to the article, giving money to those in need has its own criticism. Do you agree with the drawbacks mentioned in the article?
  3. What are some other ways to help the people in need? Share your experiences and observations.

Ways of Dealing with Bad News

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We hear both positive and negative news every day. If we receive good news, we feel delighted. On the other hand, there are upsetting stories left and right. We’d better be prepared to deal with them.

The article below is a guide on how to deal with bad news.

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/03/expert-approved-ways-of-dealing-with-bad-news-part-i/

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What is “doomscrolling“? Use it in a sentence.

2. Explain “climate crisis”. Use it in a sentence.

Example sentence: The climate crisis impacts different sectors of society.

Question Prompt: Make a sentence.

3. What does the phrase “sink in” mean here, “Instead of letting a sense of powerlessness sink in, Harley Street coach and trauma expert Olivia James recommends focusing your energy on the positive action you can take.”?

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with the suggestions from the article? Why or why not?

2. Think of some other ways people can deal with bad news. Explain why such ways are effective.

3. What was the last bad news you heard? How did you deal with it?

The Struggles of Workers with ADHD

B2 – Upper Intermediate

According to research, people with ADHD tend to be more inquisitive, innovative, revolutionary, and dynamic. They frequently think out-of-the-box , which can be greatly regarded and valued in the workplace.

However, ADHD sufferers encounter a variety of challenges at work. Interpersonal conflict, increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, high error rates, an unwillingness to adapt, and the lack of consistency are a few examples. These things could result in disciplinary measures, suspensions, layoffs, pay loss, and worst, dismissal.

Read the article about the struggles of workers with ADHD.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20221209-the-silent-struggles-of-workers-with-adhd

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “tick up ” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does “squirmy” mean in this sentence,” We started to laugh as I mentioned that I get a little squirmy when my boys catch frogs and salamanders.”? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “wind up” mean here, “Epstein felt she “should be able to do what everyone else can do”, so she wound up “torturing” herself, balancing perfectionism with a feeling of being incapable of performing as expected.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do people with ADHD struggle and survive at work?
  2. What kind of jobs suit people with ADHD? What do people with ADHD excel at?
  3. Should an applicant declare ADHD diagnosis on their job application? Explain your point.
  4. What are the benefits and drawbacks of disclosing an ADHD diagnosis at work?

Transgender Islamic School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The right to education and worship are basic human rights. Schools should promote equality, diversity, and inclusion. In some countries and educational institutions, not all sexual diversities are welcomed.

Let’s read the article and find out more about this transgender school in Indonesia.

https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-transgender-islamic-school/4033393.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “reverberate” mean? “The school’s closure was one of the darkest points in a larger anti-LGBT hysteria that seized Indonesia in 2016, with its effects still reverberating.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What does “hiccup” mean in this context? “ But for Ibu Shinta, the 2016 episode was only a hiccup in the history of Pesantren al-Fatah, which turns nine years old on Thursday.” Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “fluctuate” mean in this sentence, “She said there are about 42 members in total, but the weekly attendance fluctuates between seven and 25.”? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions

  1. What is your opinion on this transgender school?
  2. Aside from religious studies, what other activities does the school offer to its students?
  3. Do you have schools for special groups of people in your country? What are they?
  4. How does the school system in your country promote diversity and inclusivity?