Category: Homework

How Singapore Got So Crazy Rich

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Singapore, a small island city-state in Southeast Asia, has grown to become one of the world’s most powerful economies. Despite its lack of natural resources, the country has managed to transform itself from a sleepy fishing village to a global financial hub in just a few decades.

Through its strategic location, business-friendly policies, and strong emphasis on education and innovation, the country has managed to become a global economic powerhouse. While challenges remain, Singapore is well-positioned to continue its economic success in the years to come.

Watch the video and learn how a small country grew into a prosperous one.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “knowledge-based economy” mean, “Singapore shifted emphasis to a knowledge-based economy that relies more on creativity and growing Singapore’s entrepreneurs.”? Make a sentence using this phrase.
  2. What does “land reclamation” mean, “It had embarked on an ambitious land reclamation project in the 1970’s.”? Make a sentence using this phrase.
  3. What does “politicking” mean, “There will be that politicking that will happen in much more intensely in the years to come than there was ever before.”? Make a sentence using this word.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What was Singapore’s formula for success?
  2. What are the respective economic policies of Singapore’s prime ministers? What are your thoughts on them?
  3. Tell the story on how your country’s economy grew to what it is now.
  4. What are your government’s current economic policies?
  5. What do you think your government should do and focus on economy-wise?

Forever Chemicals in Seafood

B1 –  Intermediate 

A new study found that some seafood like shrimps and lobsters may contain high levels of toxic PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’.

Because these man-made toxins do not break down, they remain in our blood. This could then cause cancer and kidney and liver problems.

Read this article about a study that found out seafood contain high levels of forever chemicals.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2404/240418-seafood-forever-chemicals-2.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “toxin” mean, “The level of these toxins is highest in marine creatures like prawns and lobster.”? Make a sentence using this word.
  2. What does “to break down” mean in this context, “Forever chemicals do not break down. They can stay in our blood and lead to a variety of health issues.”? Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘to break down’ in your own sentence.
  3. What does “rethink” mean, “This could mean people who love sushi and prawn cocktails may have to rethink their diet and eat less seafood.“? Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘rethink’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the things you know about forever chemicals?
  2. Share your reaction to the results of this study.
  3. Share your thoughts to this, “Over the decades, the chemicals have entered our food chain.”.
  4. According to researchers, what do we need to do to address this problem?
  5. Do you agree or disagree with this, “This could mean people who love sushi and prawn cocktails may have to rethink their diet and eat less seafood.”? Explain your point.

Men Sleep Better than Women

B1 –  Intermediate 

Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Getting quality sleep is very important in order to improve our brain performance, lift our mood, and maintain overall good health. 

A study found that men get better sleep than women for a few differents reasons.

Read this article about a study that discovered men sleep better than women.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2405/240506-sleep-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “deprivation” mean, “Around 30 per cent of people experience sleep deprivation.”? Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘deprivation’ in your own sentence.
  2. What does “life-threatening” mean? “Lack of sleep can lead to life-threatening illnesses.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘life-threatening’ in your own sentence.
  3. What does “underlying” mean, “There is a high correlation with underlying psychiatric disorders and insomnia.“? Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘underlying’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on the results of this study.
  2. According to the article, what are reasons men sleep better than women? What do you think about this?
  3. How can a person sleep better?
  4. What are reasons you can sleep well sometimes and what do you do when you can’t seem to get good sleep?
  5. What is your opinion on this statement, “The stress of everyday life means more of us are finding it difficult to sleep.”?

Spaving and How to Avoid this Financial Trap

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the world of handling money, there’s this thing called “spaving.” It’s a mix of “spending” and “saving.” It’s when people think they’re saving money by spending more upfront on things that seem better quality. Even though it might seem smart, it can actually cause money problems in the long run.

Watch this video about to know more about it and get some tips on making better choices with your money and reach your savings goals more easily.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the phrase “to rip off” mean? “Some big shot over at the weiner company and some big shot at the bun company got together and decided to rip off the American public.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does the word “entice” mean? “Buy one, get one” has enticed you to spend more.” Make a sentence using the word.
  3. What does the word “outsmart” mean? “The algorithms are coming after you, so you have to outsmart them.” Use the word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think ‘spaving’ is a common financial strategy among people today? Why or why not?
  2. What are some potential advantages and disadvantages of the ‘spaving’ mindset?
  3. Share any personal experiences where you’ve encountered ‘spaving’ in your own life or observed it in others.
  4. What are some examples of products or services where ‘spaving’ might be particularly tempting, and how can individuals differentiate between genuine savings and falling into the ‘spaving’ trap?
  5. What alternative strategies can individuals employ to achieve their savings goals without resorting to ‘spaving’?

Stanley Cup a Viral Sensation

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Stanley has been around for more than a century. However, it is not until 2017 when the brand gained traction and became viral which lead to their annual sales going up from 73 to 750 million.

In the past few years, the Stanley Tumbler has become super popular, not just for holding drinks, but also because it’s everywhere on social media and loved by lots of different people. Even though it was made for just being useful, it’s turned into a big trend that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

Watch the video to know why the Stanley Cups became famous so quickly and be able to answer the questions below.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the idiom “a slow build” mean? “So it was a slow build over many months and then you could see that the waiting list began to grow.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘a slow build’ in your own sentence.
  2. What does “to take a liking to something” mean? “At first, the quencher was a flop. It wasn’t until a group of working moms running the popular blog ‘The Buy Guide’ took a liking to it in 2017.” Make a sentence using the phrase.
  3. What does the expression “to seize that opportunity” mean? “At this point, the quencher rise putting Stanley on the radar for more consumers and the company is looking to seize that opportunity.” Use this phrase in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can other brands learn from Stanley’s rise to popularity?
  2. What do you think are the other key factors that contributed to the Stanley Tumbler craze becoming a viral sensation?
  3. How has social media played a role in amplifying the popularity of the Stanley Tumbler?
  4. Do you believe the design and functionality of the Stanley Tumbler played a significant role in its viral success, or was it primarily driven by social influence? Explain.
  5. What impact has the Stanley Tumbler craze had on consumer behavior and purchasing decisions?
  6. In your country, are there any similarities between the Stanley Tumbler craze and other viral sensations in recent years? If so, what are they?

Selling Yourself

B2 – Upper  Intermediate 

Knowing how to talk about your accomplishments at work is quite the skill to have. This could come handy if you wish to step up the corporate ladder or land that job you are applying for. In some instances, you will have to make the gatekeepers in your workplace to take notice of and come to appreciate your work.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about selling yourself at work.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/office-english/240325

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to sell yourself” mean? “Now, some people hate saying good things about themselves, so we’ll start with how to talk about your strengths and then we’ll discuss the kinds of questions you might be asked in an interview or by your manager that give you an opportunity to sell yourself.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does “to have confidence in someone” mean, “I definitely think it’s important to be able to sell yourself at work, not only for your managers and your bosses and even your colleagues to have confidence in you and your work and what you’re able to produce, but also to give yourself that confidence.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  3. What does “appraisal” mean here, “So we’ve got lots of ways to talk about our strengths. But when’s the best time to do it? When we’re in a job interview or an appraisal, sometimes it’s not clear what the best answers are, Phil.”? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is important to know how to sell yourself?
  2. What might be other situations where this skill would be useful?
  3. Generally, how does talking about your achievements make you feel?
  4. If you are to sell yourself, how would you do it?
  5. Talk about an instance where you had to sell yourself at work. What could you have said differently?

Being a Social Entrepreneur

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The co-founder of B-Lab UK, Charmian Love, shares what she believes are the traits of a true leader. Her leadership tips come from a social entrepreneur perspective.

Watch the video and read the transcript as Charmian Love talks about being a social entrepreneur.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/leadership_shorts/Ep7

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the idiom “to bring to the table” mean in the sentence, “Don’t underestimate what you have to bring to the table!”? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does the phrase “to step into” mean in the sentence, “Just recognising the really wide and diverse range in which people can step into leadership positions has been one of the joys of my journey.“? Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “self-critical” mean in the sentence, “I think leaders should be very careful to not become so convinced by themselves and their own leadership model that they don’t have the ability to reflect and be, sort of, quite self-critical as needed.”? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you understand the role of social entrepreneurs?
  2. How are social entrepreneurs different from other entrepreneurs? Can you give examples?
  3. What leadership insights have you learned from Charmian Love?
  4. Which leadership traits mentioned in the video do you often see in your company or society?
  5. Do you want to be a social entrepreneur? Why or why not?

Billionaires Try Hard to Look Poor

B2 – Upper  Intermediate 

The super-rich are people who are absolutely not like you and me. To say the least, they can pretty much afford anything in this world, including luxury clothes.

However, most of them try to make themselves look like they are just like any of us by wearing outfits that seem so plain and ordinary, having houses and cars that seem basic, and living a lifestyle that seem simple and frugal.

Do you ever wonder why some of the top billionaires in the world appear in public looking so simple in their regular-looking outfits like basic t-shirts instead of donning Italian custom-made suits?

Watch the video that explains the concept of poverty peacocking.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “folksy image” mean, “SBF and the rest of the gang were all frauds, but putting a lot of effort into crafting a folksy image is done by most prominent business leaders for three simple reasons.” Use this expression in your own sentence.
  2. What does “stealth wealth” mean? “Billionaires doing a Bloomberg or NAS Daily interviews featuring their basic car and geeky wardrobe is not the same thing as stealth wealth.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  3. What does “grift” mean? “An important element of any grift like this is that people need to believe that someone has become wealthy and that they can do it too.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on poverty peacocking?

2. Discuss each of the 3 reasons rich people try to look poor:

– It gets them what they want.

– It is an effective sales tactic.

– It helps them keep their workers in line.

3. Share your opinion on this, “Humble CEOs are the new fashion.”.

4. What are your thoughts on ‘Get Rich Quick Course’?

5. Talk about your insights on this, “Corporations became people, as people too, became corporations and every corporation needs a media relations department.”.

More Women Apply for Jobs in Europe

B2 – Upper  Intermediate 

Given the highly competitive job market and very unstable economy across the globe, people, particularly women, are not giving up on trying to find a greener pasture, even extending their job hunting across the pond. 

According to a report by the global recruitment-software platform iCIMS, more female job seekers are applying for jobs in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) rather than in North America. 

Read the article about this trend among female job hunters to find jobs in Europe.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240401-women-job-applications-europe-vs-north-america

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “in droves” mean? “In a tough job market and tumultuous global economy, women are searching for jobs in droves.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘in droves’ in your own sentence.
  2. What does “playing field” mean in this context, ”Over the years, European employers have recognised the importance of closing their workplace gender gaps and implementing initiatives that focus on equalising the playing field, which has encouraged more women to apply for jobs”? Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  3. What does “overarching” mean? “The overarching biggest factor, however, is the state of the global economy.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘overarching’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the drivers behind the higher volume of female job applications in the EMEA?
  2. What do you think could be consequences of this trend in the long run?
  3. Share your insights on this, “There is a structural necessity for women to participate in the workforce due to the ageing population.”. Do you think the same goes for your country? Talk about it.
  4. How does your country make it easier for younger women to enter the workforce?
  5. In your country, how have the government and employers tried to close workplace gender gaps? 

Chinese Women Teaming Up with Strangers to Save Money

B2 – Upper  Intermediate 

Amidst the low confidence in what the future holds for the economy, Chinese women are seeking for partners or “da zi” they can join forces with in order to save money.

Saving money has never been harder. Many women are concerned so they must find ways on how to cut down on their expenses wherever they can or finding something to do to earn extra bucks, thereby, increasing their savings.

Read the article about how Chinese women are teaming up with saving partners in order to be able to put some money aside.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68692375

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “impulse purchase” mean? “They also help to stop each other from making impulse purchases.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does “blunt” mean in this context, “However, if people continue to avoid spending and save their money instead it could blunt the bank’s ability to influence the economy.”? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “banknote” mean? ”I feel safe and satisfied seeing stacks of banknotes getting thicker and thicker.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on having saving partners?
  2. What might be the pros and cons of having “da zis”?
  3. How has having saving partners help Chinese women save money?
  4. What are your thoughts on more traditional saving methods such as keeping cash at home?
  5. Are people in your country saving more or less in the recent years? Why do you think this is the trend?
  6. What are some things you have done in order to save money? How about to make extra cash?