Category: Homework

A Wake-Up Call

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Change is a constant thing in life and sometimes, it is necessary in order for the situation not to get worse. There are signs that we have to change the way we do things and it is not bad at all to listen to these signs.

Let’s listen to the audio and find out more about this realization.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever had a wake-up call? Did you heed the warning?
  2. What is one thing you’d like to change in your life at the moment? How do you plan to achieve it?
  3. Can you think of a major event in your country that served as a wake-up call?

Alcohol, Prohibition, and Al Capone

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Imagine an industry or commodity controlled by criminals, where even the authorities were scared to make a move. This was the case in the United States a century ago.

Al Capone was an infamous mafia boss who used his power and influence to control the trade of alcoholic beverages during a time when it was considered illegal. He was able to get away with it because he was feared.

Read the article below to learn more about him and the age of “prohibition”.

https://linguapress.com/intermediate/prohibition.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do a lot of people enjoy alcoholic beverages?
  2. How do people in your country enjoy alcoholic beverages?
  3. Were there any infamous crime bosses in your country? Who were they and what were they known for?
  4. Does the police in your city or country do a good job in hunting down criminals? How do they do it?
  5. What are some illegal items that we know of that are being distributed in the black market today?
  6. Are there some areas in your city or country that are known for high crime rates? What are they?

Career Coach Finds Your Dream Job

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Just about everyone faces a moment in their professional life when they question the job that they do, when it doesn’t challenge them anymore or simply having that feeling that they should be somewhere else. However, some time after the outbreak of the pandemic, it appears that there has been a significant increase in the number of people reconsidering their career opportunities.

A vast career coaching industry has sprung up in recent years, with the goal of sustaining and enhancing a different approach in professionals’ careers, as well as gaining the skills for them to be established and eventually being able to reach their dreams.

Let’s take a look at the article below to find out how a career coach can help you find your dream job.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-can-a-career-coach-find-you-your–dream-job

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you ever consider having a career coach? Why or why not?
  2. How would you go about it when the moment comes and you feel you aren’t where you want to be professionally?
  3. What are some of the worst and best jobs you can think of and why do you consider them as such?
  4. What kinds of jobs interest you the most and the least?
  5. Talk about your dream job and how you intend to land it.

Education

B1 – Intermediate

Education is a vital instrument for gaining knowledge and enhancing an individual’s existence. Depending on the quality of education, the process could include a few stages. Education is a crucial activity that has a considerable impact on humanity’s ethics and morals.

Let’s have a look at the transcript and listen to the audio about education.

https://listenaminute.com/e/education.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is good education?
  2. How important is education?
  3. Was there a high standard of education at your schools? Explain.
  4. Do you think the quality of education is slipping? Explain.
  5. What would you like to change about the education system in your country? Why?
  6. What do you think of the idea of lifelong education?

Social Loafing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Generally, when a greater number of people work on a group task, the less effort any one member of the group will work towards accomplishing the goal. This phenomenon is called social loafing. It has been widely studied and identified to know what causes it and to find solutions to its negative effects.

Watch the video to know more about social loafing and how to prevent it and be able to answer the questions below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the causes and effects of social loafing?
  2. Have you been engaged in social loafing before? What happened? Share some of your experiences.
  3. What are some ways on how to avoid this in the workplace?
  4. In which setup do you work better, working alone or with a team? Explain why.

How Does the Stock Market Work?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In a nutshell, the stock market helps companies raise money to fund operations by selling shares of stock. It creates and sustains wealth for individual investors.

Watch the video to know more about how the stock market works.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your investing strategy?
  2. Do you invest in the stock market? How has your portfolio performed in the last five years?
  3. How can you prevent losses while trading in stock markets?
  4. When is the right time to invest? Why?

Selfie Damages Art

B1 – Intermediate

Taking selfies has made it much easier for all of us to record our daily activities. With just one click, we are able to capture important events and the simple joys in life. But is there such a thing as too much selfies?

Perhaps we should remember that certain spaces and events are sometimes not the proper place or moment for taking selfies. In Russia, an accident has resulted due to some serious damages.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about this unfortunate incident.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/selfie-damages-art-level-3/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. What do you think of selfies? What are some of its pros and cons?
  3. Should selfies be limited or prohibited in public areas like museums? Why or why not?
  4. What other places should selfies be limited and why?
  5. Why do you think taking selfies is so popular?
  6. How have selfies changed self-expression and interactions?

Xenobots

B1 – Intermediate

Technology has come a long way. What once seemed impossible, now seem to be because of all the tools that are available to us. More inventions have been introduced including a new type of robot that can reproduce.

These “living” robots are currently being studied and they provide promising applications in different fields. Despite this, some people are still doubtful about the possibilities these robots can unleash.

Read the article below to learn more about xenobots.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2112/211202-xenobots-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this machine-animal hybrid?
  2. What might be the pros and cons of these robots?
  3. Where would these robots be most useful?
  4. Why are some people worried about these robots?
  5. What are some current applications of robots that are helpful?
  6. How should these experiments be monitored and evaluated?

Time Management Skills

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Managing how to accomplish tasks is one of the best tools in becoming successful in one’s career or endeavor. However, most of us are wondering why it feels like we just can’t to accomplish all the tasks we should on a daily basis. Maybe, we lack the skills to organize and plan allocating our time to different activities that we need to pull off. Time management is the key.

Here are some tips on how to manage our time to make it more productive and effective.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essential-time-management-skills/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which of the tips do you apply in your daily life?
  2. Do you have additional tips on how to effectively manage your time?
  3. How do you block out distractions?
  4. What is your stance on multitasking?
  5. What are your thoughts about getting some down time to rest?

Passion Exploitation

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Most likely, you have heard that once you have found the job you are most passionate about, “you will never have to work a day in your life”. But what if your passion for what you do gives people you work with the idea that they can take advantage of you?

Read the article about passion exploitation.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190719-passion-exploitation

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about this being practiced/done by some in certain industries?
  2. Do you think passion exploitation is more likely to happen if you work in particular industries? Explain your stand.Why do you think workers in artistic and creative industries are more susceptible to this kind of exploitation?
  3. Talk about an instance when you were asked to work more, on unrelated tasks, or for free. How did that make you feel?
  4. What is the best way to refuse paying the “passion tax”?
  5. What are your thoughts on this, “Doing what you love a double-edged sword.“?
  6. In general, how can some exploitative actions of managers be prevented?