Category: Homework

Pursue Your Dream

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A lot of people wants to be successful but only a few are willing to take actions. It takes a lot of courage to go after what you want despite uncertainties. The thought of going out of your comfort zone could be really challenging but sometimes, you just have to take a leap and decide that you no longer want to be mediocre.

It can be tiring and scary chasing after your goals but then you won’t mind any of that anymore because you are chasing the right thing: your passion.

Watch the video on how Steve Harvey pursued his dreams.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why going out of your comfort zone could be beneficial?
  2. What does success mean to you? What are you passionate about?
  3. Why do you think some people would settle for something familiar than something new?
  4. What are the things that drive you to pursue your dreams?
  5. Talk about the things that you’ve done for your dreams.
  6. What are the things that could one do to find his/her passion?

Thai Parks Mail Litter Back to Tourists

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Littering irritates everyone. It destroys the beauty of nature and our surrounding. People are sometimes too lazy to dump their rubbish in a bin and just throws them anywhere, making the area look dirty.

Read this lesson on an unusual punishment for littering.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2009/200920-litter-mail.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Thailand’s litter policy?
  2. What are the rules or laws on littering in your country?
  3. Should people pay a fine or go to prison for littering? Why or why not?
  4. What does littering say about someone’s character?
  5. Should we pick up other people’s litter? Why or why not?

Fight Tooth and Nail

B1 – Intermediate

One of the best traits a person can have is being persistence. It is the determination to achieve an objective despite setbacks. In order to do to reach our goal, we must sometimes ‘fight tooth and nail’.

Listen to this audio and find out what ‘fight tooth and nail’ means.

http://www.idioms4you.com/complete-idioms/fight-tooth-and-nail.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does ‘fight tooth and nail’ mean?
  2. What do you do when things don’t go according to your plan? Do you usually have a fallback plan?
  3. Is being persistent always good or is it better to know when to give up?
  4. Talk about a time when you had to go through major difficulties to achieve your goal.

Is This The Era of Distrust?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The fallout of trust on the government, companies, and even individuals is evident in the recent years. As access to information is at an all-time high, it creates room for doubts on people’s minds. We tend to be cynical about almost everything now.

Is it really bad that we doubt? Do we simply have to trust everything we hear and see? Or should we realize that sometimes there is more to it than meets eye?

Listen to this podcast about trust in this day and age.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-200813

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a trusting person or a skeptic?
  2. Are you familiar with the Ponzi scheme mentioned in the podcast? What is it about? Did something similar happen in your country?
  3. How would you describe someone who is gullible?
  4. What makes someone truly trustworthy?
  5. Talk about a situation you know of where public trust was betrayed.

When Adoption Is a Good Option For You

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are couples who dream and desire to raise a child. When you adopt a child, you become a parent. One of the rewards that comes with it is the feeling of fulfillment in providing a home to a child and the joy of becoming a parent.

However, before venturing into this, there are some things you should consider if adoption is really a good option for you.

Read the article and be able to answer the questions that follow:

https://www.beingtheparent.com/when-adoption-is-a-good-option-for-you/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is adoption common in your country?
  2. Do you agree with the article? What do you think of adoption?
  3. Do you think parents who adopt, have the same kind of love for their adopted child as biological parents have with their child?

Young Adults Live With Parents

B1 – Intermediate

The advantage of living with your parents is that you don’t have to pay rent and you don’t have to worry about buying all those groceries every month. It can be very expensive if you eat out all the time. Most importantly, you don’t have to go through some problems alone because your parents will always be there for you no matter what.

Let’s read the article below to know more about it living with parents as a young adult.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2009/200908-young-adults-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the good and bad things about living with your parents?
  2. Should all young adults have to leave home? Why / Why not?
  3. Would you prefer to live at home or on your own?
  4. What advice do you have for young adults?
  5. How has Coronavirus affected young adults in your country financially?

Stop Hate for Profit Campaign Suspends Social Media Ads

B1 – Intermediate

A lot of businesses has either been suspended or paused for all of their social media advertisements because of hashtag “Stop Hate For Profit” from a campaign group. They demanded a stricter moderation for hate speech and misinformation. When the campaign skyrocketed, major brands paused their social media platform advertisements making Facebook lose a lot of money.

Read the article below to know more about it.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2007/200702-stop-hate-for-profit-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the “Stop Hate For Profit” campaign all about?
  2. What do you think about it?
  3. How prevalent are hate speech/contents and misinformation on social media in your country?
  4. How do you feel about the social media advertisements these days?

Long Trip With No Money

B1 – Intermediate

It is always fun to travel for pleasure. One important thing we need when traveling is money. But what happens when you try traveling without any money. Some people tried it.

Find out what happened to their long trip without any money.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/long-trip-with-no-money-level-2/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you take this kind of pilgrimage too?
  2. What would happen if you traveled without any money in your city, country, and other countries?
  3. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “when you smile at people, take time to understand their story, then they will come forward and are naturally kind”?
  4. Would you help a person who is traveling without any moment? What kind of help would you give them?
  5. Who is the kindest person you know?

World Autism Awareness Day

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Autism is a growing global health crisis. The United Nations General Assembly declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in Qatar, 2007. WAAD aims to educate people about autism and different intervention. It celebrates the unique talents and skills of people with this disorder. People with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the world.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript and be able to discuss the questions that follow.

https://eslholidaylessons.com/04/world_autism_awareness_day.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the UN adopting a resolution to recognize this disorder?
  2. How can this resolution help people with autism?
  3. How are people with this disorder viewed and treated in your country?

US-China Tech Firms Tension

B2 – Upper Intermediate

China claims that its tech companies have been victims of “naked bullying” by the US. The American government has taken restrictions measures on Chinese applications such as TikTok and WeChat. The hindering of the said apps was a result of issues with data security. Who are affected by these two largest economies’ trade war?

Let’s read more about China’s claim of naked bullying and USA’s The Clean Network through this article:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54052765

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is naked bullying?
  2. What do you think of USA’s data privacy efforts? Do you have such policies in your country?
  3. Do you use any Chinese applications? Describe their use in your daily life.
  4. How is the trade war between US and China affecting the world?
  5. Do you think Chinese applications are danger to any country?
  6. How important is data security and privacy?