Category: Homework

Take Someone Under Your Wing

B1 – Intermediate

When someone needs your guidance on something, you help them. In a way, you are like their protector. You guide them to let them learn something that they need to know about.

When you join a new company, you are going to have a training and then have a coach or mentor to help you start with your tasks. Your coach/mentor has to take you under their wing during this time.

Listen to the audio and know about the expression “take someone under your wing”.

youtu.be/qToUpkUXXHQ?si=fIThrP1DpWoKWBu0

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does ‘take someone under your wing’ mean?
  2. Have you taken someone under your wing before? If yes, Why did you do so?
  3. Speak about your experience being taken under someone’s wing.
  4. In your opinion, does taking someone under your wing come with a lot of responsibilities?

Would You Return a Lost Wallet Full of Cash?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

At some point of our life we lost something that is valuable to us. One good example is losing a wallet. Isn’t it puzzling to imagine what will likely to happen if one day someone would find a lost wallet? Well, most of us would predict that it wouldn’t be returned as we assume it is normal to our human nature, but recently there is an intriguing yet very interesting social experiment of losing their wallets filled with cash to be likely returned.

Lost wallets are more likely to be returned if they hold cash

Discussion Questions:

  1. What will you do if you found a lost wallet? Will you return it?
  2. What if it has 10,000 Euros?
  3. Is it stealing if you won’t return it?
  4. What factors would influence your decision whether to return or keep it?
  5. What does this tell us about humanity?

Being Breadcrumbed At Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Breadcrumbing refers to leaving small pieces of bread for someone. It’s what happens when you lead someone on. It’s when your company gives you “just enough” to string you along. You can tell when you are being breadcrumbed when your manager gives hints about new projects, pay increase or promotions that may – or may not – ever happen.

Read the article below and learn more about breadcrumbing at work.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190723-how-to-tell-if-youre-being-breadcrumbed-at-work

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever been breadcrumbed at work? Who did it to you and why do you think they did that? How did it affect you?
  2. What can an employee do so that they won’t be lead on/strung along?
  3. What do you think are reasons employers employ such practice?

Samsung’s New Foldable Phone

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Tech giant Samsung has once again created buzz around one of its new releases with the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip. Unorthodox in design, it resembles a flip phone when folded.

One Samsung executive hailed the phone’s innovative build, going so far as to say that “it changes everything.”

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to decide whether the Galaxy Z Flip truly deserves such high praise and if its features merit a hefty price tag.

Samsung Launches New Foldable ‘Flip’ Phone

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think the Galaxy Z Flip is a good buy?
  2. How often do you change your phone? What have been your reasons for switching?
  3. What features do you look for in a smartphone?

Songwriting Pages on Spotify

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The popular music streaming platform Spotify is launching a new feature for songwriters. These pages would have a list of songs that composers have written. This will help musicians showcase their music and for users to discover more songs they may enjoy.

Read this article and be ready to answer

https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/12/spotify-is-giving-songwriters-their-own-pages-and-playlists/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about Spotify?
  2. How can this new feature help songwriters in the future?
  3. Are streaming music services harming piracy more than they’re harming music sales?
  4. What is the most unique feature that Spotify has?
  5. What other music streaming applications do you enjoy using?

Maternity Leave

B1 – Intermediate

Parents in Finland can now enjoy seven months of parental leave. This new law will help new parents spend more time with their babies and enjoy this family benefit.

Let’s read the article and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2002/200209-maternity-leave-2.html

Discussion Questions :

1. What do you think of seven months of paid leave for new parents?

2. How much leave should parents get?

3. Should parental leave be paid?

4. What are the laws on parental leaves in Spain?

5. How can governments reverse the problem with falling birthrate?

Babysitting

B1 – Intermediate

A babysitter is a person who takes care of children temporarily with the parents’ approval. There are different terms used for babysitters such as nannies and mother’s helpers. What do you think of a babysitter’s job?

Listen to the audio below and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

https://listenaminute.com/b/babysitting.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is babysitting a common job in your country? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think a babysitter should have training for child care too? Explain why.
  3. Do babysitters receive good salary in your country? Why do you think this is the case?
  4. Do you agree that babysitting is an easy way to make money? Explain.
  5. Is getting a babysitter to take care of your children part of the culture in your country? Share about this.

Why Do Competitors Open Their Stores Next to One Another?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you ever wonder why you see competing shops in one crowded spot? Is it a matter of keep-your-enemies-closer strategy or an efficient spatial competition? Find out below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Please explain Hotelling’s Law.
  2. If you were to put up your own business, what would it be? How would you apply Hotelling’s Law to find a location for your business?
  3. Give some examples of product differentiation.
  4. What are some booming businesses in Spain nowadays?

Hair Dyes and Straighteners Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whether fine, thick, long, short, curly, or straight, your hair deserves respect. It is our crowning glory, so it deserves much care and attention. Just be careful with the products that we use as some of them are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Caveat emptor.

https://www.ecowatch.com/hair-dye-chemicals-cancer-risk-2641588380.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you think this study can impact society?
  2. How do you take care of your hair?
  3. Should hair dyes and straighteners be banned from the market?
  4. How in demand are hair grooming products in your country?

When Advertisers Track Emojis

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Online targeted advertising is nothing new. Advertisers have been using demographics like gender, age, political affiliation, and location to deliver what they consider as relevant ads to the netizens. The folks at Twitter, however, decided to innovate and offer advertisers information about their users’ emotional states through the emojis that they post.

Should this be a matter for concern? Watch the video below and judge for yourself.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, what is a targeted ad?
  2. What do you think about Twitter giving advertisers access to emoji data?
  3. How does an emoji differ from an emoticon? Which was introduced first to the public?
  4. What three emojis do you use most often?
  5. Give examples of emojis that have an emotional context attached to them. Which emojis come across as positive, negative, or neutral? Which emojis do you feel tend to be ambiguous?
  6. Do you follow any politicians on Twitter? In your country, does the use of Twitter by government officials impact public opinion?
  7. Is it harmless to let a faceless advertiser know how you’re feeling?
  8. A Pew Research Center survey revealed that 51% of US adults are not confident that social media sites protect user data. What do you think about this in the context of data protection practices in your country?
  9. Would you like other social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to follow Twitter’s lead and use emojis in their targeted advertising?
  10. Can you live without emojis?