Category: Homework

Video: America’s Shrinking Homes

C1 – Advanced

America is the place where everything is big – from food portions to super skyscrapers and warehouse stores. “Small” is the last word one associates with the US. Surprisingly, however, it was in this very land of everything mega that the tiny house movement was born.

Watch the video and learn more about the minimalist lifestyle that has made some people move from big houses to whimsical dollhouse-type homes.

America’s shrinking homes

Discuss:

1. According to the video, why are there more and more people joining the tiny house movement?
2. In your country, what did people do to adjust when the economic crisis hit? Did people start selling their homes?
3. Is it usual for people to live in big houses in your country?
4. Describe your ideal house.

Top 50 Job Interview Questions

Getting ready for an interview? This article will give you tips on how to answer top interview questions.

Read on and be ready to have a speaking activity. You’ll be able to practice by answering some of the featured questions during the discussion.

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/top-50-job-interview-questions.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you had an all-English job interview?
2. What do you think are the questions that are difficult to answer?

Signs You Were Born and Raised in Spain

spain-born-raised

B2 – Upper intermediate

Are you a true-blue Espanol? Read the article and see which among the cultural quirks you can identify with. Be ready to debunk the myths, explain the idiosyncrasies, and add what you think is missing from the list.

15 Signs You Were Born and Raised in Spain

Discuss:

1. Which ones do you practice? Which ones are not true for you?
2. Do you think you can add more to the list?
3. What do you think is the history behind some of the mentioned practices?

Baboon Survives after Pig Heart Transplant

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A team of scientists who’ve successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a baboon is hoping someday to do the same procedure for human patients desperately in need of replacement organs.

Read the following article then be prepared to answer some discussion questions.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/dec/05/baboon-survives-pig-heart-organ-transplant-human-trials

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this scientific breakthrough?
  2. Should we transplant pig organs into humans? Discuss.
  3. Cite some issues with xenotransplantation.
  4. Is it right to alter an animal’s genome for the purpose of using its organs for human patients? Why or why not?

Vocabulary: Food – Different categories

Couple drinking beverage 00

A1 – Beginner

This page will show you the different English terms of food. From fruits and vegetables to spices and seasonings.

Click on each food category and familiarize yourself with the different terms. Be ready to use some of the words during the speaking exercise.

 

Food Vocabulary: Different Categories

Discuss:

1. Do you like to cook? Which ingredients do you often use when you cook?
2. What are your preferences when it comes to eating bread?
3. Which type of you meat do you prefer?

Starbucks Is Hiking Prices Again

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Part of most people’s morning routine is getting their daily coffee fix. How would a 5 to 20-cent increase on your favorite coffee’s price sound? 

Like any business, Starbucks has the power to raise its prices. Loyal customers are probably just going to brush this aside.

Read the article and watch the video to learn about Starbucks’ plans to hike their prices again and also know how they are doing in the market.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/02/business/starbucks-prices/index.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the primary reasons for price hikes at Starbucks?
  2. How does this price increase affect the company?
  3. Is Starbucks popular in your country? What are the other big coffee chains or coffee bars that are doing well in your country?
  4. Why do people keep on coming back to Starbucks despite the high prices of their coffee and their constant price increase?

Vocabulary: Basic Food and Drinks

imgBB

A1 – Beginner

This resource will help increase your vocabulary when talking about basic food and drinks.

Read and listen to the different English terms for basic food and drinks and be ready to use them during the speaking exercise.

Basic Food and Drinks

Discuss:

1. What do you usually drink in the morning for breakfast? Are you a coffee or tea drinker?
2. What fruits do you enjoy eating?
3. What are the vegetables you least like or don’t like too much?

Festival of the Sun

B1 – Intermediate

Every culture has a different way of celebrating certain events. Christmas in Spain might be celebrated differently from Christmas in South Korea.

Read the article and watch the video to learn how Peru celebrates the Festival of the Sun.

http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/festival-of-the-sun-level-3/

Discussion Questiosn:

1. Describe how Peruvians commemorate or celebrate the Festival of the Sun.
2. Describe how traditional or religious festivals are observed in your country. Which ones do you participate in?
3. What other traditional festivities from other countries do you know of?

Shrine is Destroyed

73_Temple_of_Baal-Shamin,_Palmyra

B2 – Upper intermediate

How would you feel if important monuments and sites in your country were destroyed? Just before the mass exit of Syrians happened, trouble had been brewing in different parts of Syria and it involved some historical buildings being at risk.

Read the article and watch the short video clip to learn what is happening to some of the heritage sites in Syria.

Shrine is destroyed

Discuss:

1. Why do you think the militant groups are destroying important structures in Syria?
2. In your opinion, what do you think will happen to the country Syria in the next 5 to 10 years?
2. Describe and talk about some of the heritage sites in your country that you have seen. How are they being maintained?

Generation Y – Their Attitudes towards Work and Life

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Members of Generation Y are born in a time of constant access to technology in their youth. Also called millennials, this generation has been, somewhat, criticized for how they view life.

Read the article below then express your thoughts about the topic.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/living/generation-y-their-attitudes-toward-life-and-work.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the different characteristics of Generation Y?
  2. What is your opinion of generation Y?
  3. What do you think are some of the advantages or disadvantages of other generations?
  4. Are people from the “older” generation always more wise and correct in their ways of thinking and choices? Why or why not?