Business people should always look for other ways to make money. A Russian company decided to take another path to continue earning rather than giving up and closing shop because of Western sanctions.
Read the article below then express your thoughts about it.
1. What do you think of Kalashnikov branching out into fashion? 2. What do you think of gun companies? 3. Do you think Kalashnikov will be successful in their fashion business? 4. How would you explain the word “patriotism”? Would you consider yourself patriotic?
Medicines are supposed to make us feel better and cure any illness a person might have. But sometimes, these medicines may also cause more harm than good.
Read the article below to find out more. Share your opinion after reading the text.
What is your reaction to this, “OTC medicines for asthma, aches and pains, insomnia and allergies, etc. could have side effects including cognitive impairment, dementia, and even brain shrinkage.”?
In general, what do you think about OTC medicines? Does this research change the way you think about them?
Do you think you take too many medicines or do you know anyone who does? What do you think about this?
Talk about one OTC medicine you know of, what is it for, and what side effects do you know it has?
Time and again, we’ve seen or heard some incidents wherein heavy tourism takes a toll on a once unspoiled place. A famous small island in Thailand named Koh Tachai has recently been closed to end what could be irreversible consequences of high number of tourists to its ecosystem.
Find out more about this news by reading the article below.
Idyllic Thai island Koh Tachai closed indefinitely due to damage from tourism
Bangkok, ThailandCNN —
Thai authorities have closed a popular island in the Andaman Sea to visitors, blaming high tourist numbers for damaging its ecosystem.
Known for its idyllic white beaches and excellent diving, Koh Tachai is the northernmost of the Similan Islands archipelago, a national park in southern Thailand.
Tunya Nethithammakul, director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, told CNN Tuesday that the island had been closed to visitors “indefinitely,” due to the severe deterioration of its ecosystem.
Asia’s most underrated attractions
The problems included litter and food waste, gasoline from tour boats leaching into the water and damage to coral, he said, adding that overwhelming numbers of tourists were to blame.
“This is such a small island, I would say it could accommodate just a few hundred tourists a day,” he said.
“But it turned out that at certain points there were almost 2,000 tourists visiting the island (daily).”
Snaphappy St. Barts tourist grazed by plane
Situated about 137 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the tourist hub of Phuket, Koh Tachai has no hotels, and the majority of visitors stay only for the day, eating lunch on the island.
Some tourism operators have offered overnight trips where guests stay in tents.
The island is marketed by local tour operators as the “Maldives of Thailand.”
Nethithammakul said that many of the islands in Similan National Park would have been closed soon anyway due to the monsoon season, along with other national parks in coastal areas.
Long-tail boats of southern Thailand
Discuss:
1. What was the main reason for closing this island for tourism? 2. Is it a good idea to close it indefinitely? 3. What do you think are the good and bad things about tourism? 4. Have you been to a place similar to Koh Tachai – breathtaking but somehow being exploited by humans?
Illegal, and sometimes legal, immigration has become a hot topic for quite a while. There seems to be no best solution to this issue.
Watch the video below then express your thoughts about it.
Discuss:
1. Is illegal immigration a problem in your country? 2. In your own understanding, how does illegal immigration affect a country? 3. Define “Illegal Alien”. 4. Illegal immigrants have high hopes to get that “Big American Dream”. By this sentence, do you think America is the best country to live in? Why or why not?
Here’s an interesting history about the train network in London. Read the article and study the highlighted words. Be ready to answer discussion questions.
Gun ownership has always been vital in the American Society. Almost each household owns a gun and this is perfectly legal. Americans use it for protection. However, there are accidents resulting to gun ownership and it is quite alarming, especially if children are involved.
Read the article about the rise of shooting incidents that involve young children in the US and be ready to answer the questions that follow.
1. Do zoo animals in your country get ample treatment and care? 2. When was the last time you went to a zoo or an attraction with animals? 3. How do you feel about dentists? When was the last time you paid a visit to your dentist? 4. What are some dental procedures you’ve had?
Transportation is always a part of our lives. There are different kinds of transports all over the world and they have developed and modernized over the years.
Learn the different types of transportation in this video and answer the quiz after watching.
Discussion Questions:
What are the kinds of transportation that you take on a daily basis?
Does your city have a good public transport system? Talk about it.
What is your city doing to help reduce air pollution from cars in the street?
Do you enjoy taking the plane? When was the last time you traveled using a plane?
In your opinion, which is the best means of transport and why?
The eldest daughter of US president Obama, Malia, is taking a year off before attending Harvard in fall next year. Nowadays, more and more high school graduates are delaying college.
The question is, is it always a good thing? Read the article below to know more about it.
1. What is gap year? 2. What are the top activities done during this period? 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing a gap year? 4. What is your personal opinion on this? 5. Did you take a gap year? / If you could go back in time, would you do it?
An Italian court has ruled that stealing a small amount of food due to starvation is not a crime. A man’s sentence was overturned because his lawyer argued that he only committed the crime out of desperation.
Read the article about the man who had stolen food “in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment” and an Italian court ruled that this is not a crime.
