Category: Homework

New York’s Water System Is Complex

B2 – Upper Intermediate

While nature provides water, many of us depend on a sophisticated system of pipelines, pumps, and other equipment. An industrialized society depends on the services that a water supply system offers, including the delivery of water from sources to users. The economic health, security, and social cohesion of the communities are all closely related to water supply systems.

Watch the video about and uncover the secrets of New York’s complex water system.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “sizeable” mean in this sentence? “The water shortage is mostly due to lack of sizeable supply of fresh water.” Give 2 synonyms of the word.
  2. What does the term“tidal estuary” mean? “The East River is a tidal estuary.”. Make your own sentence using the term.
  3. In the sentence, “Two of the world’s longest and largest aqueducts were built to accomplish this.”, what does “aqueducts” mean?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is the water supply abundant in your country?
  2. Where does your city get its water from?
  3. Are there laws regulating the usage of water in your country?
  4. Do you worry about the future availability of water?
  5. What do you think will happen if the water supply in your country or city gets cut off?

Money Traditions from Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As they say, money is the fuel that keeps the world turning. A country’s cultural beliefs are frequently mirrored in how they view its currency because money is such an integral element of that nation’s identity. But how much do we really know about global beliefs, customs, and superstitions around money?

Watch the video about money customs from all over the world.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “tight-knit” mean? Most of these customs involve generosity within a family or tight-knit community. Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does the idiom “pay it forward” mean? “If someone had a good day, they can pay it forward with an anonymous free coffee to an unknown person.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “sneak” mean in this sentence, “The elf sneaks in to take the tooth and leaves money behind.”? Give 2 synonyms of the word.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What unique money traditions do you have in your country?
  2. Which of the traditions from the video is practiced similarly in your country?
  3. Do you know of any superstitions involving money?
  4. How important is money to you?

UK Public Alert System

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Natural or man-made disasters and major events could disrupt people’s everyday life. The dissemination of news of such events is usually communicated through mainstream and social media, but not everyone is on these platforms. The UK will be be testing a new alert system to inform its citizens about such events by mobile phone.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about this new public alert system.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/uk-public-alert-system-level-1/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “vibrate” mean? “…millions of phones in the UK will make a loud noise and vibrate.” Give two synonyms and use this word in a sentence.
  2. Define the word “warning“. “It will be a warning sound“. Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does the word “marathon” mean? “For example the London Marathon or football matches.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does the new UK public alert system work?
  2. What are the pros and cons of this new alert system?
  3. What public alert system do you have in your country? In what situations, do you receive such an alert?
  4. Do you find this public alert system helpful or distracting? Why or why not?
  5. How do you prefer to be alerted about emergencies or natural disasters? Why is this your choice?

Bulletproof Rooms in US Schools

B1 – Intermediate

Mass shooting frequently happens in the US each year, especially in schools. It’s difficult to predict when and where these tragic incidents may occur. Therefore, a security company creates a safe room for students and teachers.

Read the article to learn more about these bulletproof rooms:

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/bulletproof-rooms-in-us-schools-level-1/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is “mass shooting“, “In the United States, there are many mass shootings.“? Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  2. What does “lawmaker” mean, “But lawmakers work slowly.“? Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. What does “put something up” mean, “People can put it up quickly in the corner of a classroom.“? Use this phrase in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about these bulletproof rooms?
  2. Do you think bulletproof rooms in schools is the solution to the problem of gun violence in the US? Why or why not?
  3. What might be potential negative sides to the bulletproof rooms in schools?
  4. Should this idea be a priority for public spending or should funds be used on other things? Explain your opinion.

The Difference between Strong and Weak AI

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It is safe to say that advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have made our lives easier today. As it becomes an integral part of our lives more and more, we stand at the cusp of realizing the true power of AI technology.

Read the article and understand the key differences between a strong AI and a weak AI.

https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/strong-ai-weak-ai

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define “threshold“, “As artificial intelligence continues to grow more advanced, the threshold of what can be considered true intelligence continues to get more complicated to define.”. Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. Define “settle” here, “Until then, we will have to settle for the type of artificial intelligence that exists today: weak AI, which operates under far more constraints and limitations than even the most basic human intelligence in order to perfect very specific tasks.” Use ‘settle’ in your own sentence in this context. Give 2 other definitions of this word.
  3. What does “to far exceed someone/something” mean, “And it is setting a foundation for AI’s potential to not only mimic and match human intelligence, but far exceed it.”? Use this phrase in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the difference between weak, general, and super AI?
  2. In which sectors has AI been widely used?
  3. What benefits do the industries described in the video get when AI is used?
  4. Share your thoughts on this statement, “People have no idea how much of their lives is actually governed by weak AI, or specialized AI.”.
  5. For you, what does it mean to be intelligent?

Strengths and Weaknesses

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Imagine being asked about your strengths and weaknesses at a job interview. What would you say?

Read the article and find out some tips on how to talk about strengths and weaknesses at a job interview.

https://www.betterteam.com/strengths-and-weaknesses

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define “frame” here, “Use the job description to frame your answer.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does “hard skill” mean, “Your weaknesses can include a hard skill set out in the job description, provided that you emphasize your desire to acquire this skill through a course or program.“? Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  3. Define “note” here, “I struggle with negative criticism and can become obsessed with perfecting my work after receiving notes from a supervisor.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What should you consider when listing your weaknesses?
  2. Can your weakness affect your hiring? How can you avoid this?
  3. What are some examples of weaknesses that you can mention during an interview depending on the job profile?
  4. What should you consider when listing your strengths?
  5. What are some examples of strengths that you can mention during an interview?

Companies Spend in Research and Development

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The role of the Research and Development (R&D) department is to keep a business competitive by researching the market and the customer needs and developing new and improved products and services to fit these needs.

Read the article to know more about how businesses gather knowledge to create new products or discover new ways to improve their existing products.

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/which-companies-spend-the-most-in-research-and-development-rd-2021-06-21

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define “line item” here, “Amazon is among the top R&D spenders even though its financial statements do not mention R&D as a separate line item.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. Define “set forth” here, “The company’s R&D expenses continue to be set forth within “technology and content” in its financial statements.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. What does “world leader” mean here, “However, in terms of cumulative patent holdings, Samsung is the world leader with 80,577 active patent families.” Use the word withstand in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How useful is R&D for a business?
  2. Do you have an R&D department in your company? What does it do?
  3. “Our business environment changes rapidly and needs long-term investment. We will not hesitate to place major bets on promising new opportunities. We will not shy away from high-risk, high-reward projects because of short-term earnings pressure.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
  4. What are some examples of investment risks?
  5. In your opinion, which is the better approach: Working quickly to develop a good solution or taking more time to craft an excellent solution? Elaborate.

People Get Bad Blood

B1 – Intermediate

People who have certain medical conditions need blood transfusion. To do this, they depend on other people to donate their blood.

The government tries to supply safe blood. They motivate citizens to donate blood. In some rare cases, these blood donations are unfortunately contaminated.

Let’s listen to the audio and read the transcript to know more about this problem with infected blood donation in the UK.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/people-get-bad-blood-level-1/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is the meaning of the word “bleeding“? “It means that the body has problems stopping bleeding“. Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is the meaning of the expression “to take responsibility for something“. “Many people want the government to take responsibility for what happens.” Use the phrase in your own sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of the medical term “hemophilia“? “In the 1970s and 80s, thousands of hemophilia patients in the UK need new blood.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does your country have problems with blood supply? If yes, what is your government’s solution to this problem?
  2. What safety measures should public health agencies take to maintain the quality of blood donations?
  3. In your country, how can a person become a blood donor?
  4. What are the benefits of blood donation for donors?
  5. Have you ever donated blood? If not yet, would you like to do it? Why/why not?

Spanish Actress’ Surrogate Baby Is Her Late Son’s

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When celebrities announce that they’ve had a baby via surrogacy, it doesn’t shock the world that much anymore.

But Spanish TV star Ana Obregón’s revelation of having a surrogate baby using his late son’s sperm did. Legally, his makes her the baby’s mother. But biologically, she is the grandmother.

Read the article about Spanish TV actress Ana Obregón’s surrogate baby who was fathered by her deceased son.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65186636

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define “bear”here, “While ¡Hola! magazine’s front page carried a picture of the TV actress and the new baby, another Spanish magazine, Lecturas, featured the surrogate mother who bore Ana Sandra.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does “rule out” mean, “She refuses to rule out providing her granddaughter with a brother or sister.”? Give a similar word or phrase and use ‘rule out’ in your own sentence.
  3. What does ”to take something upon oneself” mean, “Ana Obregón has taken it upon herself to interpret her dead son’s wishes and that is going too far.”? Give a similar word or phrase and use ‘to take something upon oneself’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Obregón’s saying she did this to fulfill his dying son’s final wish? Do you think there is an ethical issue here? Explain.
  2. Share your thoughts on this: “She (Obregón) refuses to rule out providing her granddaughter with a brother or sister.” 
  3. Legally the actress is the baby’s mother, even if she is biologically her grandmother. Any thoughts on this?
  4. What are your thoughts on surrogacy being illegal in Spain?
  5. In general, what is your opinion about surrogacy?

The Intertwined Lives of Sister Best Friends

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The connection between true friends is a precious gift that transcends time and space. This attachment is even stronger for some when it comes to sisterhood. Sister best friends have special and compelling ties that is beyond description. They grow up around each other, share experiences and secrets, and ultimately, become deeply intertwined in each other’s lives.

The lives of sisters who are close often overlap, creating a strong alliance that may be their greatest significant link, though it is not without obstacles and conflicts.

For a more comprehensive understanding about the unbreakable connection between sister best friends, click on the link.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20221121-the-intertwined-lives-of-sister-best-friends

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “life in parallel” mean in the sentence, “As twin flames, we feel each other’s lives and have always experienced life in parallel.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
  2. What does “biggest cheerleaders” mean, “We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and as the eldest, I will always be fiercely protective of Lauren.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
  3. What does “cause friction” mean in the sentence, “Intense bonds can impact other friendships and cause friction in – or even end – romantic relationships.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What kind of difficult situation can arise when sisters weave their lives closely together?
  2. What advantages and drawbacks can one experience from having a strong sisterly bond?
  3. Can you give examples of how sisters maintain their own distinct identities while still being closely interconnected?
  4. Is it possible for the bond between sisters to change over time? If yes, in what ways?
  5. How significant is the bond you share with your family members? Please share.