Tag: Advanced English CAE

The Age We Start Losing Friends

C1 – Advanced

Have you ever heard of the saying, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out”? A psychological research revealed that people start losing friends earlier than we thought. Our social circle actually starts to shrink when we reach 25.

Read the article below to know more of the facts about people and relationships.

http://qz.com/689017/research-has-uncovered-the-precise-age-at-which-we-start-losing-friends/

Discussion Questions:

1. Do we need a lot of friends? How many friends do you think one needs to have?
2. What do you think are the reasons why we start losing friends at a certain point in our lives?
3. Why do you think women keep more friends even as they age compared to men?
4. What’s your thought on this statement: “Social media may well be changing friendship.”?
5. How do you stay in touch with friends?

Beat a Bully Without Using your Fists

C1 – Advanced

Bullying is becoming alarmingly widespread. Schools and the government have started to get involved. Watch the video below to know how a person is affected by bullying and what people can do to cope and protect themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SvK5s-bZ3k

Discuss:

1. According to the video, why are people bullied?
2. What facts did you gather from the video about bullying?
3. How are people bullied?
4. What is the effect of bullying to the victim?
5. How can we beat a bully without using a fist?

8 Home Maintenance Skills to Master

C1 – Advanced

Persistent little home problems are the bane of every homeowner’s existence and can be very costly, so here are some skills to master:

8 Home Maintenance Skills Every Homeowner Should Master

Discuss:

1. What do you think of the tasks mentioned in the article?
2. What are some common repairs or home improvements people do in and around their apartments or houses?
3. What home improvements would you like to do at the place where you live now? Would you do them yourself, or have someone else do them?

Keep Your Goals To Yourself

C1 – Advanced

According to Psychology,  announcing our goals makes us less motivated to accomplish them. This video shows  why people who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them.

Discussion Questions:

1. Give a summary of the talk.
2. According to psychologists, what is “social reality”?
3. Do you agree with the speaker? Discuss your answer.
4. Do you usually talk about your goals or do you keep them to yourself?

Why True Coincidences Are Hard to Find

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C1 – Advanced

When you try to read the papers or browse through news headlines, it seems that the same kinds of news are popping up over and over again.

Read the article below to get a better understanding of coincidences.

Why True Coincidences Are Hard to Find

Discuss:

1. What are the reasons why same stories happen at one given point in time?
2. Do you believe the saying “Bad luck comes in threes”?
3. Share a story when things happened to you and it seemed to be ‘pouring’ at that moment.
4. What are some recent news/headlines that are of the same nature?

Reasons to Love the World

C1 – Advanced

There are daily struggles in life. But there are also small miracles.  Read the article below to know some of the greatest things that have happened to different people.

Think of as many reasons to love the the world.

50 Reasons to #LoveTheWorld

Discuss:

1. What do you think of the reasons mentioned in this feature?
2. What are the things that you’d like to do or experience for yourself?
3. What other places in the world would you like to travel to?

Looks aren’t Everything

C1 – Advanced

Looks aren’t everything. Image is powerful.

Let’s pay attention and listen to a talk by Cameron Russell.

Discuss:

1. What does the speaker mean when she says “People are paying for how they look not on what they are.”?
2. Why do you think the speaker says that she’s really insecure?
3. How is media affecting our ideas of beauty?
4. Aside from beauty, what else did the speaker talk about?

The Lost Boy and Japan’s Parenting Debate

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C1 – Advanced

Yamato Tanooka is 7 years old. He was left in the woods by his parents as punishment for being overly active. His father admitted to doing it and his parents were very apologetic about what happened.

Is this abuse or did his parents just lost control of the situation and didn’t know how else to discipline him?

The lost boy and Japan’s parenting debate

Discuss:

1. What is your reaction that “many parents in Japan tend to see their children as their personal possessions”?
2. What is your idea of good and bad parenting?
3. How are kids usually punished in your country when they misbehave?
4. When do we say it’s abuse and when do we say it’s discipline?
5. What do you think are effective ways to discipline children?
6. How can we keep children safe from abuse?

Celebrating Father’s Day

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C1 – Advanced

The month of June is known for the time to give appreciation to one of the most important persons in our lives, our fathers. Read the article and know more about the history of this special day.

FATHER’S DAY

Discuss:

1. How would you describe your father?
2. How is Father’s Day celebrated in your country? family?
3. If you’re a father, what’s the best Father’s Day present you’ve ever received and why?
4. What interesting presents have you given your father?

Video: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

C1 – Advanced

What is body language and how does it affect our daily lives?

Watch the 20-minute TED Talks video about body language and be prepared to answer some discussion questions. The video provides subtitles and a transcript. Simply click on the icon below the video.

Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are

Discuss:

1. How would you define body language?
2. When you see a person for the first time, are there any outward signs they give which show their status, interests or personality?
3. How much notice do you take of other people’s body language?
4. How conscious are you of your own body language?
5. How much attention do you pay to how you sit or act if you are in a meeting?