Tag: Advanced English CAE

Video: Woman Sues Over Weight-Loss

C1 – Advanced

Some people argue that we live in a world where people are judged by their looks. There are many qualities by which physical appearance is deemed acceptable by modern society: body shape, skin complexion, height and even weight.

Recently, a student sued her own university for allegedly denying her the chance to apply for the dance troupe.

Watch the video then express your ideas on the matter.

Woman sues university over weight-loss suggestion

Discuss:

1. Are there any circumstances when a person’s weight should be factored in for consideration in an organization or activity?
2. Can the situation described in the video be considered an example of discrimination?
3. What adjectives can you use to describe the woman’s feelings? Would you feel the same if you were in her shoes?

Doomsday Kit on Sale

inside doomsday yellow

C1 – Advanced

The prophecy of the Mayan Calendar became such a hype when it predicted the end of the world in 2012. Thus, a Siberian company cashed in on the panic and came up with a survival kit.

Read this article from 2012 and express your thoughts about it.

Doomsday kits go on sale in Siberia as ‘end of the world’ looms…

Discuss:

1. How did you react when you heard about the Mayan Prophecy of the world ending on the 21st of December 2012?
2. Should people preoccupy themselves with predicting when the world will end?
3. If you knew the exact date the world would end, would it change the way you live? If so, in what ways? If not, why?
4. If you had to prepare your own Doomsday kit, what would be in it?

 

Exhaustion Not a Status Symbol

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C1 – Advanced

Getting tired and working too hard is now being equated to productiveness. And there is a growing sense of pride in being too busy to do anything else but work. Should this be the case? Is this the better choice?

Read the following article and express your thoughts about it.

Exhaustion is not a status symbol

Discuss:

1. What is Professor Brown’s attitude toward work?
2. Does she think it’s possible to achieve work-life balance? What do you think?
3. With the range of office technology available to workers, are we truly able to do more with less?
4. Why does Brown think giving five minutes of feedback spells a difference in today’s office culture?
5. If you had full control over your schedule, what changes would you make? What items in your timetable would you prioritize?

 

Is changing the clock a waste of time?

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C1 – Advanced

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of advancing standard time by one hour in the spring of each year and of setting it back by one hour in the fall in order to gain an extra period of daylight during the early evening. Many countries observe this change.

Let’s try to know more about its history and significance. Watch the videos and listen to the audio clips with the transcript.

What is daylight saving time?

Every year billions of us around the world observe the familiar ritual of winding our clocks forward in the spring and turning them back again in the autumn.

To the joy of some and the annoyance of others, this biannual time-tampering first steals 60 minutes of our sleep, then gives us all an ‘extra’ hour in bed. Of course, in reality we are neither losing nor gaining time. By shifting an hour of sunlight during the summer months we’re merely making better use of the daylight temporarily available to us in the evenings.

There are many countries worldwide that do not observe daylight saving time (DST) – and in those that do it has had a somewhat chequered and quirky history. Are those of us who meddle with our clocks making time or killing time?

In the UK we observe Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the winter months, and advance an hour during British Summer Time (BST). From time to time Parliament has debated the idea of adopting BST throughout the year, but a permanent change is yet to happen.

A permanent change

The case in favour

Those in favour of year-long BST say it would benefit our health and well-being. A 2014 study of 23,000 children in nine countries suggested their activity levels were 15-20% higher on summer days. The Automobile Association estimates that around 100 lives each year would be saved by avoiding traffic accidents on dark evenings.

Year-round BST would also bring the UK into line with Central European Time, helping us to do business with the continent. In the view of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions this would increase domestic tourism earnings by £2.5-3.5bn.

Meanwhile, an extra hour of evening sunlight in winter could save £485m a year in electricity bills, as households would require less energy to heat and light their homes.

The argument against

Those against a permanent change to BST say it would delay sunrise in northern Scotland until 10am in the winter months. This would leave children at increased risk of accident walking to school in the dark.

Farmers, postal workers and the construction industry have also traditionally supported lighter mornings.

Some say that even if we did move onto BST all year round, we may still end up changing the clocks twice a year. Proposals have been made to adopt GMT+1 during the winter and introduce GMT+2 in summer.

Discuss:

1. What is the resource saying about Daylight Savings Time?
2. Do you see a drawback to having to adjust your clocks on specific seasons?
3. Do you, personally, think that adjusting is a waste of time? Or is this needed?
4. What is the longest night time you have experienced?

Children Spend Six Hours on Screens

_81934166_babieswithtabletsC1 – Advanced

Although TV viewing has dropped, the dramatic increase of children glued to a screen has been observed. They are even using multiple screens. This phenomenon can be accounted for the availability of different media.

Read the article below to know more about the facts regarding children and their screen time.

Children spend six hours or more a day on screens

Discuss:

1. What are the popular tools being utilized by children these days?
2. Do these media post greater threat than good?
3. In your country, how are kids now different from kids then?
4. Do you have any rules for your children when using gadgets?

 

A Personal Air Vehicle

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The future is now. That is, if we go by the timeline set by the iconic sci-fi movie “Back to the Future.” So where are all the flying cars? According to Professor Missy Cummings in this BBC feature, there are only a few hurdles to the development of personal air vehicles. And technology is not one of them.

Watch the video then read the article and be ready to express your thoughts about the topic.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20131031-a-flying-car-for-everyone

Discussion Questions:

1. Would owning a personal air vehicle simplify or complicate our lives?
2. What are the hurdles that prevent the full realization of the flying car?
3. If personal air vehicles will essentially be robots, what can be done to ensure that they will be hacker-proof?

Video: How Elephants Affect Weather

C1 – Advanced

Rainforests are very important in keeping our planet healthy. We all benefit from them; they sustain life.  Did you know that the abundance of plant species are available because of the mega-gardeners of the forest, the elephants ?

Read the short introduction then watch the video to know how elephants play a big role in propagating plant species.

Jumbo-gardeners: How elephants affect weather

Discuss:

1. According to the video, how do elephants become jumbo-gardeners?
2. What was your reaction while watching the short video?
3. Have you ever volunteered to help clean and save the environment (beach clean-up, tree planting etc.)?
4. Are there NGOs in your country who are actively promoting to save the rainforests or endangered species?

Strange Habits in Different Countries

C1 – Advanced

They say that “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” If this is true, then you can say this guy is quite rich. Read on as he tells us some peculiar habits that he has learned from his experiences visiting and living in different places in the world.

The 23 strangest habits you’ll pick up after living in 23 different countries

Discuss:

1. Talk about three strangest habits you’ve acquired or observed from visiting or living in a different country?
2. How do you adapt to differences in customs and traditions?
3. Which habit mentioned in this blog would you like to pick up?

Paternity Leave Around The World

C1 – Advanced

Paternity leave is the time a father takes a leave off work at the birth or adoption of a child. This kind of leave is rarely paid. Some companies offer new dads paid time off ranging from a few days to a few weeks.

Read the article and watch the video clip to know how other countries are allowing their new parents to spend time with their children.

How parental leave rights differ around the world

Discuss:

1. After reading the article, do you think that your country should make changes when it comes to parental leaves?
2. Do you know anyone who decided to have a maternity (or paternity) leave for a year to focus on rearing the child?
3. How long do you think is the ideal time off for a paternity leave?

Video: Does Playful Equal Productive?

C1 – Advanced

Rat race. Dog-eat-dog. Just two idioms that have been used to describe today’s corporate world. One design company, however, has decided to follow a growing trend among high-performing companies, that of fostering creativity through a less stressful office environment.

But can work and play truly co-exist? The employees at Pearfisher seem to think so. Watch the video, then come back to weigh in with your thoughts.

This office has a giant ball pit for its employees

Discuss:

1. What do the terms “rat race” and “dog-eat-dog” mean? Do these describe your workplace?
2. What big-name companies mentioned in the video have taken a different tack by designing creative spaces for their employees?
3. Based on the video, explain the “power of play.”
4. Would you prefer working in a “non-goal-orientated environment”?
5. What are the benefits that can be derived from working in a low-pressure environment? What are the drawbacks?
6. Are creative spaces suitable for all kinds of companies?