Tag: audio

Future of Jobs

B1 – Intermediate

The future of jobs is a big topic now. Many people want to know what jobs will be available in the coming years. Technology is changing fast and it will impact the job market a lot.

Some jobs that are easy and routine may soon be done by robots or computers. This means that some jobs may disappear. But, new jobs will also be created such as those that require knowledge of technology like robots and artificial intelligence.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the future of jobs.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/future-of-jobs-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “cut” mean in this sentence, “According to the report, technology and digitalization will both create and cut jobs.“? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “to keep up with something“ mean, “Companies will need to adapt to new technologies and increase their digitalization to keep up with the changing job market.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. “All this means that the job market will see big changes in the coming years.” What is “job market“? Define and use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some technological advancements that are changing the job market?
  2. What skills do you think will be most important for workers in the future job market?
  3. How might the increase in teleworking impact the job market in the future?
  4. What are some problems related to the job market changes and how can they be solved?
  5. How might advancements in artificial intelligence impact the job market in the future?

Coca-Cola

B1 – Intermediate

Coca-Cola is a well-known and loved beverage all over the world. Their mission, as stated, is to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, inspire moments of optimism and happiness through their brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference.

Coca-Cola takes pride in their product and it is shown through their values: leadership, collaboration, integrity, diversity, and quality.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the company Coca-Cola.

https://businessenglishmaterials.com/coca-cola.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “catchy” mean in this sentence, “Another is its catchy advertising slogans, such as “Coke Is It”.” Give 2 synonyms for this word and use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “phenomenal success” mean in this sentence, “One secret to the company’s phenomenal success is what it calls the ‘Coca-Cola system’ – the more than 300 worldwide bottling partners that work together to distribute its products.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “strive” mean in this sentence, “Its mission is to strive to refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, create value and make a difference.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you tell me about the history of Coca-Cola and how it came to be such a popular brand?
  2. How has Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy evolved over time?
  3. What do you think about the Coca-Cola system?
  4. What is your company’s mission and what do you think about it?
  5. Which beverages do you think are the most popular in the world and in your country? And what makes them so well-known?

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.

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 medical term “hemophilia“? “In the 1970s and 80s, thousands of hemophilia patients in the UK need new blood.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What is the meaning of the word “bleeding“? “It means that the body has problems stopping bleeding“. Use it in your own sentence.
  3. 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.

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?

Remote Work a Liability

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For small business owners, allowing staff to work from home offers several advantages. Among them include fostering employee satisfaction and lowering rent costs for offices. Despite the buzz around telecommuting, there are still possible risks to be aware of.

Watch the video on a discussion about how some companies think the remote working is a liability.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “preempt” mean? “I don’t want to preempt anything I would say to the team. So, he wouldn’t tell me what the timeline is.” Give 2 synonyms and use ‘preempt’ in your own sentence.
  2. What does “crank up” mean? “Come summer, if folks want to be working from home on Fridays, they really need to crank up the effort.” Give 2 synonyms and use ‘crank up’ in your own sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of “buzzword“? “The latest buzzword in international travel is “ecotourism”.” Kindly use the word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of working from home? Is remote working a liability or not? Explain.
  2. What are the pros and cons of remote working for companies?
  3. What do companies in your country think of remote work?
  4. How do you think company managers in your country would feel about workers having the flexibility to combine weeks of proper vacation and working remotely during summertime?
  5. What do you think about being able to choose to come in and out of work at time that best suits an employee during their workday? Cite the advantages and troubles with this kind of flexibility in worker schedules.

Amazon

B1 – Intermediate

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer and web service provider. It offers a wide selection of products, it has a user-friendly website, it is easy to use, and it offers fast and reliable shipping.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Amazon.

https://businessenglishmaterials.com/amazon.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “diversify” mean in this sentence “His company originally sold only books but has diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other popular ranges of goods.” Give 2 synonyms for this word and use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “to team up with” mean in this sentence “A year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. “Amazon has cleverly marketed itself worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries.” What does “to market someone/something” mean? Use it in a sentence..

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever used Amazon? What was the experience like?
  2. What are the pros and cons of online shopping?
  3. How has online shopping and e-commerce affected the physical retail stores?
  4. What are some of the future predictions for the growth of online shopping and e-commerce?

First Impressions

B1 – Intermediate

First impression is everything. It can make or break a person, company, service, or product. It is so important to make a good first impression because they are the basis of how relationships start and how you are seen by other people.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about first impressions.

https://listenaminute.com/f/first_impressions.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the phrase “to set eyes on someone” mean in this sentence, “I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “one’s kind of person” mean in this sentence, “It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does “count” mean in this sentence, “First impressions count most when you meet someone important.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree that “First impression lasts.”? Explain.
  2. What are the best ways to make a good first impression?
  3. Do you make first impressions based on their clothes? Why/why not?
  4. How important is first impression to you?
  5. Have you ever experienced being completely wrong about your first impression?
  6. In what jobs do people have to make very quick decisions based on first impressions?

Finland Joins NATO

B1 – Intermediate

Finland had not been a part of any alliance since 1945. However, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country changed its position and decided to join NATO. 

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Finland joining NATO.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/finland-joins-nato-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does ”alliance” mean, “Since 1945, Finland wasn’t part of any alliance, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the country changed its policy.“? Use this idiom in your own sentence.
  2. What does “escalate” mean, “In a reaction, Russia said that it would increase its military activity in the northwest and that the fact that Finland joined NATO could escalate the conflict in Ukraine.“? Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  3. What does “pact” mean, “The NATO Collective Defense Pact says that if an attack on one NATO member happens, it is an attack on all.“? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the pros and cons of being a member of NATO?
  2. What is your opinion about Finland’s decision to join NATO?
  3. In your opinion, should Sweden and other countries do the same? Why or why not?
  4. One of the founding principles of NATO is that an armed attack on one member nation would be considered as an attack on all. Share your opinion on this.
  5. Share something you know about NATO.

The Hidden Life of Buffets

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Buffets have boomed a lot these past few years. Many people like going to buffets because they can eat as much as they want. Buffets are popular because they offer a lot of different types of food to choose from, in addition to unlimited servings.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to learn more about buffets.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230112

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “knock your socks off” mean, “They need to ‘wow’ the guests, or knock their socks off“? Use this idiom in your own sentence.
  2. What does “vicious circle” mean, “It’s a very vicious circle“? Use this in a sentence.
  3. What does “get your money’s worth” mean, “If you’re paying $100, $200 a head for a buffet, you’re gonna pile it up high and take the most expensive things you can, and get your money’s worth.” Use this in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the hidden life of buffets?
  2. According to the article, what is the main problem with buffets?
  3. Do you think buffets will still be popular in the future given concerns about food waste and sustainability? Why or why not?
  4. Are buffets common in your country? Why or why not?
  5. What is your opinion on buffets?