Tag: audio

Qatar National Sports Day

B1 – Intermediate 

The National Sports Day is celebrated in Qatar every second Tuesday of February.

They believe that “an active life is important for public health”.

The government hopes that the citizens take care of their health more. The holiday is so they not only watch sports, but actually practice them.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about Qatar National Sports Day.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/qatar-national-sports-day-level-3

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “major center for (something)”? “In recent years, Qatar has become a major center for international sport and has hosted large events such as the football World Cup.” Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a similar expression.
  2. What does “to take part in (something)” mean? “The government wants people to focus on health and take part in sports instead of just watching them.” Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a similar expression.
  3. What does “to host” mean in this sentence, “In recent years, Qatar has become a major center for international sport and has hosted large events such as the football World Cup.”? Use the verb in a sentence. Give a similar expression.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about a public holiday for sports?
  2. Would you like to have the same holiday in your country? Why or why not?
  3. Do you think the government should decide whether people take part in sports instead of just watching them? Share your opinion.
  4. What is your opinion on this, “An active life is important for public health.”?
  5. How much is your country and the people involved and invested in sports?
  6. What sports do you enjoy? What are those that you would like to try?

Billionaires Building Bunkers

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Billionaires’ Bunker or El Refugio Atómico is a 2025 Netflix thriller series very rich families hiding in a luxury, high-tech underground shelter because they thought that a nuclear apocalypse was upon them.

It is not so far from what is happening in real life. We’ve seen how several billionaires seem to be preparing for doomsday by having their own bunkers built.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript talking about why billionaires are building bunkers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260129

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “prepper mentality”? “Part of the prepper mentality is to question what you would do if the apocalypse happens.” Use the term in a sentence.
  2. What does “compromise” mean here, “No matter what happens, no matter what comes our way, if you’re a tech billionaire, you’re going to be able to live through that comfortably without compromising your lifestyle, without compromising the standard that you have.”? Use the word in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. What does “to be kidding” mean here, “When you watch TV in the US – when you turn on a, kind of, US TV channel – what happens is that there’s usually some ads about freeze-dried food. I’m not kidding.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “bunker”?
  2. Why do you think billionaires are building bunkers? Is it only a mere mark of societal status or they are preparing for something we do not know anything about? Share your thoughts.
  3. Would you consider building a bunker and preparing for disasters? Why or why not? If you had one, what would you like to put in it?
  4. What do you think you would do if the apocalypse happened?

Walk and Talk

B1 – Intermediate 

Is there a way to combine health and work productivity? Well, how about instead of one-on-one meetings, we have meetings while walking.

This way of working could have some benefits.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about walking meetings.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/walk-and-talk-level-3

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “go together” mean? “Health and work can go together, just like walking and meetings.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What does “fresh idea” mean? “Fresh air and movement can bring fresh ideas, making work both effective and enjoyable.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. Define “creative thinking”. “They also encourage creative thinking by taking people out of their usual office environment.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “productivity” and why?
  2. What are the good and bad things about walking meetings?
  3. What is your opinion about walking meetings?
  4. Do you think your co-workers would like this idea? Why or why not?
  5. How can we conciliate health and work?
  6. Do you agree or disagree that fresh air and movement can bring fresh ideas? Share your opinion.

Stem Cell Research

B1 – Intermediate 

Stem cells are special human cells that can develop into many different types of cell. They can be muscle or brain cells. They can also be used to fix tissues that have been damaged.

More research on stem cells is important in regenerative medicine because it could allow the body to repair itself by replacing dysfunctional cells with healthy ones that are grown in the lab.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about someone’s opinions on stem cell research.

https://www.listenaminute.com/s/stem_cell_research.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to be all for something” mean? “I am all for stem cell research.” Use the expression in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What does “to play God” mean? “They say it is unethical and that it is playing God.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. What does “to be leading” mean? “Britain seems to be leading the world in this research.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about stem cell research?
  2. What are some of the medical potentials of stem cells?
  3. What are some ethical issues with it?
  4. Some people view stem cell research “as unethical and that it is playing God. Other people say we will create Frankenstein’s monster“. What is your point of view?
  5. Do you think your country is investing enough money in stem cell research? If so, do you agree with it? If not, do you think that the government should?

Is Social Media Dead?

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Perhaps, three or four years ago, we were so engrossed in social media platforms. But as generative AI rises, many users feel that their feeds no longer contain contents that they can relate with or reflect their preferences or interests.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the way we use social media has changed over time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260108

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “downward spiral” mean? “Is social media on a downward spiral?” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What does “behemoth” mean? “We see the large social networks and the tech behemoths leaning into generated content, and I think users don’t actually want that.” Use the word in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. What does “gravitate towards” mean? “I see people gravitating towards smaller online spaces, connecting more closely with individual voices, like creator types, and just posting less in general.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is social media dead? Share your insights regarding this.
  2. Was there a moment for you when you felt like social media changed? In what ways?
  3. Do you think this is really happening nowadays, “People gravitate towards smaller online spaces, connecting more closely with individual voices, like creator types, and just posting less in general.”?
  4. Do you agree or not, “Social media was friendlier before – an online space to make friends, have fun and discuss the latest cultural happenings.”? Share your thoughts.
  5. Imagine a world where people use socmed less or not at all.

Too Fixated on Protein

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Protein is a very important macronutrient that our body needs for satiety, metabolism, and overall body function. Some good food sources of protein include meat, dairy, legumes, nuts, and grains.

Clearly, we need protein for good health and to build muscles, but with all this obsession with protein, we might be ignoring other important nutrients like fiber, for instance.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about our modern obsession with protein.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251016

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to cast your eye over something” mean? “Cast your eye over most aisles in the supermarkets now and you’ll see high protein products in abundance.” Use the expression in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What does “health halo” mean? “Sometimes fat is good; sometimes it’s bad for consumers. But protein seems to have this continuous health halo on it.” Use the term in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. What does “the tide is turning” mean? “Historically, probably not. I think the tide is turning, and there’s more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it’s a trend on TikTok.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think that our modern obsession with protein could mean that we ignore other important food groups, like fibre? Share your insight.
  2. “The tide is turning, and there’s more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it’s a trend on TikTok.” Do you have the same trend in your country? Why do you think this is the case?
  3. In general, what are your thoughts about people thinking some specific food items or food groups have health halos perceiving them to be healthy based on a single feature, such as being ‘organic’, ‘gluten-free’ or in this case ‘high-protein’, even if its overall nutritional value is poor?
  4. What are your usual protein sources? Which one is your favorite?
  5. What health trends have you tried and why was it interesting for you in the first place?

Cows Prevent Wildfires

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Spain has been suffering from wildfires, ones that are more intense and more destructive by the year. In 2025 alone, more than 400,000 hectares have burned from the beginning of the year up to August.

Pablo Schapira along with his organization Rewilding Spain, a group fighting against wildfires in central Spain, have reintroduced herds of special species of cows called tauros into the forests in Central Spain with hopes it could help in preventing wildfires. 

Listen to the audio and read the transcript on how tauros can help prevent wildfires.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250501

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “unchecked” mean? “One of the reasons for this is that the forests have been left to grow unchecked as there simply aren’t enough animals to feed on all the trees, bushes and grass.” Use the word in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  2. What does “to have a picture in one’s head” mean? “Well, now I have a picture in my head of a cow wearing a fireman’s helmet, but I guess that’s not what you mean, Neil.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  3. What does “to spread out of control” mean? “Wildfires are unplanned fires, in areas like forests or grasslands, which spread out of control.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Explain how the tauros can help with solving the problem with wildfires in Spain. 
  2. What do you think about this way of preventing wildfires?
  3. Share your insight on this, “According to the Natural History Museum of Utah, four out of every five wildfires are man-made.”
  4. Share your thoughts on this, “Thanks to increasing temperatures caused by climate change, the wildfires happening today are more intense and more destructive than ever before.”
  5. What do you think about your government or country’s capability in managing the problem with wildfires?

Asylum Seekers Use Taxis to Go to the Doctors

B1 – Intermediate 

A BBC investigation found that asylum seekers would take taxis to go to the doctor. This costs the UK government more or less 15.8 million pounds every year.

The British government will be prohibiting transferring them by taxis starting February 2026 in an effort to reduce the government’s cost on the asylum seekers’ medical appointment transfers. 

Listen to the audio and read the transcript on asylum seekers’ systematic use of cabs for visiting their doctor’s appointments costing the UK Home Office millions of pounds per year.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/asylum-seekers-use-taxis-to-go-to-the-doctors-level-3

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “asylum seeker” mean? “Ministers hope that requiring asylum seekers to use public transport for routine medical needs will significantly reduce this expense.” Use the phrase in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  2. What does “to root out” mean? “Although the ban targets medical transport specifically, ministers intend to extend the principle of using taxis only in exceptional circumstances across all asylum accommodation transfers to root out waste.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  3. What does “expose” mean? “This policy change follows a BBC investigation that exposed systematic use of cabs, including extreme examples such as a 250-mile journey for a GP visit, costing the Home Office 600 pounds.” Use the word in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your opinion about banning asylum seekers to use taxis to go to their doctor appointments. Do you agree or disagree with it? Explain.
  2. Share your insight on this, “Transport costs for asylum seekers, which the government has confirmed averages 15.8 million pounds (more than 18 million euros) per year.”
  3. What is your opinion about requiring asylum seekers to use public transport for routine medical needs?
  4. Is there a similar problem in your country? Talk about it.
  5. What kind of help or assistance does your country offer to asylum seekers?

Influencers Affecting Politics

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

The list of topics social media influencers are posting about is endless. Among them are lifestyle, fashion, sports, travel, gaming, and music. Some social media influencers are even engaging in topics of political nature. In some cases, some of them even decide to join politics eventually.

So, what really happens when influencers become politicians?

Listen to the audio and read the transcript on how influencers are affecting politics.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251127

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to shape the narrative” mean? “In Nigeria, influencers are shaping the narrative of elections.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  2. What does “pushback” mean? “What about in Nigeria? Is there a pushback against these influencers who got involved in promoting political parties?” Use the term in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.
  3. What does “to dig up information about someone” mean? “In fact, the public reaction was so bad, people started todig up information about influencers who promote politicians.”  Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym or similar expression.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on how social media influencers becoming politicians.
  2. What is your opinion about politicians paying for the support of influencers?
  3. Do influencers also endorse politicians in your country? Is there a pushback against these influencers who got involved in promoting political parties?
  4. What is the importance of social media personalities’ job?
  5. Do you follow any social media influencers? Why do you follow them?

The Joys of Writing Lists

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

How does one handle drowning in so many tasks to do? Wouldn’t it be interesting to explore our love of lists? 

Jo Nolan wrote a book exploring our obsession with making lists.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find out why people love lists.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250904

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “bang for your buck”? “I feel like you get a lot – you get a big bang for your buck in that song.  Maybe it’s the positivity – it’s a bit saccharine.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What does “saccharine” mean here, “But not everyone likes the song. Some call it saccharine.” Use the word in a sentence. Give another meaning of “saccharine”.
  3. What does “the nub of” mean? “The list encourages you to think really efficiently and economically, so I think you don’t waste a lot of time and effort making a nice sentence or using long words. You just get to the nub of things quite quickly.” Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a similar expression.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How are lists helpful? In what ways do you find them disadvantageous?
  2. What do you think about this, “Lists often abbreviate the items they contain, so you get to the nub of things quickly.”?
  3. Do you have the habit of making lists? Why or why not? What kinds of lists
  4. Is it better to make lists on paper or on phone? Explain.
  5. Do you think making a list of pros and cons helps resolve a situation? What are your thoughts?