Tag: audio

The ‘Minterns’ Taking Internships in their 30s

B2 – Upper Intermediate

At the age of 30, society expects us to have stable careers and secure jobs. However, not everyone feels personal fulfillment in what they do around this age. This is especially true for millennials.

A study conducted showed that almost half of millennials are dissatisfied with their jobs. A lot of them leave within the first 24 months. Some choose to shift from their original career paths to a different one, purposely starting from the bottom again.

Click the link below and read the article to know more about “minterns”.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190815-the-minterns-taking-internships-in-their-30s

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who are considered as “minterns”? What do you think of people in their 30s taking on internship jobs?
  2. What do you think this work trend reflects?
  3. Can you imagine yourself doing what Alejandro Cavazos did given a chance? Why or why not?
  4. Why do you think a lot of millennials are dissatisfied with their jobs?
  5. How important is personal fulfillment in choosing your career path?
  6. What are you looking for in terms of career development?

A Very Young Influencer

B1 – Intermediate

A seven-year-old child influencer from Italy has gained heartfelt support from people all over the world when his videos went viral on social media platforms. He proves that disability does not prevent a person from inspiring others.

Read the article and listen to the audio and be able to answer the discussion questions:

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/a-very-young-influencer-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think it is a good idea to make a very young child become an influencer on social media? Why or why not?
  2. If you had/have a child, would you let them become an influencer at a very young age? Why or why not?
  3. What do you think are the perks and pitfalls of being a child influencer?
  4. What do you think of social media influencers who have disabilities? How can they affect the lives of the viewers? What can we learn from them?
  5. How has the society changed their view on people with disabilities over the years?

Inactive Twitter Accounts

B1 – Intermediate

Twitter is working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate and credible information that people can trust. This is in response to their commitment to serve the public conversation.

Read the article and listen to the audio and be able to answer the questions that follow:

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/inactive-twitter-accounts-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Twitter removing inactive accounts?
  2. What is your opinion on this: “If Twitter deletes their accounts, people lose memories of them [people who have died]”?
  3. Do you have Twitter? If so, how much do you use it?
  4. What do you think are the good and bad thing about Twitter?
  5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having social media accounts?

More Women Drinking Alcohol

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Alcohol use disorder or most commonly known as alcoholism is the inability to manage one’s drinking habits. People struggling with alcoholism may impact relationships, personal matter, work life, and problems with one’s overall health. Nowadays, with the restriction of doing outdoor activities, more and more people especially women are drinking alcohol at home.

Let’s listen to the audio below to learn more.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/more-women-drinking-alcohol/5620265.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is alcoholism a problem in your country?
  2. What are the usual reasons why people drink?
  3. What are the impacts of alcohol in our body?
  4. Why do you think more and more women have been drinking?
  5. How can people overcome alcohol abuse?

Fight for Alaska Oil

B1 – Intermediate

Oil and gas extraction is one of the most profitable industries in the world. It’s no wonder many companies fight for drilling rights in oil reserves around the world.

The US is one of the most oil-rich countries in the world. Now, multi-billion dollar companies are competing against each other to get oil drilling rights in Alaska.

Click and read this short article to know more about this issue and its possible consequences.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/fight-for-alaska-oil-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with Biden’s plans?
  2. What are the environmental impacts of oil drilling?
  3. What can you say about the world’s dependence on oil resources?
  4. What are the sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternatives to oil?

Is Punctuality Important?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Punctuality isn’t universal as it varies from culture to culture. For some countries, it might be fuzzy as time moves in different pace, but it doesn’t mean that if someone is strictly conditioned to be on time that the person would be cultivated that way. It still depends on the individual. For this reason, some are always on time and some are late regardless whether punctuality is observed in their country or not.

Learn more about why punctuality is a struggle for many who couldn’t manage to be on time.

Listen to this audio and learn more about punctuality.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does being prompt or on time matter to you? Is being on time important in your country? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think people in your country are somehow trained to be on time from when you are young? How can you say so?
  3. How does being punctual impact your personal and professional life?
  4. Why is being late trivial to some?
  5. Do you agree that being on time is a choice? Explain your stand.

PlayStation 5

B1 – Intermediate

Sony’s PlayStation 5 is still in high demand that outlet stores and courier companies have been overwhelmed by the number of purchases people made. The Tokyo-based tech giant anticipated the high volume of sales because of the holiday season and people being confined at home due to the coronavirus.

Read the text and listen to the audio about the new PlayStation 5.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/playstation-5-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a fan of gaming consoles?
  2. What do you think are the reasons why there is an increasing number of people buying them?
  3. What forms of entertainment did you enjoy as a child? How would you compare them with gaming consoles?
  4. What is the name of the competitor mentioned in the article?
  5. Why do you think children get hooked on this kind of gadget?

New Device Puts Music in Your Head

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Move over, ear pods! Get out of the way, headsets!

Noveto Systems invented a device that sends sound directly to listeners. With this new technology, there is no need for headphones.

Are we soon going to bid ear pods and headsets farewell?

Watch the video, listen to the audio, and/or read the transcript about the new technology known as “sound beaming”.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/new-device-puts-music-in-your-head-/5659759.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this new technology?
  2. How do you like listening to your music? What device do you use in listening?
  3. Do you think that with this technology, we would eventually no longer have the need for headsets and such listening devices?
  4. What technology related to music do you want to see in the future?
  5. What gadgets / technology for music are popular in your country these days?

New Alzheimer’s Drug

B1 – Intermediate

Are you recently having some senior moments? Hold your horses and keep calm because as it turns out, you are not alone! It is estimated that around 5 million Americans of all ages suffer from Alzheimer’s.

Thankfully, Science is not sleeping. A US company is claiming that they are already close to getting their Alzheimer’s drug approved for use.

Click the link below and listen to the audio to know more about this new development.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/new-alzheimers-drug-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this new drug?
  2. What are your thoughts on the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease?
  3. How important are your memories to you?
  4. How would you feel if you wake up one day and realize that you have lost all your memories?

Get Out of Bed When You Can’t Sleep

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Sleep is one of the most vital and essential things we need for survival. It is the phase where our awareness and stimuli from the environment are being reduced. Sleep was often neglected though, it is one of the major components of overall health of individuals. One of the reasons why sleep is important is because it helps the body to be fit and have energy for another day of work.

But what should you do if you can’t sleep? Let’s check out this video for more information on what you can do when sleep eludes you.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you sleep easily? Why or why not?
  2. What do you do when you can’t sleep?
  3. Why do we need to get out of bed when we can’t sleep?
  4. What is chronic insomnia? Do you know anyone who suffers from it? Describe their condition.
  5. Talk about the least and longest sleep you’ve ever had.