Tag: B1 – Intermediate

South Koreans to Become Younger

B1 – Intermediate

In South Korea, there are three different ways to tell how old they are. It is rather confusing, isn’t it? But not for long. They have a new law that can simplify age in their country. Hopefully, it will help end the confusion people have when telling their age.

Read the article to know about the new law that will make South Koreans now a year or two younger.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2212/221222-being-younger.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “lawmaker”? Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is “military service”? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “relieved” mean in this sentence, “A Korean Twitter user was relieved there is a new law to make things simpler.”? Give a synonym and also use it in your own sentence. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your own words, explain the three ways South Korea tell their age. What is your opinion about having 3 different ages?
  2. Do you think this new law will be helpful? Why or why not?
  3. What are the good and bad things about having 3 different ages?
  4. If you were from this country, would you continue to use the Korean age?
  5. What is the best and worst thing about your current age?

Japanese Will Never Travel Again

B1 – Intermediate

As the lockdowns end and borders reopen, people became free to travel to other countries again! You would think everyone would be excited about this.

Apparently, some Japanese think the opposite. They prefer to explore their own country and its nature instead.

Read the article to know why some Japanese do not want to travel again.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2301/230102-travel-plans-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lockdown” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is a “bucket list”? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “engrossed” mean? Use it in your own sentence. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this, “Almost 35 percent of Japanese people said they never wanted to leave Japan again.”?
  2. What are reasons some Japanese do not want to travel outside of their country again?
  3. How has the pandemic changed your interest in traveling?
  4. Which is better: traveling around your own country or overseas? Explain.
  5. Did you travel in a new city in your country during the pandemic? Talk about your discovery.

Immigration

B1 – Intermediate

Immigration is the process of acquiring permanent residence in a foreign country. Most people decide to move to other country when they are not satisfied with conditions in their homeland: lack of jobs, low salaries, high taxes, corruption. All of these make a person seek a better life.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about immigration.

https://listenaminute.com/i/immigration.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “immigration” mean? “Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does the verb “encourage” mean? “The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries.” Give 2 synonyms and use ‘encourage’ in a sentence.
  3. What does “risk” mean here, “People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country.“? Give 2 synonyms and use ‘risk’ in a sentence in this context.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is immigration from one country to another a problem? In what ways do you see it as a problem?
  2. What are reasons people immigrate?
  3. Would you like to live and work in another country? Where and Why?
  4. How does immigration affect the economic situation in your community?

Hacking

B1 – Intermediate

Cyber hacking has stolen millions from people worldwide, and not just money but also people’s personal information. Company computers and network systems have crashed because of cyber hacking.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about hacking.

https://listenaminute.com/h/hacking.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “hacking” mean? Elaborate.
  2. What does the word illegal mean? Give 2 synonyms.
  3. What does the word information mean? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about hacking?
  2. Why do you think hackers do what they do?
  3. Do you always download security updates to protect your computer from hackers? Why or why not?

Electricity

B1 – Intermediate

Electricity is defined as a form of power that modern age people have a tough time surviving without. It has a great influence in media both in communication and entertainment. It powers almost all the appliances that are used on a daily basis such as telephones and cellphones.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about electricity.

https://listenaminute.com/e/electricity.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “flick” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. Explain the word important and use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “dangerous” mean? Give 2 synonyms.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is electricity?
  2. What kind of world would we live in without electricity?
  3. Do you think electricity is the greatest invention ever? Why / Why not?
  4. What dangers does electricity pose in your house?
  5. What do you do to save on your electricity bills?

E-mail

B1 – Intermediate

Electronic mail has made the communication system so much easier. It is mostly used for sending messages, files, and documents.

In the previous time, people wrote letters to their relatives and friends to keep communication and contact with them, which was a very slow process. But now email has changed the entire scenario. We can get connected with anyone easily.

Let’s listen to the audio below.

https://listenaminute.com/e/e-mail.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does electronic mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does spam mean? Give examples.
  3. What does the abbreviation “ASAP“ mean? Give 2 synonyms.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How important is e-mail to you?
  2. What you prefer, writing an e-mail or real letters with a pen and paper? Why?
  3. Do you ever receive spam mail? What do you do with it?
  4. How many different e-mail accounts do you have / need? Why?
  5. What new functions would you like to see with e-mail?
  6. What will replace e-mail in the future?

Hotel Reservations

B1 – Intermediate

It is always a good idea to have your travel needs arranged before your trip. A place to stay is one of the things you may need when you are going on a trip. Whatever type of accommodation you choose, it is better to book in advance to avoid the last minute hassles of finding an available room for you.

Let’s listen to the audio for an example hotel reservation scenario.

Hotel Reservations

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “suite” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “all booked” mean in this sentence,” Are you all booked that night?” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What type of room did Max reserve?
  2. What other room types did the hotel clerk recommend?
  3. How much does he need to pay for the room reservation?
  4. Have you made a hotel reservation before? What information did you provide?
  5. What other ways of hotel reservation do you know? Which one is the most convenient?

Apple Workers Protest

B1 – Intermediate

Many, if not all, countries have relaxed their COVID restrictions over the past year. However, it is not the case in China. They continue to have strict rules to prevent new COVID infections in their country.

This means that some workers have to be quarantined in dormitories. Workers are not happy anymore with their conditions so they started protesting.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Apple workers’ protests in China.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/apple-workers-protest-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lead to” mean? “Many of them were very unhappy with the situation, which led to protests.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “tough” mean in this sentence, “Tough restrictions are still in China as the country is trying to stop new COVID-19 infections.“? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “shorten” mean? “The government promised to make some changes such as shorten quarantines, but not much changed so far.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on these protests?
  2. What is your opinion on the labor conditions of Apple’s factory workers in China?
  3. What is your opinion on China still having tough Covid restrictions until now?

Incorrect Battery Disposal Causes Needless Fires

B1 – Intermediate

One of the most common energy sources is batteries. Everyone uses them. However, if we are not careful in handling their disposal, they could cause fires that could have really serious consequences.

Read this lesson about how incorrectly disposing batteries can start needless fires.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2212/221205-batteries-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “needless” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “bit” mean in this sentence, “Everyone can do their bit…by disposing of batteries correctly.”? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the uses of batteries?
  2. What are the consequences of incorrectly disposing them?
  3. What are the best ways to dispose of batteries?

Wedding Ring History

B1 – Intermediate

It is quite surprising how the practice of wearing engagement or wedding rings started. For the longest time, we have been associating these rings with the notion of love and commitment. However, this was not exactly what it meant in the past.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to understand this history better.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/wedding-ring-history-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the history of wedding rings? Which finger are they put on and why?
  2. In old Rome, the ring was a mark of ownership. What are your thoughts on this? How did this practice evolved over time?
  3. What is your opinion on engagement or wedding rings/symbols?
  4. In your country, are there alternatives to wedding/engagement rings? Give suggestions for other possible options.