Tag: B1 – Intermediate

Amazon Alexa Answers Health Questions

B1 – Intermediate

Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants can listen to, answer questions, and follow commands. But should it give health advice too?

Read about AI assistants answering health questions from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1907/190712-alexa-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the good and bad things about an AI assistant answering questions about health?
2. Why are some people worried about this new feature of Alexa?
3. Would you use this feature to ask about your health questions?

Pet Dogs Lower Stress in Kids

B1 – Intermediate

It is believed that dogs play an important role in children’s development. A new study finds that dogs actually help stressed children.

Read about how having pet dogs help relieve children from stress from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1512/151204-anxiety-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the benefits of having a pet dog for children?
2. Do you believe in the idea that dogs help reduce children’s stress?
3. What might be reasons very young kids get stressed out?
4. What did your parents do when you were being anxious when you were little? / What do you do to help your children relax when they seem stressed out?
5. What would be the best pet for you? Why?

The West Outsources More IT Jobs to Eastern Europe

B1 – Intermediate

Every company wants to reduce its costs. Some Western European companies outsource jobs to Eastern Europe because its cheaper and workers there are highly qualified.

Read about outsourcing in Europe from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/west-outsources-jobs-to-eastern-europe.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion on outsourcing?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing?
3. Do you think outsourcing to other countries is positive or negative for a country’s economy?
4. Does your company outsource some of its functions to other countries?
5. What are ways companies lower their expenses?

Mobile Banking on the Increase

B1 – Intermediate

Only a little percentage in underdeveloped countries has access to banks but a lot of people have mobile phones. Nowadays, mobile banking is on the rise in these countries.

Read about the rise of mobile banking in underdeveloped countries from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/mobile-banking-in-developing-countries.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is mobile banking growing in underdeveloped countries?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile banking?
3. Do you do mobile banking? Why or why not?
4. How popular is mobile banking in your country?
5. What do you think are the future trends in banking?

Mastercard Removes Its Name from Its Logo

B1 – Intermediate

Mastercard is changing its logo. It plans to just have a logo without the name of the company.

Read about Mastercard’s new company logo from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1901/190111-company-logo-4.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on this change in Mastercard’s logo?
2. Why are company logos important to businesses?
3. What do you think makes a good company logo?
4. Which companies do you think have very good logos?
5. Describe your company logo. Do you like it as it is or do you want to improve it a little bit?

Optimism is Good for Our Health

B1 – Intermediate

Research has found that people who are overly optimistic may have “faulty” brains. According to a study, the reason a lot of people always see the positive side of things is perhaps due to the fact that they don’t have the ability to sensibly deal with risk.

Read about over-optimism from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1110/111010-optimism.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion about positive thinkers possibly having “faulty” brains?
2. What are the good and bad things about always being optimistic?
3. Do you believe that we must always be optimistic?
4. Do you agree or disagree that “seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty can be a positive thing”?
5. Talk about some ways that help you stay positive.

Workers Must Take Lunch Breaks

B1 – Intermediate

A health group in the U.K. workers must take lunch breaks and exercise to stay active at work. A study says that a lot of people continue to work during their lunch breaks. This is not good for our health.

Read about the importance of taking lunch breaks from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1406/140608-lunch-breaks-1.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to get some air” mean, “They went shopping or got some air.”? Use this expression in a sentence.
  2. What does “to take time off” mean, “People get sick and take time off work.” Use this expression in a sentence.
  3. What does “full-time” mean, “A spokeswoman said full-time workers spend a lot of time travelling to and from work.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion on working lunches?
2. Why is taking a break in the middle of the workday important?
3. What do you usually do during your lunch break?
4. Do you agree that we need to find ways to be more active at work?
5. What does your company do or offer to help you stay active?

Google Will Check for Depression

B1 – Intermediate

Google has joined America’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to check people’s mental health online.

Read about what Google will do to check if people are depressed from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1708/170826-depression-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion on what Google will do?
2. This questionnaire will only be available in America. Would you like it to be available in Spain/Europe too?
3. Why do you think people with symptoms of depression have many years of delay before getting treatment?
4. Do you think a chat box to psychological services would help?
5. Do many people in your country know about depression and other mental health problems?

90-year-old Starts Elementary School

B1 – Intermediate

Priscilla Sitienei, 90, is the world’s oldest elementary school pupil. She wasn’t able to go to school when she was a little girl. Now, she hopes to be a model for the children in her village. She wants to inspire them to get an education.

Read about the oldest elementary student from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1501/150128-elementary-school-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think of this headline?
2. Would you do the same if you were her?
3. Do you agree or disagree with what she said that “With education, you can be whatever you want.” and that “education will be your wealth”?
4. How can we motivate children to study?
5. What memories do you have of your elementary school days?

Malaysia’s 92-year-old Leader

B1 – Intermediate

Mahathir Mohamad, 92, is Malaysia’s next prime minister and the world’s oldest elected leader.

He is known as one of Malaysia’s strongmen. He has ended 60 years of rule of the Barisan Nasional (BN) party.

Read about the oldest leader from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1805/180512-oldest-leader-4.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree or disagree that there should be an age at which all leaders must start with/retire from their political careers?
2. What are the most important things for a leader to have (e.g. experience, charisma, qualifications, youth, etc.)?
3. What is your opinion about having a 90-plus-year-old leader in your country?
4. How are younger/older leaders better leaders?
5. Would you be a good leader?