Tag: B1 – Intermediate

Big Breakfasts Help Burn More Calories

B1 – Intermediate

Some people don’t usually have breakfast so they don’t gain wait. However, a recent study shows that making big breakfasts a daily habit can help you lose weight. It could also help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Read the article to find out why some researchers recommend patients with obesity as well as healthy people to eat a significant amount of food for breakfast.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2002/200223-big-breakfast-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. How important is breakfast for you?
  2. What’s your breakfast usually like?
  3. Do you always have breakfast in the morning or do you sometimes skip it? Why/Why not?
  4. Do you agree that big breakfasts could result to weight loss? Explain.
  5. What is the most important meal of the day for you?
  6. What are other ways to lose weight that you know of?

Take Someone Under Your Wing

B1 – Intermediate

When someone needs your guidance on something, you help them. In a way, you are like their protector. You guide them to let them learn something that they need to know about.

When you join a new company, you are going to have a training and then have a coach or mentor to help you start with your tasks. Your coach/mentor has to take you under their wing during this time.

Listen to the audio and know about the expression “take someone under your wing”.

youtu.be/qToUpkUXXHQ?si=fIThrP1DpWoKWBu0

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does ‘take someone under your wing’ mean?
  2. Have you taken someone under your wing before? If yes, Why did you do so?
  3. Speak about your experience being taken under someone’s wing.
  4. In your opinion, does taking someone under your wing come with a lot of responsibilities?

Songwriting Pages on Spotify

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The popular music streaming platform Spotify is launching a new feature for songwriters. These pages would have a list of songs that composers have written. This will help musicians showcase their music and for users to discover more songs they may enjoy.

Read this article and be ready to answer

https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/12/spotify-is-giving-songwriters-their-own-pages-and-playlists/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about Spotify?
  2. How can this new feature help songwriters in the future?
  3. Are streaming music services harming piracy more than they’re harming music sales?
  4. What is the most unique feature that Spotify has?
  5. What other music streaming applications do you enjoy using?

Maternity Leave

B1 – Intermediate

Parents in Finland can now enjoy seven months of parental leave. This new law will help new parents spend more time with their babies and enjoy this family benefit.

Let’s read the article and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2002/200209-maternity-leave-2.html

Discussion Questions :

1. What do you think of seven months of paid leave for new parents?

2. How much leave should parents get?

3. Should parental leave be paid?

4. What are the laws on parental leaves in Spain?

5. How can governments reverse the problem with falling birthrate?

Babysitting

B1 – Intermediate

A babysitter is a person who takes care of children temporarily with the parents’ approval. There are different terms used for babysitters such as nannies and mother’s helpers. What do you think of a babysitter’s job?

Listen to the audio below and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

https://listenaminute.com/b/babysitting.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is babysitting a common job in your country? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think a babysitter should have training for child care too? Explain why.
  3. Do babysitters receive good salary in your country? Why do you think this is the case?
  4. Do you agree that babysitting is an easy way to make money? Explain.
  5. Is getting a babysitter to take care of your children part of the culture in your country? Share about this.

Stress Causes Graying Hair

B1 – Intermediate

It is said that our hair is our crowning glory. Sooner or later, that crown will start to gray and we face a decision whether to dye it or maintain that silver hair color.

Read the article below to know what causes our hair to turn gray and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2001/200126-grey-hair-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree that stress is one of the main causes of going gray?
  2. Do you have gray hair? If so, are you worried about it? What are you going to do when all your hair turn gray?
  3. How do you keep your hair looking good and at its best?
  4. How do you deal with stress?

Best Country for Raising Kids

B1 – Intermediate

Most citizens are willing to pay high rates of taxes if health care, education, and other needs are taken care of. People in these countries see paying taxes as a quality of life investment. The U.S. News & World Report’s list of “The Best Countries for Raising Kids” in 2020 names Scandinavia as the best place in the world to raise children.

Read the article to know why and be able to answer the questions below.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2001/200118-raising-kids.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why was Scandinavia ranked as the best place in the world to raise children?
  2. What factors do you consider that would give the best life for the family especially, children in a certain country?
  3. How do you assess the condition of raising kids in your country?
  4. What do you think about the services, initiatives, and incentives that are being offered to families in your country?

China Battles Coronavirus

B1- Intermediate

China is ramping up for containment measures as other countries are preparing for a major outbreak that has killed 56 people and infected at least 1,975 more.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2001/200124-coronavirus-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What were some of the first things you knew about Coronavirus? What information do you know about it now?
  2. What was your reaction to this news when you first heard about it then?
  3. How prepared was your country during the Coronavirus pandemic? How ready is it now for another pandemic?
  4. What do you think your government could do better if another pandemic were to happen?

Japanese City Asks Tourists to Stop ‘Sand Graffiti’

B1 – Intermediate

City officials of Tottori are asking tourists to avoid writing messages and pictures in the sand of its giant sand dunes. More than 3,300 cases of ‘sand graffiti’ happened at this tourist spot in the last 10 years.

Read the article below to know more about this new rule.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1905/190525-tottori-sand-dunes-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the city’s new rule to prohibit graffitis on sand dunes?
  2. Share your opinion on this: Graffiti damages the dunes. It ruins the pleasure people get in looking at them.
  3. What do you think of the tourists’ actions?
  4. What rules should tourists follow when they are visiting National reserves such as the Tottori Sand Dunes?
  5. Would you be interested to visit the Tottori Sand Dunes? Why or why not?

Why Do Students Drop Out of School?

B1 – Intermediate

Nowadays, a lot of American high school students have been dropping out.

Let’s see what the usual reasons for this are and some possible outcomes when students drop out of high school on the link below.

https://www.english-online.at/education/school-dropouts/school-dropouts.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the reasons students drop out of school?
  2. How can dropping out of high school affect young people’s future?
  3. How do you think can we improve our education system so students wouldn’t choose to stop studying?
  4. Talk about someone you know who is a dropout. Did this person become successful or not?
  5. What would you say to a high school student who wants to stop their studies?