Tag: B1 – Intermediate

Theater in the Age of Shakespeare

B1 – Intermediate

The theater has always been a great source of entertainment, amusing people for centuries. Originally began to tell stories to those who cannot read and write; the curtains opened up to showcase more than just a story. It also conveyed feelings, and information that can greatly influence the minds of its viewers.

http://www.english-online.at/history/elizabethan-theatre/shakespeares-theatre.htm

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever seen a play before?
2. Describe the theater in the time of Shakespeare. How is it different from the theater today?
3. How did the government receive the theater in Shakespeare’s time?
4. Describe the lives of actors in the time of Shakespeare.
5. How can the theater influence its audience?

Middle School Students Advocate for Mitchell’s Law

B1 – Intermediate

Middle schoolers passed a resolution in the Senate to lobby for police animals rights. Everyone awaits whether this will eventually become a law after it passes in the State Assembly.

Find out more about their proposed law below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SHLLdeQdn396iL9TQjNS8kBjzdQSW0cBQUrkswkfYkQ/edit?usp=sharing

Discussion Questions:

1. Who is Mitchell and what is the Mitchell’s Law?
2. In your opinion, is Mitchell’s Law relevant to other parts of the world?
3. Do you think it’s acceptable for children to take part in law-making?

Mixed-gender Events at the 2020 Olympics

B1 – Intermediate

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 2020, is a major international multi-sport event due to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games as governed by the International Olympic Committee.

In the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, some events will have mixed-gender participants. This will make the Tokyo Olympics very gender-balanced. However, not every is pleased with this.

Find out about mixed reactions towards mixed-gender sports events at Tokyo 2020.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1706/170613-2020-olympics.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you a big fan of the Olympics?

2. Do you think skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball, sport climbing and BMX freestyle belong in the Olympics?

3. Do your country’s athletes do well in the Olympics?

4. What is your favourite event at the Olympics and why?

5. Do you think the Olympics should only be for amateur athletes, like it used to be?

6. Which Olympics can you remember well?

7. What does hosting the Olympics do for a country?

Robot Police Officer

“RoboCop” is a 2014 film about a crime-fighting cyborg. Dubai Police have revealed their first robot officer, giving it the task of patrolling the city’s malls and tourist attractions. Now, this is real-life RoboCop!

Read more about the first robot police here:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1705/170530-robot-police-officer.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your general opinion about robot police officers?

2. Some see robots as menacing, some see them as helpful – how about you?

3. What do you expect from a police officer? Do you think this robot will be a better alternative?

4. Do you think your government needs to spend money on employing more police officers, or availing robot police?

5. What other roles will robots play in our society later this century?

Mindfulness Meditation Room for Students

B1 – Intermediate

A school in New York built a new meditation room and hired a meditation consultant to help its students and staff relax and perform better.

Watch the video to find out more about this unique approach.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is mindfulness meditation?
2. Have you ever tried any form of meditation?
3. In your opinion, what mental health issues can be addressed by meditation?

Emails – Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Mail

B1 – Intermediate

Email is much older than ARPANet or the Internet. It was never invented; it evolved from very simple beginnings.

Early email was just a small advancement from what we know these days as a file directory – it just put a message in another user’s directory in a spot where they could see it when they logged in. As simple as that. Just like leaving a note on someone’s desk.

Read more on the advantages and disadvantages of using e-mails.

http://www.english-online.at/media/emails/advantages-disadvantages-of-electronic-mail.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with the all the advantages and disadvantages of emails as stated in the article?
2. How does email messaging improve your communication with others especially in the field of business?
3. How do you think you can protect yourself from phishing?

Baby Boomers – The Golden Generation

B1 – Intermediate

Almost exactly nine months after World War II ended, “the cry of the baby was heard across the land,” as historian Landon Jones later described the trend. More babies were born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20 percent more than in 1945. This was the beginning of the so-called “baby boom.” In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States. They made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population.

Read the full article about baby boomers here:

http://www.english-online.at/geography/baby-boomers/baby-boomers-golden-generation.htm

Let’s talk:

1. Who are baby boomers?

2. Are boomers prepared for the challenges of aging?

3. What is your opinion on some baby boomers who can’t retire because they haven’t saved enough money to take it easy? Is the situation in your country the same?

Drunk Driving

B1 – Intermediate

Driving under the influence, or driving while impaired, is the crime or offense of operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs and those prescribed by physicians), to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely.

Linda Hunt

In 1994, in the town of Barrie in central Canada, Linda Hunt, a part-time receptionist at Incentive Realty, got drunk at an office Christmas party. Her boss noticed what had happened and told her if she was going to drink any more she had to call her husband and ask him to come and pick her up. The boss had also told all the employees before the party began that, if they felt they were too drunk to drive home safely, the company would pay for a taxi.

But Linda ignored her boss’s warning. She felt all right. After the party, Linda and some of her co-workers went to P.J.’s pub in Barrie and continued drinking. By the time Linda left the pub and headed home, it was snowing—and Linda had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in her blood. Several of her friends offered her a ride but she refused. On the road she lost control of her car and hit a truck. She received serious head injuries, including brain damage. She was in hospital for several months and needed both physiotherapy and speech therapy. Seven years later, she was still suffering from pain and mild amnesia.

On February 6, 2001 an Ontario Superior Court judge announced that Linda’s company and P.J.’s pub had to pay Linda a large part of the money she had lost because she was not able to work after the accident. Together they were ordered to pay more that $300,000, but, because the pub was not in business anymore, the realty company where Linda worked had to pay the whole amount.

There have been at least two other cases in Canada where an employer was held partly responsible for an accident caused by a employee drinking on the job, but this decision was important because it was the first time in Canada that an employer of a drunken driver has been found partly responsible for an accident even though they had warned their employee not to drive.

Linda Hunt’s lawyer was interviewed after the decision was announced. He said that, because of this case, there is now a possibility that people who allow their friends to get drunk in their homes, and then allow them to drive home will be held responsible for an accident.

– information from: Globe and Mail (Toronto), 01.02.06, and Toronto Star, 01.02.06

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about drunk driving?

2. What are the penalties for drunk driving in your country?

3. Should the passengers/friends of a drunk driver also be punished?

4. Is drunk driving one of the biggest causes of road accidents in your country?

5. Is it fair to hold the employer responsible for an accident caused by a drunk employee?

Housing in Spain and Poverty

B1 – Intermediate

Housing generally refers to the social problem of ensuring that members of society have a home in which they can live in, whether this is a house, or some other kinds of dwelling, lodging, or shelter.

Watch the video below about housing in Spain and its connection to poverty.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with the woman in the video?
  2. Do you know anything about your government’s housing policy?
  3. Does your government provide housing for people on low or no income?
  4. Is it easy to find good quality housing in your town?
  5. How can housing be made affordable for everyone?
  6. What issues will arise with housing of the future?

Commercial Airline Pilot – A Dream Job?

B1 – Intermediate

Every job has its pros and cons so before diving into something, we want to know everything about it – from pretty cool benefits that come with being an airline pilot to its pitfalls.

Read the article below to find out more about being a commercial airline pilot.

http://www.english-online.at/travel/airline-pilot/commercial-airline-pilot.htm

Discuss questions:

  1. Did you ever dream of becoming an airline pilot? Why or why not?
  2. What is your impression of having a job as a pilot?
  3. What are the pros and cons of being an airline pilot?
  4. Do you think you have what it takes to become a pilot?