Tag: B1 – Intermediate

Machu Picchu Airport

B1 – Intermediate

Machu Picchu is the most touristic place in Peru. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

An airport is being built near this landmark to help tourists reach it more easily. But not everyone agrees with this construction project.

Read more about it and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1906/190614-machu-picchu-2.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion on the construction of this airport?
2. Would you like it if the same thing is done near a very historical place in your country?
3. What are the pros and cons of building this airport near Machu Picchu?
4. Have you been to Machu Picchu or any World Heritage Site or any of the 7 Wonders of the World? Kindly talk about that trip.
5. Why is it necessary to preserve historical places such as Machu Picchu?

WHO Says Burnout is a Medical Problem

B1 – Intermediate

Burnout is the state of mental exhaustion from too much stress usually because of work. The World Health Organization (WHO) now considers it a medical condition.

Find out more about it through the article below:

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1906/190602-burnout-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the signs of being burned-out?
2. Do you think it is really a medical condition?
3. Have you ever been burned-out or too stressed out at work?
4. What are some stressful situations that you have to face at work?
5. How do you manage burnout or too much work stress?

Japan University to Hire Non-smoking Staff Only

B1 – Intermediate

A university in Japan does not want to hire people who smoke. They have a reason for doing so.

Find out through the article below:

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1905/190505-no-smoking-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion on not hiring smoking staff?
2. Do you think companies should tell their workers to stop smoking?
3. What do you think about prohibiting smoking in public places?
4. What is your opinion about letting people smoke in schools or universities?
5. Do you think there are fewer people smoking in your country now than years ago?

San Francisco Bans Facial Recognition Software

B1 – Intermediate

Facial recognition is biometric technology. It works by getting a picture of a person and then using that photo to identify the individual through facial analytics. The results are then compared to existing photos in the database.

Facial recognition systems are commonly used for security purposes. But in San Francisco, the police cannot use it anymore.

Read the article below to know more about this ban on facial recognition software.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1905/190517-big-brother-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Why was facial recognition software banned in San Francisco?
2. What are the pros and cons of facial recognition?
3. Do you agree or disagree that facial recognition software is Big Brother technology?
4. What is your opinion on prohibiting facial recognition technologies?
5. How does the police maintain security in your city?

Hidden Camera in Hotel Room

B1 – Intermediate

Nowadays, hidden cameras are a problem everywhere. A family in New Zealand had a first-hand experience with one.

Read the full article and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1904/190411-hidden-camera-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your reaction to what happened to this family? How do you think you would feel if this happened to you?
2. What do you think about how Airbnb handled the man’s complaint?
3. Have you heard of a similar story that happened in your country?
4. What should be the punishment for people caught secretly filming others?
5. How can we avoid being filmed without our consent?

Passwords to Be Replaced by Web Authentication

B1 – Intermediate

IT experts believe passwords are not as effective as before. Threats to our online accounts are becoming stronger. We need a stronger and simpler login process.

Read more about the more secure login system.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1904/190401-web-authentication-4.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is Web Authentication? What are the good and bad things about it?
2. Which do you think is stronger: biometrics or passwords? Talk about the good and bad things for each.
3. What are ways to make your online accounts e.g. bank, social media etc. passwords strong?

Japanese Women Rebel Against High Heels

B1 – Intermediate

Most companies impose dress codes on their workers and some companies even compel their female workers to wear high heels while working. We all know that it is important to follow our company’s rules and regulations but what if apart from the pain, women also complain about injuries after slipping, falling, and tripping due to wearing of high-heeled shoes.

Let’s find out how the movement started in Japan.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1904/190403-high-heels-1.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “hashtag” mean? “The movement has the hashtag KuToo – a combination of the Japanese words that mean “shoe” and “pain”.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does “petition” mean? “She started an online petition.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. What does “impaired” mean? “A visually impaired woman who has to wear high heels at work said it is difficult for her to keep her balance in high heels.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How did the campaigns against having to wear high heels start?
  2. Why do companies require women to wear high heels?
  3. What do you think about wearing high heels?
  4. Have you ever been compelled to do something you don’t want to at work?

Keep a Lid On It

B1 – Intermediate

Has anyone always given you food that you don’t honestly like but you didn’t want to offend that person so you keep receiving it and saying it is ‘special’ when it is just not good. This is what happened to Feifei. Neil gave her an advice to ‘keep a lid on it’. What might this expression mean?

Listen to the audio and find out what Neil meant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-190325

Discussion Questions:

1. What does ‘keep a lid on it’ mean? Does it have other meanings?

2. Talk about a situation wherein you had to keep something under control. How did you prevent that situation from getting worse?

3. Talk about a time you had to keep a secret.

 

Business Suits Worn Less

B1 – Intermediate

The choice for what to wear to work is between suit or casual. Every company has a standard dress code for their office workers. As the time progressed, more professionals are seen wearing business clothes less and less. Nowadays, more companies allow their workers to dress more casually. This is to make their staff feel more relaxed and focused on their jobs.

Read the article about how business suits are worn less in offices.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1903/190322-business-suit-1.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “dress code” mean? “The latest international company to relax its dress code is Goldman Sachs.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  2. Define “casual“. “Some people think casual dress is not good.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. Define “sloppy“. “He added that if people dress sloppily, people will think the brand is sloppy.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of business clothes and dress codes at work?
  2. Do people in business suits look better and more professional? Explain.
  3. Is it good or bad to dress casually at work? Explain.
  4. What kind of clothes do you wear to work?
  5. Would you be able to work harder in casual clothes at work? Explain.

School Children Strike for Climate

B1 – Intermediate

Some school children are going on strikes because they are unhappy. They think their countries are not doing so much about the problems with climate change.

Read more about student activism below:

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1902/190226-school-strike-for-climate-1.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on students going on strikes?
2. “Australia’s leader called for more learning in schools and less activism.” What is your opinion on this?
3. Have you ever joined a strike or protest? What were you fighting for?