phone english blogB1 – Intermediate
A working lunch. So many of us are guilty of being a “desktop diner”. Is it wrong?
Click on the title below and be ready to talk about the etiquette of dining at your desk.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35717493
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
It isn’t only sad events and hurtful situations that can break our hearts. It turns out that happy circumstances can also be harmful to the health.
Read the article below to know more.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1603/160305-happy-heart-syndrome.html
Discussion Questions:
1. What did you think about the article?
2. How might happiness be unhealthy?
3. How would you define happiness?
4. Share some of the happy memories you’ve had in the past week or month.
B1 – Intermediate
A small town in New Zealand is offering a good amount of money to any doctor who would like to serve its residents. The search has been going on for quite some time but has been unsuccessful.
Read the article below to know more about the job.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1602/160226-doctors.html
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think it is so difficult to find someone for the job mentioned in the article?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in rural areas?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city?
B1 – Intermediate
Nothing is certain when it comes to the future. Is the future a scary or an exciting thought for you? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a quick glance at what the future looks like?
Read on this news item on experts’ predictions for 2116.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1602/160218-the-future.html
Discussion Questions:
1. How has the Internet changed your life?
2. Do you think the future will be good or bad? Explain.
3. Will people still need to study English in 2116? Why or why not?
4. What questions would you like to ask an expert from the future?
B1 – Intermediate
How do you understand the word “racism”? This word has been widely used for a long time now, especially more in today’s society.
Read the article below to get more information on what racism is then express your thoughts about it.
http://www.english-online.at/society/racism/racism.htm
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
When people start using technology to put people down, a new threat emerges. Click below to find out more about cyberbullying and why it has become so widespread.
Discuss:
1. After reading the article, how would you define cyberbullying?
2. What are some ways to help lessen the instances of cyberbullying?
3. Is it right for the government to get involved in such issues?
B1 – Intermediate
Reality TV or reality shows have been around for quite some time and it seems like they’re getting more popular.
Read the article below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.
American Idol is a reality TV program broadcast in the US and over one hundred countries around the world. It debuted in the summer of 2002, and has become one of the most popular programs on air. It has ranked as the number one show for five seasons in a row. On the program, contestants sing before three judges to be the best singer in the country. The winner usually goes on to win large record contracts.
Although very successful, there has been some controversy too. For example, Sir Elton John called the show “racist” after African American contestants scored poorly. The show also has total control of the careers of each year’s winners, a fact which may or may not be favorable to the contestants.
Source: headsupenglish.com
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you watch shows such as American Idol or other reality TV programs?
2. What are some of your preferences when watching TV shows?
3. What has been the impact of airing reality shows?
B1 – Intermediate
Nature includes the terrestrial and marine environments. It is so interesting that we enjoy life mainly because of the deep-sea elements of our planet Earth. How much do you know about the aquatic environment?
Enjoy reading the article here to appreciate the life beneath the water surfaces.
http://www.english-online.at/biology/marine-biology/life-forms-and-habitats-in-the-worlds-oceans.htm
Discussion Questions:
1. When was the last time you visited a coastal area?
2. How can we keep or preserve our marine areas and marine life-forms?
3. Why is it important to take care of marine life?
4. Have you gone scuba diving or snorkeling? What water sports have you tried in the past?
B1 – Intermediate
If you find yourself saying that you love your job but that it’s killing you, or that your social life is dead, then you’re probably in a toxic workplace. You might want to re-examine what is really going on at work, and why you are having these feelings towards your employment.
Read the article below to know what a toxic workplace looks like and how you can deal with stressful situations at the office.
According to a recent article, Amazon’s work environment is toxic. To start, employees complain about pressure, stress, and job insecurity. They work past midnight, receive complaints if too slow to respond to emails, argue during meetings, and betray colleagues.
More than one hundred former employees gave information for the article. They told stories about grown men crying after meetings. And each month, the employees with the lowest performance ratings are fired.
The result is an extremely competitive environment. It has been called “rank and yank,” which means employees are ranked and the least productive members are fired. Such a system creates distrust, and goes against all of the ideas of good management practices. After all, if colleagues are likely to stab you in the back, no one values teamwork or knowledge sharing.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, quickly responded to the article. He explained that the environment at his company is friendly but intense. People work hard, and he couldn’t recognize the toxic environment in the article. In fact, it would be hard for any tech company to survive with these kinds of policies. He wrapped up his response by stating that these management practices are untrue and unacceptable.
Source: headsupenglish.com
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think the negative article about Amazon is true?
2. If the article were true, why would anyone want to work in such an environment?
3. Would you want to work at a company like Amazon? Why/not?
4. What is the best place you have ever worked at? How about the worst place? Why?
5. What are some ideas and practices to maximize employee productivity?
B1 – Intermediate
Gender tax. Strangely enough, there is such a thing as “gender tax”. Unfortunately, it is the women who have to suffer.
Read the article to know more about gender tax and express your thoughts about it.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1601/160121-gender-tax.html
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you believe that items for women are more expensive?
2. How often do you shop?
3. Do you prefer certain brands when you go shopping? Why or why not? Elaborate.
4. Are you particular when it comes to quality, or are you okay with buying cheap items? Explain.