phone english blog
B1 – Intermediate
A restaurant owner in Mexico is offering tacos topped with insects. He has wild items added to his menu such as scorpions and spiders too.
Discuss:
1. What exotic kinds of food do you know or have tried?
2. Are there exotic foods in Spain?
3. For you, is it okay to use and put insects in our food? Why or why not?
B1 – Intermediate
A footage shows native people emerge from the Amazon rain forest and make contact with the outside world. Brazilian experts said the indigenous people likely crossed the border from Peru facing pressure from illegal logging and drug trafficking at home.
http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/people-from-a-rainforest-level-3/
Discussion Questions:
1. Is drug trafficking happening in Spain? How about illegal logging?
2. Have you ever taken a trip to exotic places?
3. Are there still places in your country that are still “untouched” by civilization?
B1 – Intermediate
Stress is a very common word for most people. It comes from different causes and everybody can have it. Everyone can experience stress and there are ways to be free from it.
Let’s learn how to manage stress properly.
http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/427-managing-stress
Discussion Questions:
1. Would you consider yourself stressed out?
2. What are the major causes of your stress?
3. What are the ways you do to deal with your stress?
B1 – Intermediate
Different studies were conducted on how behavior among children and teenagers are affected by playing video games. A study in Oxford University found that playing video games for less than an hour a day is good. On the other hand, playing violent video games influence teenagers to be more aggressive.
Read the article to know more about the possible benefits and consequences of vieo games on children.
Discuss:
1. Do you play video games?
2. Does it affect your way of thinking and behaviour?
3. Do you agree with idea suggested in the article?
4. Would you allow your children to play video games? If yes, what set of rules would you impose?
B1 – Intermediate
Economic development is causing the extinction of some languages, according to some scientists. A study has found that minority languages in the most developed parts of the world are most at threat.
Listen to the podcast to know more about the extinction of certain languages.
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
We’ve all had horrible or not-so-good experiences with our neighbors. The website “Which?” conducted a survey and found out that a number of people are stressed with their neighbors.
Read the article to know more about the different nuisances that neighbors can have with each other.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1409/140918-neighbours.html
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
Walking or cycling to work instead of driving a car can improve feelings of health and happiness. Click on the title to know more about alternative ways of commuting. Be ready to answer some discussion questions.
Click on the title to listen to the report:
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
Internet addiction is one very common problem among teenagers these days. In China, one way to combat this addiction is to take children to a boot camp.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript on a boot camp for internet addicts.
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/can-boot-camp-cure-internet-addiction/2442322.html
Discussion Questions:
1. How many hours do you usually spend surfing the internet?
2. At work, are you highly dependent on the internet?
3. Would you consider internet addiction as a disease?
4. What are the ways you can prevent internet addiction?
B1 – Intermediate
A report in England states that thousands of patients a year wake up during an
operation. One doctor said it happens one in every 19,000 operations. They are now trying to find areas that could be improved during an operation to prevent this from happening.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1409/140914-surgery.html
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
There are common health problems which are caused by high temperatures that, in the worst scenario, can lead to death.
Read the article to know more about the dangers of heat and how to be protected from it.
Discuss:
1. Do you love soaking yourself in the summer sun? Are you aware of its danger?
2. Have you experienced health related issues due to high temperature?
3. What activities do you enjoy doing during the summer?
4. How do you keep cool when the weather gets too hot?