Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Antibiotic Resistance

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Antibiotics are medications that are supposed to fight the bacteria that attack one’s body. When they are not administered properly, organisms that are supposed to be killed by the antibiotic thrive and it makes it difficult or even impossible to treat the infection.

Antibiotic resistance is growing at an alarming rate. It is a global health crisis and experts are saying it could potentially lead to the next pandemic.

Read more about antibiotic resistance.

https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about antibiotic resistance?
  2. What are your thoughts on what experts say that the next pandemic could stem from antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
  3. Why is it important to grow awareness about this problem as soon as possible?
  4. What information about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance are available to you at the moment?
  5. Would you say that this is a looming problem in your country as well?

Combat Staff Shortages by Relaxing Brexit Immigration Rules

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some British companies are faced with the problem of shortage in workers. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is pushing for the government to relax post-Brexit immigration rules if the government wishes to prevent putting the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic in jeopardy.

Read about how changes in the Brexit immigration rules can help combat staff shortages in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/28/combat-staff-shortages-by-relaxing-brexit-immigration-rules-says-cbi

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this solution to staff shortages in the UK? 
  2. Has your country struggled with the same problem especially because of the pandemic? What has the government done to address it?
  3. What are other ways to prevent a big problem with occupation shortages?
  4. What roles do you think belong to your country’s shortage occupation list?
  5. Would you consider working abroad after the pandemic? Why or why not?

Four-Day Workweek’s Overwhelming Success

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Throughout the years, governments and employers have been spending loads of effort to improve employees’ work-life balance.

One of the ideas is the four-day workweek that has been around for years even before the pandemic started. It is in which workers work fewer numbers of hours or days while still being paid the same amount. This concept is starting to gain international attention. In fact, some countries have started experimenting with it, one of which is Iceland.

Click the article and read how the four-day workweek experiment turned out in Iceland.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57724779

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction and thoughts on this news? What does it mean for all workers around the world?
  2. How did the four-day workweek experiment turn out in Iceland?
  3. Do you think a four-day workweek at your office would affect your productivity?
  4. What are some effects of a good work-life balance?
  5. Do you think a four-day workweek will become the norm in the future? Why or why not?

New Blood Test May Be Able to Detect Cancer

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Researchers have announced a major breakthrough for cancer patients that could help detect common and frequent cancer forms including lung, breast, colon, and stomach cancer. The main goal of this new blood test is to help patients detect cancer at an early stage so they can be treated accordingly and immediately.

Getting the right treatment quickly can help patients avoid further complications. Could this promising medical breakthrough really find signs and symptoms of cancer even before they become a problem?

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/health-medicine/new-blood-test-may-be-able-to-detect-cancer.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can CancerSEEK  do? Despite the promising results, what problems do they still need to deal with?
  2. How can CancerSEEK affect the lives of cancer patients?
  3. What can you say about the healthcare facilities and services dedicated to oncology in your city/country? How innovative are the hospitals in your country when it comes to cancer treatments?
  4. What other medical breakthroughs in oncology do you know of?

Why You Should Never Visit The Dark Web

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The black market is a platform online, where goods and services are acquired or exchanged illegally. Now, we all wonder how different a black market is from the normal one.

In the black market, goods are most of the time sold, at a lower if not, the lowest price because they won’t remit or declare taxes to the state. Goods that are not legally permitted to be sold in the market are also made available easily in the black market such as illegal substances or smuggled products. There is a big question of whether we should visit the dark web and enter a black market depending on what reasons you have in mind.

Watch the video to learn more about the dark web.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever heard about the dark web? What are your thoughts on or experience with it?
  2. Have you ever tried getting into the dark web?
  3. Is dark web home to many “bad guys”?
  4. How dangerous is it to transact in this market?
  5. Are you willing to take the risk to get into a site on the dark web?
  6. Could we consider people who transact in black market criminals? Why or why not?

Roadside Assistance

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of any driver’s worst nightmares is to be stuck in middle of nowhere because their car broke down. It’s a good thing there is roadside assistance to help you out in this situation. This service, however, isn’t free. In most cases, this service is covered by your car insurance package. If it isn’t, there are always companies willing to give you a hand for a price.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript on roadside assistance.

Roadside Assistance

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who is the man calling and what is the reason for his call?
  2. What information did the operator ask from the caller?
  3. Have you ever needed roadside assistance before? Share your experience
  4. Do you have a specific hotline to call to for road assistance? How soon can they arrive after you called them?
  5. Do you have enough know-hows on basic car repair/troubleshooting? How important do you think it is to know about these things?

Martial Arts

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Women nowadays are becoming even more independent. However, that does not mean that they can brave the deserted narrow alley without hesitation and fear. Hence, the rise of women learning martial arts. Having the skills and knowledge in martial arts gives you the upper hand over your attacker.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript on martial arts.

Martial Arts

Discussion Questions:

  1. What situation is the woman in?
  2. Have you ever been robbed? Is this a common crime in your country or city?
  3. How do you protect yourself from street robbery?
  4. Do you know any form of martial arts? If yes, how and why did you learn it/them? If no, would you be interested to learn one? Which martial art appeals to you?
  5. Do you think this is an effective form of self-defense?

How Billionaires Avoid Paying Federal Income Tax

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We’re all familiar with this principle that “With great power comes great responsibility”. Same goes for wealth. Safe to say, with great wealth comes great financial burdens. One of them is taxes.

Read the article to find out how exactly do billionaires avoid paying federal income tax.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-billionaires-avoid-paying-federal-income-tax-2021-6

Discusion Questions:

  1. How are wealthy people able to dodge federal income taxes?
  2. What are your thoughts on billionaires getting away with not paying federal income taxes?
  3. What are other ways to avoid paying taxes?

EU Economy Forecast to Rebound Faster

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As the economy reopens and vaccine rollouts continues, Europe is now on its way back to its economic level before the pandemic happened. The EU economy is predicted to bounce back faster compared to previous economic downturns.

Read the article about forecasts on EU’s economic recovery.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/12/eu-economy-forecast-rebound-faster-vaccine-covid-coronavirus-europe-economics

Discusion Questions:

  1. What are the driving forces to EU’s economic growth post-pandemic? Discuss each one.
  2. Do you think these forecasts are accurate? Support your point.
  3. How badly has your country’s economy suffered because of the pandemic?
  4. How is your country’s economic recovery going so far?
  5. What are some things that the government’s done to aid businesses from getting hit hard by the economic crisis?
  6. What has your company done to cope with the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic?

You Don’t Need Eight Glasses of Water

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Our bodies are made up of over 70 percent water. Water is very important to the human body and we cannot go very long without it.

We have always been told that we have to drink 6-8 glasses of water every day. But little do we know that there are plenty of myths and misconceptions about drinking water.

Let’s learn how to separate the myths from the facts about drinking water by watching the video below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can you say about the myths and facts mentioned in the video?
  2. What are other myths about drinking water that you know of?
  3. How much water do you drink every day?
  4. How else do you keep yourself hydrated besides drinking water?