Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

The Power of Touch

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Since the pandemic started last year, authorities have been constantly reminding us to strictly observe social distancing. People have to have as little interaction as possible with people outside of their households. As a result, social gatherings were drastically reduced. We barely see our friends and for some, even families. And even if we do, we have to be mindful of our interactions with them. Hugging, kissing, or even handshakes have been discouraged.

The sense of touch is most taken for granted, but now that it’s being controlled, we miss the nonchalance towards it. The changes in our social interactions have caused some people to feel “skin hunger,” the feeling of deprivation and abandonment. They made us realize the importance of human touch to us and the people around us.

Click the link to learn more about skin hunger and the power of touch.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/28/the-power-of-touch-is-this-the-sense-we-have-missed-most

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is skin hunger? How important is the human touch for people?
  2. According to the article, how do different cultures speak the language of touch?
  3. What can you say about psychologist Sydney Jourard’s conclusion that Americans and Britons live under a “touch taboo”? How is it compare to people in your country?
  4. According to the article, what did the skin-hungry do as substitutes for human touch?
  5. How do people in your country greet their friends and family pre and post-pandemic?
  6. When was the last time you hugged or kissed someone to greet them?
  7. Can you imagine a world where people are not allowed skin contact with others?

Technology Changes Sense of Right and Wrong

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When we judge others let’s bear in mind that our notions and our understanding of right and wrong changes over time. There are some things that we once considered wrong but are totally acceptable now. Technology plays a massive role in society’s emerging moral sense.

Watch the video to know more about how the advances in technology lead to more ethical behavior and why we should build a community wherein having different points of view is accepted.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “burn someone at the stake” mean, “And that means that those who think you’re wrong, may burn you at the stake.”? Use this expression in a sentence.
  2. What does “narrowcast” mean, “In a weird way, today’s machine guns are narrowcast social media.”? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “180-degree shift/change” mean, “It’s almost 180-degree shift in the opinion.”? Compare it with ‘360-degree shift/change’ and use these phrases in sentences.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How has technology changed our ethics and moral and ethical points of view over the years?
  2. Why is it necessary to be more understanding towards others?
  3. Why is it not right to use people’s mistakes against them?
  4. What is something you think was wrong that lasted for so long in your society?

Living Online

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We are now living in a technological era. Whether we like it or not, technology is slowly changing the way we live and work. As a result, we are spending more time online than ever before.

People are doing loads of things online. From watching videos to shopping, we spend a lot of our time on the internet. Some say it is so addictive that we do not realize we are already spending a worrying amount of time on it.

Click the link and listen to the audio to learn more about the life of people online.

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/advanced-c1-listening/living-online

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some of the common activities we can do online?
  2. Do you agree or disagree that we should be equally worried about how much adults are becoming obsessed with online communication as much as teenagers?
  3. How do you communicate with your friends?
  4. Do you ever have FOMO? Share your experience.
  5. How do think the world would be without the internet?
  6. What are the pros and cons of online communication?
  7. What are your thoughts on being able to ‘stay in touch with everyone at the same time, all the time’?

Do Essential Oils Work?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As wellness trend becomes stronger and stronger, many people nowadays enjoy using essential oils as part of their wellness routines. A lot of essential oils from billion-dollar companies like doTerra and Young Living claim to be “therapeutic-grade” or medicinal. People are using them in diffusers, applying them on their skin, and even putting them in their food recipes.

Watch the video to know why we should be cautious in using essential oils. Be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS9Gt40bTWQ

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you tried essential oils before? What do you think about them?
  2. According to the video, what are some potential side effects of these oils?
  3. Do you agree that natural isn’t always safe? Explain.
  4. Some people report benefits from essential oils. Do you believe them? Why or why not?
  5. What do you do when you are sick or not feeling well? What remedy or treatment do you take?

Your Space Shapes Your View of Remote Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Working from home is big news. During the COVID-19 pandemic, those lucky enough to have avoided layoff are more likely than ever to be adapting to a working environment that is familiar and alien at the same time.

When working from home, there are some factors we need to take into consideration. The size and location of our space – as well as whom we share it with – play a significant role in determining how well we are able to work remotely during the pandemic. 

Read the article below to find out more about how our workspace affects how we telework.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210218-how-your-space-shapes-the-way-you-view-remote-work

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you feel about working from home?
  2. What makes a good workspace?
  3. Describe your workspace at home.
  4. Are you less productive, equally productive, or more productive than when working in the office?
  5. What is the most challenging thing about working from home?
  6. How do you create a productive workspace in your house?

What Makes a Great Story?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the many ways to communicate is to tell stories. It is considered to be the most effective way of making sense of the world. Now, not all of us are capable of relaying a good one.

When you are watching a series or a movie, what is the main thing you look for to be connected with an immerse curiosity to follow it with the sense of enormous patience because the story makes you want and long for more?

Listen to this audio and learn more about what makes a good story.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is a good story?
  2. How do we know that the story is great?
  3. Could you name the factors mentioned in the conversation that makes a great story? Do you agree or disagree to these factors of a great story?
  4. Have you ever had a favorite movie or series that conveys a great story?
  5. Are you good at conveying stories? What makes you a good/bad storyteller?

False Consensus Effect Drives Environmental Damage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

“I bet everyone else does it too!” Have you experienced justifying a wrongful action by arguing that it is socially acceptable to do so? If your answer is yes, you may have fallen trap to the false consensus effect.

The false consensus effect is a psychological concept which states that people overestimate how acceptable and prevalent their own behavior is. According to research, this psychological thinking has contributed to environmental damage.

Click the link and find out more about the false consensus effect.

https://theconversation.com/everyone-else-does-it-so-i-can-too-how-the-false-consensus-effect-drives-environmental-damage-153305

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you cite some situations when the false consensus effect can be observed?
  2. How can the false consensus effect contribute to environmental damage?
  3. Have you fallen victim to false consensus effect?
  4. What can we do to prevent ourselves from falling into this kind of psychological thinking?
  5. Based on the article, how can the same psychological concept be used to address the problem of environmental damage?

European Space Agency to Recruit Females and Disabled Astronauts

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A lot of little boys dream of becoming astronauts. It is quite rare to hear little girls express interest in goign into space. But perhaps it’s time to change this. Let the dream of becoming an astronaut more accessible to everyone. 

To date, NASA’s European counterpart The European Space Agency has only commissioned two women to go into space. This year, they want to fix the imbalance and achieve diversity.

Read the article and watch the video about ESA’s plans to recruit more women and disabled people.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/02/16/european-space-agency-in-bid-to-recruit-more-female-and-disabled-astronauts

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are thoughts on/reaction to this: “Only 65 of the more than 560 people who have ever gone into space have been women.”?
  2. What do you think about ESA’s goal to recruit more women astronauts?
  3. Is there diversity in your workplace? Elaborate.
  4. How is diversity achieved in your workplace?

Hitting a Pandemic Wall

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It’s been almost a year after the pandemic hit the world and everyone’s been fighting their own demons since. Safe to say, it’s really been tough on everybody. After nearly a year into this whole ordeal, many people have been suffering from the so-called ‘pandemic fatigue’. 

Read the article below to find out more about how to cope when you hit the pandemic wall.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-pandemic-wall-mental-health_l_601b3c9dc5b6c0af54d09ccb

Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss your thoughts on the following statements:

a. The pandemic has over-activated my stress system.

         b. Uncertainty also plays a huge role in hitting this wall.

        c. Hitting the pandemic wall is a completely valid response to totally irregular circumstances.

2. Do you think you experience or have experienced the dreaded pandemic fatigue? How is/was this moment for you?

3. What were your ways of coping with stress pre-pandemic and what are new ways that you have learned to cope with everyday stress during the pandemic?

4. What are the good things that came out from your experience of a pandemic?

5. What lessons can you take away from this whole experience?

Coca-Cola Trials Paper Bottle

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Until the last couple of years, the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.

Soft drink manufacturers are facing pressure on two fronts: the amount of sugar in their drinks and the amount of plastic waste their products produce. Coca-Cola is attempting to solve that second problem with the development and testing of a paper bottle.

Read the article below to learn more about Coca-Cola’s project on eliminating plastic from its packaging entirely.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56023723

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are plastic bottles a problem in your country?
  2. Why are paper bottles better?
  3. What might be the technical challenges to the paper bottle?
  4. We rarely bought bottled water 50 years ago. Why do we buy so much today? Is it clever marketing by water companies?
  5. Would your life change much if all bottled water was banned?
  6. What do you do with the plastic bottles at your home?