Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Jungle Marathon: A Dangerous Race

B2 – Upper intermediate

Marathon events are held everywhere all around the world. And, with its increasing popularity, different variations of marathon race are conducted. One of these is the Jungle Marathon. This is not your typical marathon, as some people say that this is one of the most dangerous races one could ever experience. Let’s find out why.

http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/jungle-marathon-level-3/

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever joined a marathon before?
2. Do you think the Jungle Marathon is dangerous?
3. Why do you think a lot of people are into marathon races?
4. Would you like to try this in the future?
5. What other sporting events have you tried or are you willing to try?

Million Deaths Each Year to Air Pollution

27pollution1-master768

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Air pollution ranks number four in the leading cause of death. It has directly affected many young children and has caused unemployment in men and women.

Read more about this by clicking the link below.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/business/energy-environment/study-links-6-5-million-deaths-each-year-to-air-pollution.html

Discussion Questions:

1. How can air pollution be slowed down?
2. What are alternative sources of energy that can be used in order to slow down air pollution?
3. In your own little way, how can you fight against pollution?
4. Does your country have very aggressive projects or initiatives related to the care of the environment?

China Wants To Become A Soccer Superpower

chinese-football-team

B2 – Upper intermediate

Traditionally a sport dominated by European countries, soccer is a sport where a lot of Asian countries have not been really good at until recently. That is all about to change as China has announced its plan to become a soccer superpower.

Read about China’s big ambitions by clicking the link below.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/sports/china-wants-to-become-soccer-superpower.htm#

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is soccer so popular in the world?
2. Do you think China will be able to reach its goal of being a soccer superpower?
3. Do you think Chinese soccer teams stand a chance against Spanish/European ones?
4. What sports do you play? What are some you find very interesting?

What Is Branding

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The businessdictionary.com defines “branding” as “the process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns”.

Watch this video explaining what branding is in a nutshell.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What did you learn about branding from the video?
  2. What are ways to build a strong corporate identity?
  3. How do you think branding has changed because of social media and the internet?
  4. What is your company’s branding like? How can it be improved?
  5. Name some companies you think has the best and the worst branding. Describe their brand and explain why you find it impressive or otherwise.

Free Speech: Is Saying Something Offensive Fine?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In 2015, The Pew Research Center conducted a survey on 38 countries to elicit their thoughts on freedom of speech. The results might come as a surprise, yet it is indeed very timely.

It is perhaps high time to open conversations on the importance of creating safe spaces and setting trigger warnings to protect students from learning materials or expressed opinions that might be troubling for them.

Listen to this podcast and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/free-speech-is-it-fine-to-say-something-offensive-students-college-vietnam/3555231.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are “safe space” and “trigger warning”? How are they important especially to students?
  2. What is your opinion on free speech at educational institutions?
  3. Are students free enough to express their opinions during class discussions?
  4. Should teachers be able to express their honest opinions on every matter or should they consider their students beliefs as well?
  5. Do you think the media in your country is able to report news freely?
  6. What may be the advantages of censorship?

Indian Police Make Arrests

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Mumbai, India – Around 70 Indian call center representatives were arrested last week in different raids in several buildings across the city. The suspects allegedly call Americans and demand them to pay the money they owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and threaten to send the police to arrest them should they fail to pay up.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find more about this telephone scam.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/india-us-scam/3548899.html

Discussion Questions:

1. How were these callers able to deceive people?
2. What are ways to identify whether this kind of phone call is a scam or not?
3. Talk about things you know about taxation in Spain.
4. What are other phone or internet scams do you know of?
5. Why is paying taxes important?

How to Buy Healthy Food

time-50-healthiest-foods-beets

B2 – Upper intermediate

Over the past years, society has been bombarded with an ever increasing number of health choices. You can go for organic, vegan, dairy-free or just plain raw. How do you know which one is actually the healthiest?

Read the article below to know what one doctor says about going to the supermarket and buying the stuff that’s actually good for you.

How to Buy Healthy Food Without Reading the Nutrition Label

Discuss:

1. What kind of doctor is Cynthia Sass and what does she say about choosing healthy products at the supermarket?
2. Would you agree to what the doctor said?
3. What are some healthy options that you choose?
4. What are some of your guilty pleasures when it comes to food?

International Day of the Nacho

Young women and man eating nachos with melted cheese

B2 – Upper intermediate

Almost everything we know and use has a history behind it. This includes food. The history surrounding a certain dish is often very interesting. And nachos are no exception.

Read the article to know more how this Mexican dish came about. Take note of new words and expressions.

The International Day of the Nacho Would Not Be Possible Without This Man

Discuss:

1. In your own words, re-tell the history of nachos. How did it get its name?
2. Are you fond of nachos and other Mexican dishes?
3. Would you say that there are local Spanish dishes with an interesting history behind it?
4. What are some non-European cuisines that you enjoy eating?

Increase your Vocabulary Through Idioms 2

B2 – Upper intermediate

Idioms are a very fun way to express certain situations. They put more color to your sentences and are a great way to increase your vocabulary.

Read the short articles and answer the questions that follow.

Idiom 1:The Economy is Tough

Idiom 2: Good Working Habits

Podcast: Domestic Chores

B2 – Upper intermediate

Should cleaning the house be really an issue between partners? Listen to the podcast below and express your thoughts about doing domestic chores. Share some of your experiences as well.

Be ready to discuss the different vocabulary terms featured in the podcast.

6 Minute English: Domestic chores

Discuss:

1. What are some of the domestic chores that you do? Which ones do you hate?
2. Would you say that you have a very high threshold or a low threshold when it comes to untidiness?
3. Do you agree that women have a tendency to take care more of their children as compared to men?
4. How do you feel about hiring cleaning ladies and nannies to help you around?