Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Objectification

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For some people, there is a hairline distinction between appreciation and objectification. When we appreciate, we recognize one’s good looks as a part of that person and not reduce them to it, which is the latter. Some may claim that objectifying someone is natural, others may take it as a compliment.

Let’s listen and find out more about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-181101

Discussion Questions:

1. What is objectification? Is it inherently bad?

2. Please give some examples of objectification evident nowadays. What could it lead to?

4. According to the podcast, “Women are more likely to be objectified than men”, why do you think that is the case?

Male Models Earn 75% Less Than Female Models

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally paid less than men.Though gender pay gap for women won’t close until 2069, it seems like there’s an opposite problem in the modeling industry, with the boys taking home fairly less than the ladies.

Read the article below about gender pay gap issue in the modeling industry.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1609/160930-models.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of models and modeling?
  2. What do you think a model’s life is like?
  3. Is modeling a big thing in your country?
  4. What other professions pay women more than men?
  5. What do you think is the reason between this gender pay gap?

Uber Suspends Services in Barcelona

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There have been some protests in Barcelona against Uber staged by taxi drivers. Cab drivers feel that their business is being dragged through the mud.

Uber has decided to suspend its services in Barcelona after new regulations were implemented. The Catalan government imposed that Uber make a 15-minute delay before picking up passengers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47071710

Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think of Uber’s decision to suspend its services in Barcelona?
2. What’s your stand on the rivalry between ride-hailing companies and traditional taxi companies?
3. Do you think Uber should continue its operations in Barcelona and in all of Spain?
4. What are the benefits and drawbacks of the existence of businesses with the same business model as Uber?
5. What do you like and dislike about Uber’s services?

Doctor Consultations Online

B2 – Upper Intermediate

More and more patients are finding consultations with their doctors online very convenient. Doctors deem it useful as added pressure on health services arise stemming from increasing and aging populations.

Read more about online visits to the doctor.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47196286

Discussion Questions:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online consultations both on doctors and patients’ side?
2. What are your thoughts on this?
3. Talk about your experience/s visiting your doctor.

Mindfulness is a Superpower

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Recently, mindfulness is taught worldwide and integrates it as a subject matter like sciences, math, etc. This helps students be aware of their thoughts, bodily sensations, and feelings. This is to address the mental health problems among young people. It is an alarming social issue as people are struggling to get to grips with how they will fit into the increasingly complex modern world.

Watch as mindfulness is explained in the video below.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think mindfulness should be taught at every school?
2. How do you think it will help you improve your life?
3. Why is it important to start talking about mental health?
4. Do you feel there is a stigma against mental health problems in your society?

Schadenfreude – Pleasure from Others’ Misfortunes

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We have all done it and we certainly are not proud of it but ‘schadenfreude’, according to some experts, is a normal emotion. Someone else’s misfortunes can bring you chuckles, laughter, and a strange feeling of satisfaction.

Let’s listen to the audio below and learn more about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-190110

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on schadenfreude. Is it good or bad? Share your opinion.
  2. Have you ever experienced schadenfreude? Talk about that moment. Did you feel bad about it or did you feel it was justified that time?
  3. In which jobs or businesses do you think schadenfreude thrives on?

How False News Can Spread?

B2- Upper intermediate

Fake news has become rampant not just in social media but in mass media as well. We may have unconsciously helped spread one fake news too. So what can we do to help stop it?

Let’s watch the video and find out.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. What is circular reporting?

2. Explain the phrase,”A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

3. What online/mass media sources do you find reliable/credible?

 

Stay Calm Under Pressure

B2 – Upper intermediate

Choking under pressure happens everywhere – be it sports, school, auditions or other places and situations. It occurs even in the workplace of hardworking and career-driven individuals. So why do competent people choke under pressure?

Watch the video and find out how to stay calm despite being in a high-pressure situation.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. According to the video, what is choking?

2. What are the two theories on why being nervous undermine expert performance?

3. What are the tips on how to stay calm under pressure? Which do you find most helpful?

Recovering from Micromanaging

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Micromanaging is a management style whereby the manager closely  observes or controls the work of his employees. Is micromanagement really effective? Some says it’s not but why do we do it?

Let us watch as Chieh Huang confesses and shares the cure for micromanagement madness and how to foster innovation and happiness at work.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion of micromanagement?

2. What management style do you follow at work?

3. How effective do you do your job with or without a manager around you?

 

 

The Progressive Income Tax

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The progressive income tax is one of those economic terms that gets bandied about, but few actually know what it means or how it works. Taxes are the price we pay for civilized society, the progressivity of taxes largely determines how that price varies among individuals. A progressive tax takes a larger percentage of income from high-income groups than from low-income groups and is based on the concept of ability to pay.

Watch the video about the progressive income tax.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘tax’?
  2. Describe your country’s tax system.
  3. What changes would you like to see in your country’s tax system?
  4.  How taxes are spent in your country?
  5. Should poor people be exempted from paying tax? Explain your stand.