phone english blog
B2 – Upper intermediate
How safe are you and your children when using the Internet?
Read the article and get to know the software PhotoDNA.
Discussion Questions:
2. What are ways to ensure children’s internet safety?
3. What do you think is the role of parents when it comes to children and their Internet usage?
4. How is the government in your country trying to fight cybercrimes?
Getting ready for an interview? This article will give you tips on how to answer top interview questions.
Read on and be ready to have a speaking activity. You’ll be able to practice by answering some of the featured questions during the discussion.
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/top-50-job-interview-questions.htm
Discussion Questions:
1. Have you had an all-English job interview?
2. What do you think are the questions that are difficult to answer?
B2 – Upper intermediate
Are you a true-blue Espanol? Read the article and see which among the cultural quirks you can identify with. Be ready to debunk the myths, explain the idiosyncrasies, and add what you think is missing from the list.
Discuss:
1. Which ones do you practice? Which ones are not true for you?
2. Do you think you can add more to the list?
3. What do you think is the history behind some of the mentioned practices?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
A team of scientists who’ve successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a baboon is hoping someday to do the same procedure for human patients desperately in need of replacement organs.
Read the following article then be prepared to answer some discussion questions.
Discussion Questions:
B2 – Upper Intermediate
Part of most people’s morning routine is getting their daily coffee fix. How would a 5 to 20-cent increase on your favorite coffee’s price sound?
Like any business, Starbucks has the power to raise its prices. Loyal customers are probably just going to brush this aside.
Read the article and watch the video to learn about Starbucks’ plans to hike their prices again and also know how they are doing in the market.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/06/news/companies/starbucks-price-hike/index.html?iid=surge-stack-intl
Discussion Questions:
1. Is Starbucks popular in your country? What are the other big coffee chains or coffee bars that are doing well in your country?
2. Why do people keep on coming back to Starbucks despite the high prices of their coffee and their constant price increase?
3. According to the article, where does Starbucks put its money?
B2 – Upper intermediate
How would you feel if important monuments and sites in your country were destroyed? Just before the mass exit of Syrians happened, trouble had been brewing in different parts of Syria and it involved some historical buildings being at risk.
Read the article and watch the short video clip to learn what is happening to some of the heritage sites in Syria.
Discuss:
1. Why do you think the militant groups are destroying important structures in Syria?
2. In your opinion, what do you think will happen to the country Syria in the next 5 to 10 years?
2. Describe and talk about some of the heritage sites in your country that you have seen. How are they being maintained?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
Members of Generation Y are born in a time of constant access to technology in their youth. Also called millennials, this generation has been, somewhat, criticized for how they view life.
Read the article below then express your thoughts about the topic.
Discussion Questions:
B2 – Upper Intermediate
An oil spill is a form of pollution. The term is usually applied to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the waters, but spills may also occur on land.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript on oil-eating bacteria.
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201509/oil-eating-bacteria/
Discussion Questions:
B2 – Upper intermediate
A success of a film is measured by the number of people willing to go to a movie theatre for it. Following its release in June of 2015, hundreds and thousands of movie-goers flocked to the cinema to watch the film Jurassic World.
After reading the article, talk about the the movies that you think are good. You may also answer some of the activities included in the article.
Discuss:
1. Out of curiosity, do you believe in dinosaurs?
2. Have you watched all three films of Jurassic Park?
3. What are some of the films that you found to be really good?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
The European Union is a politico-economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has grown from the six founding states to the current 28. Joining the European community has become a primary goal for most European politicians.
Read the article below and express your thoughts about EU enlargement.
http://www.english-online.at/current_affairs/eu-enlargement/eu-candidate-countries.htm
Discussion Questions:
1. As a citizen of the EU, what is your opinion of further expanding the union or adding more countries?
2. Do you remember the time when your country joined the EU? Do you think it was a good idea for your country to join the EU?
3. How do you think Europe would be like if the EU weren’t ?