Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Best Things to Do in your Free Time

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Technology has helped us gain more free time. In this day and age, we have all kinds of distractions that cause bad habits that we need to cut down whether it is binge-watching your favorite TV series or drinking alcohol.

Some people say that what you do in your free time actually determines your future. Well, you don’t have to fret or worry. The good thing is that you can take control of your free time and use it wisely to help you be more successful.  Please watch the video below and let’s talk.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the 4 best things to do in your free time that is cited in the video?
2. How many hours of free time do you have in a day before and after you finish your work?
2. What do you do in your free time?
3. Out of the 4 things to do in the video, what do you want to practice more?
4. In your opinion, what’s the reason why people don’t manage their free time well?
5. Do you agree with the quote, “What you do in your free time determines what you’ll be doing when you don’t have a choice.”

Absurd Diets of the Rich and Famous

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Having breakfast at the same place every single day for 15 years… bacon and eggs three times a day… apples and carrots for weeks on end…

These diets may sound untrue but they are actual diets of some very wealthy and high-profile people.

Find out about famous people’s strange diets through this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2017/oct/15/bacon-eggs-every-meal-absurd-diets-rich-famous

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “foible” mean? “Their eating habits may not be quite as “insane” as former royal chef Darren McGrady branded them earlier this month, but the British royal family have their share of foibles around food.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does “bejewelled crockery” mean? “Bejewelled crockery aside, however, the Windsors seem quite normal compared to these notably eccentric diners.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  3. What does “stone” mean here, “All of which,” he concluded, “should be dealt with outside, in the warmth of a hot sun, and preferably stone naked.“? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts about the eccentric diets of the rich and famous that were mentioned in the article?
  2. Which one did you find most absurd and why?
  3. Why is proper diet important?
  4. Talk about special diets you know of or those you’ve actually tried in the past or would want to try in the future.

Dual Citizenship

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Holding dual citizenship has a downside for Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce who was disqualified from his government position  because of being a “subject or citizen of a foreign power”.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1710/171029-dual-citizenship.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What did you think when you read the headline
  2. Are you happy being a citizen of your country?
  3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having dual citizenship?
  4. If you can change your citizenship, what would it be and why?

The Lost Meaning of Halloween

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Halloween may not exactly be a major holiday, like Christmas and New Year. Nonetheless, it is still one of the most enjoyable events for a lot of us. But other than the fun of trick-or-treating and wearing ‘spooktacular‘ costumes, what is  the real meaning of Halloween? Is it a celebration of evil?

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-lost-meaning-of-halloween-2595381

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you experienced trick-or-treating, attending parties, or wearing costumes during Halloween?

2. Why do you think Halloween is connected with satanism or deviltry?

3. What is the essence of Halloween for you?

4. Have you had any ghost or eerie experience? If not, do you believe in ghosts?

Woman on a Holiday Jet

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Karon Grieve, a novelist, booked a flight from Glasgow to Crete for only £46. There was something unusual about this flight.

Find out about this woman’s unique flight experience.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-41748305

Discussion Questions:

1. What can you say about Grieve’s experience?
2. What are the good and bad things about air travels?
3. Talk about your best and worst flight experiences.
4. What suggestions do you want to give airlines about their services?
5. What is your airline of choice and why?

How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Each year, around a hundred thousand metric tons of caffeine are consumed around the world. That’s as heavy as 14 Eiffel Towers! A lot of people consume caffeine because it helps them feel alert, focused, and energetic, even if they are actually lacking sleep.

Discover how caffeine works and what happens when we withdraw from it. Watch the video below.

Discussion Questions:

1. Aside from coffee, what are the other sources of caffeine?

2. What are the side effects of caffeine?

3. Do you believe that caffeine can really help a person to stay awake? Explain your answer.

4. How would you describe Adenosine’s relationship with caffeine?

5. What symptoms do people usually experience upon quitting caffeine?

Ways to Self Motivate

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People with self motivation can find a reason and strength to complete a task, even when things get very challenging, without giving up or needing others to encourage them.

Read on for ways to encourage one’s self.

https://thetechpanda.com/2014/02/13/10-ways-motivate-tough-times/

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you define motivation?

2. What are three things that motivate you?

3. What do you do to encourage yourself or others when they’re going through rough times?

4. Who do you talk to for encouragement and inspiration?

5. Does motivation come from inside a person or from his environment?

How to Beat Procrastination

B2 – Upper Intermediate

You might be putting off a task because you have to re-prioritize your workload. If you’re briefly delaying an important task for a genuinely good reason, then you aren’t necessarily procrastinating. However, if you start to put things off indefinitely or switch focus because you want to avoid doing something, then you probably are.

Read the article on how to deal with and prevent procrastination and answer the questions below:

https://hbr.org/2016/07/how-to-beat-procrastination

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think people procrastinate?
  2. Who do you know that always procrastinates?
  3. When is it good to procrastinate?
  4. When is it really bad to procrastinate?
  5. What kinds of things do you usually put off doing?
  6. How do you feel when other people put off something you want done soon?
  7. Do you think people in some cultures are in too much of a rush?
  8. Do you think people in other cultures are too relaxed?
  9. Do you want to accomplish many things in your life or do you want to take it easy?

Laptop vs Handwriting

B2 – Upper Intermediate

handwriting-day-fun

Due to many students’ illegible handwriting, Cambridge University is allowing students to use their laptops in exams and no longer pen and paper. The wonders and usefulness of the laptop are great but are we losing the art of handwriting?

Let’s read the article and answer the questions that follow.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/11/laptops-handwriting-students-university-exams-skill

Discussion Questions:

1. Is handwriting a lost art now?

2. Do you think writing notes in a paper makes it easier to remember and synthesize information than typing in a laptop?

3. Is using a laptop for typing a more effective way of learning and retaining information?

4. Do you think computers might one day replace handwriting?

 

Does Owning a Gun Make You Safer?

 B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are so many civilians who possess guns in the United States. The question is, why do Americans own guns? According to some surveys, people like to have them for protection.

Read this article and find out whether owning a gun really increase one’s chances of protecting himself.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0804-hemenway-defensive-gun-home-20150730-story.html

 

Discussion Questions: 

1. Do you think people need guns?

2. Would fewer guns result in less gun violence?

3. Switzerland has a higher rate of gun ownership than the USA but hardly any gun crime. Why do you think this is?

4. What checks should be made before someone can buy a gun?

5. In Japan there are strict gun control laws and so there is very little gun-related crimes. Should all countries follow suit?

5. Do you think people should be allowed to have guns to defend themselves in their homes?