Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Is a College Education Worth the Price?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Attending college or university to complete a four- year course costs a lot of money. Is it really worth the price? Considering the high cost of education and the job market that remains weak.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/is-a-college-education-worth-the-price/2469390.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you say that college or university education is affordable in your country?
  2. What degrees are top earners in your country?
  3. How’s the job market in your country these days?
  4. What alternatives does your country have if a person cannot afford to attend university?

Young and Free: Prerequisite for Success

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Starting a career or a business when you are young is nothing but easy. Perhaps all of us went through struggles as that newbie in the company. But for some others, they used being young and free to their advantage and stopped at nothing to succeed.

Read the article below about being successful at a young age and be ready to discuss the different idiomatic expressions used in the article.

http://esl.about.com/od/businessreading/a/Young-And-Free-Prerequisite-For-Success.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. How was your work life like the first years you joined the workforce? How has it changed over time?
  2. Describe a situation at work when you had to start from scratch.
  3. Are you the type of person who takes the bull by the horns? Talk about a time in your career when you had to make a bold move.
  4. Are you interested in working on your own startup? Why or why not?
  5. Do you agree that it’s a dog eat dog world out there? Elaborate on your thoughts.

A Kingdom For Your Birthday

emily2_2973796c

B2 – Upper intermediate

What was the best birthday present you’ve ever received? Read the article below to learn about a father’s unusual birthday present to her young daughter.

https://metro.co.uk/2014/07/14/american-man-claims-african-kingdom-for-his-daughter-so-she-can-be-an-actual-princess-4797666/

Discussion Questions:

1. What can you say about the father?
2. Would you do the same thing if you were the parent?
3. What was the most extreme thing you’ve done/given for a birthday gift?
4. How do you think the father’s actions will affect the child? Describe your idea of good parenting.

Nigeria Declared Car Horn-Free Day

B2 – Upper intermediate

Nigeria’s largest city  declared  a car “Horn-Free Day”  to raise awareness of noise pollution. Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola told reporters that the extent of the noise from car horns was enough to be a danger to people’s hearing. However, it seems not everyone is on board.

Nigeria declared car horn-free day

Discuss:

1. How do you feel about Governor Fashola’s opinion that the drivers in Europe don’t really use their horns that much?
2. Would you say that your city has this kind of noise problem?
3. How would you describe traffic in your city? What would you do to make it better?
4. What do you think are the different types of pollution in your country?

Obama’s Credit Card Issue

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Barack Obama had an embarrassing experience while dining at an expensive restaurant when his credit card was rejected. Obama told his credit card story on Friday while signing a new law to protect consumers from identity theft.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1410/141020-credit-cards.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “upmarket” mean? Use it in a sentence.“He was having dinner at an expensive restaurant in an upmarket area of New York.”
  2. What does “tighten” mean? Use it in a sentence. “In particular, the new law tightens the controls on credit cards.”
  3. What does “hacker” mean? Use it in a sentence. “It is easy for hackers to read them and put the information on other cards.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever experienced any problem with your credit card in the past? What was the problem and how were you able to solve it?
2. How do you protect yourself when using your credit card or using online or mobile banking?
3. Does your country have very strict rules when it comes to using and sharing credit cards, bank accounts and other personal details?

Retiring at 40

B2 – Upper intermediate

Do you ever dream of not having to go to work and not worry about money? Start planning to retire at the age of 40. Impossible?

Read on for a guide on how to achieve this seemingly impossible dream.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140404-yes-you-can-retire-at-40

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you be interested in early retirement? Why or why not?
2. How do you picture yourself as a retiree?
3. Does your current company have pension or retirement plans for its employees?
4. Does your government have a comprehensive package for pensioners?
5. Do you think there is a disadvantage to retiring early?

Successful 20-year-old Owns a Chinese Factory

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Take a peek into the life of a young and successful man who started creating his products when he was 11 and now owns a factory in China:

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/20-old-brooklyn-successful-owns-133159062.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What were you doing when you were 20?
2. What do you think are the perks and pitfalls of being a young millionaire?
3. Are there many start up businesses in your city run and managed by young entrepreneurs?
4. If you became a multimillionaire, how would you manage your wealth?

Lego Ends Ties with Shell

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Lego had a partnership with Shell and made toys that had Shell logo on them. There were over a million people who emailed Lego asking it to end its deal with Shell that brought pressure to finally end its contract with the oil company.

Read the article about Lego ending its tie-up with Shell.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1410/141012-lego.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Give your opinion about Greenpeace’s move to pressure Lego from ending their contract with Shell.
  2. Do you think that parents have a responsibility in choosing the right toys to educate their children about preserving the environment?
  3. Are there specific projects to tackle environmental issues in your country? Talk about some that you know of.

India Removes 287 Laws

B2 – Upper Intermediate
 

The Indian government decides to dismiss laws that date back to the 19th century, when India was under British rule. The law minister is doing a clean up of India’s legal system and described some of the laws as bizarre and outdated.

 

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1410/141010-laws.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Give your opinion about India’s move in removing obsolete laws.
2. Are there laws in your country that you think are laughable or you find useless?
3. What are some of the current laws you have regarding Internet use, domestic violence and other social concerns?

Norway’s 12-year-old Child Bride

image

B2 – Upper intermediate

Thea, a young girl from Norway, started writing about details of her wedding preparations. One day, her mom told her that she has to get married to Geir, who is 37 years old.

The truth about Thea, Norway’s 12-year-old child bride

Discuss:

1. What was your reaction while reading the article?
2. What is your opinion on the idea of child bride?
3. Why do you think other countries allow child brides?
3. What is your opinion on arranged marriages?
4. What do you think is the ideal age to get married?