Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Chief Shames ‘Drunk’ Flight Attendant

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Receiving an email from your boss could either mean good news or bad news. But how would you react if you receive an email similar to the article below?

Read and express your thoughts about it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2998774/Qatar-Airways-boss-shames-drunk-air-stewardess-emailing-photo-slumped-floor-outside-accommodation-airline-staff.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think the boss did the right thing? Why or why not?
2. What can you say about the alleged behavior of the flight attendant?
3. Where do you think should employers draw the line when it comes to monitoring their employees’ activities outside work?

Getting Caught Red-Handed

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We always try to do our job well. Who would want to be caught slacking off or doing something you aren’t supposed to during your shift.

Check out the article and video below then share your thoughts on the employee’s actions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/09/mcdonalds-drive-thru-news-live_n_6830512.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Discussion Questions:

  1. Did you think what happened to the traffic reporter was funny or unfortunate? Do you think he handled the situation well?
  2. If you were in the traffic reporter’s place, how would you handle the situation?
  3. If you were the station manager, would you do anything to reprimand the employee?
  4. Share a situation where you were caught red-handed.

Burnout Is Not a Badge of Success

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Getting tired and working too hard is now being equated to productiveness. And there is a growing sense of pride in being too busy to do anything else but work.

Should this be the case? Is this the better choice?

Read the article why a burnout is not a badge of success.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/self-made/202509/burnout-is-not-a-badge-of-success

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “slammed” mean? “If I were to ask these women, “how are you doing,” I would hear a chorus of “busy,” “exhausted,” and “totally slammed right now.” Use this term in a sentence.
  2. What is a “badge of honor“? “Burnout has become so normalized in our culture that it’s practically a badge of honor.” Use this term in a sentence.
  3. What is a “perfect storm“? “Layer that onto professional expectations of working longer, harder, and faster just to be seen as “equally competent,” and you’ve got a perfect storm for burnout.” Use this term in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some effects of occupational burnout?
  2. Why do you think being busy is often mistaken for status and success?
  3. What is your opinion about this, “It’s time to choose energy as a status signal instead.“?
  4. What are your thoughts on this, “Success can feel energizing – when it aligns with values.“
  5. Do you think people in your country cling to burnout culture? Why do you think this is the case?

 

Building Self Confidence

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Confidence is knowing and implying what you’re good at, your value to other people, and acting in a way that shows that to others. Our level of self-confidence can convey in many ways: our behavior, body language, how we speak, and what we say.

Read the article below to know more on how we can be confident in ourselves.

How to Build Self-Confidence

Discuss:

1. Do you agree with what the article says about being more self-confident?
2. How do you confront your fears?
3. What do you do to make sure you’re taking good care of yourself?
4. Do you believe in pep talk?

 

The Widening Aisle Of Interracial Marriages

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Multicultural marriages have been more popular than ever. Many reasons have been attributed in seeking partners from another country.

Let’s know more about real people’s accounts. How are they managing their relationship?

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/02/13/276516736/walking-down-the-widening-aisle-of-interracial-marriages

Discussion Questions:

1. How are interracial and multicultural marriages viewed in your country?
2. Do you have friends or know anyone who married someone of a different race or culture?
3. In your opinion, what are some of the challenges that couples of mixed marriages face?

Yotel – Tiny Hotel Rooms

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whether you are on a vacation or on a business trip, one of the things that is on the top of your list is a nice play to stay at where you can relax after a long day of city tour and shopping or after an intense meeting with a client.

A new hotel has just opened in the city of New York in the U.S. Find out below what makes it different from the rest.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/travel/yotel-tiny-hotel-rooms-in-manhattan.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like staying at hotels when travelling?
  2. Have you experienced staying at a luxurious hotel?
  3. What are some of the excellent accomodations that you’ve stayed at in the past?
  4. Are there unique places to stay in in your city?

Silence is Golden for New York Restaurant

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Can you imagine having dinner out with friends without engaging in conversation? That is exactly the protocol at a New York restaurant called “Eat”.

Watch the video below and be prepared to share your thoughts about “Eat”. If you can’t access the video, search for: “Silence is golden for New York restaurant” on AFP News Agency’s YouTube Channel.

Silence is Golden for NY Restaurant

Discussion Questions:

  1. Explain the concept behind “Eat”.
  2. What is your take on the silent meal?
  3. What are the good things about this kind of meal experience?
  4. Towards the end of the video, how did the diners react to their dining experience?
  5. Do you think this kind of restaurant will fare in your city/country? Why or why not?
  6. What are some of the unique restaurants that you have been to?

No Dislike Button for Facebook

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B2 – Upper intermediate

If you’re a Facebook user, you’ve probably noticed that there’s more than one reaction button to choose from. You’ve got the simple “like” button, then you’ve also got the “wow” and “sad” buttons.

Read the article below to get more information as to why Facebook decided to come up with more reaction buttons.

No dislike button for Facebook, declares Zuckerberg

Discuss:

1. Do you approve of Facebook’s decision to not add a “dislike” button? Why or why not?
2. How do you generally feel about Facebook?
3. What other social media websites do you use?
4. How is social media useful in today’s society?

* As of September 2015, Facebook has announced that it is working on the “dislike” button. Watch the video here. 

Building a ‘Halal’ Internet

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Officials in Iran are planning to build a completely separate Internet called Yooz. Its purpose is to filter objectionable information just like China’s “Great Firewall”, the largest web filtering and censorship operation in the world.

Read the article below to know more about Yooz then express your opinions.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/iran-next-step-in-building-hala-internet/2676579.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. How often do you use the internet?
  2. How important is the internet to your day to day life?
  3. What is your opinion about filtered and censored internet access
  4. Do you think that Yooz will do its job in filtering and securing?

The Family That Eats Together

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Family dinner builds good and positive relationship among the members. It also helps kids do better in school. But because of hectic schedules many families seldom have the time to do this anymore.

Read the article below to discover the benefits of dining together.

https://www.vision.org/family-eats-together-1336

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with what the article is saying about family dinners?
2. Is this something that is usually practiced in homes in your country?
3. Does your country have very strong familial relationships?