Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Conscious Consumerism

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Conscious consumerism is a mindful approach to shopping and spending, emphasizing awareness of the social, environmental, and ethical implications of one’s purchases.

It’s about making intentional choices that align with personal values, supporting products and companies that prioritize sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility.

By being a conscious consumer, individuals play a role in fostering positive change and influencing businesses to adopt more ethical and sustainable practices.

Watch the video and be able to answer the questions below.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the expression “to jump on the trend” mean, “A lot of people are jumping on the trend right now.” Make one sentence.
  2. What does the phrase “a sense of community” mean, “The greatest benefit for the women we help employ is that they get to work in an environment that promotes dignity, pays them a wage that is a livable wage that can provide for their families, and give them a sense of community and access to healthcare and education for their children.” Use the phrase in a sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of “cycle of poverty“, “It’s a holistic approach that really will break a cycle of poverty and be sustainable for those women.” Make one sentence using this phrase.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you prioritize conscious consumerism in your daily shopping habits?
  2. What factors influence your decision to support a particular brand or product from a conscious consumer perspective?
  3. In your opinion, how can conscious consumerism contribute to positive societal and environmental change?
  4. Do you believe that businesses have a responsibility to adopt more sustainable and ethical practices, and how does this impact your purchasing choices?
  5. How do you handle situations where there’s a conflict between a product you want and the ethical considerations associated with its production or sourcing?

Why Do We Binge-Watch?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Binge-watching has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years, transforming the way we consume television shows and other media.

The allure of binge-watching can be attributed to a combination of factors. The convenience of streaming platforms allows us to access entire seasons of our favorite shows instantly. The immersive nature of many series creates a sense of attachment to characters and storylines, making it difficult to resist the urge to keep watching. Also, binge-watching also offers a temporary break from reality, providing a relaxing and enjoyable way to unwind. Ultimately, the rise of binge-watching reflects our changing media consumption habits and the evolving nature of entertainment in the digital age.

Watch the video to learn more and be able to answer the questions below.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “in bulk” mean? “Netflix had realized that loads of people are gravitating towards watching shows in bulk.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What’s the meaning of the word “to be caught up about something“? “I think there is an anxiety about being caught up about this content, which is forcing people to binge more.” Make a sentence using the expression.
  3. What does the phrase “to shovel” mean here, “Bingeing is to shovel yourself.“? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What factors contribute to the rise of binge-watching as a popular way of consuming television content?
  2. How has the availability of streaming platforms influenced the binge-watching trend?
  3. In your opinion, what psychological or emotional aspects make binge-watching so appealing to audiences?
  4. Do you think binge-watching has changed the way we perceive and engage with TV shows compared to traditional weekly releases?
  5. Are there any potential negative effects of binge-watching on individuals, such as health or social implications?

Tattoos Enter the Beauty Pageant World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Beauty pageants have long been associated with elegance, grace, and traditional standards of beauty. However, in recent years, there has been a growing trend of contestants with visible tattoos participating in these competitions. This shift has sparked debates about the impact of tattoos on the perception of beauty and whether they should be allowed in such events.

Some may view tattoos as incompatible with traditional beauty pageants, others see them as an expression of personal identity. The inclusion or exclusion of tattooed individuals in these competitions will continue to be debated as society’s perception evolves further towards acceptance and appreciation for diverse forms of beauty.

Read the article to learn how the pageant world is changing along with our beauty standards.

https://celebrityink.com/tattoos-enter-the-beauty-pagent-world/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “enrich” mean? “Their aim is to create role models who enrich the perception of beauty while positively impacting communities.”  Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “recurring theme” mean, “However, the idea of natural, unaltered beauty is still a frequently recurring theme throughout many modern beauty pageants, with tattoos being considered unladylike.”?  Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “allure” mean? “Beauty pageants, like Miss World and Miss Universe, have moved with the evolving beauty standards and recognised the allure of tattoos on women.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on beauty pageants?
  2. Share your opinion on having a visible tattoo as grounds for disqualification from a beauty pageant.
  3. Are there any tattoos anywhere on your body? If so, could you kindly describe what one means; if not, could you please explain why not?
  4. Do you believe that getting tattoos diminishes your beauty? Explain your answer.
  5. Have you ever had an experience of someone judging your beauty? In what way did it occur?

Boys Do Bad at School in the Persian Gulf

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Globally, girls are more likely to get no education at all than boys. In some countries, girls are seen as second class citizens and their main role is to get married and bear children. In the Persian Gulf, it is the other way around.

Let’s read the article and find out why boys in the Persian Gulf are not doing so well academically.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/education/boys-do-bad-at-schools-in-persian-gulf.htm

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define the verb “rely on someone/something“. “They rely on them to do everything they would otherwise have to do themselves.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
  2. What does “push” mean in this context? “The rest go to private schools where teachers are not only better but more interested in pushing children towards a higher education.” Use it in your own sentence and give two synonyms..
  3. What is the meaning of the expression “to pour something into“? “Authorities are convinced that just pouring money into the school system won’t achieve the desired results.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the article, what are the reasons boys are not doing well at school in the Persian Gulf?
  2. Share your opinion on this statement, “In an oil-rich region such as the Persian Gulf, families are so wealthy that their children do not need to study hard.“.
  3. How do private and public school differ in this region?
  4. What could be the outcome if this trend continues?
  5. In your opinion, what measures or changes could help resolve this problem?

Smishing – The Latest Texting Scam

B2 – Upper Intermediate

All forms of scams are very rampant nowadays. It could be through phone calls, phone texts, social media messages, and so on. One of the latest scams is “smishing”. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for these schemes to avoid falling victim to them.

Read this article to learn about “smishing” and how to spot it.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/smishing-phone-scam_l_6554dd0be4b0998d699e5c0f

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “innocuous” mean? “In package smishing scams, the suspicious message can seem innocuous and read: “USPS: Since your package address does not have a house number, we are unable to arrange home delivery for you. Please update online,” the FTC shared as an example.” Give two synonyms and make a sentence with this word.
  2. Define “bogus”. “It is better to contact the company from their original website or phone number than to provide account information and login and password information from a bogus link.” Provide two synonyms and make a sentence with this word.
  3. What does “telltale”? “A ‘smishing’ message can seem like any other text message, but there are a few telltale signs that will warn you that something’s off.” Make a sentence with this phrase.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is ‘smishing,’ and how does it differ from other forms of online scams?
  2. How can individuals identify potential ‘smishing’ attempts and distinguish them from legitimate messages?
  3. In what ways can raising awareness about ‘smishing’ and educating the public contribute to reducing the success of these scams?
  4. What measures do you currently take to protect yourself from phishing attempts or scams via text messages?
  5. Have you or anyone you know fallen victim to a text message scam and what was the outcome?

Adermatoglyphia – People without Fingerprints

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Countries have slightly different regulations requiring non-residents entering their territory. One of these regulations is to identify the visitors by their fingerprints. Fingerprinting is an infallible means of personal identification. No two persons have identical fingerprints. However, there are cases when one just doesn’t have them.

Let’s read the article and know more about this rare genetic disorder.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/health-medicine/adermatoglyphia-people-without-fingerprints.htm

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is the meaning of the word “baffled“? “They were baffled because they had not seen a phenomenon like this before.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What does the verb “grasp” mean? “People who were born without fingerprints often don’t have the grip to grasp things.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
  3. What does the word “sole” mean in this context? “Adermatoglyphia is a disease that affects not only your fingers but also the palms of your hand and the soles of your feet.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is adermatoglyphia and what causes it?
  2. What challenges do people with adermatoglyphia have?
  3. What comes to your mind when you hear ‘fingerprint’?
  4. How are fingerprints important?
  5. Talk about other genetic disorders you know about.

Young Successful Spanish Entrepreneurs

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Being in the business world is a huge feat these days. Many young people have taken their million dollar idea and turn it into a prolific business.

These young Spanish entrepreneurs didn’t waste any more minute and became successful in their chosen fields.

Read this article about the top young successful Spanish businesspeople. 

https://www.lexington.es/en/blog/young-successful-spanish-entrepreneurs

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does ”prowl around” mean? “After the pandemic and all those months that we had all the time in the world alone with our minds, many young people finally decided to take the plunge and get on board that business idea that had been prowling around their minds for years.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does “empower” mean? “Andrea is already an inspiration empowering women with her podcast Vostok6, and she has been considered one of the most business-creative women in Spain, no less!” Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “to climb one’s way up to do something” mean, “We had to highlight these three names because they have climbed up their way to become part of the TOP20 most promising entrepreneurs in Europe this 2021.”? Use this idiom in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which among these young entrepreneurs do you find very inspiring? Why?
  2. What might be ways to inspire young people to go into business?
  3. Are you familiar with any of the companies mentioned in the article? Where did you hear them from?
  4. Yaiza Canosa said, “I am not the cleverest woman there is, the thing is that I encounter a problem and I look for a solution.” What do you think about her principle?
  5. Share your thoughts on this, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”.

The Great Pocket Conspiracy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

If you’re a woman, you’ve probably noticed that the pockets on your pants are much shallower than those of men’s and if you’re a man, you’ve probably heard about this complaint a lot. But have you ever wondered why? Why are women’s pockets so shallow? Is it a product of misogyny, politics, or greed? And if so, why would it influence women’s pockets in all things?

Explore this topic further by watching the video below.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Do you know the meaning of “political statement“? “The French Revolution caused a wave of changes to clothes of all kinds, as what you wore suddenly was seen as a political statement.” Use this in your own sentence.
  2. What does “sleek style” mean? “Despite men’s fashion settling into a sleeker style during this period..” Try to construct your own sentence.
  3. What is meant by “to leave nothing to the imagination“? “ They could always utilize a chatelaine, a decorative waist chain that leaves nothing to the imagination.“ Kindly write your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Did you ever wonder about the pocket size of your clothes? What do you think about it?
  2. What have you learned about the pocket theory?
  3. What is the significance of pockets in our clothings?
  4. Talk about similar historical practices in your nation.
  5. Will you go for a conventional or functional style? Explain your choice.

Making Male Friends

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Real friends are those you can depend on whatever happens. Even when times get rough, they will be there to give you a helping hand, lend you their ears, or just be a shoulder for you to cry on.

However, it seems that for men, it is not that easy to make friends and keep their relationships with their best mates stand the test of time.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about how big a challenge it is for men to make friends and maintain their friendships.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230914

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does ”drift away” mean? “So why do we sometimes find it hard to make friends, or that the friends we used to have seemed to have somehow drifted away?” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does “double-edged sword” mean? “No, it’s a real double-edged sword being the face of a book called ‘Billy No-Mates’ I’ve gotta say… but I think.. so loneliness doesn’t look like me.” Use this idiom in a sentence.
  3. What does “third space” mean, “Max thinks the answer is getting out and meeting people in ‘third spaces’, which are separate from either home or work.”? Use this idiom in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Explain your views on this, “Men find it difficult to make friends.“.
  2. What do you think are reasons men find it harder to maintain strong friendships, especially as they get older?
  3. What are ways you maintain your relationship with your close friends solid?
  4. Why is having close friends important?
  5. What are the downsides of having too many friends?

Spaving

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People have a lot of bad spending habits and one of these is “spaving”. This habit, often ignored, has a quiet but strong impact on your financial health.

Read the article to learn about spaving and some tips in order not to fall into these spaving traps.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-spaving_l_6536c44fe4b0689b3fbd9464

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Define “spaving”. “For some people, spaving leads to credit card debt, which can mean paying interest that far exceeds whatever was saved in the sales deal.” Use this in a sentence.
  2. What does “to miss out on something” mean here? “The reality is, retailers are constantly rolling out new sales, so just because you miss out on a sale today doesn’t mean you can’t get the same item on sale later.” Make a sentence with this idiom.
  3. What does “to put a dent in something” mean? “A few bucks here and there adds up and can put a huge dent in your overall budget.” Make a sentence using this idiom.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on spaving?
  2. Are you familiar with the concept of spaving in your own spending habits?
  3. How do you make sure you don’t spend too much when there are sales or time-limited offers?
  4. What are the most common spaving traps? Have you fallen into any of them?
  5. Why do people end up spending more because of spaving?