Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

What Did Dinosaurs look like?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Although humans have lived on Earth for a long, long time, there are still many species of animals that go undiscovered and may be lurking in the shadows for long.

Therefore, consider how many myths from the past still exist now. For instance, how did dinosaurs actually look like?

As a result of movies like Jurassic Park, people have compared dinosaurs to lizards, crocodiles, and other animals, which has shaped our concept of these prehistoric creatures.

Recently, scientists have discovered that dinosaurs are actually more feathery than reptilians, and although this information has been spread a lot more recently, many still think dinosaurs are scaly beasts.

What other aspects of the past are unknown to us if many people are mistaken about what they believe dinosaurs to be?

To find out more, let’s watch this video.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How many animals or species do you think we’ll never discover?
  2. Based on the information from this video, would we know if humans were to go extinct?
  3. What other animals do you think would disappear from history if they went extinct?
  4. How do you imagine the world would be like if we shared one environment with these extinct animals?

The 15-Minute City

B2 – Upper Intermediate

To improve the quality of people’s lives, an urban planning design and policies were conceived by a French-Colombian professor, Carlos Moreno. It is what is known as the“15-Minute City”. The idea is to create cities where everything is within a 15-minute radius.

The aim is to build sustainable cities where residents can live locally, with everything they need within just a short walk or a bike ride away.

Read the article to learn more about decentralization of services, otherwise known as, the 15-minute city and be able to answer the questions below.

https://www.treehugger.com/the-15-minute-city-is-having-a-moment-5071739

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the idea of a “The 15-Minute City”?
  2. Would you like to live in this kind of city? Why or why not?
  3. What are the positive and negative impact of such urban planning design to people and society?
  4. Describe the city you live in. What are the best things about it and what aspects can be improved?
  5. How important is urban planning?

Opera Singer by Day, Janitor by Night

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What if part-time jobs hide some information about the people who are doing them? A janitor who is actually an opera singer during the day? Do you think it’s possible? Well, for Keanon Kyles, it is.

Watch the video about Keanon Kyles, the internationally touring opera singer and janitor.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s your reaction to this video?
  2. Have you ever had an unusual job? What about your friends or relatives? What are your thoughts on these odd jobs?
  3. How do you explain to others what your job is about?
  4. If you could take on an odd job, what would it be and why?
  5. Why do you think people tend to be so judgemental about what others do for a living?

Coca-Cola’s Returnable Bottles

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Coca-Cola believes that reusable packaging is among the most effective way to reduce waste, use fewer resources, and lower the carbon footprint in support of a circular economy. Consequently, they aim to have at least 25% of all their beverages sold globally in refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles or in refillable containers by 2030.

Read the article to know more about Coca Cola’s returnable bottles and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.treehugger.com/coca-cola-returnable-bottles-5219470

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Coca-Cola company using returnable bottles? Is it probably greenwashing? Explain your stand.
  2. What would be the impact of its change in packaging?
  3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using reusable packaging?
  4. What are some practices that you do in order to reduce your carbon footprint?

Apple AirTag a Gift to Stalkers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Apple Airtag is a very small device that was developed in order to help us find things that we commonly misplace. It was never meant to be a gadget for unwanted tracking of people.

Read the article about how some abusers are using Airtag to stalk their victims. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/05/i-didnt-want-it-anywhere-near-me-how-the-apple-airtag-became-a-gift-to-stalkers

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on Apple Airtag? Are you interested to have one?
  2. What is your opinion on it being used maliciously?
  3. What can Apple do in order to address this problem with their product?
  4. How do you make sure your privacy is protected despite all of your online activities?
  5. What other gadgets do you think are dangerous and why?

Japanese Man Gets Paid to ‘Do Nothing’

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Imagine getting paid to do nothing. Sounds like the perfect job, right? Shoji Morimoto, a 38-year-old Tokyo resident, gets paid 10,000 yen ($70) by simply meeting up with clients who hire him just to be with them.

Let’s read the article below to know how this man made a career out of doing absolutely nothing.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dream-job-japanese-man-gets-011509342.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s your reaction to this video?
  2. Do you know people who gets paid to do absolutely nothing at their jobs?
  3. Would you like to get paid to do nothing? Why or why not?
  4. Do you enjoy spending time alone or with friends?
  5. Would you take a less-paying job with far less stress and live paycheck to paycheck or high-paying but high-stress job? Explain your answer.

Angola’s Tightly Contested Presidential Election

B2 – Upper Intermediate

After the civil war in 2002, Angola has remained politically stable. Recently, they have concluded their elections giving the country’s ruling party a wafer-thin victory. However, the opposition party believes there are irregularities in the election result.

Let’s watch the video know more about the 2022 Angola elections and the controversies surrounding it.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is the Angola elections being contested?
  2. What do you think of one-party system of government?
  3. What is the form of government in your country? What are the good and bad things about this form of government?
  4. What kind of voting system do you have?
  5. What elections-related controversies have you had in your country?

The Dangers of Being Over-Confident

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Possessing self-confidence is generally a positive trait. Individuals with higher level of confidence often have greater success across a wide range of fields.

While self esteem, superior to any other characteristic, is typically perceived as a strength in many scenarios, having too much of it can be extremely negative to both success and well-being.

But can you ever have too much confidence? Is it possible to have a good thing in excess?

Let us go through the entire article to discover more about the pitfalls of overconfidence.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220901-the-dangers-of-being-over-confident

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it possible to have too much self-belief? Explain.
  2. What drawbacks might overconfidence cause?
  3. Can overconfidence be handled? How?
  4. How do you deal with someone who is overconfident?
  5. Share a situation where being overconfident helped you.

Catastrophizing or Toxic Thinking

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you have the habit of magnifying your problems, anticipating the worst, or thinking that your circumstances are worse than they actually are? If you routinely find yourself catastrophizing, becoming aware of your tendency to do so may be beneficial before it impairs your quality of life.

Finding techniques to disrupt those poisonous thought loops should be beneficial in boosting one’s toughness and there may be no better time to learn than now.

Let us read the complete content to learn more about how toxic thinking can lead you down to a dangerous path.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220725-catastrophising-how-toxic-thinking-can-lead-down-dark-path

Discussion Questions:

  1. What exactly does it mean to catastrophize?
  2. How could you make adjustments if you are a catastrophizer but would prefer not to be?
  3. Is it doable to teach your brain to avoid automatically thinking the worst-case scenario? Why or why not?
  4. How do you deal with anxiety without the employ of medications?
  5. How has expecting the worst helped you in some situations in your life previously?

Workers and Employers Ghosting

B2 – Upper Intermediate

‘Ghosting’ was first used in the dating scene to describe an abrupt, unexpected halt to all contacts. This societal concept is quickly catching on in the workplace and both parties are guilty of committing the crime.

You might be surprised to learn that ghosting is becoming more pervasive. Additionally, ghosting is not solely done by employees. Employers are also guilty of abandoning prospects as the talent acquisition process moves forward, even while an offer is being made.

Understand why employees and employers are ghosting one another by going through the article.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220311-why-workers-and-employers-are-ghosting-each-other

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on this work issue.
  2. How can we end the trend of ‘quiet firing’ and ‘quiet quitting’?
  3. Why do employers ghost job applicants?
  4. Is it illegal to ghost your job? Why or why not?
  5. Is ghosting an employer profitable in the long term? Explain.
  6. What are the available alternatives to ghosting?