Tag: First Certificate FCE

Cover Your Camera

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Netizens noticed something about Mark Zuckerberg’s laptop when he posted a picture on Instagram: there was a tape covering the camera and the microphone to protect against hackers.

Is the multi-billionaire being paranoid? Or, is it a call for everyone not to trust his or her own webcam?

Watch the video below:

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you find webcam hacking as a serious issue?
  2. Can you share some tips or insights on how we can keep our cameras and privacy secure?
  3. What actions should every government do to protect its citizens from webcam hacking?

Plastic Surgery Boom in South Korea

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Over 20 million cosmetic procedures are done worldwide and nearly a million of them are from South Korea. Seoul is the heart of the $5 billion dollar industry.

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

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why does South Korea have the highest rate of cosmetic surgery?
  2. What are the reasons it is very common in their country?
  3. What’s your opinion on cosmetic surgery?
  4. Would you go under the knife if you were not satisfied with your looks?

School for Tired Teens

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It is always a struggle for parents to get their teenage children out of bed in the morning to get them to school on time. An English school decided to delay the start of classes until the afternoon for older students so they can sleep in and begin school in the afternoons.

Watch the video and be able to express your thoughts by answering the questions below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this kind of school? What are its benefits? Are there any drawbacks?
  2. Is later school time a solution for tired teens? If not, what are some ways to avoid sleep deprivation among teenagers?
  3. In your country, how many hours of sleep do most teenagers have?
  4. Did you use to have this problem when you were a teenager? How did you cope with it?


Van Gogh’s Real Mental Illness

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Van Gogh is no doubt a legendary man and one of the most influential, if not the most influential artists of all time. He is perceived though by many as the ‘mad’ artist as accounts told of him showing an unusual personality and losing his sanity. But, what mental disorder did Van Gogh really go through? Schizophrenia, bipolarism, or even depression?

Let’s think big and discover in the video below for it may change our perspectives about the poor man.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is temporal lobe epilepsy? Do you know anyone who has or might have this condition?
  2. How are mental illnesses viewed in Spain?
  3. Which one artist do you admire the most?
  4. If Vincent Van Gogh were alive, how do you think his life would be different at the present time?
  5. What one question would you ask Van Gogh?

Shocking Cultural Norms from Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A big part of traveling is to gasp at breathtaking sights, taste different kinds of cuisines, and admire traditions and customs. Each culture has its own set of rules that makes it unique. However, some countries have unbelievable, bizarre, and more shocking norms than others.

So if you are planning to go to Croatia, Ireland, Lebanon, and the rest, then you had better watch the video to prepare yourself.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which cultural norm did you find the most shocking, and why?
  2. Have you visited any of the countries in the video? If so, did you observe or experience the said customs?
  3. Do you know other strange practices and traditions in any country? In Spain?
  4. What is a common misconception about the Spanish culture?

Why Don’t Young People Read the News

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A number of surveys found that people age 18-34 are consistently less knowledgeable about current events than older people.

Let’s read the article below and find out why a lot of young people do not watch the news anymore.

https://www.thoughtco.com/why-dont-young-people-read-the-news-2074000

Discussion Questions:

1. What might be reasons young people aren’t interested in reading or learning period?

2. What are the reasons young people are not interested in the news?

3. Why is it important for young people to be abreast with current events?

4. How can news be made appealing to the younger audience?

Connectivity Improved the Way We Bring Up Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For most families, it can be difficult to keep up with the rapid development in technological devices, mobile applications, and the ways young people use them.

Digital parents play a crucial role in molding how their children use digital media. It’s important for parents to have conversations with their children about the digital world – so families can make the best use of it and enable children to navigate it safely.

Read the article on connectivity and raising children.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/digital-parents-how-connectivity-has-improved-the-way-we-bring-up-children_uk_5cc3060ee4b05f4d35ff4a7b

Discussion Questions:

1. Is technology a good or a bad thing?
2. How has technology changed parenting?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using gadgets for children?
4. From what age do you think children should have a mobile phone?

Harmful Tourism

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries. It generates jobs and revenue for the country or the local government. Travelers love being in foreign lands but the same cannot be said completely for the local residents.

Let’s listen to the podcast and learn some tourism vocabulary too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-190912

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the harmful effects of tourism discussed in the podcast?

2. What are your thoughts on this?

3. Do you like to travel? How often do you so?

4. Do you like visiting other countries or do you prefer traveling in your country?

5. What does Disneyfication mean?

Leftovers You Should Stop Eating

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Leftovers can be a good solution to a quick meal. It is so easy to just reheat them in the microwave to satisfy one’s hunger. However, reheating certain food can be risky and much too fatal.

Watch the video and see if you are guilty as charged.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. Describe your reaction to this video.

2. What are the leftover food mentioned in the video?

3. Are you guilty of eating any of these leftover food?

4. What are the proper food reheating techniques discussed in the video? Do you have the time to do them when you eat leftover food?

A Message to Today’s World Leaders

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Greta Thunberg, 16, a Swedish climate advocate and recipient of Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award, recently gave an impassioned speech addressed to world leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

Watch her full speech here:

 

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What emotions did Thunberg’s speech arouse in you?
  2. What actions can young people do to protect the environment?
  3. What are the possible consequences of ignoring climate change?
  4. If you were to address your country’s leaders, what would you tell them about climate change?
  5. If you were President, what would you do about the environmental problems in your country?