Tag: First Certificate FCE

Will Drones Transform Farmers’ Lives in Thailand?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Today’s technology is rapidly evolving and now with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle also known as a drone, our agriculture will soon be revolutionized.

Read the article below to know how Thai agriculture could expand and evolve.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/03/asia/bug-away-thailand-drones-intl/index.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. How will drones transform agriculture?
  2. What are the pros and cons of using drones in agriculture?
  3. What do you think are other uses of drones?
  4. Would you like to have a drone? What are you going to use it for?
  5. How has the agriculture sector changed in your country over the past years?

Perfectly Edible Food Tossed to Dumpster

B2 – Upper Intermediate

All commercial dumpsters may be filled with garbage or trash, but in some, they contain food that is still safe to eat. Inside Edition’s Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero and food waste expert Rob Greenfield went to a dumpster outside a CVS store in Orlando, Florida. They searched for food inside garbage bins and were shocked to see that edible food are really going to waste.

Watch the video and see what they have found:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of food thrown away before their expiration dates?
  2. Should it be donated to the needy? Why or why not?
  3. Why do companies throw away this food?
  4. Would you consume edible food from the dumpster?

How Does an Interpreter Juggle Two Languages

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Being an interpreter is a demanding job as they consecutively think and speak in different languages. A slight nuance may actually be catastrophic. Despite the complexities of language and cultural exchanges, how are miscommunications prevented?

Watch the video and learn more about

 

 

Discussion Questions:

1. How do interpreters master their skills?

2. How are interpreters appreciated in your country?

3. How do interpreters prevent miscommunications?

4. What is your impression about this job? Given a chance, would you like to be an interpreter?

5. What are your thoughts on this statement: “War is what happens when language fails”?

What is Employability?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

‘To be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure.’

Skills, understandings and personal attributes are all important for anyone to have in today’s job market.

Watch the video to know what employers exactly look for an applicant.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Based on the employers’ answers in the video, give employability skills one should have.
  2. What are the benefits of having employability skills?
  3. What makes you employable?
  4. How have people from your country’s perspectives about employability changed through the years?

Pay Money to Become More Intelligent

B2- Upper Intermediate

What if you could make money or type something just by thinking about it? What if you could get richer, get healthier or even live longer? It sounds like science fiction, but it might be closer to reality than we think.

Super smart people could be walking down the street; men and women who’ve paid to increase their intelligence. Dr. Cerf believes we will be able to control our lives better if we have more control over our brains.

Listen to the audio about smart chips:

 

Read the transcript here: https://deepenglish.com/2019/04/become-more-intelligent/

 

Discussion Questions: 

1. Would you want to get a smart chip implanted on your brain?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of smart chips?

3. What will be the social implications of smart chips?

4. Will the smart chips create intelligence inequality?

5. What are some brain exercises that help enhance our intelligence?

 

The Mysterious Science of Pain

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every painful sensation is coming from our brains and there is no pain without the brain. Does that mean can we think the pain away? Just how much power does the mind have over pain?

These are the biological and psychological factors that influence how we experience pain and how our nervous system reacts to harmful stimuli.

Watch the video to know more:

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you deal with pain?

2. What unbearable physical pain have you experienced?

3. Do you try not to focus and try to just keep trying various things to numb the pain?

4. What pain management techniques do you know of?

5. Have you consulted a pain specialist before?

Beijing Bikini

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every summer inevitably leads men to roll their shirts up and expose their bellies in public places like parks and alleyways.  This “fashion trend” is commonly known as “Beijing Bikini” and it is now under threat. The city of Jinan in northeastern Shandong Province has announced that the exposing of bellies is one of its key targets in what they’re calling a “civilizing campaign”. The moves are supposedly part of improving the city’s overall image.

Read the article here:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/04/asia/china-jinan-beijing-bikini-intl-hnk/index.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion about Beijing Bikini and the end of it in this Chinese city?

2. Should we show decency when we are in public places?

3.“If their bodies are good then fine; if they’re not in shape then no way.” What is your reaction to this statement?

4. How does being shirtless affect the overall image of a city/country?

 

Smart Speakers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Smart speakers have been gaining popularity all over the world. We find convenience in using these devices as they listen to all our commands.

But how can we be sure that this mere ‘listening’ by these gadgets isn’t ‘spying’?

Listen to the discussion on smart speakers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-190509

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you make of smart speakers?
  2. What are your thoughts on the possibility of you being spied on through your smart devices?
  3. Talk about your experience using a smart speaker or any smart device. If you aren’t using one yet, what are your reasons for not doing so?
  4. Tell us your experience eavesdropping.

Vampire Shopping

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the many things we can do on our laptops and smartphones is shopping. We can do it any moment of the day, even in the dead of the night. But is this a good thing to do?

Listen to this episode as the hosts talk about their shopping habits and vampire shopping.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-190530

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on very late night shopping?
  2. What are the pros and cons of shopping online?
  3. Talk about your online shopping habits, experiences, and online shopping’s effects on you.
  4. Have you ever bought things you regretted or were ashamed of?
  5. Have you ever gotten sucked into something?

Why Appraisals Are Pointless?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In so many ways, whether the company would thrive or fail relies on employee quality. Hence, many companies resort to appraisals in order to sort the good apples from the bad ones.

Read the full article and discover why the dreaded appraisals just don’t work and what might be the better way to boost employee productivity.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190501-why-appraisals-are-pointless-for-most-people

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the pros and cons of employee performance ratings?
  2. What are your thoughts on performance reviews?
  3. Talk about the performance review process of your company.