Tag: First Certificate FCE

Toxic People

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Has anyone stripped you of your happiness before? As the saying goes ‘Don’t let the silly little things steal your happiness’. Similarly, we should not let toxic people drag us down. Take note of these negative people and avoid interacting with them.

Read this article on different kinds of toxic people you could encounter on a rather regular basis.

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/8-types-of-toxic-people-you-should-always-avoid.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Share your experience about an interaction with a toxic person.

2. What could be best ways to deal with these eight types of toxic people?

3. Among these eight types of toxic people, which do you consider the most crippling?

Work Burnout

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the most common and serious work issues is work burnout. It is often confused with stress. But there is a big difference between the two.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find out more about occupational blues.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/business-english/podcasts-for-professionals/work-burnout

Discussion Questions:
1. What’s the difference between stress and burnout?
2. What are ways to fight work blues?
3. Share any story about being burned-out.

Jobs for School Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Working part-time while studying used to be the norm in the UK but the trend is changing. The number of student part-timers has decreased in the recent years.

Find out more through this podcast:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-171214

Discussion Questions:
1. Should schoolchildren have jobs?
2. What are the pros and cons of working while studying?
3. Share your own story about juggling work and studies.

Urban Millennials Go to Farmer School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When you were young, have you ever thought of being a farmer? Do you want to work outdoors or indoors? This new school is trying to teach millennials who want to work on a farm.  In a society where technology is everywhere, farming has been often put behind thus creating a huge demand in the workforce for young people to work in the land.

Let’s watch and read the article below about this below:

https://www.voanews.com/a/virginia-agriculture-school-helps-train-new-farmers/4349791.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about farming?
  2.  Is farming a good and thriving industry in your country?
  3.  Do you think it is good to encourage young people to do manual jobs such as farming?
  4.  Do you need farmers and people who will work on the farm in your country?

Solution to Poverty: Educating Girls

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thomas Jefferson said, “All men are created equal.”  Everyone should have access to education regardless of his race, gender, religion or nationality.

It may sound absurd because we are already in the 21st century and almost everyone can go to school, but this is a sad reality for some women in third world countries.

Let us read the link below to know more about how educating women can create an impact on the society.

https://www.theguardian.com/opportunity-international-roundtables/2017/oct/04/global-poverty-child-marriage-education-girls

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you find it surprising that over 130 million girls worldwide are not in school? Why? Why not?
2. Would you agree that education is “a protection for girls”? Why? Why not?
3. Do you believe that education is the most effective way to fight poverty? Why? Why not?

What’s in a Name?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In many countries, women take their husbands’ last name when they get married. Is this the case in your country?

Click on the link to check if this tradition still holds true to most countries and how people feel about changing their last names:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english/ep-180201

Discussion Questions:
1. Do women take their husband’s surname when they get married in your country?
2. Would you change your last name or would you expect your partner to change his/hers?
3. Do you think it’s fair that children usually take their father’s family name?
4. Have you ever thought about changing your name?
5. What could be good reasons for a name change?

Men Are Chatterboxes Too

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nothing has been more enduring than the stereotype of women as chatterboxes, gabbing about everything and anything at any time, all the time. However, some reports conclude that men are chatterboxes too depending on the context of the conversation.

Read the article below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

Who speaks more, men or women? Most people wouldn’t hesitate to say that women speak more. There are many jokes about how much, and what, women talk about. But research which some may find surprising indicates that both men and women speak more or less equally.

Four hundred university students in the United States and Mexico participated in the study. Researchers recorded the students’ daily conversations for several days. After analyzing the data, they discovered that both sexes are in a statistical dead heat when it comes to speaking. Women used a little more than 16,000 words every day. Men used a little less than 16,000 words. The report admits, though, that the numbers could change as men and women grow older, because the study only tracked university students.

The current idea that women are chatterboxes just isn’t true. In addition, men only speak when they have something important to say also isn’t true. Both ideas probably come from cultural and political discrimination against women. But the study explains that men gossip just as much as women. Men and women also talk equally about unimportant topics. But women actually talk more about relationships.

A psychologist at Yale University has a somewhat different opinion. She suggests that the idea about men and women probably come from arguments between the genders. Unfortunately, the study doesn’t know how speaking patterns change in an argument. But other studies have supported the stereotype that guys become quiet and women talk more in an emotional conflict.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with the stereotype that women talk more?
  2. In a private conversation with close friends or family members, who talks more? How about in a business setting?
  3. Which topics/issues could men be more interested in that would entice them to speak more?

How Citizenship is Defined Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Jus sanguinis or right of blood and jus soli or right of the soil are the two principles of nationality by which citizenship is determined. Read the article to know which countries follow which principle, how their policies have changed and their issues about granting citizenship.

Citizenship, Policies and Issues

Discussion Questions:

  1. What principle does your country follow? What are your policies for citizenship? What are some issues regarding citizenship in your country?
  2. What are you views on dual or multiple citizenship? Would you like to acquire dual citizenship?
  3. What are your obligations as a citizen?
  4. How can we resolve issues about statelessness?

The Point of Travel

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Why do people travel? For pleasure? For work? For religious purpose? For soul-searching? Really, it all depends on the person. But how can we make most of our experiences while we travel? Let’s watch the video below and figure out together how we can become “conscious travelers”.

 

Discuss:

  1. What kind of traveler are you?
  2. What’s the reason why you travel?
  3. Do you try to learn the country’s culture or local people’s way of living when you travel? If yes, then how?
  4. Do you feel different when you go back home from your travel?
  5.  What can travel teach us?
  6.  What was your most memorable trip and why?

Government-Run Crowdfunding Platform

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Crowdfunding Bizkaia is the first ever state-run crowdfunding platform. Now, business-minded individuals can invest in local start-ups that catch their interest.

Read more about this here:

Authorities in Biscay in Spain’s Basque Country will allow its citizens to invest in state handpicked start-ups, the first local government to do so on the planet.

If you’re thinking of setting up a business in the Basque Country or looking for an alternative way to invest, this brand-new take on crowdfunding may be of interest to you.
 
From March 15th 2018, the government of Biscay (Vizcaya in Spanish or Bizkaia in Basque) is calling on any business-savvy members of the public to invest in Basque start-ups they’ve cherry-picked for their potential for success. 
 
Crowdfunding Bizkaia’s founders say the advantage of having local government involved is its capacity to boost investor confidence by mitigating risk. 
 
“In general the illiquidity of equity-based crowdfunding creates financial uncertainty,” their press release reads. 
 
“You don’t see a payout until the company exits – that’s assuming the business doesn’t fail, and you also can’t offload shares into a secondary market if you decide it’s a poor investment.“ 
 
Biscay’s government platform puts applying companies to the test with a rigorous financial and economic appraisal, which is meant to take the pressure off the shoulders of investors as they don’t’ have to check the viability and risk of the startup themselves.
 
 
 
According to Bizkaia Crowdfunding, there are also many perks for the startups applying, not just access to ‘seed money’. 
 
Chosen startups can request to have the government match the level of funding raised by the public, with a limit of €30,000.
 
Each venture will also receive a free year of business mentoring and support to help the businesses reach their growth targets, as opposed to mainstream crowdfunding platforms like Kickstart or Crowdcube who “pull out” once the money has been raised.
 
Working as partners, the company and government jointly decide fundraising aims. 
 
Additionally, the government-run platform provides other financing streams and business support avenues when the year finishes.
 
Crowdfunding Bizkaia also states that their commission fee is substantially lower than that of private crowdfunding platforms, 1 percent compared to an average 3 or 4 percent higher.
  
So what are the prerequisites for applicants?
 
All companies must be robust, in strong financial health– including four to five pre-existing shareholders– and occupy a unique market space.
 
Start-ups seeking investment on the platform must be headquartered in Biscay with companies from outside the region encouraged to establish their headquarters in Biscay to qualify for the platform.
 
Crowdfunding Bizkaia’s website will launch with four start –ups, another four in line, and the aim of managing between ten to twelve projects a year, which will be selected from around thirty that are expected to apply to join the platform.

 

 

Discussion Questions:
1. What are the advantages of having a government-run crowdfunding platform?
2. What do you think about this?
3. What are your thoughts on crowdfunding?