Tag: First Certificate FCE

3D Printing: Turn Your Head into Chocolate Lollipops

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Imagine your head as a chocolate. Now, you can actually have it done and enjoy watching your friends eating a candied version of your head.

Click on the link below and express your thoughts about this start-up company and their sweet idea.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35040661

Discussion Questions:

1. Explain the process of making the 3D chocolate heads.
2. What do you think of this start-up company?
3. What is your opinion of 3D printing? Do you think it has its own limitations?
4. If you were throwing a party, would you give out chocolate heads as sweets or souvenirs?
5. Would you like a candy version of yourself on a stick?

Getting Paid to Play

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We’ve all seen ads of odd jobs for big bucks. Getting paid to watch videos or to answer surveys. But most of them turn out to be hoaxes. Too good to be true.

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

David Storey of Australia purchased a private island for $26,500. The sum may sound like a ridiculously cheap price. However, the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it’s virtual. In other words, the place doesn’t exist in the real world. It’s part of a computer program for players in the role-playing game, Entropia. The island was recently recognized as the priciest virtual object ever purchased with real money by Guinness World Records.

You now may wonder if Storey is a little bit crazy. However, don’t judge him so quickly because the twenty-seven-year-old graduate student currently earns more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix recreation and work. He runs the island like a rare game preserve, where hunters are taxed to use the land. He then exchanges the virtual money, known as Entropian dollars, for real cash. There are similar businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars!

People who are unfamiliar with online role-playing games may see the whole concept as ridiculous. Yet you have to give kudos to the gamers who have been able to succeed in an often competitive virtual world. David Storey and others like him don’t just live from paycheck to paycheck. If they did so, then the money would suddenly dry up if they quit playing to take a vacation or deal with a personal crisis. Instead, these individuals are making a lot of money. Even the most cynical individual has to respect the money earned. Gamers like Storey are getting paid to play.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you want to get paid for playing a video game? Why/not?
2. Would you want to get paid for doing something you really love? Why/not?
3. How is buying a virtual object different from buying luxury goods you don’t really need?
4. Are people like Storey just very lucky, or do they have some special quality?
5. If someone you knew wanted to make money online, what sort of advice would you give?

China Airlines to Blacklist Rowdy Passengers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Flight delays are definitely unpleasant experience when traveling. But how do you react to it? Some people take it too far – causing even bigger problems at the airports, with the airlines and fellow passengers.

It’s time something is done about this. Read on how some Chinese Airlines are trying to address the problem on misbehaving air commuters.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35462707

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think blacklisting passengers is a good idea?
2. Have you ever been on a flight with an unruly passenger? Talk about this incident.
3. What are other actions/behaviors that should cause someone to be banned from airports or airlines?
4. Should aviation laws in your country be toughened to address problems with trouble-causing passengers?

Musician Cancels Show Over Transgender Law

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Bruce Springsteen, a famous rock musician cancelled a concert in North Carolina, because of the state’s laws on transgender issues. He’s one of the many artists who are fighting against discrimination and partiality.

Read the article below and express your thoughts about the issue.

http://www.voanews.com/a/bruce-springsteen-cancel-north-carolina-concert-transgender-law/3277096.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Are transgender people socially accepted in your country?
2. Have you heard of any act of discrimination against them?
3. Should transgenders be given equal rights in the society?

Four Young Entrepreneurs Making the World a Better Place

B2 – Upper intermediate

The younger generation definitely has the edge when it comes to developing technology. Four young entrepreneurs are highlighted in this article, showcasing their talents and how they are sharing it to the rest of the world.

Read the article to know more about them and their innovations.

Today’s world of cutting-edge technology clearly belongs to the young – brash, innovative, unafraid to take a risk. Some of these young entrepreneurs are already at the pinnacle of success. Others are slowly creating a name for themselves. Techtonics connected with four of them.

Mateusz Mach

Eighteen-year-old Mateusz Mach, CEO of Five, a messaging app for deaf people, was the youngest person in Poland to secure venture capital funding to expand his company.

Five, which allows deaf people to create their own sign language to communicate, currently has more than 10,000 deaf users. And Mach expects to add about 150,000 deaf users in the U.S. next year.

The app caught the attention of the United Nations in New York. The U.N. offered to promote the next version of Five, which is designed with the U.S. sign language in mind. Sign languages vary, depending on the region.

Mach will be studying economics in the next few years, but will continue to dabble in technology.

I love to create. And I think that the creation of things will be my passion to the end of my life.

Ida Tin

Ida Tin started researching alternatives for contraception when she was in her 20s, after experiencing a host of side-effects with birth control pills.

She discovered that few major developments in family planning have been made since the introduction of the Pill – first approved for use in the United States in the 1960s. So she set out to make managing fertility more friendly.

Leveraging the power of technology, which she believes is key to the future of family planning, she came up with a user-friendly, data-based app called Clue to help users make more informed decisions.

Clue, a menstrual period and health tracking app, informs users when they are most or least likely to get pregnant. Available in 10 languages for Android, iOS and iWatch platforms, Clue already boasts more than two million users in more than 180 countries.

William Zhou

Looking for a bigger challenge – changing education – William Zhou created a productivity suite for K-12 teachers to bring personalized learning to children. (Chalk.com)

William Zhou is the co-founder and CEO of Chalk.com, an education software company focused on K-12 (kindergarten, to 12th grade).

Zhou founded his first company when he was in high school. And he sold his first Internet business, established in 2010, when he was 18. At the time, he was studying computer science at Canada’s University of Waterloo.

But education was his passion. And so, working from the dorm room, he created Chalk, an integrated productivity suite to bring personalized learning to teachers and K-12 children.

Based in Canada, Chalk is now used in 20,000 schools by more than 100,000 users worldwide.

Zhou was named to Forbes’ top 30 under 30 entrepreneurs for education in 2015. But despite his experience, he says building startups is an emotional roller coaster that requires a lot of resilience because it could last years.

It’s only worth it if you find something you truly care about – something you’re passionate about. Otherwise, you may just end up crashing.

George Mtemahanji

Born in Ifakara, Tanzania, Mtemahanji and his family moved to Italy in 2002, where he joined the Technical Institute of Alfredo Ferrari in Maranello. There he discovered his passion for renewable energy and realized that solar energy was more applicable in Africa than in Europe.

George Mtemahanji came up with the idea to start a solar power business in Africa in 2011, when he realized the scope of the electricity problem in Tanzania. (SunSweet Solar)

After graduating and working as a technician for a Swiss photovoltaic company, he returned to Tanzania in 2014 to start his own solar energy company – SunSweet Solar – in partnership with his friend Manuel Rolando.

For me, it was incomprehensible that in Kilombero with a solar radiation of more than 5kw/h per square meter per day, more than 90 percent of people had no access to electricity. So when I returned to Italy I spoke with Manuel on the huge electricity demand in Tanzania and to the possibility to open a business there.

SunSweet Solar’s early focus in rural areas of Tanzania turned out to be a huge success. Since then, the company has been active in Zambia as well.

Looking ahead, Mtemahanji wants to open an assembly plant in Tanzania, creating jobs and helping build his country in the process.

Of course, there is a long way to go. But I think we are on the right path.

In 2015, the team was selected for the Anzisha Prize as one of the 12 best companies out of 500 led by young people under 22 in Africa, according to the African Leadership Academy.

Discussion Questions:

1. What can you say about these four young people’s innovations?
2. What were some of the things you were busy with when you were in your teens and 20s?
3. How would you define success?

The End of the Spanish Siesta

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Siesta. It can’t get more Spanish than that. If sushi is to Japan, then siesta is to Spain. Although part of the Spanish culture, a radical proposal to end the practice has been raised.

Read the article to know more about schedule change.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35995972

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is taking a siesta necessary in the workplace?
  2. How do you feel about the proposal in the article?
  3. What is your opinion on lessening the working hours for Spanish workers?
  4. How would you describe an ideal working schedule?

Your New Favourite Bookshop

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Events such as literary talks, philosophical gatherings and open mic storytelling… How do these sound to you?

When you visit Libreria, you would surely be brought back to a time when you used to love reading paper books. But for some gadget-dependent individuals, there might be a problem when you come to this library. You are not allowed to use your mobile phone or tablet. And if you were caught doing so, you will be requested to stop.

Read more about Liberia, a bookshop where customers are banned from using mobile phones and tablets inside the shop.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160324-could-this-be-your-new-favourite-bookshop

Discussion Questions:

1. What can you say about Libreria?
2. Do you enjoy going to libraries? Why or why not?
3. Are there places in your city/country where you can go for digital detox?
4. Where do you like to go when you want to unplug from the hustle and bustle of your modern life?

Is Social Media a Distraction?

B2 – Upper intermediate

There is no doubt that a lot of us have become dependent on social media to get updated with current events and the latest trends from every corner of the world. But is social media doing us more harm than good?

Listen to the podcast then be ready to answer discussion questions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-160331

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about the “rule of three” mentioned in the audio file?
2. Do you and your friends or family have a similar rule?
3. Do you think social media is doing us more harm than good?

Brain-Dead Man Dies after Drug Trial

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In France, an experimental drug intended to treat mood, anxiety, and movement disorders went shockingly wrong, resulting in the death of one participant and hospitalization of others. Biotrial says correct procedures were followed at every stage of the trial. So what went wrong?

Read the article below to get more information then express your thoughts.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35337671

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s your take on this issue?
  2. When a clinical trial goes wrong, who do you think is to blame? And why?
  3. Would you be willing to be participate in a drug trial? Why or why not?
  4. Should scientists stick to animal testing? Why or why not?
  5. In your opinion, has drug trial safety improved over the years? Explain.

The Unstoppable Growth of Themed Cruises

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Over the past decade, traveling on ​large ​ships for ​pleasure has become increasingly appealing to larger number of vacationists and younger generation holidaymakers. Themed cruises are now very popular catering not only to the traditional customers of this kind of holiday but also to people who are interested in varied subjects.

Read on this article about the growth of themed cruises.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35924022

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Have you ever been on a cruise? Tell us about this holiday.
  2. Talk about the popularity of cruises among holidaymakers in your country.
  3. If you were to go on a themed cruise, what would it be?
  4. What are other popular holiday ideas common in your country?