Everyone goes through different things in life everyday. One could be shocked and sad of a bad news, others could be determined and hopeful for better days.
Would you treat them differently if you could see what they are going through?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl2_knlv_xw
Discuss:
1. How would you explain the words sympathy, empathy and apathy? 2. Would you consider yourself a sympathetic person? 3. How do you handle social and emotional stress? 4. When going through a difficult situation, do you prefer sharing your problems or do you prefer keeping it to yourself?
When is a computer game just for fun and when does it become dangerous? Listen to Rob and Finn discussing whether adult computer games could affect our children’s health.
This podcast contains vocabulary expressions that your teacher might ask about so be ready for a discussion.
1. Do you think that computer games can be unhealthy or do you think there are good things that you can get out of it? 2. What are some computer games that you’ve played? 3. If you’re a parent, what rules do you have for your child/children when it comes to computer games? 4. Do you think the government or certain government bodies should be involved in regulating computer games?
In Spain, tourists have been spending billions of Euros from January to July alone.
This is said to be helping the country recover from the economic crisis. However, some top Spanish vacation destinations have experienced drawbacks from the heavy influx of tourists in the recent years, forcing authorities to impose stern measures to control the situation.
Tourist spending in Spain sets new record, boosting economic recovery
Foreign tourists spent €37.129 billion between January and July alone – the highest in recorded history, according to a report released by the federal Tourist Expenditure Survey released on Thursday.
This was an increase of 7.7 percent over the same time period from last year.
Spain has received a record number of tourists so far this year at 37.9 million, who have in turn been spending record amounts of cash each day – dropping on average €113 per person daily.
And each tourist spent nearly a grand – €978 – over the course of their vacation under the Spanish sun.
Tourists from the UK lined the coffers of Spain’s tourism industry the most, spending a total of €7.58 billion. But although one in four tourists you may see poking around gift shops hail from the British Isles, the British only contributed a fifth of the total tourist spend.
It was the American tourists, though, who seemed to have the deepest pockets with each US native spending on average €161 per day.
Catalonia, the coastal region in northeastern Spain, earned the most from tourism racking up €8.588 billion a figure that represents amost a quarter (23.1 percent) of all of the money spent by tourists across Spain.
But despite the fact that tourists have been bringing in evermore money to the cash-strapped country, Spain has seen backlash against mass tourism in recent years at some of the top vacation spots.
Magaluf is among those resorts attempting to crack down on tourists behaving badly through a raft of new bylaws prohibiting exhibitionism and binge drinking.
And Benidorm on the Costa Blanca will now be employing the help of British bobbies to patrol the shores where more than one million Brits holiday each year.
Money may not grow on trees, but in Spain it sure seems to grow on tourists as holidaymakers bring in more cash than they ever have before.
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think leads to more tourists coming to your country? 2. Do you think tourism helped a lot in improving Spain’s economic condition? 3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of tourism? 4. What other places in Spain should be developed for tourism?
Almost everyone agrees that a white lie is a good kind of lie. But is it really good knowing you’re hiding the truth from someone?
Read the article to know the science and reason behind lying.
Everyone lies. In fact, lies are an important facet of humanity. For example, research shows that two acquaintances lie several times in the average ten minute conversation. Although we are told to always tell the truth from a very young age, parents lie about Santa Clause or about the pet dog’s death. Parents also smile and say “thank you” when receiving a gift, then possibly belittle it at home. These conflicting messages signal children to regard lies as okay.
We lie to ourselves all the time to make problems, fears, and failures seem less troublesome. A New Year’s resolution can be considered a lie, too, because in most cases we don’t intend to keep the promise — we’ve only deceived ourselves. Or consider the next time a friend or colleague asks, “How are you?” That person doesn’t want to hear that you’re tired, overworked, underpaid, and have problems with your significant other. Social rules demand that you reply, “I’m fine.”
Psychologist Paul Ekman offers some basic reasons for lying. We lie to escape punishment, to get out of uncomfortable situations, to boost our egos, to receive a reward, to protect someone, or to control the flow of information. Everything from a large exaggeration to a small lie falls into one of these categories.
Despite the fact that lying is an indivisible part of our psyche, we can only catch a lie about fifty percent of the time. The success rate is quite low, and suggests that we don’t want to know that another person isn’t being honest. Lies, some experts suggest, are the glue which holds society together.
Source: headsupenglish.com
Discussion Questions:
1. How often do you think you lie? Is it too much? 2. What are some of the reasons you’ve lied recently? 3. Do you think lies hold society together? Why/not? 4. What situations would it be better to lie than to tell the truth? Why do you think so? 5. Do you think one gender lies more than the other? Why/not?
When is it bribing and when is it a reward? It’s become a normal practice for most parents to give children something in return for good behaviour.
Read the article below to know what’s wrong with modern-day parenting.
Some parents promise a child dessert if they finish their Brussels sprouts. Some parents purchase a video game if a child does well on a test. These shouldn’t be called treats or rewards. Promises of desserts, toys, or favors are bribes, especially when they are given for everyday, appropriate behavior.
Parenting experts agree that rewards are important. But some parents have gone too far. They pay their children to brush their teeth, go to sleep early, or even score a few goals at a soccer tournament! This may achieve results in the short term. But in the long term, children can become adults with an unrealistic viewpoint of the world. They think, “What are you going to give me?”
The modern world is partly to blame. There are many more material goods than before. In addition, both parents must now work and be parents full-time. It’s easier to bribe a child than to have a power struggle. However, with each bribe, children demand more and more.
Of course, it’s perfectly all right to reward children from time to time. The action should equal the reward, though.\
Source: headsupenglish.com
Discussion Questions:
1.Is this a problem in your country? If yes, please explain. 2.Do children behave better or worse than 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Why? 3.Will children behave better or worse in 10 years? 20 years? Why? 4.What is the most difficult part about being a parent? Why?
September of 2015, Germans gave a warm welcome to migrants and refugees who reached Munich. They are willing to help them have a decent home and education but the growing number of migrants and refugees is also alarming on their part.
1. Are there any Syrian refugees in Spain? 2. What is your opinion about the issue as a European? 3. To what extent should people do their social humanitarian responsibility?
By definition, an immigrant is someone from a foreign country who relocates to live in another country. The European migrant crisis is surging and EU is struggling to respond to this.
Listen to the audio and read the transcript whether they should be considered as migrants or refugees.
They say that necessity is the mother of all inventions and man, in general, will always crave for knowledge. It is probably this combination that brought Louis Braille to the development of the Braille System.
Read the article below to find out more about the Braille system.
Share your thoughts on this: Although Braille is thought to be the main way that blind people can read and write, only few people really use it. In Great Britain, for example only about 20,000 out of 2 million visually impaired actually use Braille.
Does your country have special training facilities for people who are visually impaired? Talk about it.
In your country, do people with visual disabilities have specific benefits? Talk about them.
Are you aware of any new technologies that people with visual disabilities are using to make everyday life easier?
What do you think are ways to make Braille more attractive to users?
Minority groups all over the world are given their rights and privileges. But how far is a government willing to go to make them feel part of the society?
Read the article below and be ready to express your thoughts by answering the discussion questions.
What is the importance of allowing Kurdish to be taught in schools in Turkey? How significant is it?
What is your opinion on this, “The European Union has repeatedly put pressure on Turkey to pass better laws for Kurdish citizens. It says that if Turkey wants to become a full member of the EU minority rights must be granted.“?
What are the different minority groups in your country?
Is your country fair in giving rights to citizens belonging to minority groups?
What elective subjects can students take up in your country
What elective subjects do you think will be good for students to study nowadays and why?
Did you take up any language as an elective subject at school? Talk about it.
Disability can be devastating to one’s physical and emotional health. Disabled people find it difficult to do even the simplest task. It can also affect the family.
Read the article below then express your thoughts about the topic.
1. What problems do people with disabilities face in your country? 2. What do you think of the Paralympic Games? 3. What kinds of discrimination do people with disabilities face? 4. What message do you think disabled people would like to tell those without a disability?
