Tag: First Certificate FCE

Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

B2 – Upper intermediate

Immigration is a complex political issue worldwide. US President Obama announces an executive order that would help pave the way for enacting actions on immigration issues.

Obama to Announce Executive Order on Immigration

Discuss:

1. Does your country have problems with undocumented immigrants?
2. What are ways to solve a country’s problem on illegal immigration?
3. Do you think that parents who are undocumented should be deported?
4. What are the advantages of deportation?

*click on the title get an update on Obama’s immigration actions: The U.S. Supreme Court and Obama’s Immigration Actions

Illegal Job Interview Questions

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Job Interview – B2 – Upper intermediate

Finding a job is hard. But perhaps harder is passing a job interview, especially if competition is tough. Always let a job interview show the best of you and avoid being pressed for unnecessary information about yourself that could lead to discrimination.

Here are some questions that employers may ask applicants that are actually stepping on their boundaries.

Five Illegal Job Interview Questions in the US

Discuss:

1. Share your job interview experiences. What kind of questions were you asked?
2. Has an employer ever made you uncomfortable answering their questions?
3. What was the most outrageous question that you were asked in a job interview?
4. Aside from the questions mentioned above, what questions during job interviews do you think shouldn’t be asked?

Is a College Education Worth the Price?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Attending college or university to complete a four- year course costs a lot of money. Is it really worth the price? Considering the high cost of education and the job market that remains weak.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/is-a-college-education-worth-the-price/2469390.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you say that college or university education is affordable in your country?
  2. What degrees are top earners in your country?
  3. How’s the job market in your country these days?
  4. What alternatives does your country have if a person cannot afford to attend university?

Blood Test May Predict Suicide Risk

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A recent study found a simple blood test that can help identify a person’s risk of committing suicide. It is through examining levels of a particular chemical that gets expressed in a single human gene in elevated levels, in response to stress.

Read the article below to know more about a study on the mutation of gene SKA2.

 http://www.medicaldaily.com/blood-test-may-predict-suicide-risk-studying-levels-gene-mutation-ska2-295606 

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Explain “epigenetic mutation“. “They also found that in certain subjects, this common mutation had undergone an epigenetic modification that altered the way the SKA2 gene functioned without changing the gene’s underlying DNA sequence.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “precog” mean? “Not with the help of a “precog,” but by a simple blood test that examines levels of a particular chemical that gets expressed in a single human gene in elevated levels, in response to stress.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does “stymie” mean? “Suicide is a major preventable public health problem, but we have been stymied in our prevention efforts because we have no consistent way to predict those who are at increased risk of killing themselves.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think this kind of test could be useful in your country? How so?
  2. How else can the results of this study be useful?
  3. What psychological disorders do you know of? Please briefly discuss them.
  4. Do you think more studies should focus on psychological disorders? Why or why not?

Young and Free: Prerequisite for Success

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Starting a career or a business when you are young is nothing but easy. Perhaps all of us went through struggles as that newbie in the company. But for some others, they used being young and free to their advantage and stopped at nothing to succeed.

Read the article below about being successful at a young age and be ready to discuss the different idiomatic expressions used in the article.

http://esl.about.com/od/businessreading/a/Young-And-Free-Prerequisite-For-Success.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. How was your work life like the first years you joined the workforce? How has it changed over time?
  2. Describe a situation at work when you had to start from scratch.
  3. Are you the type of person who takes the bull by the horns? Talk about a time in your career when you had to make a bold move.
  4. Are you interested in working on your own startup? Why or why not?
  5. Do you agree that it’s a dog eat dog world out there? Elaborate on your thoughts.

A Kingdom For Your Birthday

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B2 – Upper intermediate

What was the best birthday present you’ve ever received? Read the article below to learn about a father’s unusual birthday present to her young daughter.

https://metro.co.uk/2014/07/14/american-man-claims-african-kingdom-for-his-daughter-so-she-can-be-an-actual-princess-4797666/

Discussion Questions:

1. What can you say about the father?
2. Would you do the same thing if you were the parent?
3. What was the most extreme thing you’ve done/given for a birthday gift?
4. How do you think the father’s actions will affect the child? Describe your idea of good parenting.

Nigeria Declared Car Horn-Free Day

B2 – Upper intermediate

Nigeria’s largest city  declared  a car “Horn-Free Day”  to raise awareness of noise pollution. Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola told reporters that the extent of the noise from car horns was enough to be a danger to people’s hearing. However, it seems not everyone is on board.

Nigeria declared car horn-free day

Discuss:

1. How do you feel about Governor Fashola’s opinion that the drivers in Europe don’t really use their horns that much?
2. Would you say that your city has this kind of noise problem?
3. How would you describe traffic in your city? What would you do to make it better?
4. What do you think are the different types of pollution in your country?

Obama’s Credit Card Issue

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Barack Obama had an embarrassing experience while dining at an expensive restaurant when his credit card was rejected. Obama told his credit card story on Friday while signing a new law to protect consumers from identity theft.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1410/141020-credit-cards.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “upmarket” mean? Use it in a sentence.“He was having dinner at an expensive restaurant in an upmarket area of New York.”
  2. What does “tighten” mean? Use it in a sentence. “In particular, the new law tightens the controls on credit cards.”
  3. What does “hacker” mean? Use it in a sentence. “It is easy for hackers to read them and put the information on other cards.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever experienced any problem with your credit card in the past? What was the problem and how were you able to solve it?
2. How do you protect yourself when using your credit card or using online or mobile banking?
3. Does your country have very strict rules when it comes to using and sharing credit cards, bank accounts and other personal details?

Retiring at 40

B2 – Upper intermediate

Do you ever dream of not having to go to work and not worry about money? Start planning to retire at the age of 40. Impossible?

Read on for a guide on how to achieve this seemingly impossible dream.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140404-yes-you-can-retire-at-40

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you be interested in early retirement? Why or why not
  2. How do you picture yourself as a retiree?
  3. What might be advantages and disadvantages in retiring early?
  4. In India, the more youthful working population has its goal set to retire earlier at 45 or 50. Do you think its the same trend in your country? Talk about it.
  5. Talk about the usual pension or retirement plans of companies for its employees in your country?.
  6. Talk about the package for pensioners in your country.
  7. What are some issues do retired people in your country face?

Successful 20-year-old Owns a Chinese Factory

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Take a peek into the life of a young and successful man who started creating his products when he was 11 and now owns a factory in China:

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/20-old-brooklyn-successful-owns-133159062.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What were you doing when you were 20?
2. What do you think are the perks and pitfalls of being a young millionaire?
3. Are there many start up businesses in your city run and managed by young entrepreneurs?
4. If you became a multimillionaire, how would you manage your wealth?