Tag: First Certificate FCE

Happiness Can Cause Heart Problems

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you had a good laugh today? Laughing helps you and others around you feel happy. Not only that, happiness causes healthy physical changes in the body. Indeed, your sense of fun is among the most valuable ways you have for improving your everyday mood and mental condition, which benefits your general well-being. When you live a cheerful life, it benefits your entire body more notably, your emotions and thoughts.

But have you ever thought that perhaps being overjoyed has its drawbacks too? Excessive happiness not only defeats its advantages for us, but it may also cause heart problems.

Let’s take a look at the article below to find out how happiness can cause heart problems.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/health-medicine/happiness-can-cause-heart-problems.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you worry about having heart problems? Why or why not?
  2. Is heart disease a leading health problem in your country? Why do you think that is?
  3. What things are really bad for your heart?
  4. What can you do to look after your heart?
  5. Is it possible for scientists to be able to produce a mechanical heart that can work forever one day? Why or why not?

Should We Have Let Pandas Go Extinct?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Pandas are no longer endangered now but that begs the question, should we really have focused on saving them?

Pandas are not very crucial to the environment and it takes a lot of money to save them but we still did because of how cute they look.

Instead of helping pandas, we could have helped other species that are more crucial to the environment and cost less to save.

Watch the video and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, was it necessary to save pandas? Explain your stand.
  2. Do you think that because pandas are no longer endangered now, we won’t make the same mistake again, and help other species that are more cost effective to save and vital to the environment?
  3. If you were able to decide where money goes in saving endangered animals, would you have chosen pandas? Why or why not?
  4. Imagine a world without pandas.
  5. What are some endangered species in your country and what has the government done in order to save them?

Covid Health Pass Implanted in Your Hand

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Biochip technology is believed to be one of the most thrilling advanced technology to emerge and it expresses a lot of interesting potential applications. This technology makes it possible to verify a person’s identity without the use of identity cards, store medical information, have control over many devices, and create a cashless society.

A Swedish company created a rice-sized chip implant that is capable of storing COVID-19 vaccination information. Hence, people don’t need to worry about using their phones to present their COVID passport.

Let’s read the article below to learn more about this biochip implant.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/12/23/would-you-be-willing-to-have-your-covid-health-pass-implanted-in-your-hand

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the use of biochips as access to COVID-19 vaccination information?
  2. Would you be willing to have your COVID passport implanted in your hand? Why or why not?
  3. What dangers do you see in putting biochips in people’s bodies?
  4. Microchip implants in the future could create a cashless, cardless, keyless society. What do you think of this?
  5. Technologies upgrade because of its tendency to enter the mainstream. Are you the type of person who is updated with technology? Why or why not?

Using Scarcity in Marketing Strategy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Companies and businesses use the tactic of scarcity marketing to stand out. The idea is to make product scarce in order to attract customers and boost sales. It’s based on a psychological principle that the more difficult it is to obtain something, the more people want it.

Watch the video on how scarcity is used in marketing strategy and be able to express your opinions by answering the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think scarcity marketing has been effective and why has it become a powerful sales and marketing tool?
  2. What are some of scarcity marketing do you know of? Cite some examples.
  3. Share an experience you had when you fell for scarcity marketing which led you to purchase a product.

School Lunches from Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Lunchtime at school is a very important part of a kid’s day. It provides them with enough energy to learn and be active.

Many schools provide students with access to meals. When choosing what to eat for lunch, making a healthy choice is really important.

Let’s watch the video to see what school lunches around the world are like.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do kids in your country usually eat for lunch at their schools?
  2. What was your school lunches like when you were a kid?
  3. Do you think school lunches should be provided by the government? Explain.
  4. What are things to consider for school kids’ lunches/snacks?
  5. In your opinion, which country has the best school lunch? Why do you think so?

Embryo a Year Younger than the Mother

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some couples are lucky to have children without needing any medical interventions but there are others whose dreams of having a child is a long shot. Luckily, with the help of science, their dreams could possibly come true.

Read the article and watch the video about the oldest frozen human embryo and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/19/health/snowbaby-oldest-embryo-bn/index.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on/reaction to this news?
  2. What do you think about embryo donation and adoption?
  3. Talk about other modern methods of conceiving that you know about.

Teenagers Aren’t What They Used To Be

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whenever we hear the term teenager, we picture of a phase in someone’s life when one is making dumb choices while struggling to mature via trial and error.

The bulk of choices taken by adolescents are impacted by their peers and how others behave.

Let’s take a look at the article below to find out why teenagers aren’t what they used to be.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220124-why-teens-arent-what-they-used-to-be

Discussion Questions:

  1. Did you like being a teenager? Talk about that phase in your life.
  2. What are the best and worst things about being a teenager?
  3. Do you think today’s teens are the same as teenagers 20 years ago? Explain your point.
  4. Do you think parents look forward to their cute little children becoming teenagers? Why/why not?
  5. Why is it that teenagers tend to rebel so much?
  6. What impact do teenagers have on society?

Running a Successful Small Business

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Owning a business sounds like a dream: you are your own boss and you get a say on everything from top to bottom of things. A lot of people are enticed by the idea of a business where they own their time, earn their own money, and take charge of where the money goes or how it’s spent, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

Starting or owning a business takes a lot of responsibility and sacrifices. So many things happen behind the scenes that are tricky and challenging.

The tips laid out in the article below aims to help budding entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-to-be in setting up and running a small business successfully.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/make-money-in-business.asp

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you interested in having your own business? Why or why not? If yes, what kind of business would it be?
2. What sacrifices must be made to start a business? Are you willing to take them?
3. What are some challenges faced when starting a business?
4. What are some rewards of owning a business?
5. How do you keep yourself organized at work and in other aspects of your life?
6. What is good customer service?
7. What are other tips that you can add to the list?

Boredom and Sadistic Behavior

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What brings about sadism? A study made by a team of researchers at Aarhus University has found evidence that people who are bored behave more sadistically to reduce the effects of being indifferent.

Read the article below about how boredom leads to setting off sadistic behavior and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-boredom-factor-sadistic-behavior.html#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20researchers%20at,in%20setting%20off%20sadistic%20behavior.&text=A%20closer%20look%20showed%20that,others%20more%20often%20when%20bored.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the results of this study?
  2. What do you think of trolling behavior of people online because they are bored?
  3. What bores you? How does boredom make you feel? What do you do when you get bored?
  4. What was the strangest thing you did out of boredom?
  5. How would you help someone who says they are bored?

Recycling and Reusing COVID Tests and Masks

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The use of face masks is the most important weapon that we have against the COVID-19 virus. Even before the pandemic, wearing of face masks was already customary in some parts of Asia such as China, Japan, and Korea. People wear it to protect themselves from illness, allergies, pollution, and more.

While beneficial, it generates millions tons of plastic wastes and it is causing a lot of environmental problems. So people came up with some recycling initiatives to reduce COVID plastic wastes.

Let’s read the article below to find out more about these recycling initiatives.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/01/28/can-covid-tests-and-masks-be-recycled-and-reused-these-people-have-found-a-way

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on COVID tests and masks being recycled and reused? Do you think it is safe to do this?
  2. How do you safely dispose your used masks and test kits?
  3. Do you agree that “hygiene theatre” should be stopped? Is it really effective in providing additional protection against the spread of Covid-19?
  4. Are there recycling points in your city/country? If not, do you think you should have one?
  5. What are other ways to manage all our pandemic wastes?