Tag: Lifestyle

Cabin Fever

B2 – Upper Intermediate

After a long while being stuck indoors, we start feeling bored and restless. This is called “cabin fever”. It sounds like an actual disease but it is not. However, when one gets into this state, some effects could be being anxious, irritable, and even depressed caused by the long period of confinement in a tight or a remote, isolated space.

Read the article to learn more about cabin fever and be able to answer the questions below:

https://www.healthline.com/health/cabin-fever#symptoms

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever had cabin fever before? If so, why and what happened?
  2. How did you cope or deal with it?
  3. What situations usually cause people to have it?
  4. What advice can you give to a person suffering from it?
  5. Are you a social hermit or a social butterfly?

Dancing Cha-cha

B1 – Intermediate

Dancing is a pleasurable activity that involves a lot of body movements.  As they say, rhythmic body movement is instinctive but learning some steps won’t hurt.

Let’s learn the basics of dancing cha-cha-cha or or simply cha-cha.

Discussion Questions:
1 What are the 4 basic elements of Cha-Cha?
2. Do you like dancing? How often do you do it?
3. What kinds of dancing can we see in your country?
4. What kind of music do you think is good to dance to?
5. Do you think being a professional dancer would be a good job?

Living in the Netherlands’ Futuristic Homes

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you ever imagined living inside a house that resembles a golf ball? For many, this would seem like a very strange idea. But in Bolwoningen, a small village outside Amsterdam, this is a reality.

Watch the video to learn more.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Explain the video in your own words. What do you think about Bolwoningen?
  2. Have you ever seen an unusual or unconventional home? Would you like to try to live in one? Why or why not?
  3. Talk about the most bizarre-looking house you’ve ever seen.

When a Night Owl Lives Like an Early Bird

C1 – Advanced

Do you always get a good night sleep or is it always a struggle to have one? Well, we’ve got our own circadian rhythm to blame. This cycle which is also known as the “body clock” harmonizes other vital organs as it regulates many physiological processes such as when we need to sleep, rise and eat.  Being a night owl however lets us function differently in our society and can take its toll.

Let’s find out how a night owl operates in our society by watching the video below.

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about your circadian rhythm. Are you a night owl or a lark?

2. What is social jet lag?

3. How difficult is it for a night owl to live like an early bird?

4. Has your sleeping pattern changed over time?

5. Do schools start early in your country?

Divorce Exam

B1 – Intermediate

The number of couples getting divorced is increasing in China. The government is taking actions in order to reduce it.

Click the link below to read more about this:

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1806/180605-china-divorce-4.html

Discussion Questions:
1. What is your reaction to this?
2. Do you think this would be effective in your country?
3. What might be other ways to reduce the number of divorce in a country?

Why We Need Mean Friends More

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Agreeably to our preference, the best kind of friend is someone who would always love us – the imperfect us, the confused us, and the wrong us. Moreover, study shows that the best kind of friends are actually our mean friends. Let’s find out how having one can benefit our life more.

Study shows mean friends are the best kind of friends

Discussion Questions:

1. Say something about your friends and your mean friends.
Do you agree with the study?

2. What kind of a friend are you? Tell me about you being a mean friend.

3. What do you think of the saying “Show me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are?”

4. What was the biggest challenge your friendship has ever faced?

5.How do you maintain a good relationship with your friends?

What Do You Buy When You’re Sad

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Retail therapy is the act of shopping and spending to improve one’s mood. Often seen in people during periods of depression or transition, it is normally a short-lived habit. Items purchased during periods of retail therapy are sometimes referred to as “comfort buys”.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-171207

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you do to feel better when you are sad?

2. Do you believe in retail therapy or is it just an excuse to go binge shopping?

3. When is retail therapy unhealthy?

Minimalism

B1 –  Intermediate

In an era when we can shop whenever and wherever,  why do some people choose not to?

Minimalism is a lifestyle where you just own what is necessary in order to focus on more important things, interesting isn’t?

Lets take a look on how Japanese people practice this lifestyle.

http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-japans-extremely-minimalist-homes-2016-6

Discussion Questions:

1. What is minimalism?

2. What do you think about minimalism?

3. Would you like to try living as a minimalist?

4. What are the pros and cons of being a minimalist?

7 Ways To Lead a Simple, Happy Life

B1 –  Intermediate

In this generation, we are proud to have a busy life. We wear it like a badge. We think that being productive means staying longer at work or doing more activities. Constantly being on the go can take its toll in our physical and emotional state. At some point, we need to stop and rethink the way we live.

Read the article below and learn how to lead a simple and happy life.

7 Ways You Can Lead a Simple, Happy Life

Questions for discussion:

  1.  Are you an active person? What are your daily activities?
  2.  What are the disadvantages of being too busy?
  3.  What do you think about the article?
  4.  Among the 7 ways of living a simple and happy life, what do you think is the easiest and hardest to do?

Foreign Accent Syndrome

B2 – Upper intermediate

A person’s accent is the product of where they are from and may also be from their social and educational background. For example, someone from Australia will most probably speak with an Australian accent, but in Australia there are also different accents because of differences in social background and education. This is generally the case for everybody in any part of the world. Is having an accent a distinction or a disadvantage?

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1802/180215-british-accent.html

Let’s Talk:

How important is the accent to one’s culture?

Do you find it difficult to understand foreigners because of their accent?

If you were to have the FAS one day, what accent would you like to have?