Tag: People and Human Interest

Woman Saves Dogs

B1 – Intermediate

They say dogs are man’s best friend. But in countries like China, they are nothing but juicy meat. Eating them is normal there.

A retired Chinese woman who also is a known animal activist does everything she can to save dogs from being killed and eaten. She takes care of many dogs in her home. Many people support her but there are also a lot who don’t because they think that eating dogs is a normal part of their tradition.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about a woman who rescues dogs.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/woman-saves-dogs-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of what this woman does for these dogs? Would you support her? 
  2. What do you think of some people taking advantage of her and selling her dogs to make money?
  3. What is your opinion on eating dogs as a tradition in some countries?
  4. If you could save an animal and take care of a lot of them, what would it be and why?
  5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a pet?

Napalm Girl

B1 – Intermediate

The Vietnam war was was a dark period in history. During that time, many attacks were launched. In one of them, South Vietnamese planes dropped napalm bombs on a village. Direct contact with flaming napalm can cause burns all over the body. 

One of the victims of this attack is Kim Phuc Phan Thi who was 9 years old at the time. While she was burning, she had to take her clothes off. She will later be known as “Napalm Girl”.

Photographer Nick Ut took a photo of her while running for her life without clothes on. This photograph will then become one of the most iconic photos of the 20th century.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript to know about napalm girl’s photograph.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/napalm-girl-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you feel about this story?
  2. Look for napalm girl’s photo on the internet. Talk about what you think of this photo.
  3. What do you think about ‘napalm girl’ and the photographer staying friends after all this time?
  4. Talk about a photo that you would remember forever. What makes this photo unforgettable?
  5. How important are photographs in telling our history?

Hobbies Are Great

B1 – Intermediate

How we spend our free time is important for our well-being. In fact, there are a lot of benefits to having hobbies. 

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about why hobbies are good for us.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/hobbies-are-great-level-2/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the good things about hobbies?
  2. Are there any disadvantages to hobbies?
  3. What hobbies do you have and why do you enjoy doing them so much?
  4. How do your hobbies help you in your life?
  5. What hobbies do you want to take up next and why?

Men vs Women’s Intelligence

B1 – Intermediate

You might have met a man who thinks he is so clever. According to a study, men actually overestimate their intelligence. On the other hand, women tend to have a more accurate estimate of the power of their brains.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about how men and women estimate their intelligence.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/men-vs-women-level-2/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with the results of this study? Explain.
  2. What do you think are the reasons men think they are intelligent than they actually are?
  3. Why are women able to have a clear idea of how clever they are?
  4. Is it a good or bad thing to overestimate your intelligence. Explain your point.
  5. How intelligent do you think you are? How do you know this?
  6. Who is the most intelligent person you know and what makes you think they are brilliant?

The Challenge of Not Eating Food for 30 Days

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The famous YouTuber Mr. Beast is known for his extreme, over-the-top videos and most recently the vlogger attempted not eating food for 30 days, which would be his most dangerous challenge yet.

Though we all know that not eating food is dangerous, what is the immediate danger?

And there are many other questions that come from this type of challenge that can be quite insightful.

To find out more, let us watch this video.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this?
  2. In your opinion, would you be able to not eat food (with supervision) for as long or longer than Mr. Beast?
  3. Before watching this video, did you know about refeeding syndrome?
  4. If you were to fast for 3 days, what would be your estimate as to how much carbohydrates you could eat?
  5. What are your thoughts on crash diet?

The Spice Trade

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Ages ago, when money was still non-existent, trading of goods was the only way to access different products from different countries. One of the most in demand products were spices.

Spices have a lot of uses. People traveled far just to bring these spices back to their homeland. Many cities became rich because of trading them. It became very important to the economy of Europe.

Read more about the history of the spice trade on this link.

https://www.english-online.at/history/spice-trade/spice-trade.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of your favorite spices and why do you love them?
2. What spices can be found in your country?
3. What are the pros and cons of trading goods?
4. What areas and moments in the past would you want to explore?
5. Who were some explorers that you know?
6. What are modern types of trading?
7. Do you think that the introduction of money was a good or bad idea? Please explain.
8. What are the products that your country exports and imports?

Snap-Judge People as Boring

B2 – Upper Intermediate

According to modern studies, people have various expectations with what characteristics define a stereotypical bore. These prejudices, like other varieties of categorizing, might not have been wholly accurate, but can have very harmful impacts. Before they have even spoken, people brutally assess those who fit “boring” stereotypes, assuming they are less kind and capable than the typical person and unjustly acknowledging them in social situations.

Why do people make snap judgments about others based on their passions and fields of work?

Let’s make time to read the entire article to learn more.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220422-why-we-snap-judge-some-people-as-boring

Discussion Questions:

  1. What factors contribute to a boring personality?
  2. How do you determine a person’s nature?
  3. What makes someone a good judge of character?
  4. How do you respond to a judgmental person?
  5. Is it a bad thing to be dull and uninteresting? How do you interact with boring people?
  6. Have you met someone you thought was a complete bore at first but you were entirely wrong about that person after you’ve known them better? Talk about this experience.
  7. What do you do in order to make sure you leave a very good impression on someone upon your first meeting?

Van Gogh – Challenging the ‘Tortured Genius’ Myth

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People often say that artistic talent and mental disorders go hand in hand. But is it really so?

Have you ever seen any of Van Gogh’s works? Have you ever thought that only a crazy man could create such paintings?

Watch the video to figure out if there is a connection between insanity and genius.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on what’s discussed in this video.
  2. How did Van Gogh’s relocation to the town of Arles affect his inspiration?
  3. What are your thoughts on the treatments available to mental patients in the 1890s?
  4. Some people believe that Van Gogh’s paintings are brilliant because of his mental illness. What is the authors’ opinion on that? Do you share their view?
  5. What is your reaction to Van Gogh’s statement that “Work distracts me infinitely better than anything else. And if I could once really throw myself into it with all my energy, that might possibly be the best remedy.”

Home Repairs

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We all want to live in a comfortable home. It could be the whole apartment to yourself or a shared one. That is why people who are looking for a house to live in have many factors to consider before deciding to move in. As for shared apartment, because of the limited space, people want it to be at least a clean and habitable one with no damage and with the apartment essentials.

Let’s listen to the audio and know more about Dave’s apartment and his search for a new housemate.

Home Repairs

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is Dave looking for a roommate? What are the problems in Dave’s house?
  2. If you were Randall, would you move in with Dave given all the problems he has in his house?
  3. What home repairs have you done before? What one thing would you change about the place where you live now?
  4. Is it better to know how to do home repairs or to just hire someone to do it for you? Explain your stand.
  5. In your neighborhood, which home repairs require a permit? Which ones do not?
  6. Have you ever lived with a roommate/roommates? What do you think about living with other people you don’t necessarily know?

Moving Company

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Moving to a new house can be a very daunting task. It requires a lot of time and effort especially with packing and unpacking your stuff at home. Luckily, there are professional movers who can do this task for you at a price.

Let’s listen to the audio and know more about Mark’s moving experience.

Moving Company

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who is Mark and where is he from? What tasks did the moving company do for him? What unfortunate event happened during his move? How did it end?
  2. What are the pros and cons of hiring moving services?
  3. Have you moved to a different house/apartment before?
  4. If you are moving, would you prefer to hire movers or do everything on your own? Explain.
  5. What do you know about movers or moving companies? Are there a lot in your country?