Tag: People and Human Interest

Going Through Your Spouse’s Phone

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Honesty in a marriage is so important. You can’t build a strong relationship on half-truths and half-lies. However, is it necessary to have your phone checked or you checking on your spouse’s phone?

Watch this video and weigh in on whether or not it is okay to go through your spouse’s phone.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it okay to go through your partner/spouse’s phone? Why or why not?
  2. What reasons does the speaker put out why women check their husband’s phone? Do you think they are justifiable reasons? Explain your thoughts.
  3. How do you get your better half to open up to you?
  4. How can privacy exist in a marriage?

To Pull the Wool Over Someone’s Eyes

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the 17th century, people used to put on these detailed wigs that looked woolly. Put them on the wrong way and that would obscure the person’s vision hence the inability to see if a trick is being played on them.

Listen to the audio below and find out how pulling one’s woolly hat over someone’s eyes explains deception and trickery.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-190318

Discussion Questions:

1. What does ‘to pull the wool over someone’s eyes’ mean?

2. Has anyone pulled the wool over your eyes?

3. How do feel when you find out you have been tricked into doing something?

4. Do you blame yourself for falling victim to deception/trickery?

 

 

Keep a Lid On It

B1 – Intermediate

Has anyone always given you food that you don’t honestly like but you didn’t want to offend that person so you keep receiving it and saying it is ‘special’ when it is just not good. This is what happened to Feifei. Neil gave her an advice to ‘keep a lid on it’. What might this expression mean?

Listen to the audio and find out what Neil meant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-190325

Discussion Questions:

1. What does ‘keep a lid on it’ mean? Does it have other meanings?

2. Talk about a situation wherein you had to keep something under control. How did you prevent that situation from getting worse?

3. Talk about a time you had to keep a secret.

 

Don’t Follow Your Passion

B2 – Upper intermediate

Young people often feel pressured to make decisions about how they want to spend the rest of their lives. Should we follow our passion wherever it may take us? Which is better—do what you love or learn to love what you do? How can you know which course to take or avoid?

Watch the video and listen to Mike Rowe talk about his opinion on “following one’s passion”.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your opinion about the statement “Don’t follow your passion”?
2. What do you really want?
3. Do you like what you are now?
4. What do you think will happen if you had followed your passion?
5. Would you be willing to work for free just to follow your passion?

Expert Cleaning Tips

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Keeping your room or house clean can be tedious and time-consuming. Unfortunately, household chores are a must and you have to do them if you want to live in a neat and comfortable environment.

In this video, you will learn about seven great tips to make sure that you are cleaning your space the right way.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the 7 tips described in the video?

2. Do you like cleaning? How do you clean your room/house? How often do you do so?

3. Share some of your own house cleaning techniques / maintenance tips.

Tattoo Artist Is the Last of Her Kind

B2 – Upper intermediate

A tattoo is a form of body modification where a pattern or design is made by inserting ink and dyes into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Though for many it is a painful process, it remains a very popular one that lots of people get done.

Meet Whang-Od, the last remaining Mambabatok, a tattoo artist who uses a thousand-year old method using traditional hand-tapping motions.

Discussion Questions:

1. Who is Whang-Od? What does she do?

2. What are your thoughts on tattoos?

3. Do you know of any ancient or traditional forms of art from your country?

Man Lived in a Paris Airport for 18 Years

C1 – Advanced

For most people, having a flight delayed can be a cause for annoyance or stress. But can you imagine being stuck in an airport for almost two decades?

In this video, check out the bizarre story of Sir Alfred – a man who was stranded in Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who is Sir Alfred? What was his situation?
  2. According to the video, how can someone be ‘stateless’?
  3. Have you ever been trapped or stuck somewhere? Tell us about it.

Make Men Masculine Again

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Men are commonly associated with rape, murder, aggression and violence—all the stuff related to “toxic masculinity,”. For some, the obvious solution is to make men less masculine to make them less toxic. On the other hand, some say making men more like women will only result to more “toxic masculinity”.

Watch the video to find out why.

Discussion Questions:

1. What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘men’?

2. Do you agree with the solution to make men less toxic and make them more like women?

3. Do you think men are more aggressive than women?

4. In your country, who is usually regarded as the head of the family?

5. What three changes would you like to make to (other) men?

Donut Spree for Charity

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A local doughnut shop in California has people lining out the door before the sun even comes up.

Watch the video to discover the reason, which is sweeter than the treat itself. Find out why people are splurging on them.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. Why are the people buying all the donuts? How does the video impact you?

2. Describe your own community. How does your community look after its own people?

3. Do you support your local shops and businesses?

4. How can you encourage solidarity and charity in your community?

5. What treats are Spanish crazy about?

Spooky Stories for Your Halloween

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Halloween… many Spanish associate this holiday with the United States. But in fact, according to historians, this tradition is most likely Celtic in origin. It only became widely celebrated in America after the mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century. Nevertheless, in recent years, it has grown in popularity in Spain and has become a time for parties and revelry.

Halloween is a spooky time for many. In this video, check out some hair-raising anecdotes from real people. Truth or fiction? See for yourself.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the video about? What can you say about these stories?
  2. Does your family celebrate Halloween?
  3. Tell us about a spooky story of your own.