Tag: Reading

Teenagers and Saturday Jobs

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The conventional Saturday job is vanishing as teenagers are now more focused on their school and college work rather than “earning while learning”, a report suggests.

Read the article below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/saturday-jobs-teenagers-school-work-students-resolution-foundation-report-a9270206.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it common for teenagers to work while studying in your country?
  2. How is/was your teenage life like?
  3. If you would be given a chance, would you work and study?
  4. What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of juggling work and studies?
  5. Did you have a job when you were a teenager? What lessons did that experience teach you?
  6. Do you agree or disagree that Saturday jobs for teens should disappear?

Teenagers Banned From Using Mobiles In School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The head of a prestigious boarding school said that teenagers should be stopped from using mobile phones in school because they are not mature enough to practice self-control.

Read the article below and find out more about this phone ban at a school.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/mobile-phone-ban-school-headteacher-lisa-kerr-gordonstoun-prince-charles-a9276756.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the idea?
  2. Are children in your country allowed to bring mobile phones at school?
  3. At what age do you think a person should start using mobile phones/gadgets?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of letting children bring their mobile phones to school?

Being Ridiculously Forgetful

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you been feeling forgetful lately? Your memory problems likely stem from a lack of focus and lack of paying attention. As we get older, chances are, we sometimes forget a word, where we left our car keys, or the name of a neighbor. These small memory lapses happen and they are normal.

Read the article and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/life/news/being-ridiculously-forgetful-1798447

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think you are forgetful? What do you think are reasons for this?
  2. What are the usual things that slip your mind and how often does it happen?
  3. What are some of the problems that arise from being forgetful?
  4. Are there any benefits of being forgetful?
  5. What do you do to in order to avoid forgetting important tasks and responsibilities?

Pros and Cons of Having a Part-time Job

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Is it possible for students to focus on their studies when they have a part-time job? Some people say it is a major distracting factor. However, a job can also have a positive influence on the studying process. If one prioritizes his studies, he will get the results that he wants. On the other hand, working too hard can lead to wearing oneself out and therefore getting bad grades.

There are many things to consider before making the decision to get a job while studying in college. Click the link to read the pros and cons of having a part-time job and be able to answer the discussion questions.

https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/life/pros-and-cons-having-part-time-job-1453216

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever experienced doing a part-time job when you were in college? If yes, how was it? What do you think are the up/downsides of doing it?
  2. Which of the pros and cons stated in the article do you agree and disagree with?
  3. Would you allow your child/children to get a part-time job while they are in college? Why or why not?

The Best Year for Music

B1 – Intermediate

Music has many effects on us. Certainly, there is a year we remember as the greatest time for music. There is a song that makes you remember a special time in your life.

Read the lesson on the link below and be ready to talk about music.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2004/200413-best-year-for-music-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is 1991 the best year for music?
  2. What do you remember from this year or this decade related to music?
  3. What is your favorite song and who is your favorite singer of all time?
  4. Do you still like the songs you listened to as a teenager? What are some of them?
  5. What song reminds you of a very unforgettable moment in your life?
  6. How does music control your emotions?

Harambe, Gorilla Killed at Cincinnati Zoo

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Harambe the Gorilla was a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla that was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell into his enclosure in late May 2016. The incident was wildly criticized by many who blamed the child’s parents for the gorilla’s untimely death. Despite outrage from the public, some experts and activists believe the Cincinnati Zoo did the right thing to fatally shoot an endangered gorilla after a toddler fell into the animal’s enclosure.

Watch the video and read the article from the link below to learn more and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36414813

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you feel about this news?
  2. Do you think it was right to kill the gorilla? Justify your answer.
  3. Do you think there was negligence from the child’s parents end?
  4. How active are the animal rights group in your country?
  5. In your own opinion, what rights do animals have?

Massage Health Benefits

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Massage has been practiced for thousands of years. Today, there are many kinds of massage with a wide variety of pressures, movements, and techniques. More and more people recognize the health benefits of it. They choose from among many massage styles to get relief from symptoms or to heal injuries, to help with certain health conditions, and to promote overall wellness.

Read the article to learn more and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of massage as a therapy in promoting overall wellness?
  2. Have you ever had a massage? If so, how often do you get one and why do you do it?
  3. What are some of the reasons people get massages?
  4. In your opinion, is a massage only a feel-good way to indulge yourself or a powerful tool to be in control of your health and well-being?
  5. Why do you think such kind of therapy has boomed over the years?

Millions Worth of Gold Coins in a Garden

B1 – Intermediate

It’s a typical day. You are gardening. The only unusual thing is that you found so many gold coins under one of the trees in your garden!

Read about the good luck this American couple had one ordinary day in their garden.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1402/140228-gold-coins-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What would your reaction be if this happened to you?
  2. What would you do with the gold coins or money from selling them?
  3. What is one thing that you consider your treasure?

A Heavy-Weight Country

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Obesity does not get as much press as climate change, political dissent, or financial crises. Nonetheless, it is worthy of public attention. It is a growing problem in America today and no doubt, in other parts of the world too. Stateside, it is forecasted to affect half of all American adults by the next decade if left unchecked.

Read the following article to learn more about the state of obesity in the US.

America is Becoming a Heavy-Weight Country

Discussion Questions:

  1. To what extent is obesity a problem in your country?
  2. What factors lead to obesity?
  3. What measures have been taken by your government to curb obesity?
  4. Describe what you consider a healthy lifestyle that reduces the likelihood of obesity.

Marriage Makes You Less Stressed

B1 – Intermediate

Getting hitched can have its pros and cons. In this lesson, we find out one advantage of being married. A study reveals that being married helps your body have lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone.

Read the lesson below to find out more about this study and be ready to answer the questions that follow. 

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1702/170217-married-people-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree: “Marriage is good for our health.“?
  2. In your opinion or own experience, how do intimate social relationships influence one’s health and diseases?
  3. What are other ways the stress hormones or cortisol can be lowered?
  4. In your country, do you think fewer and fewer are getting married? What do you think are the reasons for this?