Tag: Reading

Nepotism in the Workplace

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nepotism is defined as the act of providing or receiving opportunities due to a family relationship or friendship. Dealing with this practice in the workplace can be tough, especially if you’re the one on the short end of the stick. Therefore, dealing with it professionally and personally is a must for anyone who experiences it.

Peruse today’s text to learn new insights and ways of handling nepotism at work.

https://www.inhersight.com/blog/insight-commentary/nepotism-at-work?_n=68250395#

Discussion Questions:

  1. How prevalent is nepotism in your country?
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of nepotism?
  3. On the whole, is nepotism more good or bad?
  4. Cite some examples of nepotism that you observe in your workplace.
  5. Can you give other ways to deal with nepotism in the workplace?

The 5S System

B2 – Upper Intermediate

5S is a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seisō, seiketsu, and shitsuke. Translated into English roughly as ‘Sort’, ‘Set in Order’, ‘Shine’, ‘Standardize’, and ‘Sustain’, this methodology has been widely used by some of the biggest companies such as Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, and Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Follow the principles of 5S closely in the article below.

Principles of 5S and lean management which can benefit every manufacturer

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the main purpose of 5S?
  2. Can you name other companies that apply this method?
  3. Explain about your company methodologies and principles.
  4. What do you think are the disadvantages of 5S?
  5. How can 5S be relevant in your daily life?

Homeschooling

B2 – Upper Intermediate

According to BBC, the number of children in UK being homeschooled has risen by about 40% over the past three years. Parents have some reasons why they homeschool their children, though. It has its own share of pros and cons just like conventional schools. In reality, there are students who learn better in homeschool environment rather than in a public or private school environment and vice versa. Parents just have to find the best approach for their children to learn depending on their ability, personality, and condition.

Read the article and be able to answer the questions below:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-42624220

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of homeschooling?
  2. What are some reasons parents homeschool their children?
  3. What are its drawbacks?
  4. Is homeschooling gaining popularity in your country?
  5. Would you be different today if you were homeschooled? Why/Why not?

A Good Time to Improve Your Health

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The Coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has become a global phenomenon with over 70,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,000 deaths as of this writing.

This health emergency has highlighted the need to improve hygiene standards and practice proper cold and flu etiquette.

Read the article that follows to learn why the current virus threat is a good time to improve your health and discover some practical ways to achieve this.

https://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/coronavirus-threat-is-a-good-time-to-improve-your-health/

Discussion Questions:

  1. How often do you catch a cold or get the flu? What could be the possible causes for these?
  2. What are some of the things you do to safeaguard your health?
  3. What is the recommended way to wash one’s hands as stated in the article?
  4. What are examples of etiquette to observe during the flu and cold season?

Best Railway Station in Europe

B1 – Intermediate

London St. Pancras is ranked as the best railway station in Europe. Most of the train stations on the top ten are from Germany. 

Read the article and find out more about some of the best train stations in Europe.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2002/200225-railway-station-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever been to any of the top ten best train stations in Europe? Which one? Describe it. Talk about your experience there.
  2. What is the best and worst train station you have ever been at?
  3. What do you think of the train stations in your city/country with respect to their ease of  access/cleanliness/connectivity/friendliness of staff/platforms?
  4. How often do workers at the train stations in your country go on strike?
  5. Do you enjoy the shops, restaurants, and services located near the train stations?

Songwriting Pages on Spotify

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The popular music streaming platform Spotify is launching a new feature for songwriters. These pages would have a list of songs that composers have written. This will help musicians showcase their music and for users to discover more songs they may enjoy.

Read this article and be ready to answer

https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/12/spotify-is-giving-songwriters-their-own-pages-and-playlists/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about Spotify?
  2. How can this new feature help songwriters in the future?
  3. Are streaming music services harming piracy more than they’re harming music sales?
  4. What is the most unique feature that Spotify has?
  5. What other music streaming applications do you enjoy using?

Embracing Physical Imperfections on Social Media

B2- Upper Intermediate

An Instagram influencer from Russia has asked people to post photos of themselves not wearing any make-up. She believes in the idea of body positivity and is trying to spread it in Russia.

Men and women have found themselves battling identity issues due to the unrealistic beauty standards set by what they see on social media. It is used to promote ourselves, tons of celebrities, influencers, models and brands, also use it to sell themselves by creating an image of perfection. What exactly is the perfect beauty? How do we even define beautiful?

Read the article about how a young Russian Instagram influencer is advocating to push back against the pressure to display physical perfection on social media.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-49877327

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think social media promotes body positivity? Share your insights.
  2. What are your thoughts on this campaign?
  3. How does social media impact one’s self -image?
  4. Should we be comfortable to bare our physical imperfections? Why or why not?
  5. How can we promote body positivity even more?

Ecotourism

B1 – Intermediate

Ecotourism is the alternative to mass tourism. It began in the 70s. At present, it is a fast-growing part of the tourism industry. It is because a lot of people are finding out about it.

Read about ecotourism from the link below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.english-online.at/travel/ecotourism/ecotourism-sustainable.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. What is ecotourism?
2. What are the advantages of ecotourism?
3. What are examples of ecotourism in your country?
4. Talk about your experience going on an ecotouristic trip.

Climate Change Will Crush Real Estate Values

C1 – Advanced

Key players in the real estate industry are spending huge amount of resources into estimating climate risk and its possible consequences on property portfolios. This process might cost investors large amounts of money if they aren’t prepared. But for those who are, there’s a big chance to profit more.

Read the article to find out more about climate risk and its probable effect on property investments.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/climate-change-will-crush-real-estate-values-for-unprepared-investors-report.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think properties are good investment? Why or why not?
  2. How much damage do you think natural disasters have affected residential and commercial real estate in your country in the past years? Cite some incidents.
  3. Explain what this statement means, “This process will be painful for investors who are caught off guard, but those who are prepared have the potential to outperform”.
  4. How do real estate investment companies in your country gauge climate change risks? What mitigation strategies have they developed?

Spanish Taxman Investigates Ronaldo Revelations

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some high-profile personalities have been implicated in tax-dodging activities after documents gathered by German weekly Der Spiegel were leaked. Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, is one of them.

Read the article to know more about this tax controversy involving high-profile footballers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40260517

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on this news?

2. What can be done in order to prevent high-profile personalities from committing tax fraud?

3. What changes would you like to see in your country’s tax system?