Tag: Reading

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?

Can Facebook Lessen Corruption?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The emergence of the Internet has allowed people to communicate in faster and more efficient ways. Dissemination of opinions and self-expression have been pushed into even more new areas where everything can be exposed with the advent of social media, especially Facebook. For this reason, can this be a tool to hinder corruption?

https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/facebook-corruption-social-media-internet-penetration

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about corruption in your country. What are the government’s actions to fight corruption?

2. If you were to post about your thoughts on corruption on Facebook now, what would you say?

3. How else can Facebook and other social media make a positive impact?

Urban Millennials Go to Farmer School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When you were young, have you ever thought of being a farmer? Do you want to work outdoors or indoors? This new school is trying to teach millennials who want to work on a farm.  In a society where technology is everywhere, farming has been often put behind thus creating a huge demand in the workforce for young people to work in the land.

Let’s watch and read the article below about this below:

https://www.voanews.com/a/virginia-agriculture-school-helps-train-new-farmers/4349791.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about farming?
  2.  Is farming a good and thriving industry in your country?
  3.  Do you think it is good to encourage young people to do manual jobs such as farming?
  4.  Do you need farmers and people who will work on the farm in your country?

Solution to Poverty: Educating Girls

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thomas Jefferson said, “All men are created equal.”  Everyone should have access to education regardless of his race, gender, religion or nationality.

It may sound absurd because we are already in the 21st century and almost everyone can go to school, but this is a sad reality for some women in third world countries.

Let us read the link below to know more about how educating women can create an impact on the society.

https://www.theguardian.com/opportunity-international-roundtables/2017/oct/04/global-poverty-child-marriage-education-girls

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you find it surprising that over 130 million girls worldwide are not in school? Why? Why not?
2. Would you agree that education is “a protection for girls”? Why? Why not?
3. Do you believe that education is the most effective way to fight poverty? Why? Why not?

How does food affect your mood?

B1 –  Intermediate

Food is one of our necessities in life, but little do we know or we aren’t conscious enough that it impacts our moods. Sugary food is one of the so many examples of how our mood changes once we have an intake.

https://www.healthline.com/health/mood-food-can-what-you-eat-affect-your-happiness

Let’s talk!
How does food affect your feelings?
Do you crave for a particular food depending on how you feel?
What foods do you eat when you are sad?
What foods do eat when you are happy?
What are your food habits?

Men Are Chatterboxes Too

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nothing has been more enduring than the stereotype of women as chatterboxes, gabbing about everything and anything at any time, all the time. However, some reports conclude that men are chatterboxes too depending on the context of the conversation.

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

Who speaks more, men or women? Most people wouldn’t hesitate to say that women speak more. There are many jokes about how much, and what, women talk about. But research which some may find surprising indicates that both men and women speak more or less equally.

Four hundred university students in the United States and Mexico participated in the study. Researchers recorded the students’ daily conversations for several days. After analyzing the data, they discovered that both sexes are in a statistical dead heat when it comes to speaking. Women used a little more than 16,000 words every day. Men used a little less than 16,000 words. The report admits, though, that the numbers could change as men and women grow older, because the study only tracked university students.

The current idea that women are chatterboxes just isn’t true. In addition, men only speak when they have something important to say also isn’t true. Both ideas probably come from cultural and political discrimination against women. But the study explains that men gossip just as much as women. Men and women also talk equally about unimportant topics. But women actually talk more about relationships.

A psychologist at Yale University has a somewhat different opinion. She suggests that the idea about men and women probably come from arguments between the genders. Unfortunately, the study doesn’t know how speaking patterns change in an argument. But other studies have supported the stereotype that guys become quiet and women talk more in an emotional conflict.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with the stereotype that women talk more?
  2. In a private conversation with close friends or family members, who talks more? How about in a business setting?
  3. Which topics/issues could men be more interested in that would entice them to speak more?

How Citizenship is Defined Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Jus sanguinis or right of blood and jus soli or right of the soil are the two principles of nationality by which citizenship is determined. Read the article to know which countries follow which principle, how their policies have changed and their issues about granting citizenship.

Citizenship, Policies and Issues

Discussion Questions:

  1. What principle does your country follow? What are your policies for citizenship? What are some issues regarding citizenship in your country?
  2. What are you views on dual or multiple citizenship? Would you like to acquire dual citizenship?
  3. What are your obligations as a citizen?
  4. How can we resolve issues about statelessness?

Flood of Plastic

C1 – Advanced

Plastics are practically everywhere! We are using them on a daily basis and we all know their alarming effect in the ocean. They say that plastics will outnumber the fish in the sea. Some companies are doing their best to change the course of our future by reducing the use of plastics. There are also some organizations which collect plastics to sell.

Let’s read more about this topic below!

Amid a Flood of Plastic, Big Companies See Opportunity

Discussion

1. Are you concerned about the problem of plastic waste? Why? Why not?
2. What recycling target has the EU set?
3. Do you try to reuse and recycle as much as possible? Please explain your answer.
4. Do you think all companies that currently use disposable plastic packaging will eventually be forced to modify their business models? Why? Why not?

Takeaways from an AI Assistant Laughing on Its Own

C1 – Advanced

Some users have been creeped out by Alexa suddenly talking and laughing without being prompted any commands. Alexa is Amazon’s virtual AI assistant.

After some incidents were reported, Amazon immediately set out to find ways to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Read more on this news and take a look at some takeaways we can get from this whole fiasco. Click on the link below:

https://futurism.com/ai-assistant-amazon-alexa-laugh/

Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think about this problem with Alexa?
2. Would you feel scared too if you heard your AI assistant performing tasks unprompted?
3. Do you use AI assistants? Why or why not?
4. Is it possible for robots to be smarter than how they were programmed?

Pet Cloning More Popular Despite the Cost

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thanks to Barbara Streisand’s lead, the spotlight is put on pet cloning.

Find out more about cloning animals and some controversies around it.

Click the link below for the full article.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60924936

Discussion Questions:

  1. Where do you stand on pet cloning?
  2. What are the pros and cons of cloning or pet cloning?
  3. In general, what are your thoughts on this scientific advancement?
  4. Now that pet cloning might soon become a trend, do you think you would consider having your pet cloned (or if you had one)? Why or why not?