Tag: Reading

More Young Adults are Renting Next Door to Retired Folks

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A trend called intergenerational roommates is making a buzz in America. The idea is to arrange affordable accommodation for a young person on someone else’s property. The property owner is at least one generation older than the renter.

This living arrangement is beneficial for both parties. The older person will have someone to help around the house, while the younger one will only have to spend at least $700 a month in a tier one city like Boston.

Read the entire article in this link.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/more-and-more-young-adults-are-renting-alongside-retirement-age-with-intergenerational-benefits/

Discussion Questions:

1. The article mentions the growing isolation among the elderly in the US. Considering this factor, discuss how the trend of intergenerational roommates helps improve the situation.

2. Do you get along well with people from the older generations? Why or why not?

3. How is your relationship with people from younger generations?

4. What can younger people learn from the older generation and vice versa?

5. Do you see any drawbacks in having intergenerational roommates? If so, what are they?

No Necktie, Save Energy

B1 – Intermediate

Hundreds of people have died because of ongoing heatwaves in Spain. It is imperative to find ways to save energy to help with the climate change crisis. At this point, every action is important, no matter how little it is.

Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez appears at a press conference not wearing a necktie and he encourages everyone to do the same.

Read the article about not wearing a tie as a way to save energy and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2208/220801-necktie-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this measure? Do you like this idea or not? Explain.
  2. What are some other energy-saving measures you know of or are you doing?
  3. “Mr Sanchez’s government has already restricted the use of air conditioners and heaters.” What is your opinion on this measure?
  4. “Spain has introduced a relief package of $9.2 billion to help people with energy bills.” In your opinion, is this helpful? Why or why not?
  5. How do you feel about wearing a tie to work everyday?

Conjoined Twins Separated with the Help of Virtual Reality

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Surgeries are already complex as they are. Medical advances keep getting more and more developed to help patients get the best treatment possible.

Though it may sound a lot like a scene from a sci-fi film, medicine and technology have gone hand-in-hand in successfully providing the most effective and efficient procedures to treat patients, even those with the most complex of conditions.

Read the article about the Brazilian conjoined twins who have been separated all thanks to virtual reality.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62378452

Discussion Questions:

  1. Surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani described the procedure as “space-age stuff”. Do you agree/disagree with him and why?
  2. What are your thoughts on this surgery?
  3. How would you feel going through medical procedures using technologies like the VR?
  4. Where else can VR be useful?
  5. Describe the most complex medical procedure you’ve ever gone through.

Police Turn Criminal’s Ferrari into Patrol Car

B1 – Intermediate

Catching joyriders, illegal road racers, and more aggressive drivers could be a problem for the police. They drive too fast. Police won’t be able to catch up with these law breakers if they drive slow cars.

The solution – the Czech Republic police have used a criminal’s Ferrari into a patrol car. Now this high-powered sports car can help police during high-speed chase. In Dubai, the police also drive fast cars to ensure their citizens’ safety.

Read the article about the police using a criminal’s Ferrari as patrol car. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2207/220728-patrol-car-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with police using seized supercars as patrol cars? Explain your point.
  2. Do you think police presence on streets make people feel safe? Why or why not?
  3. What do you think about high-powered cars? Would you like to own one? Why or why not?
  4. Do you enjoy watching car races? Why or why not?

Fake News

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every day we come face to face with fake news. It has been there for centuries, but with the advent of social media, it has become more prevalent these days. It could affect someone personally or impact the society on a global scale. There are obviously several disadvantages to fake news and these include the following:

Change in Public Opinion

This is blatant within the political sphere where fake news is used to manipulate the public’s opinion for profit, public support, or to change the public’s mind about a rival political party.

Defamation

Despite everyone enjoying the right to self-expression, there are those who misuse this right to defame well-known global personalities. Fake news is a great way of spreading false information beyond the internet. Two common examples are when one hears about a celebrity’s affair or when a celebrity experiences their own death through a death hoax.

 False Insight  

Regardless of whether they are true or misleading, people tend to blindly believe the words of an influential person. Most people choose not to dig deeper and find it out for themselves. Therefore, negatively changing their perception about someone or something in the news.

Amazingly, there is a silver lining. We may notice some positive things about fake news as well.

 Recreation Consider satire or works of parody that are meant to be for fun. Just think of all the celebrity gossips or the fact that some people think that reptiloids are among us! Everyone, whether offline or on the internet, loves a good laugh.

Improvement in Memory According to the journal Psychological Science, the ability to recall a time when you heard or read fake news helps your brain to remember true information. A research team conducted two experiments on 96 participants. Throughout the experiments, their memory was tested to check whether recollections were true or based on misinformation. They read both factual and made-up statements from news sites and then read statements that corrected the fake news. It turned out that misinformation reminders helped the participants see the cracks in their memories and promoted better memory recollection. Also, individuals that face fake news head-on have a raised awareness of disparities between what is fact and what is fiction and have better memory updating. Clearly, regardless of the kind of fake news, there is some usefulness to it.

Now you know that there’s a break in the clouds and there might be an upside to dealing with disinformation. But be careful and don’t let fake news determine what you think or who you are.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What other pros and cons can you add to this list?
  2. Do you think the pros of fake news justify distributing it? Why or why not)?
  3. Is it worth trying to fight such fake news in an attempt to stop blatant disinformation?
  4. How would you explain to your grandmother that she shouldn’t believe everything she reads and that hoaxes are published everyday?
  5. Where do you get your news from and why do you choose these sources?
  6. Have you ever encountered an internet hoax that you actually believed but later on found out wasn’t true?

The Case for Job Hopping

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thinking a bit more traditionally, it is believed that one should stay at a company for  at least a few years or even better, for years on end. 

In the more recent years, many employees who keep hopping to different companies are benefiting from career leverage. 

Read the article about the advantages of job hopping and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220720-the-case-for-job-hopping

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “buoyant job market” mean? “With each move, she’s worked with higher-profile clients, gained greater experience and acquired deeper skills that now give her leverage in a buoyant job market.” Use this term in your own sentence.
  2. What does “pay-off” mean? “There has also been another significant pay-off: Anna’s successive job moves have meant her salary has grown by 30% in a short space of time.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘pay-off’ in your own sentence.
  3. What does “to work one’s way up” mean? “I started at a small start-up, and have quickly worked my way up.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘to work one’s way up’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on job vagrancy or the “Hobo Syndrome”.
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying in the same company for a long time?
  3. In your opinion, what is the most ideal number of years of tenure to stay in a company, and why?
  4. In the past, people worked only one job in their whole professional life. Can you imagine that for yourself?
  5. What’s the longest time you’ve worked for a company? What made you stay there for that long?
  6. Should the years you’ve stayed at a company should matter? Explain.

Eiffel Tower in Need of Repair

B1 – Intermediate

Paris is a very famous touristic city. The Eiffel Tower is an equally famous sight in it. Millions of people visit this important tourist spot.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the World’s Fair in 1889. After more than a hundred years, this iconic structure needs some repairs.

Read the article about the Eiffel Tower’s state and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2207/220707-eiffel-tower-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you seen the Eiffel Tower? What do you think of it?
  2. How do you feel about the state it is in?
  3. Should historical structures like this be taken down when they are too old, damaged, or broken down? Why or why not?
  4. What is the most important structure in your city? Talk about it. How is it being maintained?

Risk of Being Killed by Falling Space Rocket

B1 – Intermediate

Scientists have revealed that in the near future, rocket parts could fall from space and hit someone and possibly kill them. The problem is that space has more and more junk.

Read the article about increasing space junk and the growing probability of being hit by falling rocket parts. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2207/220718-feeling-hangry-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. Have you ever worried about something from the sky/space hitting you on the head or falling onto your roof?
  3. Should rocket companies be more responsible for their space wastes?
  4. What is your opinion about how companies are “exporting risk” to poorer nations?

Feeling Hangry

B1 – Intermediate

Hanger is a diagnosable feeling of anger when you get hungry. Based on a study done on 64 participants, people tend to be bad-tempered because they are hungry.

Read the article about feeling angry when you get hungry and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2207/220718-feeling-hangry-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this, “Hangriness” could be a real medical condition.”?
  2. What happens to you when you’re hungry and you can’t eat right away? How do you manage this situation?
  3. Have you ever been hangry before? Talk about that moment.
  4. Is it logical to be hangry? Why or why not?
  5. Do you agree or disagree that there is  a strong link between hunger and emotions? Why?
  6. Do you agree or disagree that if people know they are hangry, they could control their anger? Why?

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?