Tag: Reading

Life Expectancy – What Makes the Difference?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Life expectancy is the estimation of the number of years an individual can expect to live. It is the key measure to evaluate population health. Countries differ in life expectancy depending on different factors.

Find out more about life expectancy and the factors affecting its trends.

https://www.english-online.at/geography/life-expectancy/life-expectancy-where-people-live-longer.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the article, what factors affect the life expectancy of a nation? Can you add some more?
  2. What is the life expectancy in your country? Why do you think it’s like that?
  3. Why do you think men and women have different life expectancy?
  4. Do you agree with the saying ‘It’s not how long you live, it’s how well you live.’?
  5. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages when people live for so long?

Morning Routine Mistakes Could Cost You Productivity and Peace

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are two types of people in this world: those who wake up ready to take on life itself and then there’s the rest who would rather take on more hours in bed.

Do you wake up feeling energetic and excited about the day ahead or do you wish you could just sleep for the rest of the day?

Mornings are difficult for many people, but handling them effectively can be crucial to getting your day started right. Good morning routines can create a bedrock of stability in your life, which is vital no matter who you are or what you are up against.

Click the link and find out more about the 3-morning routine mistakes we often commit and how our productivity and peace are sacrificed along the way.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/364704

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your morning routine? 
  2. How has your morning routine changed over recent years?
  3. Do you do anything before going to bed to make your mornings easier?
  4. Do you set an alarm to wake you up in the morning and if so, do you ever hit the snooze button? Why or why not?
  5. How soon do you check your phone in the morning? Why do you do so?
  6. Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?
  7. What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine and how does this influence the rest of your day?

The Power of Touch

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Since the pandemic started last year, authorities have been constantly reminding us to strictly observe social distancing. People have to have as little interaction as possible with people outside of their households. As a result, social gatherings were drastically reduced. We barely see our friends and for some, even families. And even if we do, we have to be mindful of our interactions with them. Hugging, kissing, or even handshakes have been discouraged.

The sense of touch is most taken for granted, but now that it’s being controlled, we miss the nonchalance towards it. The changes in our social interactions have caused some people to feel “skin hunger,” the feeling of deprivation and abandonment. They made us realize the importance of human touch to us and the people around us.

Click the link to learn more about skin hunger and the power of touch.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/28/the-power-of-touch-is-this-the-sense-we-have-missed-most

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is skin hunger? How important is the human touch for people?
  2. According to the article, how do different cultures speak the language of touch?
  3. What can you say about psychologist Sydney Jourard’s conclusion that Americans and Britons live under a “touch taboo”? How is it compare to people in your country?
  4. According to the article, what did the skin-hungry do as substitutes for human touch?
  5. How do people in your country greet their friends and family pre and post-pandemic?
  6. When was the last time you hugged or kissed someone to greet them?
  7. Can you imagine a world where people are not allowed skin contact with others?

Your Space Shapes Your View of Remote Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Working from home is big news. During the COVID-19 pandemic, those lucky enough to have avoided layoff are more likely than ever to be adapting to a working environment that is familiar and alien at the same time.

When working from home, there are some factors we need to take into consideration. The size and location of our space – as well as whom we share it with – play a significant role in determining how well we are able to work remotely during the pandemic. 

Read the article below to find out more about how our workspace affects how we telework.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210218-how-your-space-shapes-the-way-you-view-remote-work

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you feel about working from home?
  2. What makes a good workspace?
  3. Describe your workspace at home.
  4. Are you less productive, equally productive, or more productive than when working in the office?
  5. What is the most challenging thing about working from home?
  6. How do you create a productive workspace in your house?

False Consensus Effect Drives Environmental Damage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

“I bet everyone else does it too!” Have you experienced justifying a wrongful action by arguing that it is socially acceptable to do so? If your answer is yes, you may have fallen trap to the false consensus effect.

The false consensus effect is a psychological concept which states that people overestimate how acceptable and prevalent their own behavior is. According to research, this psychological thinking has contributed to environmental damage.

Click the link and find out more about the false consensus effect.

https://theconversation.com/everyone-else-does-it-so-i-can-too-how-the-false-consensus-effect-drives-environmental-damage-153305

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you cite some situations when the false consensus effect can be observed?
  2. How can the false consensus effect contribute to environmental damage?
  3. Have you fallen victim to false consensus effect?
  4. What can we do to prevent ourselves from falling into this kind of psychological thinking?
  5. Based on the article, how can the same psychological concept be used to address the problem of environmental damage?

European Space Agency to Recruit Females and Disabled Astronauts

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A lot of little boys dream of becoming astronauts. It is quite rare to hear little girls express interest in goign into space. But perhaps it’s time to change this. Let the dream of becoming an astronaut more accessible to everyone. 

To date, NASA’s European counterpart The European Space Agency has only commissioned two women to go into space. This year, they want to fix the imbalance and achieve diversity.

Read the article and watch the video about ESA’s plans to recruit more women and disabled people.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/02/16/european-space-agency-in-bid-to-recruit-more-female-and-disabled-astronauts

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are thoughts on/reaction to this: “Only 65 of the more than 560 people who have ever gone into space have been women.”?
  2. What do you think about ESA’s goal to recruit more women astronauts?
  3. Is there diversity in your workplace? Elaborate.
  4. How is diversity achieved in your workplace?

Hitting a Pandemic Wall

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It’s been almost a year after the pandemic hit the world and everyone’s been fighting their own demons since. Safe to say, it’s really been tough on everybody. After nearly a year into this whole ordeal, many people have been suffering from the so-called ‘pandemic fatigue’. 

Read the article below to find out more about how to cope when you hit the pandemic wall.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-pandemic-wall-mental-health_l_601b3c9dc5b6c0af54d09ccb

Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss your thoughts on the following statements:

a. The pandemic has over-activated my stress system.

         b. Uncertainty also plays a huge role in hitting this wall.

        c. Hitting the pandemic wall is a completely valid response to totally irregular circumstances.

2. Do you think you experience or have experienced the dreaded pandemic fatigue? How is/was this moment for you?

3. What were your ways of coping with stress pre-pandemic and what are new ways that you have learned to cope with everyday stress during the pandemic?

4. What are the good things that came out from your experience of a pandemic?

5. What lessons can you take away from this whole experience?

Coca-Cola Trials Paper Bottle

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Until the last couple of years, the concept of a paper bottle would seem at best an oxymoron, but innovations continue to break barriers in the pursuit of packaging that offers sustainability benefits, ideally aligned with recycling.

Soft drink manufacturers are facing pressure on two fronts: the amount of sugar in their drinks and the amount of plastic waste their products produce. Coca-Cola is attempting to solve that second problem with the development and testing of a paper bottle.

Read the article below to learn more about Coca-Cola’s project on eliminating plastic from its packaging entirely.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56023723

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are plastic bottles a problem in your country?
  2. Why are paper bottles better?
  3. What might be the technical challenges to the paper bottle?
  4. We rarely bought bottled water 50 years ago. Why do we buy so much today? Is it clever marketing by water companies?
  5. Would your life change much if all bottled water was banned?
  6. What do you do with the plastic bottles at your home?

Paperless Office

B2 – Upper Intermediate

New technological advances have given us the tools to transition a paperless office. Going paperless has a positive impact on your budget, business efficiency, and brand positioning.

Let’s read some steps on how to go paperless in your small business.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateharrison/2013/04/19/5-steps-to-a-nearly-paperless-office/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the pros and cons of a paperless office?
  2. Has your company/office transitioned to a fully paperless already? Talk about the transition.
  3. Do you think companies should go totally paperless now? Why or why not?
  4. Do you agree that paper-based document management and business dealings are expensive and inefficient? Why?
  5. How can we manage and organize digital files in our office?

Jeff Bezos Stepping Down as Amazon CEO

B1 – Intermediate

Amazon is the first online bookseller and the largest internet-based store in the world based in Seattle, Washington. It is known for selling virtually anything online and its lightning-fast shipping.

Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and after 27 years, he has decided to step down as the CEO of the company.

Let’s read the article below to know more about it.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2102/210205-jeff-bezos-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Bezos’s decision to step down as Amazon CEO?
  2. What do you think would happen to Amazon after this?
  3. What should Amazon do in the future?
  4. What does it take to make an Internet business successful?
  5. What is the impact when important people in the company leave their job?