Tag: Science and Technology

What Causes Insomnia?

Do you struggle to go to sleep even though you are tired? Or do you wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours, tossing and turning, anxiously checking the clock?

Insomnia is a very common problem and most of us experience this some time in our lives.

So what is insomnia? Is there any way to break the cycle?

Watch the video as Dan Kwartler details the science of insomnia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=35&v=j5Sl8LyI7k8

Discussion Questions:

  1. What keeps you up at night?
  2. Do you have difficulty falling asleep?
  3. What are some ways to help you fall asleep easily?
  4. How do you feel when you suffer from Insomnia? How do you cope with it?

Amazon Alexa to Reward Kids

B1 – Intermediate

Where have all the manners gone? Rudeness is prevalent, while nobody seems to care and it seems that technology is behind it.

Amazon is changing this view by creating a version of Alexa that is helping children to be polite.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1804/180428-saying-please-2.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, does technology teach children to be rude? Can devices or apps teach kids to be polite?
  2. How important is it for children to learn to be polite?
  3. What’s the best way to teach children manners?
  4. Are people in your society becoming ruder or more polite?
  5. What rude behaviour do you see in public every day?

Who was John Titor?

B2 – Upper Intemediate

What would be your reaction if you talked to a person who claimed that he had time traveled and lived in 2036? Scientists attest to the possibility of time traveling, though there is no official announcement of an existence or creation of a time machine.

Find out more about John Titor’s story of taking a leap into the future.

WHO WAS JOHN TITOR?

Discussion questions:
1. What do you think of Titor’s claim of time traveling?

2. Why do you think he said that his goal was not to be believed? If you could meet Titor, what are the things that you would like to know about his experience?

3. Would you try time-traveling? At what point in the past would you like to go back to? How do you visualize the future would be like?

How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Each year, around a hundred thousand metric tons of caffeine are consumed around the world. That’s as heavy as 14 Eiffel Towers! A lot of people consume caffeine because it helps them feel alert, focused, and energetic, even if they are actually lacking sleep.

Discover how caffeine works and what happens when we withdraw from it. Watch the video below.

Discussion Questions:

1. Aside from coffee, what are the other sources of caffeine?

2. What are the side effects of caffeine?

3. Do you believe that caffeine can really help a person to stay awake? Explain your answer.

4. How would you describe Adenosine’s relationship with caffeine?

5. What symptoms do people usually experience upon quitting caffeine?

Banning Smartphones for Children Under 13

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© User: 3dman_eu / pixabay / CC0

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Kids born in the late 1990s and early 2000s are born in the digital age. Some kids as young as 2 years old already knows how to turn on a phone and use some apps. Young children learn how to use devices or gadgets such as mobile phones very easily these days but is it beneficial for them to start using cell phones at a young age?

Let us read the article below first and then answer the questions that follow.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/colorado-moves-to-ban-smartphones-for-children-under-13/3906933.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about the proposal?
2. Why do you think the proposal only targets phones with internet access?
3. What “mental effects” might constant smartphone use have on children?
4. Would you agree that a child’s smartphone usage is a “family matter?” Why? Why not?
5. Do you agree that children under the age of 6 should only watch an hour of videos a day? Why? Why not?
6. Do you think that the children of today will be completely dependent on digital devices by the time they grow up? Why? Why not?

Pakistani Farmers Get Tips via Text

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One problem farmers face is overwatering. It would help them a lot if they could get an advice regarding the proper amount of irrigation water to prevent them from overwatering their fields.

Farmers are now getting tips via text messages in Pakistan to make sure they get access to information for their irrigation needs in the quickest time possible.

Click on the article for more information on this way of disseminating information to farmers:

https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-farmers-get-tips-via-text/3917603.html?src=voa-editor-picks

Discussion Questions:

1. How does this new program help the farmers?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the said program?

3. Should farmers rely on this technology?

4. What are other ways to help farmers better?

 

 

 

Why Do We Age?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Aging is a natural process that we are very well aware of. However, the process itself is still poorly understood. How and why exactly do we age?

Watch the video to find out.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the factors that contribute to aging?
2. Like Jeanne Louise Calment, would you like to live for 122 years? Why or why not?
3. How long do you think is the ideal lifespan?
4. Do you think it is possible for people to not age at all?

The Pros and Cons of Pesticides

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For many years, people have relied on using pesticides in order to prevent agricultural catastrophes. However, it is not without consequences. What are the negative effects of using pesticides?

Watch the video below to find out.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using pesticides?
2. After banning DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), do you think Paul Hermann Müller’s Nobel Prize should have been revoked?
3. Are there strict regulations regarding the use of pesticides in your country?
4. What do you think will happen in the event of an agricultural catastrophe?
5. Can you think of alternatives to chemical pesticides not mentioned in the video?

Scientists Grow More Crops

B1 – Intermediate

Lack of food supply in the future is a constant fear and would possibly become real if we don’t do anything about it now. Find out what a group of scientists did to create the super crops of the future.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1611/161119-photosynthesis.html

Discussion Questions:

1. How did scientists make the crops bigger?
2. What do you think of genetically modifying plants and crops?
3. What are the dangers of genetically modified food?
4. What are the benefits of genetically modified food?
5. Why are so many people in the world without food?

Internet Addiction Sign of Mental Health Problems

B1 – Intermediate

The Internet is like any other tool that can be useful or harmful. Many young people, including adults, find themselves addicted to the Internet.  What is an Internet addiction?  Can it really cause mental health problems?

Read the article below then express your thoughts.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1609/160921-internet-addiction.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of internet addiction? Do you think it is possible to be addicted to the internet? Explain.
  2. Can internet addiction lead to more serious mental health problems? Explain.
  3. Do you rely on the internet for work?
  4. Are you able to “switch-off” or stay away from the internet, too? How do you do it?
  5. Is it important to disconnect from the internet, too? Why?
  6. What are the pros and cons of always being online?
  7. Discuss the following issues related to the internet:
    Cyber-bullying
    Identity theft
    Online gambling