Tag: Speaking

Euro Politicians Told to Stop Speaking English

B2 – Upper intermediate

There are 24 official languages spoken at the European Parliament. The European Parliament’s Secretary General has asked Euro politicians to speak more slowly and to use to their native language instead of English. What are your thoughts on the Secretary General’s request?

Euro politicians told to stop speaking English

Discuss:

1. What do you think about the article?
2. What do you think is the difference between an interpreter and a translator?
3. How do you feel about using English in political meetings such as the European Parliament?
4. If you could speak another language fluently, what would it be?

A Great Place to Live, A Terrible Place to Work?

C1 – Advanced

Working longer days compared to neighboring European counterparts isn’t exactly the best way to boost productivity and reduce work-related stress among Spanish workers.

Discover why Spain is the best place to live in, but the contrary as a place to work.

Spain – A great place to live, a terrible place to work?

Discuss:

1. Do you agree or disagree that Spain is a great place to live but a terrible place to work or invest in?
2. What are your thoughts on Spain’s image of the land of the siesta?
3. How can work practices be improved in your country?

Potato Farmer Swapped Bankruptcy for Making Millions

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The story of William Chase is just one of many talking about the struggles and triumphs of doing what you love and turning it into a business. If you’re as lucky as him, you might even end up making millions.

Read the article about the potato farmer who went from being bankrupt to a millionaire. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35491792

Discussion Questions:

1. In your own words, tell the story of William Chase.
2. What were some of the challenges that he encountered? What were his frustrations?
3. How would you describe the agricultural industry in your country?
4. Are your local farmers supported by the government?
5. If you had the opportunity to have a business, what would you put up?

Video: What Do You Think of America?

C1 – Advanced

What’s the first thing that enters your mind when you hear the word “USA”? Click on the title below to find out what some people think of North America.

This video is meant to practice your listening skills. Feel free to watch it more than once.

London, Singapore and Delhi tell the BBC what they think of the US

Discuss:

1. After watching the video, recall the things that the people said after being asked about the United States.
2. Do you agree with any of the opinions shared? Do you disagree?
3. What do you think makes America great? Not so great?
4. Have you been to the US? What can you say about their culture?

Zika Virus Could Affect 4 Million People

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil.

Read the article below and discuss your current knowledge and opinions about this health issue.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1602/160202-zika-virus.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you know about the Zika virus?
2. How worried are you about the Zika virus?
3. Will there be a vaccine for all viruses one day?
4. If there are no diseases, will there be an overpopulation problem?
5. Why would it be a problem to find a vaccine for the Zika virus?

Women Do Not Get Enough Sleep

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It is a known fact that sleep is important to everyone. The article below shows how women are dangerously more susceptible to sleeplessness.

Read the article to get the facts on sleep deprivation among women.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1601/160130-sleep-deprivation.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What might be reasons women do not sleep enough?
  2. What are your thoughts on the results of this report?
  3. How important is sleep to you?
  4. How are you like when you did not get enough sleep?
  5. Would you change your sleeping habits after reading this article?
  6. Talk about a time when you suffered from sleeplessness and how did you deal with it?
  7. Would you consider going to a sleep doctor if you ever suffered from sleeplessness over a period of time? Explain.

Burning Off A Burger

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C1 – Advanced

Is losing weight something that you’ve been working on? It always is , for most people. There are now hundreds of ways and “tricks” that people can follow to lose weight. But is staying in the gym for half the day the key to losing weight? Or can simple, mundane activities do the trick?

Click on the title below to know roughly how much exercise you need depending on the food you eat.

How Far Do You have to Run to Burn Off A Burger?

Discuss:

1. Based on the article, explain the correlation of food and exercise.
2. What was your reaction after seeing some of the representations in the article? Do you agree with them?
3. Where do you find yourself in terms of over all health and wellness?
4. What foods are you willing to ignore for the sake of health? What foods are you fond of?

A Toxic Workplace

B1 – Intermediate

If you find yourself  saying  that you love your job but that it’s killing you, or that your social life is dead, then you’re probably in a toxic workplace. You might want to re-examine  what is really going on at work, and why  you are having these feelings towards your employment.

Read the article below to know what a toxic workplace looks like and how you can deal with stressful situations at the office.

According to a recent article, Amazon’s work environment is toxic. To start, employees complain about pressure, stress, and job insecurity. They work past midnight, receive complaints if too slow to respond to emails, argue during meetings, and betray colleagues.

More than one hundred former employees gave information for the article. They told stories about grown men crying after meetings. And each month, the employees with the lowest performance ratings are fired.

The result is an extremely competitive environment. It has been called “rank and yank,” which means employees are ranked and the least productive members are fired. Such a system creates distrust, and goes against all of the ideas of good management practices. After all, if colleagues are likely to stab you in the back, no one values teamwork or knowledge sharing.

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, quickly responded to the article. He explained that the environment at his company is friendly but intense. People work hard, and he couldn’t recognize the toxic environment in the article. In fact, it would be hard for any tech company to survive with these kinds of policies. He wrapped up his response by stating that these management practices are untrue and unacceptable.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think the negative article about Amazon is true?
2. If the article were true, why would anyone want to work in such an environment?
3. Would you want to work at a company like Amazon? Why/not?
4. What is the best place you have ever worked at? How about the worst place? Why?
5. What are some ideas and practices to maximize employee productivity?

Social Hermits

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social Media  has definitely changed our society.  Now, we can easily get information on what’s going on with people from other countries.  We can get connected with our friends or relatives living miles away.

But because of  the usefulness, efficiency and effectiveness of social media, people are becoming too connected and dependent on it. Is social media really helping us become  more connected with others?

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

Do social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter make people more social? Or do these sites make people become loners? Of course, social networking sites let people stay in contact, which is especially helpful in the busy world of today.

Social networking offers positives. For example, the various sites and apps help people keep in contact with “proximity friends.” These are people who are or were physically close but not personally close, such as former classmates and colleagues, parents of the children your kids play with in the neighborhood, and friends of friends. We might send these people holiday or birthday cards, or call with congratulations of a wedding or a newborn.

However, face-to-face contact is quite rare. There is the feeling of contact, but it may be superficial and achieved through emails and instant messages. The contact might not be deep and rich, even if many people know more small details about one another.

People “talk” with one another more frequently, but they meet in person less frequently. So let’s return to the original question: Are people becoming social hermits?

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you (or do you) use social networking sites? Talk about the pluses and minuses.
2. Are people better or worse communicators because of social network sites?
3. What is a social hermit? What images or ideas does this phrase raise?
4. How might social networking sites be used for business or education?

Time Spent Online ‘overtakes TV’

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B2 – Upper intermediate

A 2016 article shows how the youth of today have switched pastimes. Read the article below to know what young people are preoccupied with and the changes that come with it.

Time spent online ‘overtakes TV’ among youngsters

Discuss:

1. Is it common for children in your country to own a tablet or similar device?
2. How does this new trend affect the childhood of these youngsters?
3. What do you think are good ground rules children should have when it comes to using devices?
4. What were some of your hobbies when you were young?