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Cubans Can Buy a Car More Easily

B1 – Intermediate

Owning a vehicle is like a rite of passage for everyone. Think about the time you had your first car or motorbike. How did it make you feel? In Cuba, the government decided to make it easier for its citizens to buy a car.

Read the lesson for more details on this story and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1312/131222-cuba-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this initiative by the Cuban government?
  2. What do you think are the good and bad things about making it easy for people to buy cars?
  3. Is it better to buy a car cash or by loan? Explain your opinion.
  4. Compare how you got your first ever car and the one you have now.
  5. Is the automobile industry lucrative in your country? Why or why not?

Job Hunter Puts CV on Billboard

B1 – Intermediate

Not having a job is a very difficult situation for anyone. A French man was having problems finding a job. He tried everything but nothing worked until he had a unique idea.

Read the lesson for more details on this story and be read to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1401/140109-job-hunting-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on Laurent Le Bret’s idea?
  2. What do you think about what the billboard company did for Laurent Le Bret?
  3. How easy/hard is it to find a job in your country? 
  4. How do you find a job in your country?
  5. Talk about how you found your current job.

Four Signs You’re Not Cut Out For Freelance Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are enormous advantages to freelancing that is why a lot of people are considering shifting from a traditional job to a freelance work. Freelance work offers flexibility and the notion of being your own boss. Although there are a lot of benefits to this alternative way of working, at some point, going freelance may not suit everyone.

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

https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/articles/9253-four-signs-you-re-not-cut-out-for-freelance-work-and-what-to-do-about-it

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is freelancing becoming more popular in your country?
  2. What are the most in-demand industries for freelancers?
  3. What are the benefits of having a freelance work?
  4. Do you agree with the disadvantages mentioned in the article?
  5. Have you done freelance work before? Do you think you are cut out for it?

Man Raises Millions for Health Service

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A war veteran started a fundraiser in order to gather funds for UK’s health service. While his act of altruism has been highly praised by many, some are quick to comment that this is nothing but a mere reflection of how poor the state of their country’s health service currently is.

Read the full lesson from the link below and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2004/200419-fundraising.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about Captain Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts and where the funds would go.
  2. What are your thoughts on this statement that Moore’s ‘altruism is a damning reflection on the state of UK’s NHS’?
  3. Have you ever been involved in a fundraising activity before? What kind of fundraiser was it and who were the beneficiaries of the money collected?
  4. Talk about the state of health service in your country.
  5. Would you consider doing the same thing Moore did?

Hand Sanitiser by Louis Vuitton

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Events all over the world have been cancelled in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 virus. Life seems to have stopped and the same can be said for the business of luxury brand companies. Fortunately, some of these luxury brands are stepping in to help fight this pandemic.

Read the full lesson for more information on this brands’ plans in producing anti-viral products.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2003/200318-hand-sanitiser.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What will the luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton do to help fight the COVID-19 virus? How will they do it?
  2. Do you think it is a social responsibility for these companies to provide their services and products for free?
  3. Did local companies in your country do the same thing? Give examples.

Sleep Better To Be Better

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Although there are habits and techniques to sleeping properly that we can all follow, everyone’s needs are different. If we’re serious about preventive health, we need to pay more attention to our sleep.

Poor sleep is a major risk factor for conditions such as obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, and immune impairment. Poor sleep can shorten life too.

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

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030753-400-sleep-better-be-better/

Discussion Questions:

  1. How many hours do you sleep?
  2. How important is sleep for you?
  3. Do you notice any difference in your performance when you lacked sleep?
  4. How do you deal with sleep issues?
  5. What’s the importance of getting proper sleep?

Teenagers and Saturday Jobs

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The conventional Saturday job is vanishing as teenagers are now more focused on their school and college work rather than “earning while learning”, a report suggests.

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

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/saturday-jobs-teenagers-school-work-students-resolution-foundation-report-a9270206.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it common for teenagers to work while studying in your country?
  2. How is/was your teenage life like?
  3. If you would be given a chance, would you work and study?
  4. What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of juggling work and studies?
  5. Did you have a job when you were a teenager? What lessons did that experience teach you?
  6. Do you agree or disagree that Saturday jobs for teens should disappear?

Teenagers Banned From Using Mobiles In School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The head of a prestigious boarding school said that teenagers should be stopped from using mobile phones in school because they are not mature enough to practice self-control.

Read the article below and find out more about this phone ban at a school.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/mobile-phone-ban-school-headteacher-lisa-kerr-gordonstoun-prince-charles-a9276756.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the idea?
  2. Are children in your country allowed to bring mobile phones at school?
  3. At what age do you think a person should start using mobile phones/gadgets?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of letting children bring their mobile phones to school?

Being Ridiculously Forgetful

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you been feeling forgetful lately? Your memory problems likely stem from a lack of focus and lack of paying attention. As we get older, chances are, we sometimes forget a word, where we left our car keys, or the name of a neighbor. These small memory lapses happen and they are normal.

Read the article and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/life/news/being-ridiculously-forgetful-1798447

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think you are forgetful? What do you think are reasons for this?
  2. What are the usual things that slip your mind and how often does it happen?
  3. What are some of the problems that arise from being forgetful?
  4. Are there any benefits of being forgetful?
  5. What do you do to in order to avoid forgetting important tasks and responsibilities?

The Best Year for Music

B1 – Intermediate

Music has many effects on us. Certainly, there is a year we remember as the greatest time for music. There is a song that makes you remember a special time in your life.

Read the lesson on the link below and be ready to talk about music.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2004/200413-best-year-for-music-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is 1991 the best year for music?
  2. What do you remember from this year or this decade related to music?
  3. What is your favorite song and who is your favorite singer of all time?
  4. Do you still like the songs you listened to as a teenager? What are some of them?
  5. What song reminds you of a very unforgettable moment in your life?
  6. How does music control your emotions?