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The First Starbucks in Italy

B1 – Intermediate

Starbucks is one of the most popular American coffee shop chains known around the world. Presently, it has more than 20,000 stores in 67 countries. Starbucks has achieved worldwide recognition and success. Can it also be successful in Italy, a country that is known to have long cultural ties with coffee?

Let’s find out more about it.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/starbucks-to-open-first-store-in-italy.htm#

Discussion Questions:

1. According to the article, when will Starbucks open its first store in Italy?
2. Have you tried Italian espresso? How about Starbucks coffee?
3. Why do Italians have mixed reactions/feelings about the opening of Starbucks in their country?
4. What was the article pertaining to when it mentioned  the “watery undrinkable” coffee?
5. Can Starbucks succeed in Italy?
6. Are there Starbucks stores in your country? What’s the most popular coffee shop chain in your country/Europe?

Stress – Signs and Symptoms

B1 – Intermediate

Stress is inevitable. We feel stress whenever we are in situations that are difficult to handle. We become overwhelmed and it becomes a challenge to cope.

Read the article below to know how we can better handle stressful situations.

http://www.english-online.at/health_medicine/stress/coping-with-stress.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think stress is ever good or necessary? Why or why not?
  2. Do you have a stressful lifestyle? What are some situations that make you feel stressed?
  3. How do you reduce stress in your life? Do you think they would be considered good or bad ways of dealing with stress?
  4. Some people like to have a drink when they are stressed. What do you think about this?
  5. Which would you choose: A stressful job with very high pay or a relaxed job with considerably low pay? Why?

Autonomous Vehicles

B1 – Intermediate

What will future cars look like? Can future vehicles prevent road accidents? Will it really be possible for a car to take us from point A to B without controlling it?  Let’s discuss the Autonomous or driver-less cars of the future and find out more about it.

Listen to the podcast carefully and study the featured vocabulary words.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-170105

Discussion Questions:

  1. Will self-driving cars be safer than human-controlled ones? Explain.
  2. Do you think that robot cars can handle life-or-death situations/decisions? Explain.
  3. Would you buy an autonomous car for yourself? Why or why not?
  4. What problems do you see with autonomous vehicles?

The Growing Threat of Creationism

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you ever thought how the Earth was created or formed?  The controversy over the creation of Earth still puzzles and confuses many of us and the topic on the theory of creationism and evolution has been debated for the past century.

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

How old is the Earth? Is it billions of years old, or a significantly younger several thousand? The debate between the theory of evolution and creationism continues, primarily in the US. It’s a dispute fueled by politics, cultural differences, and religion.

The theory of evolution holds that plants and animals changed slowly, generation after generation, over billions of years. Helpful traits were passed onto offspring, while harmful ones grew rare. Creationism, however, supposes that God created the Earth in six days, exactly as depicted in the Bible, only a few thousand years ago. Intelligent design, which has been labeled as a form of neo-creationism, points to the complexity of some animals as an indication that God guided their development.

In the US, numerous conservative leaders have opposed the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Others have striven to get creationism taught side-by-side with evolution, as an alternative and equally-valid theory. Kansas, for example, has flip-flopped on the issue several times over the past few years. Courts, however, have repeatedly ruled creationism, as well as intelligent design, a form of religious teachings. It should have no place in the public classroom.

Although creationism in Europe hasn’t achieved the number of adherents as it has in the US, numbers are increasing. Therefore, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly will debate a resolution to declare creationism a form of religious extremism. An Assembly member commented that different religious views exist, yet creationism isn’t science. It shouldn’t be presented as such in the classroom. Furthermore, the resolution views creationism as an attack on science and human rights.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Based on the text, why do you think more and more people in Europe believe in creationism?
2. Should creationism and evolution be taught side-by-side in the classroom? Why/not?
3. Is creationism a threat? Why/not?

How Food Trucks Took Over City Streets

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C1 – Advanced

Food trucks. Their evolution has been a good one. Sprouting up like mushroom, people seem to enjoy every bit of it.

Read the article below and be ready to increase your vocabulary by going through the different terms and expressions. Feel free to read the article section per section with your teacher.

How Food Trucks Took Over City Streets

Discuss:

1. Describe the change of food trucks since it began.
2. Why are food trucks so appealing to the young? The culinary graduates?
3. Explain why having a food truck business is not as easy as some think. What are the challenges business owners face?
4. On the other hand, what are the advantages of having a food truck as a business?
5. Are food trucks a trend in your city as well? What is your general opinion of them?

Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been preoccupying people from all different walks of life. Whether you’re a scientist, an engineer or a mother of two, questions will always be asked. Is it good? Or does it bring more harm?

Click the link below to read the article about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pros-cons-artificial-intelligence-mike-fekety

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about all the things you know about AI.
  2. Talk about its pros and cons.
  3. In your opinion, what are some of the most worrisome threats associated with AI at the moment? How can we deal with them?
  4. How prevalent is AI used in your country these days? How about at your job? And in your community?
  5. How can AI help address some of the world’s most pressing problems?

Zuckerberg Presents AI Assistant Jarvis

C1 – Advanced

Mark Zuckerberg, creator and CEO of social media giant Facebook, has been working on developing his very own AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistant for a year now.

Watch the video and read the article as he introduces ‘Jarvis’ to the world.

Zuckerberg Presents AI Assistant Jarvis

Discuss:

1. Talk about Jarvis.
2. Do you feel comfortable talking to your mobile phone? If yes, what do you usually ask your AI assistant to do? If not, kindly explain the reason why.
3. What other functions would you like AI assistants to be able to carry out?
4. What other ultra advanced technology would you like to be able to see and use in your lifetime.

Rules That Make Employees Want to Quit

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every workplace needs rules. They discourage employees from coming to work late, getting drunk at their desks, and most importantly, are intended to ensure efficiency. However, a lot of companies have rules that frustrate employees because they sometimes cross the line into ridiculousness.

Read the article below then express your thoughts about it.

http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/10-dumb-rules-that-make-your-best-people-want-to-quit.html?utm_content=buffer49014&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Discussion Questions:

1. Do agree with the items listed? why or why not?
2. Give examples of “dumb rules” you’ve encountered.
3. Why do you think rules are necessary?

Speaking Activity : Tourism

tour-banner

B2 – Upper intermediate

Tourism is travelling for pleasure. It also involves the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, as well as the business of operating tours.

People will always want to travel. The tourism industry has been growing in the past years and travelling has been a lot of people’s passion and hobby.

Answer the questions below and be ready to have a discussion about tourism and travelling.

Discuss:

1. How important is tourism in your country?
2. What is the biggest tourist destination in your country?
3. What are the benefits of international tourism? Are there any drawbacks?
4. Do you prefer tourism package tours or do you prefer to plan your own vacations? Why?
5. Is it better to go to popular tourist destinations or lesser known tourist destinations? Why?
6. Should a government try to improve domestic tourism or try to attract international tourists instead? Why?
7. What’s the best way to travel when you visit a country? Train, car, bicycle, bus?
8. If you could create a tourism slogan for your country, what would it be?
9. What’s the best way for a country to bring in more tourists?
10. How do you feel about tourists who visit your country?

Speaking Activity : Childhood

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Childhood is a moment in life when children enjoy their time with friends, parents and teachers in school. A moment when they should feel safe from violence and abuse. A time when they can learn and grow.

How would would describe your childhood? Answer the questions below and be ready to practice your sentence construction.

Discuss:

1. What was the best thing about your childhood?
2. What do you miss most about being a child?
3. Do you think that children these days have a better or worse childhood than your generation? Why?
4. What do you think is important to have a happy childhood?
5. Where did you grow up? How did that affect your childhood?
6. What were some of your favorite activities when you were a child?
7. Who, besides your parents, had the biggest impact on your childhood?
8.What do you want to provide your children that you didn’t have when you were growing up?
9. What was your experience at school like? (elementary, junior high, or high school)