Tag: Text

Japan’s Population is Declining

B1 – Intermediate

It’s official. Japan’s populations is dramatically shrinking. After years of warnings about Japan’s aging population and its low birth rate, the day is here. Japan’s official census shows that the country’s population has shrunk.

Read more about this by clicking the link below.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/world/asia/japans-population-is-declining.htm#

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the reasons Japan’s population is declining?
  2. If this continues, what do you think will happen to Japan?
  3. How is the birth rate in your country? Is it also declining?
  4. Can immigration help with the problem with declining population? Share your thoughts.
  5. What can the government do to address this problem?

China Wants To Become A Soccer Superpower

chinese-football-team

B2 – Upper intermediate

Traditionally a sport dominated by European countries, soccer is a sport where a lot of Asian countries have not been really good at until recently. That is all about to change as China has announced its plan to become a soccer superpower.

Read about China’s big ambitions by clicking the link below.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/sports/china-wants-to-become-soccer-superpower.htm#

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is soccer so popular in the world?
2. Do you think China will be able to reach its goal of being a soccer superpower?
3. Do you think Chinese soccer teams stand a chance against Spanish/European ones?
4. What sports do you play? What are some you find very interesting?

Free Speech: Is Saying Something Offensive Fine?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In 2015, The Pew Research Center conducted a survey on 38 countries to elicit their thoughts on freedom of speech. The results might come as a surprise, yet it is indeed very timely.

It is perhaps high time to open conversations on the importance of creating safe spaces and setting trigger warnings to protect students from learning materials or expressed opinions that might be troubling for them.

Listen to this podcast and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/free-speech-is-it-fine-to-say-something-offensive-students-college-vietnam/3555231.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are “safe space” and “trigger warning”? How are they important especially to students?
  2. What is your opinion on free speech at educational institutions?
  3. Are students free enough to express their opinions during class discussions?
  4. Should teachers be able to express their honest opinions on every matter or should they consider their students beliefs as well?
  5. Do you think the media in your country is able to report news freely?
  6. What may be the advantages of censorship?

Teen Drivers Most at Risk of Crashing

B1 – Intermediate

Based on a recent study, novice and younger drivers have a higher likelihood to be in a car crash.

Read more on this Breaking News article about the result of this study. Be ready to have a speaking exercise using some of the words featured in the article.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1610/161018-teen-drivers.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of teen drivers?
  2. How can one become a really good driver?
  3. What is traffic safety like in your country?
  4. When do you think is the best age for people to start driving? Why?
  5. Kindly share your experiences being a first-time driver.

Indian Police Make Arrests

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Mumbai, India – Around 70 Indian call center representatives were arrested last week in different raids in several buildings across the city. The suspects allegedly call Americans and demand them to pay the money they owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and threaten to send the police to arrest them should they fail to pay up.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find more about this telephone scam.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/india-us-scam/3548899.html

Discussion Questions:

1. How were these callers able to deceive people?
2. What are ways to identify whether this kind of phone call is a scam or not?
3. Talk about things you know about taxation in Spain.
4. What are other phone or internet scams do you know of?
5. Why is paying taxes important?

How to Buy Healthy Food

time-50-healthiest-foods-beets

B2 – Upper intermediate

Over the past years, society has been bombarded with an ever increasing number of health choices. You can go for organic, vegan, dairy-free or just plain raw. How do you know which one is actually the healthiest?

Read the article below to know what one doctor says about going to the supermarket and buying the stuff that’s actually good for you.

How to Buy Healthy Food Without Reading the Nutrition Label

Discuss:

1. What kind of doctor is Cynthia Sass and what does she say about choosing healthy products at the supermarket?
2. Would you agree to what the doctor said?
3. What are some healthy options that you choose?
4. What are some of your guilty pleasures when it comes to food?

International Day of the Nacho

Young women and man eating nachos with melted cheese

B2 – Upper intermediate

Almost everything we know and use has a history behind it. This includes food. The history surrounding a certain dish is often very interesting. And nachos are no exception.

Read the article to know more how this Mexican dish came about. Take note of new words and expressions.

The International Day of the Nacho Would Not Be Possible Without This Man

Discuss:

1. In your own words, re-tell the history of nachos. How did it get its name?
2. Are you fond of nachos and other Mexican dishes?
3. Would you say that there are local Spanish dishes with an interesting history behind it?
4. What are some non-European cuisines that you enjoy eating?

Greeks May Have Built Terracotta Army

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C1 – Advanced

China’s first emperor was buried with 8,000 stone statues – a stone army guarding his tomb. It is now believed that Ancient Greeks influenced and helped build these statues along with other sculptors. It also suggests there was close contact between the Greeks and China long before the opening of the Silk Road.

Ancient Greeks may have built China’s famous Terracotta Army – 1,500 years before Marco Polo

Discuss:

1. When dealing with history that is thousands of years in the past do you think we can really know what truly happened?
2. History seems to change often with new discoveries of our past, do you think many of the things we now believe are actually false?
3. What are some historical events that you are interested in?

Increase your Vocabulary Through Idioms 2

B2 – Upper intermediate

Idioms are a very fun way to express certain situations. They put more color to your sentences and are a great way to increase your vocabulary.

Read the short articles and answer the questions that follow.

Idiom 1:The Economy is Tough

Idiom 2: Good Working Habits

Podcast: Domestic Chores

B2 – Upper intermediate

Should cleaning the house be really an issue between partners? Listen to the podcast below and express your thoughts about doing domestic chores. Share some of your experiences as well.

Be ready to discuss the different vocabulary terms featured in the podcast.

6 Minute English: Domestic chores

Discuss:

1. What are some of the domestic chores that you do? Which ones do you hate?
2. Would you say that you have a very high threshold or a low threshold when it comes to untidiness?
3. Do you agree that women have a tendency to take care more of their children as compared to men?
4. How do you feel about hiring cleaning ladies and nannies to help you around?