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Quiet Quitting

B1 – Intermediate

The workplace is a very competitive world. We are taught to do our very best in order to succeed. 

However, it seems times have changed. Workers only work to achieve the minimum of what they should be doing in their job while they are working to later just leave.

Read the article about the concept of quiet quitting and how it is becoming more common in the workplace.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2210/221003-quiet-quitting-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are reasons workers are quiet quitting?
  2. Was there ever a time you had to quit quietly at work? Talk about this time.
  3. How to be a good employee?
  4. What is the proper way to quit work? 
  5. Talk about a time you ‘went the extra mile’ at work.
  6. How did the pandemic change the way you do or think about your job?

How People Drink Wine Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People’s choice of booze differs depending on many factors. But wine is undoubtedly one of the world’s most favorite. 

There are different ways people from every country enjoys this boozy drink.

Read the article about the different ways people drink their wine across the world.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/how-people-drink-wine-around-the-world

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which points in this article did you find the most interesting and surprising, and why?
  2. Share other ways people consume their wine that you’ve heard of.
  3. What’s the best way to enjoy wine?
  4. Do you have the custom to BYOB in your country? Why or why not?
  5. Do you think drinking wine will become more or less popular in the future? Explain your point.

The 15-Minute City

B2 – Upper Intermediate

To improve the quality of people’s lives, an urban planning design and policies were conceived by a French-Colombian professor, Carlos Moreno. It is what is known as the“15-Minute City”. The idea is to create cities where everything is within a 15-minute radius.

The aim is to build sustainable cities where residents can live locally, with everything they need within just a short walk or a bike ride away.

Read the article to learn more about decentralization of services, otherwise known as, the 15-minute city and be able to answer the questions below.

https://www.treehugger.com/the-15-minute-city-is-having-a-moment-5071739

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the idea of a “The 15-Minute City”?
  2. Would you like to live in this kind of city? Why or why not?
  3. What are the positive and negative impact of such urban planning design to people and society?
  4. Describe the city you live in. What are the best things about it and what aspects can be improved?
  5. How important is urban planning?

Coca-Cola’s Returnable Bottles

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Coca-Cola believes that reusable packaging is among the most effective way to reduce waste, use fewer resources, and lower the carbon footprint in support of a circular economy. Consequently, they aim to have at least 25% of all their beverages sold globally in refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles or in refillable containers by 2030.

Read the article to know more about Coca Cola’s returnable bottles and be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.treehugger.com/coca-cola-returnable-bottles-5219470

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Coca-Cola company using returnable bottles? Is it probably greenwashing? Explain your stand.
  2. What would be the impact of its change in packaging?
  3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using reusable packaging?
  4. What are some practices that you do in order to reduce your carbon footprint?

Apple AirTag a Gift to Stalkers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Apple Airtag is a very small device that was developed in order to help us find things that we commonly misplace. It was never meant to be a gadget for unwanted tracking of people.

Read the article about how some abusers are using Airtag to stalk their victims. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/05/i-didnt-want-it-anywhere-near-me-how-the-apple-airtag-became-a-gift-to-stalkers

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on Apple Airtag? Are you interested to have one?
  2. What is your opinion on it being used maliciously?
  3. What can Apple do in order to address this problem with their product?
  4. How do you make sure your privacy is protected despite all of your online activities?
  5. What other gadgets do you think are dangerous and why?

The Dangers of Being Over-Confident

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Possessing self-confidence is generally a positive trait. Individuals with higher level of confidence often have greater success across a wide range of fields.

While self esteem, superior to any other characteristic, is typically perceived as a strength in many scenarios, having too much of it can be extremely negative to both success and well-being.

But can you ever have too much confidence? Is it possible to have a good thing in excess?

Let us go through the entire article to discover more about the pitfalls of overconfidence.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220901-the-dangers-of-being-over-confident

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it possible to have too much self-belief? Explain.
  2. What drawbacks might overconfidence cause?
  3. Can overconfidence be handled? How?
  4. How do you deal with someone who is overconfident?
  5. Share a situation where being overconfident helped you.

Catastrophizing or Toxic Thinking

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you have the habit of magnifying your problems, anticipating the worst, or thinking that your circumstances are worse than they actually are? If you routinely find yourself catastrophizing, becoming aware of your tendency to do so may be beneficial before it impairs your quality of life.

Finding techniques to disrupt those poisonous thought loops should be beneficial in boosting one’s toughness and there may be no better time to learn than now.

Let us read the complete content to learn more about how toxic thinking can lead you down to a dangerous path.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220725-catastrophising-how-toxic-thinking-can-lead-down-dark-path

Discussion Questions:

  1. What exactly does it mean to catastrophize?
  2. How could you make adjustments if you are a catastrophizer but would prefer not to be?
  3. Is it doable to teach your brain to avoid automatically thinking the worst-case scenario? Why or why not?
  4. How do you deal with anxiety without the employ of medications?
  5. How has expecting the worst helped you in some situations in your life previously?

Workers and Employers Ghosting

B2 – Upper Intermediate

‘Ghosting’ was first used in the dating scene to describe an abrupt, unexpected halt to all contacts. This societal concept is quickly catching on in the workplace and both parties are guilty of committing the crime.

You might be surprised to learn that ghosting is becoming more pervasive. Additionally, ghosting is not solely done by employees. Employers are also guilty of abandoning prospects as the talent acquisition process moves forward, even while an offer is being made.

Understand why employees and employers are ghosting one another by going through the article.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220311-why-workers-and-employers-are-ghosting-each-other

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on this work issue.
  2. How can we end the trend of ‘quiet firing’ and ‘quiet quitting’?
  3. Why do employers ghost job applicants?
  4. Is it illegal to ghost your job? Why or why not?
  5. Is ghosting an employer profitable in the long term? Explain.
  6. What are the available alternatives to ghosting?

Solar Panel Sales Boom

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As the saying goes, “When one man fails, another man rises in his shadows”. As the whole world falls to its knees due to the sharp increase in energy prices, the solar industry booms.

Read the article about the boost in solar panel sales. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62524031

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. What might be the good and bad things about using solar energy?
  3. Do you think solar panels are good investment? Why or why not?
  4. How does the solar energy sector fare in your country and why is this the case?
  5. What are your thoughts on using solar panels to generate energy in homes and buildings more in the foreseeable future?

Chip Shortage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Technological products run because of computer chips, also known as semiconductors. However, there has been chip shortage nowadays. Because of this, there is a problem with the supply of some popular tech items.

Read the article to find out the reasons for this chip shortage, how tech firms are addressing this crisis, and how it affects us. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58230388

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is there a chip shortage? What is reaction to/thoughts on this?
  2. How are tech firms dealing with this problem?
  3. How does this impact us? How does this affect you?
  4. Some tech firms stockpiled and ordered the chips in advance as the pandemic was beginning in 2020 which lead to the other companies to have problems acquiring the components. Share your opinion on what big tech firms did back there.
  5. How often do you buy new electronic gadgets or appliances?