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Career Coach Finds Your Dream Job

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Just about everyone faces a moment in their professional life when they question the job that they do, when it doesn’t challenge them anymore or simply having that feeling that they should be somewhere else. However, some time after the outbreak of the pandemic, it appears that there has been a significant increase in the number of people reconsidering their career opportunities.

A vast career coaching industry has sprung up in recent years, with the goal of sustaining and enhancing a different approach in professionals’ careers, as well as gaining the skills for them to be established and eventually being able to reach their dreams.

Let’s take a look at the article below to find out how a career coach can help you find your dream job.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-can-a-career-coach-find-you-your–dream-job

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you ever consider having a career coach? Why or why not?
  2. How would you go about it when the moment comes and you feel you aren’t where you want to be professionally?
  3. What are some of the worst and best jobs you can think of and why do you consider them as such?
  4. What kinds of jobs interest you the most and the least?
  5. Talk about your dream job and how you intend to land it.

Xenobots

B1 – Intermediate

Technology has come a long way. What once seemed impossible, now seem to be because of all the tools that are available to us. More inventions have been introduced including a new type of robot that can reproduce.

These “living” robots are currently being studied and they provide promising applications in different fields. Despite this, some people are still doubtful about the possibilities these robots can unleash.

Read the article below to learn more about xenobots.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2112/211202-xenobots-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this machine-animal hybrid?
  2. What might be the pros and cons of these robots?
  3. Where would these robots be most useful?
  4. Why are some people worried about these robots?
  5. What are some current applications of robots that are helpful?
  6. How should these experiments be monitored and evaluated?

Time Management Skills

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Managing how to accomplish tasks is one of the best tools in becoming successful in one’s career or endeavor. However, most of us are wondering why it feels like we just can’t to accomplish all the tasks we should on a daily basis. Maybe, we lack the skills to organize and plan allocating our time to different activities that we need to pull off. Time management is the key.

Here are some tips on how to manage our time to make it more productive and effective.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essential-time-management-skills/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which of the tips do you apply in your daily life?
  2. Do you have additional tips on how to effectively manage your time?
  3. How do you block out distractions?
  4. What is your stance on multitasking?
  5. What are your thoughts about getting some down time to rest?

Passion Exploitation

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Most likely, you have heard that once you have found the job you are most passionate about, “you will never have to work a day in your life”. But what if your passion for what you do gives people you work with the idea that they can take advantage of you?

Read the article about passion exploitation.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190719-passion-exploitation

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about this being practiced/done by some in certain industries?
  2. Do you think passion exploitation is more likely to happen if you work in particular industries? Explain your stand.Why do you think workers in artistic and creative industries are more susceptible to this kind of exploitation?
  3. Talk about an instance when you were asked to work more, on unrelated tasks, or for free. How did that make you feel?
  4. What is the best way to refuse paying the “passion tax”?
  5. What are your thoughts on this, “Doing what you love a double-edged sword.“?
  6. In general, how can some exploitative actions of managers be prevented?

Stem Cell Transplant Using Umbilical Cord Blood as HIV Cure

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A female patient who’s been living with HIV was cured using a new approach in which stem cells are taken from umbilical cord blood. The goal is for other patients with HIV to undergo the said stem cell transplant in hopes of curing cancer and other serious conditions.

Read the article about the first stem cell transplant using umbilical cord blood for curing HIV.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/16/woman-reportedly-cured-of-hiv-after-first-stem-cell-transplant-using-umblical-cord-blood

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe the treatment and the most important element to its success.
  2. What are your thoughts on this new treatment approach to possibly curing HIV and other serious diseases?
  3. What do you think are its pros and cons?
  4. What else do you know about stem cells and stem cell transplants?
  5. Would you be willing to undergo such a new approach if you were inflicted with a very serious condition?

Anti-Ageing Vaccine

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Ageing is a biological life process that is inevitable. It is also the biggest factor that increases the risk of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, Japanese researchers are developing a new approach to slowing down or reversing the ageing process.

Let’s read the article below about this new anti-ageing vaccine.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/12/14/can-we-live-forever-new-anti-ageing-vaccine-could-bring-immortality-one-step-closer

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this new anti-ageing vaccine?
  2. Do you want to live forever? If yes, what are you going to do while you live eternally? If not, how long do you want to live and why?
  3. What is a disadvantage of immortality? How would it change our lives?
  4. Who is the oldest person you know? How is their view of the world different from yours?
  5. “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

More and More Children with Food Allergies

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A food allergy is an abnormal immunologic reaction to specific foods. Although allergic reactions are often mild, they can be very serious. It affects around 5% of adults and 8% of children. Unfortunately, the prevalence of food allergies among children is on the rise.

Let’s read the article below to know why food allergy is on the rise among children.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/health-medicine/more-children-with-food-allergies.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you allergic to something? If yes, with what and what symptoms do you usually have when you have an attack?
  2. What do you do to ease your symptoms when you’re having an allergic reaction?
  3. What would your life be like if you suddenly became allergic to your favorite food?
  4. How difficult is life for people with allergies?
  5. What do you think would be the worst thing to be allergic to and why?

The Danger of the Glass Cliff for Women and People of Color

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The term ‘glass cliff’ is when a woman or member of a minority group is appointed as leader amidst crisis when succeeding or rising above it seems almost impossible.

Read the article about about the invisible danger of leaving women and people of color on the edge of a glass cliff.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220204-the-danger-of-the-glass-cliff-for-women-and-people-of-colour

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think this is being done to women and POC?
  2. Researchers did not find a glass cliff in companies in the UK and Germany and so they dismissed it as a “myth”. What are your thoughts on this?
  3. Have you ever felt like you were or someone you know was put on a glass cliff? Talk about that instance. What did you/they do in order to succeed in that moment?
  4. How do you support your leaders at work?
  5. What do you know and think about the promotion pattern of your own company or the companies you’ve worked for before?

Super Immunity Cells

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When Covid-19 started affecting millions of people, sometimes even leading to long-term health effects or worse, fatality, one of the many efforts in finding as much information about it was started by a group of virologists from New York. They launched a study to attempt and anticipate the emergence of more dangerous Covid-19 variants.

Memory B cells was discovered more than half a century ago. But scientists are only starting to have a grasp of how crucial these cells are in helping protect people from some serious diseases.

Read the article about about the cells that can give you hybrid-immunity.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220210-the-cells-that-can-give-you-super-immunity

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on these cells?
  2. How else can they be beneficial for humans?
  3. How strong do you think your immune system is? How can you say so? 
  4. What are things do you do to boost your immunity?
  5. How would you feel about having super immunity?
  6. Would you like a procedure or drug to be discovered to help humans achieve this super immunity? Why or why not? 

Hypochondriacs

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When people start feeling under the weather, they consult with their GPs. However, some people may have more health complaints when they are not actually ill. In 2013, the term “illness anxiety disorder” was used to describe people who have illogical and debilitating concerns over their health.

Read the article about about hypochondriasis.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220215-why-even-just-testing-for-diseases-can-make-us-feel-ill

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this condition?
  2. Hypochondriacs are often belittled and dubbed as time waster. What do you think of this?
  3. What are some factors that can lead to hypochondriasis?
  4. What are some of your fears related to your health condition?
  5. What are some ways to tackle health anxiety?