Tag: video

South Koreans Got Taller

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Many would agree that height is power. Studies show that height is a key factor in one’s overall health. Have you ever considered how our height varies, particularly from one nation to another? Or do you ever make a comparison to a single member of your family?

Take a look at the video below to see how our height evolves.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “vertical axis” mean? “We need to adjust the vertical axis so we can see this chart better.” Kindly use it to construct your own sentence.
  2. Do you know the meaning of “outlier“, “The countries that grew the least were in Africa. And Asian countries were mostly in the middle. But all the way on the right is an outlier.” Give your example using this word.
  3. What is the meaning of “skyrocketed“, “Eventually, the country shifted from producing things like textiles to consumer electronics and cars. And South Koreans wealth skyrocketed.” Use this word in your

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the good and bad sides of being tall? How about being short?
  2. How important is a person’s height?
  3. Share your thoughts on this statement: “Height is something history gives to us.”
  4. Are people generally tall in your country? What factors do you think are to attribute to it?
  5. What are the factors that affect our growth?
  6. Do you believe that one inherits a genetic component that determines height? Explain.

Transhumanism

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Embedding a chip to unlock doors, store personal medical data, and getting smart contact lenses to record video by blinking are only some of the things transhumanists do to alter their body.

Watch the video and learn about the technological advances that have already altered the medical industry.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does hasten mean, “There are some however who would not only rejoice at it, but want to hasten the day it arrives.”? Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does supersede mean, “Transhumanists look forward to a future in which Homo sapiens is superseded by a better, smarter, fitter model- humanity 2.0.”? Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. What does dire mean, “Humans are in dire need of improvement.”? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on transhumanism?
  2. Share your opinions on the possibility of being able to leave our ‘fragile human bodies’ behind and upload ourselves to computers and be able to live forever in the virtual world.
  3. Do you have any wearable devices that help you track your activities, for example, sleep patterns or steps? Do you analyze the information you receive from them?
  4. Would you be ready to try only those biohacking techniques that have been proven or would you go for something completely innovative?
  5. Should people be worried about the fact that such experiments can completely transform humans?

Why We Need Subtitles

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you enjoy watching TV shows and movies a lot? Have you ever felt the need for subtitles to fully grasp what the speakers are saying? If so, don’t you think subtitles should be a requirement and that relying on them would help us understand what we are watching more?

To find out more about the topic, kindly watch the video below.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “intelligibility” mean? “Naturalism isn’t always the best for intelligibility, though.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is the meaning of “impede“? “Microphones don’t impede performance as much anymore.” Make your own sentence using this word.
  3. Do you know the meaning of “mumbler“? “Take Tom Hardy, an actor I personally love, but who famously is a mumbler.” Kindly make your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you rely on subtitles when watching movies or series? Why/why not?
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages you could think of subtitle dependency?
  3. Why are subtitles considered an absolute necessity when watching movies or series?
  4. What factors do you believe most influence whether or not viewers in your country choose to watch movies or television shows with subtitles?

Spot a Phone Scammer

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Phone scams are quite prevalent these days. Although this may seem like a little problem, it has had a large-scale impact and made the fraudsters very wealthy and their victims forever scarred.

Check out this video to learn how to spot a phone scammer.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “cold-call“, “Cold-call scammers pretending to be from the HMRC are targeting households threatening legal action unless you call them back.“? Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does the idiom “out of the blue” mean, “The HMRC will never contact you out of the blue and threaten you with arrest.“? Use this expression in your own sentence.
  3. What does the phrase “at hand” mean, “The issue at hand is extremely time-sensitive.“? Use this phrase in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about cold-calls?
  2. Talk about some kind of calls such as this that you have received and how you handle it.
  3. If you had the ability to help stop these scam call centers, what would you do?
  4. How can you and others close to you prevent being phone scammed?
  5. Do you believe that law enforcement could do a better job in this type of situations? How so?

The Science Behind TikTok Brain

B2 – Upper Intermediate

TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short-form videos with a wide range of music, filters, and other effects. Studies have shown that its usage can activate the release of dopamine in the brain, which is associated with pleasure and reward. The fast-paced, highly-engaging nature of TikTok videos can make it difficult for users to look away and can lead to addiction.

Watch the video about TikTok’s impact on the brain, behavior, and mental health.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is “dopamine hit“? “They are getting these dopamine hits that feel good, just the way it does when people sometimes use drugs or they use alcohol, or they become addicted to other things.” Explain what it does to our body.
  2. What does the phrase “spike up” mean, “We see that it gets spiked up.“? Use it in a sentence. Ex. Running up the stairs spike up my heart rate.
  3. What does the idiom “take [ the bull ] by the horns” mean, “As an adult, I can take that by the horns and just make a change.“? Make one sentence using this expression. Ex. I took the bull by the horns and confronted him about his mistreatment of the workers.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, what is a “TikTok Brain”?
  2. Do you have a “TikTok” account? If so, how do you feel when you’re engaged on it? How does it affect you?
  3. What are some negative effects of it and what do you think of this?
  4. What might be the positive effects of scrolling and scrolling through TikTok?
  5. While potential harmful effects of using TikTok exist, what should be done to curb its impact on mental health?

Voice Help Diagnose Illness

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Several studies have been conducted on and have proven how a person’s voice holds key information about their health. 

A team of 45 investigators from Europe and North America are working together to collect human voices as data. They hope to use this information to help identify a variety of medical conditions in patients just by analyzing their voices with the help of AI computer softwares.

Watch the video to know more about how one’s voice could help diagnose illnesses.

https://www.voanews.com/a/logon-could-your-voice-help-diagnose-your-next-illness/6941387.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “tackle” mean, “The study is one of four data generation projects funded by the National Institute of Health bridge to artificial intelligence program designed to use AI to tackle complex biomedical challenges.” Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does ”gap” mean here, ”They realized that there were such a big gap between the technology that we had available and the clinical knowledge and what we use in clinical care in our hospitals.”? Give two synonyms and use these words in sentences.
  3. What does the word “enroll” mean? “The study will start enrolling participants in the coming year.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this study?
  2. In your own opinion, is our voice a good indicator of our underlying or imminent disease or condition? Explain your point.
  3. How would you like your voice to be used to diagnose an illness that you might have?
  4. What might be the good and bad things about using our voice to help diagnose some medical conditions?
  5. Would you be willing to participate in such a study? Why or why not?

Artificial Womb Facility

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Science has made it possible for humanity to advance significantly, as evidenced by developments in reproductive and delivery technologies.

EctoLife is a conceptual, theoretical design for what could be the world’s first artificial womb facility. It was created by Berlin-based science communicator and molecular biotechnologist Hashem Al-Ghaili. The project exists only as a futuristic thought experiment and is not a functioning facility.

To find out more about this artificial womb facility, let us watch this video.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is meant by “from the comfort of one’s zone“? “You can track your baby’s health from the comfort of your zone.” Use it in your own sentence. Give a synonym.
  2. What is the meaning of “haptic“? “Using a wireless haptic suit connected to your baby’s growth pod, you will be able to sense their kicks in the womb.” Use it in your own sentence. Give a synonym.
  3. What is a “bioreactor“? “The second bioreactor is designed to eliminate any waste products created by the babies.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your initial thoughts about such growth pods?
  2. Do you believe that science has gone too far with this kind of tech? Explain your thoughts.
  3. In your opinion, what are the worst and best parts of an artificial womb facility?
  4. What ethical concerns do you think artificial wombs raise for society?
  5. How might artificial womb technology change the traditional concept of pregnancy and parenthood?
  6. Do you think governments should regulate or limit the use of artificial wombs? Why?
  7. How do you think society would change if artificial wombs became a normal part of childbirth?


Run Away and Join the Circus

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you ever considered drastically changing your career? Do you know anyone who has done it? Modern life requires constant change and flexibility. That is true for one’s career and any other aspect of life. 

Watch the video and hear an incredible story from a woman who has dared to make significant changes in her life.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is the meaning of the phrase “to be on the road“, “I never looked back and I’ve been on the road ever since.“? Use it in a sentence and give a synonym.
  2. What is the meaning “on one‘s toes“? “You have to be ready for anything. You have to live on your toes because you never know what’s going to happen.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym.
  3. What does “in one’s wildest dream” mean? “Whatever you want to do in your wildest dreams, do it. Anything is possible.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on her story on how she became a trapeze artist.
  2. Do you know any stories of people who have given up their careers or profession and started something new? What do you think made them do that?
  3. Would you do the same? What career would you change your present one for?
  4. What do you think of this statement: “Whatever you want to do in your wildest dreams, do it!“?

Stay Positive at Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Having a positive mindset at work is beneficial. It can improve one’s mood, boost confidence, help focus on future goals, and thereby, increase productivity in the workplace. By maintaining a positive outlook, one can focus on areas of improvement rather than work challenges. Make daily tasks at work enjoyable as positivity can influence not only you but also your co-workers.

Watch the video to explore how you start incorporating more positivity in your work life.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the idiom “cut someone some slack” mean? “Cutting yourself some slack will be an aid in finding motivation to learn and grow from your mistakes.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. Give 1-2 synonyms of the “drawback“. Use them in sentences. “If you focus on the drawbacks of your role, it’s going to seem impossible to stay positive at work.“
  3. What is the meaning of the phrase “to reap the rewards of something“? “Use these strategies to reap the rewards of staying positive at work.” Use this idiom in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s your attitude towards your work? Are you usually positive or the opposite? Why or why not?
  2. How do you stay positive and motivated to get things done at work?
  3. Which strategies mentioned in the video that you think are helpful in your work life?

Stockholm Syndrome

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you ever heard of Stockholm syndrome? It is a victim’s coping mechanism, but in many cases, it could eventually lead to many mental problems for them in the long run.

To find out more, let’s watch this video about Stockholm syndrome and its dark results on victims of abduction.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “coin” mean here, “Criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot first coined the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ in 1973.”? Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is a “coping mechanism”? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does the expression “to go into a flurry” mean? “The media went into a flurry.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on Stockholm syndrome?
  2. Have you seen or heard of a case involving Stockholm Syndrome? Talk about it.
  3. How to help people currently dealing with Stockholm syndrome?
  4. What other coping mechanisms can one use during moments of hopelessness and frustration?