Tag: video

What’s your Dawn Wall?

C1 – Advanced

Imagine a 3,000-foot (900-meter) high rock formation. Now picture free climbing, or climbing up this gargantuan natural structure with just your hands and feet. Impossible? Not anymore. The Dawn Wall, an imposing rock structure in Yosemite Park, is possibly the world’s toughest free climb, and in 2015, Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell were the first free climbers to make it all the way up.

Sometimes challenges in life feel uncannily similar to a steep climb. Have you scaled your own Dawn Wall lately?

Discuss:

1. What “projects” are you currently taking on? Which one seems like a climb up the Dawn Wall?
2. In the video, Kevin Jorgeson is described as someone following his bliss. What does it mean to “follow one’s bliss”? Are you following your own bliss?
3. What qualities should a person possess to succeed in life?
4. How do you approach life’s difficulties?
5. What recent personal success are you most proud of? How did you celebrate this achievement?

Video: The Strange Disease of Always Being Hungry

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C2 – Proficient

There are many mysterious diseases in the world. If you are lucky, they can find medications for it. In some cases they can’t. Medical researchers are continuously exploring ways to cure a number of diseases .

Watch the video and read the article below about a girl who was miraculously cured from her very rare disease and the others who suffer from the same syndrome.

Always Hungry Girl Gets ‘Childhood’ Back After Weight Loss Surgery

Discuss:

1. Explain the rare condition mentioned in the video. What happens to the patients who suffer from this condition?
2. How do you stay healthy?
3. Is it hard to be healthy?
4. How do you avoid being sick?
5. Will it be possible in the future that all diseases will have a cure?
6. What are other strange illnesses that you know of?

More Foreign Students in the US

B2 – Upper intermediate

More and more students from other countries flock to the US to pursue their education. Watch the video and read the article below to know more of the facts.

US Hosts Record Number of Foreign Students

Discuss:

1. What do you think are the main reasons why most students prefer to study in America?
2. What are the benefits of studying abroad?
3. Have you ever considered or experienced studying abroad? Talk about this experience.

Korean Air Executive Went Nuts Over Nuts

C1 – Advanced

Heather Cho resigned as an executive of Korean Air after a nut incident. She was said to have gone furious at the head steward for serving her macadamia nuts in a packet instead of a plate.

Read more about this incident and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30461979

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you feel about the said executive’s behavior?
  2. Have you ever heard of similarly over-the-top behavior?
  3. Some say the pilot could have refused the executive to avoid the delay caused by the incident. If you were in the pilot’s position, what would you have done?
  4. If you were in the steward’s shoes, what would you have done?
  5. Talk about a similar incident you’ve witnessed onboard or at the airport.

Swap Homes for Holidays

B2 – Upper Intermediate

If you’ve seen the movie The Holiday you may be familiar with the concept of “Home Exchange”.

Read the article below to know more about this kind of accommodation.

https://www.thelocal.es/20141101/travel-live-like-a-local-with-home-exchange-tlccu-2/

Discussion Questions:

1. Is Home Exchange interesting to you? Why or why not?
2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of participating in this kind of service?
3. What accommodations do you prefer when you travel?

Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

B2 – Upper intermediate

Immigration is a complex political issue worldwide. US President Obama announces an executive order that would help pave the way for enacting actions on immigration issues.

Obama to Announce Executive Order on Immigration

Discuss:

1. Does your country have problems with undocumented immigrants?
2. What are ways to solve a country’s problem on illegal immigration?
3. Do you think that parents who are undocumented should be deported?
4. What are the advantages of deportation?

*click on the title get an update on Obama’s immigration actions: The U.S. Supreme Court and Obama’s Immigration Actions

Illegal Job Interview Questions

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Job Interview – B2 – Upper intermediate

Finding a job is hard. But perhaps harder is passing a job interview, especially if competition is tough. Always let a job interview show the best of you and avoid being pressed for unnecessary information about yourself that could lead to discrimination.

Here are some questions that employers may ask applicants that are actually stepping on their boundaries.

Five Illegal Job Interview Questions in the US

Discuss:

1. Share your job interview experiences. What kind of questions were you asked?
2. Has an employer ever made you uncomfortable answering their questions?
3. What was the most outrageous question that you were asked in a job interview?
4. Aside from the questions mentioned above, what questions during job interviews do you think shouldn’t be asked?

Prison Bank

B1 – Intermediate

Banks are where we keep our savings. We always ensure our money is kept in good hands. What if the bank you choose as your partner is run by inmates and the manager himself is a convict? Find out more about this one of a kind “Prison bank”.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the things you consider in choosing a bank?
2. Can a convict trust a fellow convict?
3. Will you entrust your savings to a criminal?
4. What is the advantage of giving responsibilities to inmates?
5. In your country, do the prisons have programs for inmates?

Self-Building Robot

B1 – Intermediate

Scientists have created a robot that can build and fold by itself in just 4 minutes. A researcher suggested that the self-building robot could be applied to a variety of different problems.

http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/self-building-robot-level-3/

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you think this robot can be useful in space explorations?
2. What do you think of robots in general?
3. How else can this robot be useful?

Lego Ends Ties with Shell

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Lego had a partnership with Shell and made toys that had Shell logo on them. There were over a million people who emailed Lego asking it to end its deal with Shell that brought pressure to finally end its contract with the oil company.

Read the article about Lego ending its tie-up with Shell.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1410/141012-lego.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Give your opinion about Greenpeace’s move to pressure Lego from ending their contract with Shell.
  2. Do you think that parents have a responsibility in choosing the right toys to educate their children about preserving the environment?
  3. Are there specific projects to tackle environmental issues in your country? Talk about some that you know of.