phone english blogB1 – Intermediate
Fear is an emotion observed by living things particularly among humans and animals. Fear may take place in response to a certain stimulus or that provokes response.
Find out what some people are afraid of:
Discussion Questions:
1. What is your greatest fear?
2. How do you usually respond to fear? Can you think of good ways to handle fear?
3. Do you think psychiatric intervention is necessary to address issues concerning fear?
4. Share some of your scary experiences.
B1 – Intermediate
Jealousy is an emotion which is often comprised of negative thoughts, possessiveness, anxiety and fear. It is also often referred to by people as ” green-eyed monster”.
Discuss:
1. Have you ever been jealous? How do you manage such emotion?
2. Is being jealous okay? When is it wrong to be jealous?
3. Would you consider yourself to be an emotional person?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
About 27 percent of youngsters is deemed ineligible due to obesity and overweight. According to Mission: Readiness Report, young Americans are “too fat to fight”.
Discover some reasons that are causing this problem and its impact military enlistment.
https://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/20/military.fat.fight/index.html
Discussion Questions:
B1 – Intermediate
A restaurant owner in Mexico is offering tacos topped with insects. He has wild items added to his menu such as scorpions and spiders too.
Discuss:
1. What exotic kinds of food do you know or have tried?
2. Are there exotic foods in Spain?
3. For you, is it okay to use and put insects in our food? Why or why not?
B1 – Intermediate
A footage shows native people emerge from the Amazon rain forest and make contact with the outside world. Brazilian experts said the indigenous people likely crossed the border from Peru facing pressure from illegal logging and drug trafficking at home.
http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/people-from-a-rainforest-level-3/
Discussion Questions:
1. Is drug trafficking happening in Spain? How about illegal logging?
2. Have you ever taken a trip to exotic places?
3. Are there still places in your country that are still “untouched” by civilization?
A2 – Elementary
Most people drink coffee or tea to jump-start their day. It works as stimulant. It gives them energy and keeps them awake. But, according to the study conducted by Mike Yassa, together with the University of California in Irvine, caffeine also helps improve long term memory.
Discuss:
1. Are you a coffee or tea drinker?
2. How does caffeine affect you in a daily basis?
3. What is the best coffee for you?
B2 – Upper intermediate
One in seven American families suffer from food insecurity. Inflation is low but the population’s ability to get healthy food is decreasing. Eating unhealthy food can cause illness such us diabetes and hypertension and food insecurity can lead people to committing crimes such us robbery and stealing.
Discuss:
1. What do you think people can do to address this issue in their own little ways?
2. Can you think of alternative ways to get healthy food in cheaper cost?
3. Has your country experienced such difficulty? Do you see this happening in the future?
4. How secure are the citizens of your country when it comes to their employment?
B2 – Upper intermediate
Lies are part of human nature. Cliché, but true. It can be inevitable in some instances especially when you have personal reasons. How would you detect if someone is lying to you? Watch this interesting video.
Click on CC on the video to watch the clip with subtitles.
Discuss:
1. How about you? How can you tell when your colleagues or friends are being dishonest to you?
2. Were there times when you told a lie to impress someone? Or maybe lied to avoid hurting someone’s feelings?
3. Share some of your funny experiences about lying.
B2 – Upper intermediate
People usually have preconceived ideas of men’s or women’s characteristics, traits, habits or roles in general. Have you ever wondered what causes gender stereotypes and how it all started? Watch this video to see our history.
Discuss:
1. Can you name a few stereotypes of men and women?
2. Have you been a victim of a stereotype?
3. Do you witness gender discrimination in your workplace?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
Being a women and a CEO of one of the world’s top companies might not be a walk in the park for anybody. But we’ve watch a lot of boss ladies successfully conquer both family and work life.
Watch the interview of Indra K. Nooyi and why she said, “Women can’t have it all.”
Discussion Questions: