{"id":29903,"date":"2025-03-20T04:12:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T03:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=29903"},"modified":"2025-03-20T04:12:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T03:12:24","slug":"the-country-that-measures-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/03\/the-country-that-measures-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Country that Measures Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B2- Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bhutan is perhaps one of the only few countries that put a huge emphasis on its people\u2019s happiness. While this has been admired all over the globe, the country also faces some challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, Bhutan remained isolate from the rest of the countries. They were never colonized so they were able to keep their Buddhist culture and traditions intact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the King wanted to\u00a0introduce modernization into\u00a0the country while still preserving its traditional culture and natural environment. This is when he invited experts from other countries to develop the idea of Gross National Happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be ready to answer the questions that follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/learningenglish\/english\/features\/6-minute-english_2025\/250306<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What does \u201cto take center stage<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201cUnlike other Asian countries, Bhutan was never colonised, so its Buddhist culture and traditions are\u00a0intact\u00a0\u2013 they\u2019re complete and unspoiled. As a result, the happiness of Bhutan\u2019s people\u00a0<\/em>took centre stage<\/em><\/strong>, it became the most important thing.<\/em>\u201d Use this phrase in a sentence and give 2 synonyms or similar expressions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What does \u201cbrain drain<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201cAs well as being a futuristic eco-city, the Mindfulness City hopes to stop Bhutan\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>brain drain<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0by attracting workers back home to Bhutan.\u201d<\/em> Use this term in a sentence and give 2 synonyms or similar expressions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Explain \u201csocial fabric<\/strong>\u201d. \u201cSo, his idea was: ‘How could we\u00a0modernise\u00a0and open our country without losing its culture, its environment, and its very strong\u00a0<\/em>social fabric<\/em><\/strong>?’\u201d<\/em> Use this term in a sentence and give 2 synonyms or similar expressions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. What are some things that make you happy?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. \u201cHappiness means different things to different people.<\/em>\u201d Share your thoughts on this.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. What is your opinion about Bhutan\u2019s Gross National Happiness or GNH? Do you think the government in every country should do the same? Explain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. What can you say about The Mindfulness City? Is there a city in your country that is a lot like it? Talk about this place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. \u201cBriefly, Gross National Happiness means preserving Bhutan\u2019s natural environment and culture through sustainable and eco-friendly development. Bhutan\u2019s government sees these goals as more important than growing the economy at any cost.<\/em>\u201d Share your perspective on this.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      B2- Upper Intermediate  Bhutan is perhaps one of the only few countries that put a huge emphasis on its people\u2019s happiness. While this has been admired all over the globe, the country also faces some challenges. For a long time, Bhutan remained isolate from the rest of the countries. They were never colonized so they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[49,291,461,292,290],"class_list":["post-29903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-audio","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-culture-and-countries","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-listening"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Country that Measures Happiness | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/03\/the-country-that-measures-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Country that Measures Happiness | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2- Upper Intermediate  Bhutan is perhaps one of the only few countries that put a huge emphasis on its people\u2019s happiness. 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