{"id":32246,"date":"2026-04-10T10:42:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=32246"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:14:38","slug":"how-did-the-world-get-so-ugly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/how-did-the-world-get-so-ugly\/","title":{"rendered":"How Did The World Get So Ugly?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we look at the structures that surround us in this day and age, the ones that catch our eye are often from a time before most of us were even born. Creations of the modern day do not tend to inspire awe or wonder compared to the gleaming Eiffel Tower, magnificent halls, and even the tiny yet ornate street lamps of the Victorian era. But what has changed from then to now? How has the world become so ugly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out more, watch the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"How Did The World Get So Ugly?\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tWYxrowovts?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is a &#8220;<strong>cesspit\u201d<\/strong>?&nbsp;<em>\u201cThere would have been open <strong>cesspits <\/strong>spilling down the streets, and the stench of sewage boiling in the midday sun would have been unbearable\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>Use this term in a sentence. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does <strong>\u201cembankment\u201d<\/strong> mean? <em>\u201cThose lamps on the <strong>embankment<\/strong> did their job, and even though more efficient and better methods of lighting have been invented, they remain 150 years later.\u201d<\/em> Use this word in a sentence. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does&nbsp;<strong>\u201c<strong>exuberance<\/strong>\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong>mean?<em>&nbsp;\u201cAnd yet, it has been designed with the same ornamental <strong>exuberance<\/strong> as any church or palace.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em>Use this expression in a sentence. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have you noticed examples of old structures that look more beautiful than new ones? If so, elaborate on your experiences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Give your interpretation of this statement: \u201cIf you want to understand any society, don\u2019t listen to what it says about itself; look at what it creates.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should the aesthetics of public structures be considered more important in modern-day society?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why do you think designers put less emphasis on the beauty of structures in the modern day?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate When we look at the structures that surround us in this day and age, the ones that catch our eye are often from a time before most of us were even born. Creations of the modern day do not tend to inspire awe or wonder compared to the gleaming Eiffel Tower, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,292,290,496,14],"class_list":["post-32246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-listening","tag-people-and-human-interest","tag-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Did The World Get So Ugly? | 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\/2026\/04\/how-did-the-world-get-so-ugly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Did The World Get So Ugly? | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate When we look at the structures that surround us in this day and age, the ones that catch our eye are often from a time before most of us were even born. 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