International Women's Day

Click here to read a text about this day.

Click here to do a video activity about this topic.

SPORTS

Click here to listen to five people talking about sports. This is the listening in the photocopy. Go to "comments" to check the answers.

Integrative Medicine

This is the video for the photocopy I gave you in class. Check your answers in "comments".

The future of medicine

A. Watch this video and answer the questions (check your answers in "comments").

1. Why are billions of people alive today?
2. What do we have treatments for today?
3. In which fields have there been breathtaking advances?
4. Where did this work originate?
5. Who support this work?
6. What has science made in the last centrury?
7. What kind of future does the speaker imagine?

B. Watch the next video to see how technology is changing the healthcare system.

C. Watch the following video and fill in the gaps (you need between one and three words). Check your answers in "comments".

Robot-assisted surgery

- The Vinci Surgical System is a tool that allows us to do more _______________ (1) surgery through very small incisions.

- Smaller incisions speed _______________ (2).

- The surgeon is always in _______________ (3).

Metro medical glue

- Trauma patients with severe _______________ (4) need help fast and Metro medical glue will stop it in about _______________ (5).

- It can be used both _______________ (6).

- Metro will eliminate the need for stitching, for staples, and will _______________ (7) the procedure

- According to researchers at Harvard and Sydney universities, it's ready for _______________ (8).

The Excel white 3d printed cast system

- It promises _______________ (9) and a quicker recovery. T

- The patient's bone is scanned and a custom _______________ (10) cast is made in about a minute.

- It even has a sensor to monitor the _______________ (11).

- The company says they're close to_______________ (12).

INTERNET ADDICTION

1. Click here to do a listening activity about FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

2. Are people spending too much time on their computers. Listen to a lecture about IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder) and do the exercise. You can also read the script.

Addictions and obsessions

1. Listen to six people talking about what they're addicted to.

2. Watch this video in which a man speaks about his addiction to the Internet and fill in the gaps. (Check your answers in 'comments').

Well, I’m Sean and I’m an (1)_________ _________. It pains me to say this, but I’m addicted to (2)_________. I (3) _________ my status every hour and have to (4) _________ _________ _________ with my friends.

I’m also addicted to “FarmVille”, and I have  (5)_________ _________ but still need a (6) _________, so if someone can please give me a  (7)_________, I’d be happy.

One more thing is I’m addicted to (8) _________ _________. My wife is filing for (9)_________ and “I love you Gertrude, please don’t do that”. And she’s doing it because I spend all my money on (10)_________ _________. And another problem is that we have (11)_________ _________ and the house is going to be, was, on the (12)_________. It’s gonna be *foreclosed, so I really love you Gertrude but, please just don’t (13) _________ _________. All I need just is one (14)_________, that one (15)_________ *to hit it big.

So I’m here to say that. I’m here to make a change, because if I can make this change and make (16) _________ _________ _________ ,that means my wife will come back to me.

And I just want to say, if you’re addicted to the Internet, just (17) _________ _________ you don’t become (18)_________ and (19)_________ like I am right now. Thank you.

*Foreclose: take possession of a mortgaged property when the mortgagor fails to keep up their mortgage payments

*hit it big Slang: To be successful

3. Video game debate: now watch another video in which a woman and a man give their opinions about  videogames. Answer the questions and check in 'comments'.

The woman is against videogames because:

-

-

-

The man completely disagrees with her because:

-

-

-

-

The only negative aspect for him is: 

4. Listen to five speakers talking about their obsessions and match them with the right answer A, B, C, D or E. Check your answers in "comments".

How to

Click here to see the activity of the "Stripy Tiger" recipe we did in class and review sequencers.

How to talk about people you admire

I. Watch the video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".

1. Who is A.P. Giannini?
2. Why is he the person the speaker admires the most?
3. What did A.P. Giannini do when he was on the board of a bank called Columbus Savings and Loans?
4. What did he do when there was a big fire in San Francisco?
5. How did people consider Walt Disney before A.P. Giannini financed him?
6. What big construction did he support?
7. Why is A.P. his favourite entrepreneur?

II. Watch the video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".

1. Why doesn't she recommend talking about a famous person in the exam?

2. Why should you talk about someone you know?

3. Why does she like talking about her mum?

4. When did her mum start her family?

5. What opportunity did she miss?

6. What do women usually do these days?

7. When did her mum decide to go back to university?

8. What did the speaker do?

9. How does the speaker describe this situation?

10. Did her mum continue studying?

11. What does she have a bachelor's in?

12. What does her mum do now?

III. Watch a video with an example of someone talking about a famous person she admires. Watch out, there are some mistakes in the transcription.

Motivation

Click here to listen to a talk about motivation and do the comprehension activities.

The benefits of a bilingual brain

Click here to do a listening activity about this topic.

Voluntourism

Watch the video and answer the questions (check your answers in "comments").

1. What are many Americans planning to do on holiday?
2. What kind of activities do they mention?
3. Why can doing this benefit your wellbeing?
4. What is "Charity Watch"?
5. Why is it necessary?
6. What is a good idea?

Click here to read about some pros and cons of this kind of tourism.

Ecotourism

Click here to listen and read about ecotourism (choose the speed and accent you prefer). 

Click here to read an article about the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of tourism.

Tourism

Click here to do a listening activity about green tourism in London.

Click here to read a text about tourism in Egypt.

Here a podcast about A Day Trip with a Difference.

Working from home

WORKING FROM HOME: UPS AND DOWNS FOR WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS

A new survey shows that people who work from home also take part in a lot of non-work-related tasks but they're also more productive. Anthony Mason and Rebecca Jarvis spoke with
personal finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich about telecommuting's pros and cons for workers and employers alike.

Watch the video and complete the sentences.



1. A new survey suggests that almost 60% of office workers_______________ at least once a week.
2. Despite all the distractions workers have when they work from home they’re more____________
than their peers who are ______________ in an office.
3. Carmen says the main difference between working in an office and working from home is there are no _________________ anymore.
4. 72% of employees said that if they were on vacation and a boss sent them an email or call, they would pick up and answer. The expectation is that you’re _________________ at any point in time. There’s no 9 to 5 anymore.
5. Still 50% of employers opposed people working at home because they feel they can’t_________
__________ on them.
6. She also says that when you are at the office you also have a lot of _________________________.
7. Advice for employees:
-set boundaries and let your _____________ and ______________ know your preferences.
-watch out for _______________  _________________.
8. Tips for employers:
-set boundaries to have productive employees (____________ and not _______________)
-give your employees some _____________________.

Check your answers in "comments".

Working conditions

Click here to listen to Margaret talking about working for a UK company and answer the questions. Read the script here to check your answers.

1. What are her working hours?
2. What does she always try to do?
3. What does she do twice a week? Why?
4. What are employees encouraged to do?
5. What’s an ergonomic assessment?
6. Why’s that important?
7. What’s important for her at work?
8. What should the company do according to her?
9. How does she describe her job?
10. What didn’t she like about her previous job?
11. How does she get to job?
12. What’s her dress code? Why?

Listening activity: 6 short extracts about books

Click here to listen to the activity.

Click here to see the script and the answers.

TELLING LIES

Click here to do a listening activity.  




Listen to Dan and Kate discuss how to tell if someone is lying, how you can cheat a lie detector test and when it might be OK not to tell the truth.

Crime and Punishment

I. Click here to see vocabulary about this topic.

II. Vocabulary and examples here

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3



Listen to an exchange between a police officer and a criminal and answer the multiple choice questions. 

Listen to another audio passage and answer the multiple choice question.

A perfect day: second conditional

Click here to listen to a woman talking about her perfect day.

Conditional sentences

Click here to see the grammar and do some activities. Maybe you have problems with some links, but others work perfectly right. Do the ones related to the first and second conditionals.



Click here to see an old post about the same topic.