Tag Archive: lifestyle – intermediate

Pre-reading questions: How often do you use social media apps? Do you think you are a competitive person? Why or why not? Vocabulary: slang /slang/ [noun] a form of casual or informal language “Chicken” is slang for someone who isn’t very brave. hashtag /HASH-tag/ [noun] used on social media for describing the general subject of posts You should use a hashtag when posting on Facebook. stand for /stand fer/ [phrasal verb] to represent words or phrases (in an abbreviation) UN stands for United Nations. instill /in-STIL/ [verb] to put a feeling, idea, or principle gradually into someone’s mind My parents instilled in me a love for reading. make up for…
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Pre-reading questions: Where is your favorite place to buy new clothes? Personally, is your confidence affected by the clothes you wear? How would you describe your fashion style? Fashion reporter Marc Bain fully understands the pleasure in shopping for clothes. It is even more rewarding when you get to buy clothes for less than what you would normally expect. However, shopping becomes less fun and even worrisome once you realize you spent too much, or you bought too many clothes. This is why Marc Bain recommends setting a spending limit when buying new clothes. According to Marc Bain, changing your wardrobe or shopping too often doesn’t only have an effect…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you prefer sweet or savory pancakes? Why or why not? How often do you eat pancakes?   Pancake Day falls 47 days before Easter so the date is not fixed, but it will always be between February 3 and March 9. British people has celebrated Pancake Tuesday for centuries. It is also called Shrove Tuesday, from the word “shrive”, which means to obtain forgiveness through confession of sins. Shrove Tuesday was based on a Christian tradition to be shriven before Lent season begins. Aside from making and eating pancakes during Pancake Day, Britons love to have pancake races where participants run while flipping pancakes in a…
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  Pre-reading questions: What is the most difficult Olympic sport? How do countries get chosen to hold the games? If we hold the Olympics in this class, in which sport would you win the gold?   As a preparation for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, hotels have started to offer Japanese-style accommodation and hospitality. Hotels like the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, and the Park Hotel Tokyo recently unveiled an updated Japanese-style accommodation for their guests. Newly renovated hotels used tatami, paper screens, shiraki furniture and lantern-like lighting for their rooms. A kimono-clad staff welcomes guests upon their arrival and leads them through an incense-fumed Japanese garden to a…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you think eating dessert is healthy? Does eating sweets make you feel good? In a meal, would you rather miss the appetizer, main course or dessert? Explain. Turrón is a famous Spanish nougat, which is typically made from honey, sugar, and nuts. Turrón’s origins can be traced back to the Moors. When the Moors invaded Spain in the Middle Ages, they not only influenced the architecture and language of their colony but their culinary heritage as well. Today, the best turrón in Spain can be found in the Convent of Hermanas Clarisas. Each nun in the convent is assigned a specific task that is crucial to making…
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  Pre-reading questions: What for you is the most adventurous sport? Why? Have you tried mountain climbing? Do you think wi-fi is essential when climbing mountains? Why or why not?   Free wi-fi zones are set to offer at the base camps of Mount Everest. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) reported that the innovative stride is being taken to help encourage communication and help protect rescuers. At a height of 5360 meters, this will make it the most astounding area where free Wi-Fi is accessible. There will be wi-fi trials that will be mounted in both the Lukla-Everest Base Camp range and the Annapurna Base Camp. Situated in Nepal, the…
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  Pre-reading questions: What is your least favorite fast food restaurant and why? How often do you eat fast food? What do you usually eat? Where? Is eating fast food bad for your health?   McDonald’s opens a new branch in Vatican City. The announcement of its opening was met with ferocious opinions from the cardinals. As mentioned by Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, the opening of the new branch of McDonald’s into one of the most historic and holiest places in the world is an offense. The cardinal argued against the ignorance of McDonald’s to the culinary traditions of the Roman restaurant industry and for being impolite to their architectural and…
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  Pre-reading questions: How many flowers can you name in your language and what are they? Do you have what a green thumb means? Have you visited a flower garden?   The sunflower maze, located in Pangasinan, is now the talk of the town. With the support of Allied Botanical Corporation, the local government, and the Department of Tourism, Tayug farmers were able to build the Sunflower maze. With its dazzling landscape view, photos, videos and posts about the Sunflower maze have been regularly posted and shared on social media. Since there is an average of 1,500 visitors per day, the exhibit of sunflowers brought extra profit to local farmers,…
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Pre-reading questions: What Italian food is famous in your country? Do you like Italian food? Do you know how to cook any Italian dish? The rarest pasta in the world is at risk of becoming extinct. Su filindeu’s recipe is well kept in the Abraini family and is passed down from generation to generation. At present, only 3 women from the clan know how to make it. The preparation is so difficult that in the last 200 years, the dish has only been served to people who finish a 33km-pilgrimage in their area for the Feast of San Francesco. Semolina wheat, water and salt are the ingredients to making su…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you like to travel? Why? Where is your favorite country/town/city? Why? Do you like modern or historical art? Why?   An isolated island in Hong Kong previously named as Yim Tin Sai or “Ghost Island” is slowly returning to life. Yim Tin Sai also means “Salt Pan” in Cantonese. It was Hong Kong’s salt pan for over hundred years. Due to competition against nearby countries like Vietnam and Thailand, the pans slowly shut down. People from the island fled to seek for education in the city. Colin Chan, the previous village representative, saw a decaying island when he came back. He decided to dedicate his life…
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