Tag Archive: world news – intermediate

Pre-reading questions: What do you think about lending money to your friends or family members? Please explain your answer. What do you think about borrowing money from the bank? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: platform – an opportunity to make your ideas or beliefs known publicly Facebook is a social media platform widely used across the world. screen – to investigate an individual to make sure that he/she is unlikely to cause problems The Human Resource Department screens all applicants thoroughly. credibility – the quality of being believed or trusted The jury had doubts about the credibility of some of the witnesses. debtor – a person, organization, or country that…
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Pre-reading questions: What are your thoughts on the relationship between the US and Japan? Do you think President Trump’s visit to Japan is important? Discuss.   Vocabulary: boost – to help something to increase or improve or become more successful They want the government to take action to boost the economy. dismay – a feeling of shock and unhappiness Lucy discovered to her dismay that she was pregnant. shoot down – to cause to fall by shooting The airliner was shot down by mistake. furthermore – also and more importantly She always arrives on time. Furthermore, her work is always excellent.   Japan was one of the five countries that US…
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Pre-reading questions: What do you think are the most important qualities of a leader? In your opinion, what do all of the most developed countries have in common?   Vocabulary: stance – an attitude or view about an issue that you state clearly Many citizens agree with the governor’s stance on tax reform. diplomacy – the conduct of the relations of one state with another by peaceful means Diplomacy is almost always better than public threats. acquisition – the process of buying something or obtaining something The young woman’s acquisition of paintings is from her deceased uncle. colonialism – a situation in which one country rules another Colonialism gave bigger…
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  Pre-reading questions: What do you feel when you are being surrounded by different people from different races? Please explain your answer. Would you consider hanging out with them despite your differences? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: 1. prosecute – [verb] to officially accuse someone of committing an illegal act and bring it to court of law She has the right to prosecute the organizers of their wrong doing. 2. discrimination – [noun] unfair treatment of a person or group There is a discrimination between males and females in this company. 3. jurisdiction – [noun] the official authority to make legal decisions and judgement This area is under the mayor’s…
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Pre-reading questions: If you could visit any place in the world for free, where will you go? Why? Which country do you think is the safest? Vocabulary: refugee – a person who leaves his or her home or country to find safety The increasing number of refugees due to terrorism is very alarming. human rights – the basic rights to fair and moral treatment that every person is believed to have I’m a big supporter of human rights. political asylum – the protection given by a government to foreign people who have left their own country because they disagree with their own government Anyone can seek political asylum in my…
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Pre-reading questions: How does your country make money? Do you believe that a country can earn much money by trading goods? Please explain your answer. North Korea is one of the most closed economies in the world but they find ways to earn money out of their people. According to CNN, North Korea’s main source of foreign currency comes from selling tons of coal to China every year. Not only does North Korea export other commodities and basic goods, but the profit they get from selling coal to China can finance their weapons programs as well. Moreover, news reports involving North Korea in hacking financial institutions in 18 countries was…
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Pre-reading questions: How would you define success? What would you consider as your greatest success? Who do you think is the most successful person in your country? The copy of the Nobel medal granted to Kailash Satyarthi has been stolen from his home in Delhi. According to the Nobel Prize awardee, his Nobel certificate also went missing after the break in. He added that nobody was home at the time of the burglary. The Delhi police are still investigating the case and assessing what objects are missing. Kailash Satyarthi earned his Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for combating child labor and child trafficking in India. He also established Bachpan Bachao…
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Pre-reading questions: Why do you think the US and Japan should have a good relationship? What do you think are the qualities of a good leader? Name some of the best accomplishments of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to newly elected US President Donald Trump right after his victory in the 2016 presidential race. The Prime Minister was the first world leader to visit Trump since the elections. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Abe said that the two leaders are off to a good start. Abe and Trump’s meeting lasted for almost 90 minutes. Both leaders have both been mum about what they discussed….
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Pre-reading questions: How is the inauguration ceremony for the newly elected leader of your country held? How do you think President Donald Trump’s presidency will affect the rest of the world? Last January 20, President-elect Donald Trump took his oath of office and was confirmed as the 45th president of United States of America. It was held at the United States Capitol Building. The administrator of the oath-taking ceremony was Chief Justice John Roberts of the US Supreme Court. In his inaugural speech, President Donald Trump vowed to make America great again. President Obama was present during the inauguration ceremony. President Trump went to the customary Congressional luncheon and partook…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you like to travel by water? Have you ever ridden a boat? What do you think about self-driving vehicles?   Self-driving boats called “Roboats” will head for the waterways in Amsterdam in 2017. This is a product of a $27 million partnership between the Massachusets Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), and will be a solution to public transport through water . Dr. Stephan van Djk, the research program manager at AMS, says that they will try to shift the transport of goods and people to the waterways to ‘get people out of their cars and reduce traffic in…
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