CONVERSATION TOPICS: Advanced Level

 Full list of Topics here 

• Heatwaves: rising temperatures
  Heatwaves across the world are becoming more frequent, more intense and last longer.
  Ask students to think of ways we are affected and ways to deal with the effets on ourselves and our homes.
  • Effects on humans:
    - loss of fluids and salt
    - the heart beats faster and pumps harder
    - tiredness
    - nausea
    - fainting
    - cramps
    - headaches
    - loss of sleep
    
    
  • Ways to protect ourselves and our homes:
    Ourselves:
    - Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
    - Avoid alcohol.
    - Wear loose clothing.
    - Wear a a wide-brimmed hat.
    - Stay in the shade. (Walk in shaded green spaces or parks.)
    - Look for ‘cool islands’ in urban areas, or ‘cool rooms’ : supermarkets, churches, cinemas …
    Solicit more ideas.
    
    Our homes:
    - Open shutters early in the morning and close them as the temperature rises.
    - Close blinds or curtains to block out direct sunlight.
    - Open internal doors to allow the air to circulate.
    - Use air-conditioning or fans.
    - Put a bowl of ice in front of a fan to help cool a room.
    Solicit more ideas.

• Newspapers today
  • Do people still read newspapers ?
  • When was the last time you bought a newspaper ?
  • On what occasions do the sales of newspapers increase? (elections, catastrophes, sports events, ...)
  • Which version of the news do you prefer to read: paper/computer/mobile phone?
  • Which version has the most up-to-date news ?
  • Are we well-informed by newspapers ?
  • Can we always trust newspapers to verify their sources of information ?
  • What would like to change in newspapers ?
  • Will we always have printed newspapers or will they eventually die out ?

• Fears and Phobias
  • What are people most afraid of / scared of?
  • What were you most afraid of when you were a child?
  • How did you overcome your fear?
  • Can fear be a useful/positive feeling? (e.g. for avoiding danger, risks...)
  • What is a phobia? (an extreme or irrational fear of something)
  • What sort of phobias can you think of? (spiders, birds, heights, needles, flying, water...)
  • Some phobias have specific words. Do you know any of these words?:
    - Acrophobia: fear of heights
    - Aerophobia: fear of flying
    - Agoraphobia: fear of being alone in public places
    - Aquaphobia: fear of water/drowning
    - Arachnophobia: fear of spiders
    - Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed or confined spaces
    - Cynophobia: fear of dogs
    - Ornithophobia: fear of birds
  • How about this phobia: nomophobia (short for 'no-mobile-phone phobia')
    (fear of being without your mobile phone or unable to use it)
    Is this a common phobia today?
    How can we become less scared of being without a mobile phone?

• Mobile Phones and their (excessive) use
  Mobile phones (or cell phones) have become such a large part of our lives today that many people wonder how they ever lived without them.
  What do most people use their phones for today?
  
  • In pairs, make a list of the most common uses:
    phone calls, text messages, photos, social media, alarm clock, booking flights, hotels, reading the news...
  • Do you think we have become too dependent on our mobile phones?
  • Should the use of mobile phones sometimes be banned or restricted?
    - at school (in general)?
    - in the classroom?
    - during meetings?
    - in restaurants?
    - other...
  • Can people become anxious or stressed without their mobile phone?
  • Have you ever heard of nomophobia? (no-mobile-phone phobia)
    (fear of being without a mobile, or being unable to use it, or feeling a compulsive need to have a device nearby at all times)
  • What advice would you give to someone who has become totally dependent on their mobile phone?

• Consumerism
  Short definition: spending money on things that we don't really need, for example:
     - replacing a perfectly working mobile phone because a new model has come out
     - buying more and more toys for children
  Solicit more examples...
  
  
  • What are the positive and negative effects of consumerism?
    Suggestions:
    
    Positive effects:
    • increased industrial production
    • more jobs
    • a greater selection of goods to choose from
    • provides more comfort
    • makes us happier
      
      
    Negative effects:
    • destruction of our natural resources
    • increased pollution
    • low-quality products (...that have to be replaced more often)
    • lower working standards in countries where goods are manufactured
      
      
  • Did previous generations consume as much?
  • Should people be encouraged to consume less? Why? How?
    
    
• Life in the future
  • Imagine life in the future. In what way will we live differently?
    - Education: (quality, teaching methods, areas of study/new professions, artificial intelligence...)
    - Work (working from home, online sales, etc.)
    - Homes (size, style, location, comfort, robots ...)
    - Healthcare: (vaccines/prevention, transplants, treatment, cures, new illnesses, longer life…)
    - Everyday life (shopping, sports, travel, etc.)
    
  • Should we worry about changes in the future? Which changes? Why?
  • What are the most positive/the least positive changes to be expected?
  
  
• Physical Appearance
  • What is the first thing you notice about a person ?
  • Is it important how people dress ?
  • Is weight/physical well-being/fitness important ?
  • Which is the most important : clothes, shoes, hair, hygiene, fitness, style … ?
  • Does a person’s appearance reveal their personality ?
  • Is it wrong to judge people by their appearance ?
  • Could you be intimidated by someone’s appearance ?
  • What can people do to maintain or improve their appearance?
  • Is it acceptable to tell someone that they need to improve their appearance?
  • How should you dress for a job interview ?
  • On what occasions is it acceptable to dress casually ?
  • Can you think of expressions relating to clothes and/or appearance :
    (e.g. 'off the peg' / 'down at heel' / 'dressed to kill' / 'not a hair out of place' …)
    
    
• Customs and Traditions
  • Have you visited other countries (besides the country where you live now) ?
  • What country/countries have you visited ?
  • Did you discover any customs or traditions that were different from your home country’s customs ?
  • Have you heard of any other strange foreign customs or traditions ?
  • Can you tell us about some of the most important customs of your country?
  • Is it necessary/advisable/recommended to follow other country’s customs ?
  • How do people greet each other in your country ?
  • Do you know of any particular wedding customs in other countries ?
  • What about eating customs ? Are they the same in all countries ?
  • Do you follow all of your country’s traditions and customs?
    
    

next page ...

More Topic Pages: