1.

Success-Failure
o How would you define success?
o Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?
o To what extent will your encourage your children to become successful?
o Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?
o Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure before
success?
2. Social Networking
o What is social networking?
o Can social networking sites be dangerous?
o What precautions would you advise people to take?
o Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work?
o Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?

3. Diseases
o What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?
o Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these diseases?
o What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?
o Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?

4. News coverage in the media today.

o What improvements would you make?
o What is the most important current news story?
o Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage?
o Is it important to keep up with current events?

5. Shopping on the internet

o Do you often do your shopping online?
o What do you buy online? :
- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers, greeting cards ...
- other
o Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less expensive?
o Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?
o What are the advantages of shopping online?
o What are the dangers?
o What advice would you give future online shoppers?

6. Politicians' personal lives.

o Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their ability to do their
job?
o Do you think the media pays too much attention to politicians' personal
lives?
o Do certain types of media give too much coverage?
o Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly on social
networks.
Is this good or bad?

7. History for future generations.

o You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the
beginning of the 21st century.
The idea is to help future generations better understand how we lived and
what major events effected us.
What objects would your choose and why?

8. Technology

o What technology would it be difficult to live without today?

o Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle?
o What technology, if any, has made our homes more comfortable?
o Has technology changed education methods?
o Will online education one day replace the classroom?

9. Travelling has become easier and cheaper. What has it changed in people's lives :
o speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc.
o work/employment
o holiday habits
o way of life/standard of living in certain countries

10. Describe the best or worst trip you ever took :

o Where did you go?
o Did you travel alone or with a group?
o What did you do / what had you intended to do?
o What made it your best (or worst) trip?
o What advice would you give someone planning the same sort of trip?

11. Work
o Do human beings need to work to be happy?
o What motivates people to work long hours?
o Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring job?
o What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from home?
o How do people find a balance between work and personal life?
o What would make you leave your job?

o In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

12. Is life today better than in the past? Think about the following :
o Education - employment - job satisfaction
o Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social security, etc.
o Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure)
o Violence
o Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples, homosexuality ...
13. Inventions
o What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives?
o Are there some things that never should have been invented?
o Do some countries encourage inventors more than others?
14. What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group retains five and
decides on the order of importance.
15. It is impossible to have a successful career and a happy family life.
You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree?
16. Careers today : how to advise young people
o How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job?
o What advice would you give a young person today?
o Would you encourage your children to accept a job in another country?
o Would you be disappointed if your children

left school early?

chose a manual job?

17. The internet is already an essential communication tool in today's world.

The first and most popular use is the email.

o What others can you think of?

o Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet? How?
o What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy?
o What do you think the internet will be used for in the future?
18. Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic, mountain climbing, etc.).
o How many can you think of?
o Which achievement was the most impressive?
o Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic Games?
o What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping, tightrope
walking...)?

19. Has violence increased in recent years?

o What are the causes (unemployment, poverty, minority issues, tv series,
poor parenting ...?
o What are the effects on young children?
o What could be done to reduce violence?
o Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?

20. The effects of medical and scientific progress :

o health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare diseases, etc.)
o beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.)
o comfort in the home
o transport

----------------------------------------

1. What is for you the most enjoyable type of holiday

(camping, hotel, club, rented accommodation, touring, sports activities, etc.)
List 5 things not to forget when you go on holiday.
2. Describe your favourite pastime/hobby.
Why is it so enjoyable? When did you take it up? How often do you do it? etc...
3. What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
After making suggestions, the group decides on the order of importance.
4. Who is the greatest? (Ask students to add to the list.)
Who is/was the greatest leader in the world?
Who is/was the greatest athlete of all time?
What is/was the greatest movie you ever saw?
Who is/was the greatest inventor of all time?
5. Are people becoming telephone addicts?
Could you live without a telephone?
What would happen if for some reason our telephones no longer worked?
6. Why are social networks so popular nowadays?
What are the positive/negative effects?
7. Do you think actors, singers, sportsmen, etc. earn too much money? Why/why not?
8. Under what circumstances would you :
walk out of a restaurant?
refuse a taxi?
call the manager of a hotel?
sleep in a train/bus station?

wear casual clothes to work?

9. If you won a lot of money, what would you do? Would you :
keep it a secret?
stop working?
go shopping?
buy a new house?
travel around the world?
give money to your family/friends?
give money to charity?
10. What is a good job?
an interesting job?
a well-paid job?
a secure job?
good working conditions?

11. If you had to move to another country because of your job (or your partner's job),
what country would you prefer if you had a choice?
what would you miss most?
what would be the most important for you?
12. What have been the most important new stories in the last year?
Are certain events given too much/too little coverage?
13. Travel
What country would you most like to visit?
Is there a place you would never visit again?
If you were only allowed to take five things to an unknown destination,
what would you take?
14. Food
What country has the best cuisine?
What is your favourite food?
What is the worst thing youve ever tasted?
Do you worry about the safety of the food you eat?
Do you buy organic food?
_______________________________

Ask students to suggest an ending for the following sentences and explain their choice :

1. I like people who .................................................................................................

2. When I travel I generally .....................................................................................
3. The most interesting people I know are ..............................................................
4. If I live to be 100 I will .........................................................................................
5. In my spare time I ................................................................................................
6. What I regret most is ............................................................................................
7. Everyone should know how to .............................................................................
8. I have never had the opportunity to .....................................................................
9. What is missing in airports is ...............................................................................
10. The best way to relax is .......................................................................................
11. Appearance is important but in my opinion .........................................................
12. Life would be easier if .........................................................................................
13. The thing that irritates me most is ........................................................................
14. If I had the time I would ........................................................................................
15. It would be a good idea if .....................................................................................
16. I'll never forget the day when ...............................................................................
17. Some people act as if ............................................................................................
18. If I were transferred abroad, what I would miss most is ........................................
19. People should stop ................................................................................................

20. What's nice about learning English is ....................................................................

__________________

Ask students to suggest an ending for the following sentences and explain their choice :
1. Money isn't everything but ..................................................................................
2. What is essential for me on holiday is .................................................................
3. Journalists should not be allowed to ...................................................................
4. A lot of stress today is due to ...............................................................................
5. Many women nowadays are ................................................................................
6. A lot of violence in the world is caused by ..........................................................
7. If everyone earned the same salary ....................................................................
8. I am often disappointed by ..................................................................................
9. We can often tell people's characters by .............................................................
10. Qualifications are important but ..........................................................................
11. If it were possible to speak one's mind at all times .............................................
12. Sometimes I wish young people would ...............................................................
13. It takes a lot of courage to ...................................................................................
14. A lot of people waste time by ..............................................................................
15. The country that fascinates me most is ................................................................

16. If I could go back in time I would ........................................................................

17. If I could change one thing in the world I would .................................................
18. If I were only allowed a computer, a telephone OR a car, I would choose .........
19. Life would be more fun if ....................................................................................
20. If I had the time I would ......................................................................................

----------------------------

pieter:
FREE DISCUSSIONS~ Topics to be debated
1. The husband should bring most of the money in the family.
2. Women are less intelligent than men.
3. Football is for idiots.
4. Computers are very important in education.
5. Knowing English well is equivalent to a college degree.
6. The actual school system is not good.
7. Success in life means money.
8. Nationalism is a positive thing.
9. Talk shows on TV are useless and boring.
10. Husbands and wives should have the same educational level.
11. Friendship is the most important relationship in life.
12. Marketing and management should be taught in last two years of high school.
13. Doing a job that you like is more important than to earn more money.
14. It is much more difficult to do business in the East than in western European countries.
15. Business means trust.
16. Being a team worker is more important than to be a brilliantly creative person.
17. What job would you like to do and why?
18. Living alone can be an advantageous and good solution.
19. Multinationals and globalization bring good and bad things.
20. Where would you like to travel if you had 3000 USD?
21. Managers should also be excellent psychologists.
22. Church is a positive factor in our society.
23. Teaching is one of the most fascinating jobs.
24. Speak about your image of a perfect teacher.
25. Light drugs should be treated more tolerantly.
26. Democracy has bad aspects too.
27. Working in an advertising agency would be very interesting.
28. Guns~ pros and cons
29. Organizing a travel agency.
30. Camping holidays vs. hotels.
31. Big family vs. an only child.
32. TV is bad for young people.
33. What would you do if you won 1 million ?
34. Private English classes vs. group courses.
35. Capitalism is not a fair society.
36. It s not fair that film stars or football players earn millions.
37. A common Europe- is it just a dream?
38. High Street shops vs. supermarkets.
39. Cosmetic surgery- pros and cons.
40. Women are not equal to men in our society.

41. Smoking should be banned.

42. TV is doing harm.
43. Grow fat and be happy!
44. Stricter traffic laws could prevent serious accidents.
45. Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays.
46. Vicious and dangerous sports should be banned.
47. Compulsory military service should be abolished everywhere.
48. Childhood is certainly the happiest time of your life.
49. Examinations exerts a bad influence on education.
50. Tourism doesnt contribute at all to the understanding between nations.
51. Living in a large, modern city- only a madman would choose it.
52. No one wants to live to be a hundred.
53. Equality of opportunities in a society- only a dream.
54. Capital punishment is the only way to deter criminals.
55. People should not spend billions on exploring the space.
56. The most important of all human qualities is a sense of humour.
57. I6ts foolish to give money to beggars.
58. Men are worse gossips than women.
59. Animals should not be kept in captivity.
60. Life begins at forty.
61. Vegetarianism is a way to find the way of good life.
62. The churches have nothing to do with modern life.
63. The United States of Europe is a fine ideal.
64. Teaching machines can replace teachers.
65. The customer is always right.
66. Emigration will solve our problems.
67. History is a purposeless activity.
68. Giving money to beggars is stupid.
____________________

Do you like to gossip?

Do your friends often gossip about you?

Why do you think people like to listen to gossip ?

Why do people like to gossip about the rich and famous?

What are the most common themes for gossip?

What are some of the things you like to gossip about?

What are some ways which gossip can be harmful?

Do you think gossip can be used for something good?

Why is it considered that women gossip more then men?

Where are some places where people like to gossip?

Which newspapers can be called gossip newspapers?

o Do you like to read gossip newspapers?

What is your attitude to gossip newspapers?

Have you ever told a rumor that got someone in trouble?

Has someone ever spread a rumor about you?

Has spreading rumors ever got you in trouble?

Do you think that a friend who gossips or starts rumors will ever gossip or start a rumor
about you?

How would you try to resolve the problem, if you had got into trouble through gossiping?

Has answering these questions changed your attitude towards gossip?

If you discovered that someone had been gossiping about you, would you confront them?

If no-one at your high school had ever gossiped, how would it have been different?

If you heard some harmful gossip about someone you knew, what would you do?

Who gossips more men or women?

Would you say that people who like gossiping do it because their lives are empty or
because it is just a way of entertainment?

Have you ever had problems because of gossip?

What would you do if someone gossips about you?

Have you ever told a rumor that got someone into trouble?

Has someone ever spread a rumor about you?

Has discussing gossip and changed your attitude towards gossip?

If no one at your high school had ever gossiped, how would your school be different?

___________________

____________________________

The only thing worse than being

talked about is not being talked
about.
Oscar Wilde

What is privacy?

What is privacy and why is it important ?

How might privacy change in the digital domain?

How does the Internet threaten privacy?

1) What is Privacy
Privacy can simply be defined as the right to be left alone. 'It is a comprehensive right and it is
the right most valued by a free people. It is a fundamental human right. A society in which
there was a total lack of privacy would be intolerable; but then again a society in which there
was a total privacy would be no society at all (the is a balance needed). Privacy is the right of
people to make personal decisions regarding their own intimate matters, it is the right of people
to lead their lives in a manner that is reasonably secluded from public scrutiny, and it is the right
of people to be free from such things as unwarranted drug testing or electronic surveillance
What is information privacy?
Information privacy is the ability of an individual or group to stop information about themselves
from becoming known to people other than those they choose to give the information to. Privacy
is sometimes related to anonymity although it is often most highly valued by people who are
publicly known.
Privacy can also be seen as an aspect of securityone in which there are trade-offs between the
interests of one group and another can become particularly clear.
UN Declaration of Human Rights.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone had the right to the
protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Without Privacy
Without privacy life would be hell. It would mean that you would be highly vulnerable to the
control of others, you would lose your freedom which may lead to inhibition and tentativeness
and you may be less spontaneous and you would be more likely to be manipulated.
2) How might privacy change in the digital domain?
The Internet threatens privacy in a number of ways, partly because it is possible to record
everything that you do on line (partly through IP addresses). The government of Australia and
the US and other countries regularly monitor electronic communication as do commercial
companies such as Google, and Microsoft. Google monitors all its searches (which it uses in its
advertising strategies) and Microsoft, particularly through its Hotmail system, monitors a great
deal of the worlds email traffic. There is also an increasing trend for companies to monitor their
staffs email and web searching habits as well as monitor their staff through cameras and other
such devices.

How do you maintain your privacy at home?

o At school?
o On the Internet?
o When using Facebook?

o When you travel?

o When talking on the phone?

What are some reason why privacy is important for you?

To what extent do public officials have a right to privacy?

Do you think the government has the right to read your email?

What are your privacy setting on Facebook?

How can using social networking sites invade your privacy?

What do you think about being fingerprinted when you enter a country?

How have you invaded someones privacy without realizing it was important the that
person?

To what extent do public officials have a right to privacy?

How can the press balance freedom of expression with respect for privacy?

In your opinion, which of the following pose a threat to privacy?

o Cookies on your PC
o CCTV in supermarkets, Safety cameras in the street
o Employers monitoring employees' use of the internet and email
o Hidden cameras in private homes (e.g. to check on babysitters)
o RFID "spy chips" (= radio frequency identification tags: minuscule microchips,
which are used to identify things)
o Banks keeping tabs on your financial history
o Mobile phones with tracking systems