436. Use this course plan with students who want to improve their business and general English through reading and topical discussions or as use it as a supplementary resource to a standard Business English course book.
438. 439. 440.
1. Birth or Upbringing *
441. The theme of this lesson is what makes a successful businessman. Students read an article that discusses whether entrepreneurs are born with certain character traits or develop the necessary skills and mindset. Vocabulary for describing entrepreneurial activity and personality is studied, and students have an opportunity to share their opinions on the topic.
2. King of Chess *
442. The topic of this lesson is sporting talent. Students read an article on an extremely gifted child chess prodigy from Ireland. In the grammar exercise, there is a review of the present simple, present perfect simple, past simple and used to + infinitive. At the end of the lesson, students talk about sporting talents in their own countries.
3. Corporate Well-Being
443. This theme of this lesson is corporate health. Students read an article about a company that is attempting to improve the well-being of its staff and listen to two corporate health experts commenting on the firm’s health initiatives. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect simple and past simple are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on corporate health initiatives.
4. Longevity
444. The theme of this lesson is longevity. Students read an article on the habits that can lead to a longer life and study common collocations for describing healthy lifestyles. Structures for speculating and explaining are also studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, the students discuss the article topic.
5. Liar Liar *
445. This lesson is based on an article that discusses why job applicants are increasingly lying on their CVs/résumés and how employers are trying to deal with the problem. Lesson activities include a game in which students write down and read out sentences about their own educational and professional background, and their partners try to guess if they are lying or not.
6. Thirsty work *
446. In this lesson, students read an article on the benefits and drawbacks of the coffee shop as a place for work and business. In the grammar section of the worksheet, students practice using the present perfect for describing recent changes, changes over time and situations that have continued until the present. At the end of the lesson, the class shares their own opinions about working in cafes.
7. Hello, I’m on the Plane
447. Technology has been developed to allow passengers to use their mobile phones safely on planes. Students read an article about the different attitudes among business travellers towards this development. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the first and second conditionals are studied and practiced. Students then discuss the lesson topic and debate the pros and cons of in-flight mobile phone use.
8. Extreme Living *
448. The topic of this lesson is living in an extreme environment. Students read an article on how the inhabitants of Yakutsk in Russia cope with living in the world’s coldest city. Students share their reactions and discuss how the climate in their own countries compares.
9. Space Tourism *
449. This lesson is based on an article on the nascent space tourism industry. The text focuses on the different companies that will be operating in this market, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, as well as the future costs and environmental impact of commercial space flights. In the grammar section of the worksheets, reported statements and questions are studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students discuss whether they believe space tourism could become mass market.
10. Metro Stress *
450. The theme of this lesson is transport and stress. Students read an article on the problems faced by commuters and workers on the metro in the Russian capital Moscow.
The passive voice is studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students talk about the transport systems in their own countries.
11. The Fame Game *
451. The theme of this lesson is celebrity endorsement. Students read about the benefits and drawbacks of companies associating their brands with celebrities. Students learn key vocabulary related to marketing and advertising, and useful expressions for developing an argument are also studied. During the lesson, several aspects of the worksheet topic are discussed.
452. 453. 454.
12. Planning Ahead *
455. The theme of this lesson is probability and chance. Students read an article on an unusual, statistical approach to planning their week. Collocations for describing several routines and activities are studied. In the grammar exercises, students learn how to express probability and chance using modal verbs and other useful structures. At the end of the lesson, students select from a list of topics and discuss what they believe will happen in each case.
13. On the Run
456. In this lesson, students read an article about Dean Karnazes, a so-called ‘ultra- marathon runner’ who has run distances of up to 350 miles non-stop. In the grammar exercises, the differences between the gerund and infinitive forms in two-verb structures are studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students share their reactions to the ultra-marathon lifestyle and talk about other feats of endurance.
14. Recession Marketing *
457. The theme of this lesson is marketing in a recession. The worksheet is suitable for people who are responsible for marketing in their companies or who work for marketing agencies. Students read an article about successful marketing strategies for businesses during an economic downturn and learn a variety of terms for describing different marketing tools, strategies and concepts. At the end of the lesson, students talk about how the global economy has affected their or their clients’ approach to marketing.
15. Predictions *
458. The theme of this lesson is prediction. Students read an amusing article on eight embarrassing predictions made by well-respected experts at different periods of modern history. In the grammar exercises, structures for reporting a prediction made in the past are learnt and the use and omission of the definite article for talking in general is studied. At the end of the lesson, students practice making and reporting predictions.
16. The E-Commerce Revolution
459. The theme of this lesson is e-commerce. Students read an article on the changing shopping habits of British consumers and the development of online retailing. Tenses for describing trends are studied and practiced in the grammar section of the worksheet, followed by an end-of-lesson discussion on Internet buying habits in the students’ own countries.
17. Artificial Intelligence *
460. The theme of this lesson is artificial intelligence. Students read an article on how technological progress over the next 20 years will result in the development of machines that are able to match the intelligence of human beings. In the grammar part of the worksheet, comparative forms and structures are studied and practiced. The grammar exercises can be adapted for slightly more advanced learners (see the teacher notes for Exercise 5 and 6). At the end of the lesson, students discuss their opinions on the lesson topic.
18. The Next Emerging Market *
461. The theme of this lesson is international investment. Students read an article about the investment potential of Iraq and study vocabulary related to infrastructure and development. In the grammar exercises, students practice asking each other for information using subject and object questions. At the end of the lesson, the class discusses their own countries’ potential for foreign investors.
462. The topic of this lesson is cooking. Students read an article on the cooking repertoire of the British and study words to describe different kinds of food and cooking. Students then talk about their own countries’ cuisines.
20. Mixed Signals for Outsourcing
463. The theme of this lesson is outsourcing. Students read an article about how rising wages and a stronger currency are affecting the Indian outsourcing industry. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the difference between the present and past perfect is studied. At the end of the lesson, students talk about the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.
21. Population Science *
464. The theme of this lesson is education and the problem of rising global population. Students read an article about a proposed strategy to limit global population growth by putting more girls in the developing world through secondary school. The first and second conditionals are studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students talk about population problems in their own countries.
22. In the Wild *
465. This worksheet is based on a newspaper interview with Jake Williams, a hermit who has lived in the Scottish wilderness for 30 years. There is an optional grammar exercise on the present perfect, past simple and past perfect tenses, which feature a lot in the article. Students discuss the hermit lifestyle at the end of the lesson.
23. In the Family
466. In this lesson, students learn how to describe family members and relationships.
24. Sports and Games *
467. In this lesson, students learn a variety of words for describing different sports and games. The worksheet includes plenty of opportunities for speaking practice.
468. 469.
470.
Current Issues – Upper Intermediate
471.472. Use this course plan with students who want to improve their business and general English through reading and topical discussions or as use it as a supplementary resource to a standard Business English course book.
473.
1. A Changing World *
474. The lesson is based on an article about a Polish railway worker who regained consciousness after 19 years in a coma to discover how much his country had changed since the time of his accident in 1988. Vocabulary related to health and politics is studied, and there is a review of the past and present tenses used when giving biographical information about someone. At the end of the lesson, students talk about changes in their own countries’ recent history.
2. Cultural Know-How
475. The topic of this lesson is the importance of understanding the cultural etiquette of different countries. The lesson introduces idioms concerned with etiquette and behavior such as go Dutch, follow suit, return the compliment. Present modal verbs for advice, possibility and necessity are revised and past forms are introduced and practiced. Finally, students get to talk about the cultural etiquette of their countries and their experiences doing business in a cross-cultural environment.
3. Born to Snooze *
476. The theme of this lesson is people’s sleep-wake cycles. Students complete a questionnaire to discover if they are genetically predisposed to waking up early or late and then read an article to find out how they fit in society and what type of profession would suit them best. The lesson teaches a variety of idioms related to waking and sleeping. Students also learn how to indicate their opinion using a variety of adverbs and adverbial phrases.
4. Is the Customer King?
477. The theme of this lesson is customer service. Students read an article about the opinions of business travellers on the customer service at hotels in different parts of the world. Words and expressions for describing customer service are practiced. In the
grammar section of the worksheet, tenses for describing a past experience are studied. At the end of the lesson, students talk about their own customer service experiences.
5. Holiday Myths *
478. In this lesson, students read an article on ‘holiday myths’ – common misconceptions about holiday risks and dangers. Students study vocabulary for talking about first-aid and hygiene. At the end of the lesson there is a discussion activity on the potential dangers while on holiday/vacation and precautions that should be taken.
6. Stress Relief *
479. The theme of this lesson is work stress. Students read an article about an unusual method of relieving stress involving volunteers from Madrid. In the grammar section of the worksheet, reduced relative clauses are studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, there is a speaking activity in which the students discuss different stress relief methods.
7. Worry More, Live Longer
480. The theme of this lesson is health and stress. Students learn a variety of medical terms and read an article on how moderate stress can benefit people’s health according to recent scientific studies. In the grammar exercise, the use of cleft sentences beginning with ‘it’ (e.g. It’s the degree of stress that is important) is studied. Students also practice using the linking words and phrases to develop an argument. At the end of the lesson, there is a general discussion on health.
8. Networking
481. The theme of this lesson is networking. Students read an article on the benefits of making useful connections in business and how to be a good networker. In the grammar section of the worksheet, a variety of structures with ‘get’ are studied and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students talk about the usefulness of networking in their businesses, careers and in job hunting.
482. 483. 484. 485.
9. Taxi!
486. The topic of this lesson is driving. Students read an article on the opinions of British travellers on taxi drivers around the world and learn vocabulary for describing driving technique as well as British and American English terms for different road features. The differences between the gerund and infinitive forms in two-verb structures are reviewed and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students talk about taxi rides and driving in general.
10. Ethical Chocolate
487. The theme of this lesson is business ethics. Students read an article about a UK chocolate company called Montezuma’s, whose founders decided to put ethics at the heart of their business. The lesson introduces a number of common phrasal verbs, which are studied and practiced. Finally, students discuss attitudes to ethics in their own businesses and countries.
11. Procrastination *
488. Do you or your students procrastinate? This worksheet is based on a newspaper article that discusses procrastination and presents a few creative solutions for avoiding idle behavior. The lesson provides plenty of opportunities for speaking.
12. A Segregated Society *
489. The theme of this lesson is society, wealth and inequality. Students read an article about the widening gap between rich and poor in British society over the past 40 years. A variety of words and expressions are studied for describing society and individual wealth. In the grammar section of the worksheet, students learn how to describe trends using different structures. At the end of the lesson, learners talk about changes in their own societies.
13. The Financial Crisis *
490. The theme of this lesson is the global financial crisis. Students read an article on how the economic downturn was affecting Britain in 2008. A number of economic terms are introduced, and a variety of structures for predicting and speculating about the future are studied and practiced. Students discuss how their countries have been affected by the crisis.
14. Global Warming
491. The theme of this lesson is global warming. Students read an article on how low- lying Pacific islands are being affected by rising sea levels as a result of increased global temperatures. Students talk about the potential causes and effects of global warming and discuss the awareness of the issue in their own countries.
15. From Bust to Boom *
492. The theme of this lesson is what makes a country attractive to potential investors. Students read about the investment potential of Germany and learn a variety of important terms for describing a nation’s economy. At the end of the lesson, students discuss the investment potential of their own countries using vocabulary from the worksheet.
16. What If? *
493. This lesson is based on an article that examines what the world would like be if certain past events had or had not taken place. The third and mixed conditionals are studied and practiced in the grammar exercises. At the end of the lesson, students discuss hypothetical scenarios in their own countries.
17. You’re Fired! *
494. The theme of this lesson is employee misconduct. Students read an article about how companies in the UK deal with employees who have committed offences at work and in their leisure time. Terms for describing different offences, crimes and aspects of the legal system are studied. In the grammar exercises, the students review and practice the first, second, third and mixed conditionals. At the end of the lesson, the class discusses the worksheet topic.
18. Cyber Crime
495. The theme of this lesson is Internet crime. Students study words and expressions related to the topic and read an article on the different types of scams and crimes that are being committed on the Internet. The passive voice is reviewed and practiced. At the end of the lesson, students discuss what measures they can take to avoid becoming victims of online scams. This worksheet is particularly suitable for IT professionals or students interested in computing.
19. Dress Code *
496. The theme of this lesson is company dress code. Students read a short article about the changing attitudes towards employee dress code among businesses in the UK. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the passive voice is reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on the issues raised in the article and the general attitude to company clothes policy in the students’ own countries.
497.
20. Deforestation *
498. The theme of this lesson is deforestation. Students read an article on how our environment is being affected by the global destruction of rainforests and some proposed solutions to the problem. Words and collocations related to environmental issues are studied. At the end of the lesson, students discuss their own country’s contribution to global warming and what can be done to reduce carbon emissions.
21. Office Speak
499. The theme of this light-hearted lesson is office jargon. Students read a satirical article on everyday business clichés used in the modern workplace. There is a speaking activity at the end of the lesson in which the students describe situations that illustrate particular clichés and discuss the use of business jargon in their own countries. The worksheet works well with advanced, good-natured classes.
22. The Richard Branson Interview – Part 2
500. In the second part of our Richard Branson interview series, Branson jokes about some of his business ventures, including his Virgin Galactic space tourism business. He recalls a daring hot air balloon flight and talks about his adventurous spirit.
501. 502.