Hi and welcome to this conversation class. Here we will post articles for discussion and share any other useful links that the group might find interesting.

Class 1:

What do you do in your free time?

I walk a lot – not “is walking”.

I enjoy jogging, going to the cinema, and hanging out with my friends.

More confident(adj) – confidence(n)

Happy – happiness(n)

High – height(n)

Practiced medicine.

Reads a lot.

Hobbies: listen to books

Subjects:

Healthcare, Relationships, Literature, Travel, Language learning, Nature & the Natural World, Pseudo-science, Psychology

Vocabulary:

‘my significant other’

Thanks for today. I will find an article and post it here before the weekend. If you find any useful links or resources, post them in the comments section below.

See you all next Thursday :).

Article for Thursday:

We’re going to discuss the environment. Here’s an article from today’s Guardian – Extreme heat

 

Class 2:

The Environment:

Scorched – burned and destroyed by fire. ‘Scorching’ refers to extreme heat.

Clog – a block, usually in a pipe or drain.

Unprecedented – has never occurred before.

Ravaged – decimated, utterly destroyed.

Spewed – eject with great speed and volume from something.

Drought – No rain for an extended period.

Famine – people die from lack of food.

Fossil fuel emissions – waste from burning fossil fuels.

Car exhaust – carbon dioxide emissions

Heavy rain, climate change, environmental impact – common collocations.

Bleak – future looks bad, not hopeful or encouraging.

Room for doubt / margin (room) for error – a space for something to take place.

Change your habits – change the way you live.

Sea levels are rising.

Rise / raise – a person raises, a thing rises.

The science is incontrovertible (adj).

Bleaching of coral reefs.

I must give up (quit) smoking / eating sweets late at night.

Evacuate a building – empty the building of people.

I love the nature.

Legislation – to pass a law.

Divisive(adj) – causes arguments, controversial topic.

Questions:

1. Are you interested in questions related to the environment?
2. Do you consider environmental issues when purchasing new items?
3. Does recycling make a difference (have an effect)? Are there reasons to do it other than environmental ones?
4. “The cost of climate action may seem high, but the cost of inaction is much higher”. Discuss.
5. Is there room for doubt that climate change is real?
6. What have you heard about the possible effects of climate change over the coming decades?
7. Are deniers motivated by the science or by politics?
8. Can we do anything to reverse the change, or are we beyond the point of no return?
9. Can you give any examples of renewable energy.
10. What would you be willing to sacrifice to reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere to acceptable levels?

Articles for next week:

Camilla, Khadja

 

Class 3:

Calamity Jane:

Vocabulary:

Iconoclast (n) – a rebel

To flout convention – to rebel against / disregard rules

Diverge – opp. converge – to move in a different direction from something or someone

Affinity – natural liking for something or someone

Fabrication – a lie, a made-up story

Kernel of truth – a core truth among a lot of invention

Adrift – ships are normally ‘adrift’, unmoored, can’t move for lack of wind.

Intertwined – syn. interwoven

Embellished – decorated

A binge – to do something to excess

Questions:

1. Do you see Jane as an independent, strong woman who chose a life she enjoyed or as a strategic survivor forced to adapt to the world of men?
2. What options did a woman have at that time and in this context?
3. What happens to people and communities living in a lawless country?
4. Why is mythmaking a core part of many famous figures of the past?
5. How has the situation for women improved since this time, and how has it remained depressingly the same?
6. What do the different versions of Jane say about the societies and times in which they were made? Jane – Day, Jane – Deadwood
7. Why were these ‘wild west’ shows so popular in America and throughout the world?
8. Did Calamity Jane leave a positive legacy as a feminist figure or not?

Adapt / adopt –

Illiterate – someone who can’t read or write

At the same time – like ‘however’

Get to know  – learn about something

‘Stereotype Threat’. Look this up.

 

The Science of Friendship:

Vocabulary

Bolster – support

Put/place a high premium on – stresses the importance of

Overlook – ignore, disregard

Longevity – lifespan

Buffer – a protective layer

Ubiquitous – everywhere

Exacerbated – made worse by

Bump into – meet someone by accident

Resilient –

Build empathy –

Tend to arise –

On the other side of the coin / Conversely –

 

Questions:

1. “You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.” Do you agree?
2. Has friendship become less important today, or has it always been thus? Has the nature of friendship changed? If so, how?
3. How dangerous is loneliness to our health? Does this feel true to you, or do you think it is exaggerated?
4. In your opinion, has social media been beneficial or harmful to friendships?
5. Why do you think ‘weak-tie interactions’ are good for us? Do you find them ‘awkward’ or do you enjoy them?
6. What does the author mean when they say, ‘tap into your curiosity’? Is this good advice? Would you apply it in public situations?
7. What are dyadic processes? Can you explain the term to each other.
8. “But what is the magic in these interactions that’s keeping us healthy and sane?” This is a quote from the end of the article. Can you try to answer this question together.

 

Give sb a lift, drop sb off.

Close friends

Acquaintances

Introvert / Extrovert

Language barrier

Articles:

Solange, MJ

Class 4

Travel & Sightseeing

Vocabulary:

Hassle – (n) a hassle – syn bother, irritating inconvenience. (v) to hassle – pester or annoy someone.

Immersive – (adj) experience – an experience where you lose yourself.

Untouched landscape – unspoiled landscape

Designated driver – someone who will remain sober on a night out, so they can drive everyone home, area – an area put aside for a purpose.

A must see(n) – highly recommend seeing this.

Historic/historical – Historical is used as the general term for describing history, such as ‘the historical record,’ while historic is now usually reserved for important and famous moments in history.

Exhilarating (adj) – an exciting experience

Questions:

1. How much have you travelled within Sweden?
2. Do you like to travel abroad, or do you prefer to holiday at home?
3. Are you going anywhere this summer?
4. Have you travelled much abroad? Where have you been?
5. What was the best holiday you ever went on?
6. Do you prefer to go to museums or bars when you’re on holiday? What are your goals when you go on holiday?
7. Do you learn about a country’s’ culture before travelling there?
8. Does a country’s physical beauty matter to you when planning a holiday?

 

Books & Movies from Books

Vocabulary:

downcast – depressed, sad

Clutch – grasp tightly

Emerge – to become visible

Fade away – to become invisible / peel back – to remove the skin from something

Lurch – make an abrupt movement

Lurk – hide in the shadows

Skittish – easily  scared (usual referring to an animal)

Tedious – incredibly boring

Overabundant – excessive in quantity

Questions:

1. Do you like to read? If so, do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
2. What genres of fiction do you enjoy most?
3. Do you have a book that you’ve read more than once? If so, what is about the book that you loved?
4. Can you remember any ‘page turners’ that you’ve read? Explain why you couldn’t put the book down.
5. Are there any ‘classics’ that you’ve tried to read more than once, but have never been able to finish?
6. Is the book always better than the film? Do you have any exceptions in mind?
7. Can you list any films made from novels (other than the two listed in the article)?
8. Do you have a favourite film? Why do you like it so much?
9. What types of movies are you not interested in? Have you ever walked out of a film?
10. Are cinemas dying because of streaming services? If you agree, do you see this as a bad thing?

Articles: John, Julia