Corona Virus

 

ARTICLE:

An infectious disease known as coronavirus has been on the front pages of newspapers and headlines of tv news reports these days. It is said that Corona-viruses are a family of viruses that ranges from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus [MERS] and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus [SARS]. This virus is found from animals. However, humans can contract the coronavirus if they get into contact with infected animals.  It then escalates from human to another human. This virus can be disseminated when a person comes into contact with bodily fluids such as cough droplets or touching something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

As of this date, pharmacists are developing vaccines to help people avoid the virus since there is no available medication for it. Doctors are advising the people to avoid people who are sick or meeting in large groups, practice social distancing, and stay at home for now. Countries like Italy, the USA, the Philippines, and Spain are on lock-down as a countermeasure to subdue the virus. However, this has caused distraught to people all over the world. People are panic buying, some are waiting for relief goods since they are quarantined, and some are patiently waiting for the updates about the virus, hoping that this chaos is on its end.   

VOCABULARY:  Look for the meaning of the words  below then practice using them in making your own sentences.

1. infectious
2. respiratory
3. syndrome
4. escalates
5. disseminated
6. pharmacists
7. medication
8. social distancing
9. distraught
10. quarantined

DISCUSSION: Express more of your ideas about the topic.

What did you understand in the article?

What do you think is the reason why it has affected humans very fast?

What can you do to prevent my friends and family from getting the COVID-19?

What should you watch for that could mean there are complications?

How does your government help the citizens in your country during this time?

It is common knowledge that the virus came from China.  In your opinion, what should have China done to prevent the virus from spreading out of their country?

Were the pharmacists in your country able to develop a vaccine for unaffected people?                

     >  medicine for those who are infected?

What do you do to avoid the virus?

What is the latest update of the disease in your country?

How do you feel about this virus?

 

SOURCES:  

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/sri-lanka-documents/what-is-coronavirus-english.pdf?sfvrsn=a6b21ac_2

https://familydoctor.org/condition/coronavirus/

PARENTS ARE THE BEST TEACHERS

 

ARTICLE:

Our parents are our pro-creators and according to Bill Clinton," the most difficult job in the world is not being a president. It is being a parent".  Our parents are responsible not only for our financial needs but even for our basic education.  It was our folks who stood up and became our first educators.  Our cognitive and motor skills developed due to their guidance since we were still toddlers.

It is the parents who taught their children the duties and responsibilities of a citizen. They are the role models of their descendants.  Through them, the values that they inculcated molded the characteristics of their offspring.  Through time, effort and sacrifice, it is said that parents are the best teachers.

VOCABULARY: Look for the meaning of the words below then practice using them in making your sentences.

1.  pro-creator

2.  stood up

3.  educators

4.  cognitive

5.  due to

6.  citizen

7.  descendants

8.  values

9.  inculcated

10.  molded

DISCUSSION: Express more of your ideas about the topic.

"PARENTS ARE THE BEST TEACHERS." What do you think about this statement? 

> Agree? why?

>  Disagree?  Why?

What is a parent?

What do you think of your parents?

>as a child?

> as a teenager

> as an adult?

Describe how they disciplined you when you were young?

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from your parents?

Are you a parent?

>How do you teach your kids?

What do you think about a parents' job?

THE RISE OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY

 

ARTICLE:

Our parents are our pro-creators and according to Bill Clinton," the most difficult job in the world is not being a president. It is being a parent".  Our parents are responsible not only for our financial needs but even for our basic education.  It was our folks who stood up and became our first educators.  Our cognitive and motor skills developed due to their guidance since we were still toddlers.

It is the parents who taught their children the duties and responsibilities of a citizen. They are the role models of their descendants.  Through them, the values that they inculcated molded the characteristics of their offspring.  Through time, effort and sacrifice, it is said that parents are the best teachers.

VOCABULARY: Look for the meaning of the words below then practice using them in making your sentences.

1.  pro-creator

2.  stood up

3.  educators

4.  cognitive

5.  due to

6.  citizen

7.  descendants

8.  values

9.  inculcated

10.  molded

DISCUSSION: Express more of your ideas about the topic.

"PARENTS ARE THE BEST TEACHERS." What do you think about this statement? 

> Agree? why?

>  Disagree?  Why?

What is a parent?

What do you think of your parents?

>as a child?

> as a teenager

> as an adult?

Describe how they disciplined you when you were young?

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from your parents?

Are you a parent?

>How do you teach your kids?

What do you think about a parents' job?

STUDENTS GETTING PART TIME JOBS

ARTICLE: 

As time goes by more and more students apply for part-time jobs. These days due to the financial situations of some families, the children start to work as part-timers. For some learners, they sought new experiences that could help them develop into a  better part of the workforce in the future.  However, not all people agree with the students getting part-time jobs.  Adults, most especially parents want their children to concentrate on their studies.  Having part-time jobs would just be on their way to achieving good grades since they have to work after school which makes them lose time to study.

On the other hand, according to Ana Ko, getting a part-time job is a good way for students to learn since they can gather first-hand experiences. She also said that being a part-timer can help the youth develop their communication skills, gain self-confidence, build their network, and learn the value of money through hard work. The younger generations would also be able to learn how to stand on their own feet. If we are going to think about it, parents would not always be there to support their kids financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  It is, therefore, a good way for people to let their children be trained by allowing to get a part-time job when they asked them for permission.

VOCABULARY: Look for the meaning of the words below then practice using them in making your sentences.

1.  apply

2.  financial

3.  sought

4.  concentrate

5.  achieve.  

6.  communication skills

7.  self-confidence

8.  stand on their own feet.

9.  part-time

10.  permission

DISCUSSION:  ​Express more of your ideas about the topic. 

What words can you not understand in the article?

What does the article tell us?

What did you understand from reading the article?

What is your opinion about getting part-time jobs as a student?  As an employee?

Do you agree that students should get part-time jobs? Why? Why not?

What should be the limits for students who have part-time jobs?

How long should be their working hours?

Have you tried getting a part-time job when you were a student?  employee?

What kinds of jobs? Why?

What is the most popular part-time job in your country?

What part-time job do you want to try? why?

[If you have children] Are you going to allow them to get part-time jobs? why?

At what age did you start earning your own money?  How did you feel?

Reasons Why Food on the Go are much preferable?

 

ARTICLE:

Many people live a busy life and have lesser time to make food for their families. Due to their hectic schedule from work, child-rearing and travel, they often prefer to have  Convenience foods are the kind of food that economize time in preparing and cleaning up like  are restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food from grocery stores. The ready-to-eat food includes different types of food  from bananas to frozen pizza that needs little or no preparation. Even if these convenience foods save time, they are likely to have lesser nutritional values and can be more costly. According to the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture, they investigated how the different aspects affects foods with changing the  degree of convenience that consumers buy.  It was found that employed adults obtain 12% less ready-to-eat food from grocery shops and 72% more food from full-service restaurants than households in which not all adults are working.

They also mentioned that having children also affects the food choices of parents since they believe that their offsprings will eat it. A family with children  purchase 19 % more fast-food meals and 38 percent less full-service restaurant meals than families nevertheless, as the number of children in the household increases, they obtain more foods from grocery stores and less from restaurants. Moreover, single parents,  purchase 14 % more ready-to-eat foods than all other households.  Another factor that plays an important role in convenience food choices is the financial resources. foods from fast-foods or full service restaurants turn to be more expensive than the food that could be bought from grocery stores. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports program members  with funds to procure food from grocery stores. 

VOCABULARY: ​Look for the meaning of the words below then practice using them in making your sentences.

1.  hectic

2.   economize

3.  costly

4. investigated

5. obtain

6.  offsprings

7.  full service

8.  ​financial resources

9.  Supplemental 

10.  procure

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:  ​ Express more of your ideas about the topic. 

What do you think about "food on the go"?

What did you understand in the article?

What do you think of Convenience foods?

What do you think are other factors that makes people decide to buy Convenience foods  than preparing it themselves?

Is it also same in your country?

Which do you prefer home-cooked food or convenience food? Why?

How does this issue affect our economy? Does it make our economy better or worse?

SOURCE:

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/07/24/what-drives-consumers-purchase-convenience-foods

DATING LEAVE?

ARTICLE:  

Are you single? Female and over 30 years old?  There's good news for single ladies. In China, there are two companies offering "dating leaves". Hangzhou Songcheng Performance and Hangzhou Songcheng Tourism Management encourage single workers to go out and socialize by providing them extra 8 days of leave in addition to their 7 days Lunar New Year recess.  The new rule was declared last January 21st after Dinglan Experimental Middle School agreed to give a "love leave" to single and childless teachers last January 15.  

Women in China who are over the 30s are judged as "leftover women" meaning they are those who were left unmarried when they were in their mid-20s to 30s.  It is said they are less desirable for men and for that reason, they have to hurry and look for their life partners before their time is up.  Furthermore, there's a high expectation for women to give more emphasis on their careers that result in being single, marrying late, and staying unmarried all throughout their lives.

VOCABULARY:

1.  socialize

2.  in addition

3.  recess

4.  declared

5.  childless

6.  leftover

7.  unmarried

8.  time up

9.  expectation

10. emphasis

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:  

What comes to your mind when you hear the word DATING?

What do you think about what you have read?

What is your opinion about the DATING LEAVE?

At what age have you started dating?

In your observation, at what age do people in your country start dating?

In your opinion, when should a person start dating? why?

[If married] How did you meet your partner?

Are you in favor of this DATING LEAVE? why?

How do you know if the person you are dating will be your LIFE PARTNER?

What are the characteristic of the person you would like to date? 

Share your experience about dating.

Source: 

https://www.elitereaders.com/companies-offer-dating-leave-to-single-female-employees-over-30-years-old/?fbclid=IwAR13com-57QeLtdWAZeguvhJ_w6MjdGcY5y1RvF-Pg17AZ2kUJNk4vh7LGE

Forced Organ Donation

ARTICLE:

Last November 14, 2019, A scholastic study casts doubts on Beijing, China’s assertion to have resolved the force-harvesting of internal organs from prison inmates. It is said that the Middle Kingdom, the literal meaning of China in Chinese, has been involved in the “ingrained fabrication” of free-willed organ aid. In research circulated in the peer-reviewed periodical BMC Medical Ethics, three professors reviewed China’s conclusive interstate and local transplant statistics and found out that it was probably a counterfeit based on an “Arithmetical Replica.” To prove that China had ceased the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners and currently taking only from volunteers, it has started extracting the voluntary benefaction data 10 years ago. However, according to Matthew Robertson, one of the authors told AFP that they surveyed official data from 2010 to 2016 and discovered that there were many signs of fabrication. 

Mr. Robertson said stated that it was it probable but "exceptionally farfetched" that the quadratic formula would be coincidentally accurate. The investigation also showed inconsistency in stats provided by the Red-Cross, including the time when the number of transplanted organs per benefactor was around 20 which is a medical impossibility. The dissertation’s conclusion is already arousing demands for medical cooperation with China to be suspended. A clinical ethics professor, Wendy Rogers told the AFP that it was too early to believe in everything that China says without any close examination. She added that there should be a suspension on any commitment with China regarding transplantation which includes scientific conferences, publications of papers, and others. 

 

VOCABULARY:  Look for the meaning of the words below then practice using them in making your sentences. 

1. scholastic 

2. assertion 

3. ingrained 

4.  interstate 

5. extracting 

6. farfetched 

7.  inconsistency 

8. dissertation 

9. transplantation  

10. conferences 

DISCUSSION: Express more of your ideas about the topic. 

What did you imagine when you read the headline: ‘Forced Organ Donation’? 

What do you think of what you have read in the article? 

What do you think about organ transplants? 

Is there an organ donation program in your country? What do you think about it? 

What do you think about China forcing prisoners to donate their organs? 

If you are a benefactor of an organ from a prisoner who was forced to donate, are you going to accept it? Why? 

What should WHO do to stop force organ donation? 

What punishment should be given to a country to who practice this kind of donation system? 

Are you willing to donate your organ? Why/Why not? 

SOURCE: 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/china-accused-of--falsifying--organ-donation-data-12094530