Online Learning

The year 2020 has been a tumultuous one for educators. Hundreds of
thousands of teachers across the globe had to get to grips with online
platforms to deliver their lessons. Millions of students were stuck at home
doing their lessons via websites like Zoom. This has created an
unprecedented transformation in education as technology has taken centre
stage. The quality of education differed around the world according to the
quality of Internet connections, the level of preparedness of teachers and
their competence in engaging with the technology. It also depended on
what kind of devices students had at home. Many students were deprived
of lessons because they had no computer, tablet or smartphone.

The Education Ministry in Malaysia has rolled out a new initiative to help
underprivileged children. Around 150,000 eligible pupils from 500 schools
will receive a device to enable them to participate in online lessons. The
Education Minister hopes to build on the success of this initial rollout to
expand the programme. He said: "Apart from assisting pupils and schools
in need, this pilot project is to find the best implementation method before it
is proposed for expansion." The plans include enhancing educational
television programming for students with no Internet access, and employing
sign language interpreters to help the hard of hearing. A teacher said she
was happy her government was prioritizing students' needs.

1. What kind of year does the article say teachers have had
2. What did teachers have to get to grips with?
3. Who has been stuck at home?
4. What has taken centre stage?
5. Why were some students deprived of lessons?
6. What has Malaysia's Education Ministry rolled out?
7. How many schools may take part in an initiative?
8. What will Malaysia's government enhance?
9. What kind of interpreters will Malaysia's government employ?
10. What did a teacher say the government was prioritizing?

Face-to-face learning is always better than online learning. Discuss.

Travelling

A travel guidebook company has released its list of the best places on Earth to visit. It is the
Lonely Planet's "Ultimate Travel List". It ranks 500 of the must-see places to add to your bucket
list. It is only the second time this list of unmissable travel experiences has been issued. The
guidebook company said its guide is, "designed to be a companion to your armchair travels or
the tool to refuel your wanderlust". It added that the book, "features more than 200 new
destinations in a picture-perfect wish-list, each ranked in order of brilliance." Lonely Planet said:
"The list contains a mix of knock-out new openings, sights that have upped their game, or
places more relevant to the way we travel now."

Top of the list and the number-one travel destination is the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. The
guide said: "The treasured UNESCO Heritage Site of Petra is the must-see ultimate experience
on our list. Once nearly lost to the outside world, the sandstone city is now one of the most
loved places on the planet." It recommended readers, "rediscover the city's eternal air of
mystery in the early morning or in the hours before closing when it's at its most atmospheric".
The Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador was second on the list, with the spectacular
sandstone monolith Uluru in Australia being third. Lonely Planet says the book has something
for everyone in every corner of the world.

1. What is the name of the list issued by Lonely Planet?

2. What did the article suggest people add the places to?
3. What kind of travels did the company say the list is a companion to?
4. How many new destinations are on the list?
5. What did the guide say had "upped their game"?
6. What is the most recommended sight on the list?
7. What did the guide say the top sight was nearly lost to?
8. What is the top sight made of?
9. What was the third sight on the list?
10. Where did the book say there was something for everyone?

We should all travel to as many different countries as we can. Discuss.

Family

Many of us believe that having children is the key to happiness and a perfect family life.
Naturally, this idealistic image is true for some, but researchers say that in reality, children make
us happiest when they fly the nest - when they have grown up and left home. Researchers in
Germany looked at data from a survey of 55,000 over 50-year-olds living in Europe. The survey
respondents were quizzed about their emotional wellbeing. The researchers discovered that
most parents were happier with life after their offspring had left home and started making their
own way in life. Researchers say this could be because raising children creates financial worry,
stress, fatigue and anxiety.

The research was led by Christoph Becker at Heidelberg University. He concluded that a big
reason for parents being happiest when their children leave home is that the tables are turned
and the children provide more support to their parents. He said parents whose children no
longer live with them suffer from fewer symptoms of depression and have a more positive
outlook on life. Regarding the role reversal in providing support, Mr Becker said: "Children's
roles as caregivers, providers of financial support or simply as a means of social contact might
outweigh the negative aspects of parenthood." He added that maintaining family relationships
may stave off loneliness in ageing parents.

1. What do many people believe is the key to happiness?

2. What do children fly when they leave home?
3. How many people answered a survey?
4. What were survey respondents asked about?
5. What kind of worry did the article say parenthood created?
6. What university conducted this research?
7. What did the article say gets turned when children leave home?
8. What do parents suffer from less when children leave home?
9. What might children providing care outweigh?
10. What might stave off loneliness in ageing parents?

Having children is the best thing anyone can do. Discuss.

Sports

The global spread of COVID-19 is playing havoc with sports events worldwide. After the WHO
designated the coronavirus as a pandemic, many sports associations have taken measures to
curb the spread of the virus. Major sporting events are being suspended on a daily basis.
European football is coming to a standstill as Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and other major
leagues have suspended games for the coming weeks. The Champions League could be
suspended until next summer. In other sports, the first grand prix of the Formula 1 season has
been cancelled in Australia; and the National Hockey League and National Basketball League
have been suspended until further notice.

The biggest concern for sports fans is uncertainty over the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Japan's
government has called for preparations to continue as scheduled. The minister responsible for
the Olympics and Paralympics said it was "inconceivable" they would be cancelled. However, a
member of the organizing committee said it was "more realistic" to postpone the Games. U.S.
President Donald Trump suggested Japan should consider postponing the Games. He said: "It's
a shame because they built some really beautiful buildings." Sport is already being hit in Japan.
The nation's 15-day spring sumo tournament is being held behind closed doors in Osaka and a
national high school baseball tournament has been cancelled.

1. What did the article say COVID-19 was doing to sports worldwide?
2. What have sports associations taken to curb the spread of the virus?
3. What did the article say European football was coming to?
4. What did the article say could be suspended until next summer?
5. Until when did the article say the USA's basketball league is suspended?
6. What is the biggest concern for sports fans?
7. What did the Olympics minister say about cancelling the Games?
8. What did Donald Trump say the Japanese have built?
9. Where in Osaka is a sumo tournament being held?
10. What kind of baseball tournament has been cancelled in Japan?

All public gatherings worldwide should be cancelled. Discuss.

Researchers from a university in Manchester in the UK have said that training as part of a
sports team is the best way to improve all-round fitness. The researchers said team sport
players are as good at endurance and have as much stamina as long-distance runners, and are
as strong as bodybuilders. This is because of the different types of exercise team players do.
The researchers said the key to all-round fitness is to combine building your strength with
combining your endurance and stamina. The research team said cycling, running or swimming
was best for all-round fitness. It also said energetically doing housework and climbing stairs was
a good alternative to going to the gym.

The study looked at 228 athletes aged 17 to 37 who studied at the Lithuanian Sports University.
There were 87 endurance athletes, such as cyclists, skiers and long-distance runners; 77 power
athletes, such as sprinters and bodybuilders; and 64 team athletes who played basketball,
football and volleyball. The researchers tested athletes on their muscle power and their ability to
jump from a standing position. Researchers also tested the athletes' oxygen use during hard
exercise to measure aerobic endurance. Professor Hans Degens said his study showed that
"endurance training for power athletes and power training for endurance athletes" was
beneficial. He said team players have the best of both worlds.

1. From which city is the university at which this research was done?
2. Who did researchers say team sport players have the endurance of?
3. What should athletes combine with endurance and stamina for fitness?
4. What sports besides running and swimming did researchers suggest?
5. What thing did researchers suggest was good to climb for fitness?
6. How old were the athletes that researchers looked at?
7. How many power athletes did the researchers look at?
8. What ability in the athletes did the researchers test?
9. What did researchers test the athletes' use of?
10. What did the researchers say team players had the best of?

Team sports are better than individual sports. Discuss.

Internet

The World Wide Web is now thirty years old. Its inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has spoken
about his creation on its 30th anniversary. He said he was worried about how people are using
the Internet and its two billion websites today. He also said he is concerned about the future of
the Web. He wrote a letter saying he knew many people felt unsure about whether the Web was
"a force for good". He believes it can be a force for good and can empower billions of people.
He wrote that he believed governments and companies must work together to build a better
Internet. He said: "If we give up on building a better Web now, then the Web will not have failed
us. We will have failed the Web."

Sir Tim had three main concerns about the World Wide Web. The first was criminal behavior,
like state-sponsored hacking and online harassment. He described it as a "mirror of humanity"
where "you will see good and bad". He said governments must pass laws to keep people safe.
A second thing that worried Berners-Lee is how social media is used to spread misinformation.
The past few years have seen a rise in fake news. In particular, how people were tricked during
the 2016 US presidential election and the UK Brexit vote. Berners-Lee is also worried about
people's privacy and personal information. He stressed the importance of fighting for a better
and safer Web and keeping it free for everyone to use.

1. How old is the World Wide Web?

2. How many websites did the article say was on the World Wide Web?
3. What are people doubting the World Wide Web is a force for?
4. What does Sir Tim Berners-Lee want governments to build?
5. What will we fail if we give up on the Web?
6. How many concerns did Sir Tim Berners-Lee have?
7. What did Sir Tim describe the Web as a mirror of?
8. What did Sir Tim say social media spread?
9. What have the past few years seen a rise in?
10. What did Sir Tim want us to fight for?

The Internet is becoming too dangerous. Discuss.

COVID and HEALTH

Many countries around the world are sending oxygen to India. This is because of India's current
COVID-19 crisis. India is the world's second most populous country, with over 1.3 billion people.
It is currently struggling to cope with its latest surge in the coronavirus pandemic. There are over
300,000 new cases every day - the largest number of daily cases ever experienced by any
country. India's health system can no longer cope. There are not enough beds, and hospitals
are turning away people with the virus. They have also run out of oxygen. Singapore and the UK
have sent much-needed oxygen cylinders to India. India's government has also arranged for
Amazon to deliver 100 ventilators.

A Singapore Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Dr Maliki Osman, explained how urgent it was to
help India. He said: "We have all witnessed in the past year how this pandemic is a trans-
boundary threat. It gives no regard for country, nationality, or race. This is exactly why we must
work collectively to support each other." The WHO said the situation in India was "beyond
heartbreaking". It said: "The WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and
supplies, including thousands of oxygen concentrators, mobile field hospitals and laboratory
supplies." It added: "The growth that we have seen in case numbers is really, truly astonishing.

1. Where on the list of most populous countries is India?

2. How many people are there in India?
3. How many daily cases of COVID-19 is India having?
4. What does the article say there are not enough of?
5. Which two countries sent oxygen cylinders to India?
6. Which country's spokesperson spoke the urgency to help India?
7. What did the WHO say the situation was beyond?
8. What kind of equipment is the WHO providing?
9. What kind of hospitals is the WHO providing?
10. What did the WHO call the growth in case numbers?

The whole world needs to go on a serious month-long lockdown. Discuss.