Improve your Speaking online Episode 20, Introduction:
This week we bring new current topics in Episode 20 so you can improve your online speaking from home.
Topic 1: Alternative fuels
«The importance of alternative fuels»
Easter is the most important date in the Christian calendar.
Article
The Importance of Alternative Fuels: What is Their Impact?
Alternative fuels are important if we’d like to have a future.
Many people aren’t aware of what exactly alternative fuels are because they’re so used to thinking about gasoline as fuel. The truth is that conventional fuels are harming the environment and draining thousands of dollars from people every year.
We’ve built the modern world around vehicles so we practically need them if we’d like to continue living our lives. However, that doesn’t mean we have to keep buying gasoline. There are several alternative fuels that are much safer and affordable.
Continue reading to learn more about the importance of alternative fuels.
Conventional Fuels Are Limited
One of the main reasons why people are turning away from conventional fuels like oil and petroleum is that they’ll eventually run out. Conventional fuels usually consist of those that aren’t renewable, so many people are concerned about the future. A world crisis will occur the day that the demand for these fuels is higher than the supply.
Many people believe that the sources of these fuels are associated with a plethora of problems. For example, the oil fields in the Middle East are often under heavy scrutiny because they’ve created somewhat of a monopoly. Coming out with new methods prevents people from having to rely on the Middle East.
Pollution and Global Warming
The use of conventional fuels has a negative impact on the environment because they have harmful exhaust emissions. Things like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide all reduce the quality of air, making it difficult to survive in.
As people continue using these fuels, the chemicals start causing the temperature in the earth’s atmosphere to rise (global warming). Global warming is something that many people speculate about, but there’s evidence that suggests it exists. For example, Greenland’s ice melt is accelerating.
What Is an Alternative Fuel?
Alternative fuel is something that’s used in place of gasoline to power vehicles. Planes, boats, and cars all use gasoline to operate, but many companies are introducing vehicles that can operate on things like electricity and air.
Because conventional fuels are so harmful, the development of alternative fuels is important if we’d like to continue making use of our vehicles. Although vehicles that use alternative fuels are somewhat expensive compared to traditional vehicles, they’ll soon become affordable as we come up with better ways to develop them.
The Convenience of Alternative Fuels
Not only are conventional fuels harmful to the environment, but they’re also a hassle to use. Consider how many gas stations are set up around the world. Gas has to be transported to each of these then people have to drive to the gas station to fill up.
Alternative fuels are allowing people to power their vehicles without having to drive somewhere. Vehicles that are powered from electricity can be charged at home. Tesla has even set up stations around the world that people can visit to charge their Teslas for anyone that would like to do long-distance traveling.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the best alternatives to gasoline because it comes directly from the sun. The thing about solar energy is that we currently don’t have the technology to allow a car to run off of it. However, it can be used to give electric vehicles a little more power when they’re traveling.
People typically equip their vehicles with solar panels when they’re competing in electric vehicle races. As technology develops, we’ll soon see vehicles that can run solely on solar energy.
Air-Engine
An air-engine is a type of engine that doesn’t use any emissions. Instead, it used compressed air as its main source of energy. These pistons can be used in a piston engine that allows a vehicle to run solely on compressed air.
Air-engines use both warm and cold air to operate. The warm air is used to expand air within the storage tank and the cold air is used for air conditioning. Air-engines use an injection system to allow air to enter.
Electric
Battery electric vehicles are vehicles that have been used for several years. These vehicles run on nothing but electricity that comes from batteries. Over the years, several companies have been developing battery electric vehicles, but it wasn’t until recently that they became mainstream.
With companies like Tesla offering nothing but electric vehicles, other companies are taking note and releasing electric vehicles. Electric vehicles don’t use emissions and they don’t require much maintenance as a standard car does.
What Is an Alternative Fuel?
Alternative fuel is something that’s used in place of gasoline to power vehicles. Planes, boats, and cars all use gasoline to operate, but many companies are introducing vehicles that can operate on things like electricity and air.
Because conventional fuels are so harmful, the development of alternative fuels is important if we’d like to continue making use of our vehicles. Although vehicles that use alternative fuels are somewhat expensive compared to traditional vehicles, they’ll soon become affordable as we come up with better ways to develop them.
The Convenience of Alternative Fuels
Not only are conventional fuels harmful to the environment, but they’re also a hassle to use. Consider how many gas stations are set up around the world. Gas has to be transported to each of these then people have to drive to the gas station to fill up.
Alternative fuels are allowing people to power their vehicles without having to drive somewhere. Vehicles that are powered from electricity can be charged at home. Tesla has even set up stations around the world that people can visit to charge their Teslas for anyone that would like to do long-distance traveling.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the best alternatives to gasoline because it comes directly from the sun. The thing about solar energy is that we currently don’t have the technology to allow a car to run off of it. However, it can be used to give electric vehicles a little more power when they’re traveling.
People typically equip their vehicles with solar panels when they’re competing in electric vehicle races. As technology develops, we’ll soon see vehicles that can run solely on solar energy.
Air-Engine
An air-engine is a type of engine that doesn’t use any emissions. Instead, it used compressed air as its main source of energy. These pistons can be used in a piston engine that allows a vehicle to run solely on compressed air.
Air-engines use both warm and cold air to operate. The warm air is used to expand air within the storage tank and the cold air is used for air conditioning. Air-engines use an injection system to allow air to enter.
Electric
Battery electric vehicles are vehicles that have been used for several years. These vehicles run on nothing but electricity that comes from batteries. Over the years, several companies have been developing battery electric vehicles, but it wasn’t until recently that they became mainstream.
With companies like Tesla offering nothing but electric vehicles, other companies are taking note and releasing electric vehicles. Electric vehicles don’t use emissions and they don’t require much maintenance as a standard car does.
There are also hybrid vehicles that make use of both electricity and conventional fuels. These are designed to allow drivers to choose what type of fuel they’d like to use. Whenever a hybrid vehicle runs out of fuel, it will switch to electric as its main source of energy.
The electric that’s drawn from the batteries is used to power everything from the engine to the lights. Most electric vehicles can go as far as 200 miles, but the range varies depending on what car you get.
Consider Getting a Vehicle That Uses Alternative Fuels
It’s no myth that conventional fuels harm the environment, but many people look past that and continue using them. We’re witnessing the world change both environmentally and economically, and conventional fuels are one of the main reasons for that.
If you’re someone that cares about the environment or would like to save on gas costs, you should buy a vehicle that uses alternative fuels. You can get something like a Tesla for around $35k and you won’t ever have to worry about paying for gas.
Browse our articles for more automotive and environment-related content.
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- Why are people turning away from conventional fuels?
- What is the negative impact on the environment produced by the use of conventional fuels?
- Can you define alternative fuels?
- What are the most current alternatives to conventional fuels?
- What is the main negative obstacle to the use of electrical or hybrid vehicles?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:
- To turn away from: to face opposite way
- Fuel: flammable substance like oil or gas
- Hassle: difficult, problem, bother
- Affordable: not expensive
- To come up with: to invent, produce, develop
- Solely: only
Topic 2: Globalisation
«Pros and cons of glabalisation»
Some praise globalisation and others blame it.
Article
Pros and Cons of Globalization
Some praise globalization for opening borders and connecting cultures and politics. Others blame it for disrupting local economies and eliminating jobs. The fact is that globalization has been around since ancient times, and it is fully integrated into different aspects of modern life. As a consumer, your clothing, foods and electronic gadgets are often produced by multinational companies located around the world. And as an investor, a financial advisor could help you diversify your portfolio with emerging market funds and other foreign investments.
What Is Globalization?
Globalization is defined as a process that moves businesses, organizations, workers, technology, products, ideas and information beyond national borders and cultures. Supporters say that this is making countries more interdependent on free trade. But critics maintain that it is also concentrating wealth in the corporate elite, disrupting industries and making local economies more vulnerable.
This process has roots in ancient civilizations that traded for valuable commodities that were unavailable in their homelands. But today, you can also see how large corporations similarly thrive as multinational businesses with offices and supply chains stretching around the globe.
In the recent economy, trade agreements have become the cornerstones of globalization, creating and expanding networks for trade and infrastructure. This is the case with NAFTA, which was renegotiated by the Trump administration in 2020 as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Initially, NAFTA incentivized U.S. businesses to relocate partially to take advantage of low-cost labor in Mexico. However, the USMCA has added protections for U.S. workers against this type of competition.
Globalization has also come under scrutiny with President Joe Biden’s recent $2.3 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan. Many large multinational companies like Amazon were singled out by Biden for taking advantage of tax loopholes to avoid paying federal income taxes. The President said that he would raise corporate taxes and eliminate these loopholes and foreign tax credits to fund his plan.
While governments focus on removing national barriers to promote global trade, they are also working on protecting local economies that could easily get disrupted. Let’s break down the advantages and disadvantages of globalization.
1. Globalization Broadens Access to Goods and Services
It’s hard to argue with the point that globalization makes more goods and services available to more people, often at lower prices. If you have disposable income and you’re buying a product that comes from abroad, you’re benefiting from globalization to some extent. Business owners also benefit by having access to a bigger market for their goods and services.
2. Globalization Can Lift People Out of Poverty
The argument that globalization has lifted people in developing countries out of poverty is somewhat controversial because opinions differ as to the quantity – and quality – of the jobs created by globalization. But the general wisdom is that globalization has increased job opportunities in capital-scarce, labor-rich countries, i.e. developing countries.
3. Globalization Increases Cultural Awareness
Globalization’s defenders say it has increased cross-cultural understanding and sharing. A globalized society boosts the rate at which people are exposed to the culture, attitudes and values of people in other countries. That exposure can inspire artists, strengthen ties between nations and dampen xenophobia.
4. Information and Technology Spread More Easily With Globalization
Art and culture aren’t the only things that spread more easily in a globalized society. The same goes for information and technology. As examples, see the rise of mobile banking in Kenya or the practice of micro-lending. Civil society groups can look to other countries for inspiration and good ideas can spread more easily.
Drawbacks of Globalization
1. Workers Can Lose Jobs to Countries With Low-Cost Labor
This first argument against globalization is the one that surfaces most frequently in U.S. political discussions about NAFTA and other trade deals. When the U.S. competes with less-developed countries, its big advantage is its access to capital, whereas less-developed countries’ big advantage is their cheap labor.
Generally speaking, globalization increases the returns to capital in rich countries like the U.S. and decreases the returns to labor in those same countries. That’s a fancy way of saying that low-skill jobs in the U.S. can disappear as a result of globalization (though technology plays a big role in this change, too). The result may be a decrease in the inequality between countries but an increase in the inequality within countries.
2. Globalization Hasn’t Protected Labor, Environmental or Human Rights
In theory, globalization can be an opportunity to spread values and practices like environmentalism and labor rights throughout the world. In practice, that spread has been slow and imperfect. For example, rather than exporting the labor protections that a company might have to abide by in the U.S., it might follow lower standards in another country where labor is not protected.
Some argue that globalization has caused a “race to the bottom” in which companies actively seek the countries with the weakest labor and environmental protections and the lowest wages. And while globalization has increased the flow of goods, services and capital, there are still plenty of tax havens, meaning that much of the value added by globalization is not captured and redistributed by governments.
3. Globalization Can Contribute to Cultural Homogeneity
Globalization might lead to more cultural homogeneity as people’s preferences converge and products cannot compete with cheaper multinational ones. If everyone wears jeans, learns English and watches Hollywood movies we may lose precious cultural practices and languages. Some critics of globalization worry that it’s creating a mainstream monoculture while driving other diverse cultures underground.
4. Globalization Empowers Multinational Corporations
Another criticism leveled at globalization is that it has empowered multinational corporations at the expense of governments and citizens. This reduces state sovereignty and citizens’ ability to hold their leaders accountable for conditions in their countries. It’s another reason that labor and environmental protections are harder to enforce than many critics of globalization would like. Multinational corporations may also lobby for favorable provisions in trade agreements (this was an argument invoked against the TPP).
Supporters and opponents of globalization generally agree that the phenomenon has created winners and losers. Supporters argue that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, while critics want to either improve the conditions of global trade or, in some cases, roll back globalization.
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We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- What does globalisation move and where?
- Do you think it is right to say that globalisation has lifted people in developing countries out of poverty?
- What are the disadvantages caused by globalization in terms of labour?
- Is globalisation driving society to cultural homogeneity or diversity?
- What is the negative relationship produced by globalisation between multinational corporations and state sovereignity?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:
- Globalisation: making universal
- To thrive: to flourish, prosper
- Cornerstone: basis, primary thing
- To single out: to identify
- Loophole: legal gap
- To some extent: to a certain degree
- To accountable for: has to justify actions
- To lobby: to press government.
Topic 3: Knowledge and power
«Is knowledge power?»
Does knowledge have power by itself?
Article
Knowledge is not powerOur ability to influence people is power
THE BARRIERS TO ACTING
Knowledge alone is clearly not power, as far too often there are barriers to acting. You can have perfect knowledge but:
- chose to ignore it
- not accept it as true
- not understand it
- be biased against it
- not appreciate its relevance
- be too busy to act on it
- not have the confidence or courage to act on it
- not have the political skills to influence or persuade senior management to take you seriously
- not have the budget or other resources to put the knowledge into action
- not have the leadership skills to act on it
- not have the collaborative skills to work with other people
In our organizational lives (and more broadly in the world at large), we all have a great deal of knowledge and the potential to make an impact, but few of us have the power to act effectively.
Too often, people have little agency and insufficient political nouse to make an impact regardless of their knowledge.
And then, sometimes, people act on the knowledge they have, not for the benefit of the whole but for selfish purposes, and fail to share it more widely.
IF KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER, WHAT IS?
So if knowledge is not power, what is?
We might say that knowledge is “potential power.” Without the motivation or ability to apply it – for whatever reason – it is useless. It would be more accurate to say that the will and the ability to act on the knowledge we possess is power.
But the power we are talking about here is social and political – the ability to influence people or events.
This power comes from one of two sources, authoritative power, in other words, the power bestowed on us or our intrinsic influential power regardless of our authority.
Unless we have massive authoritative power, we need to influence and work well with other people if we are to achieve anything.
POWER AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Sharing knowledge is one of the cornerstones of Knowledge Management (KM), but KM is more than sharing our knowledge (and not hoarding it).
If we share our knowledge with other people, who, like us, don’t have the power to act, we achieve little.
We need to share our knowledge and motivate, influence, and work with others to get things done. This is the fourth level of Knowledge Management.
How do we achieve this? Primarily we do it through the conversations that we have with each other.
COULD YOU HAVE SAVED ROTTERDAM FROM DESTRUCTION?
This hypothetical story by Arie de Geus from his book The Living Company: Growth, Learning, and Longevity in Business communicates that “knowledge is not power” in a rather compelling manner.
Imagine that it is 1920 and you have somehow been granted absolute power to predict the future.
You happen to visit the mayor of Rotterdam and, during that time, you describe in vivid detail what is going to happen to his town over the next 25 years.
Thus, in an otherwise perfectly normal working day, the mayor hears about the advent of the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation, the 1929 stock exchange crash, the Great Depression that followed, the rise of Nazism in Germany with its (for Rotterdam) damaging economic policy of autarchy, the outbreak of the second world war, the carpet bombing of the town’s city centre and, finally, the systematic destruction of the town’s port installation during the calamitous winter of 1945.
The mayor listens to this information placidly. He gives every sign of believing you. And then he asks, “If you were in my shoes, hearing all of this, amid all the other opinions and facts that reach me during the course of my day, what would you reasonably expect me to do about this information?“
What is it reasonable to expect the mayor to do?
When I ask this question in discussion groups, we always reach the same answer: there is nothing the mayor can be expected to do.
Even if he gives your prediction a higher degree of credibility than most of the other information which reached him, he would have neither the courage nor the powers of persuasion to take the far-reaching decision that is required by such a prediction.
The future cannot be predicted. But, even if it could, we would not dare to act on the prediction.
Suppose a time traveler returned to the present day from 2120 and told us in graphic detail what was to become of the world due to global warming. We already have a pretty good idea of the consequences, but now we know for sure. Do you think it would make any difference whatsoever to our response?
Even with perfect knowledge, even if we could accurately predict the future, more often than not, we do not have the ability to act on that knowledge.
Knowledge alone is not power. Self-motivation, taking responsibility, acting on knowledge, and influencing and working with people, especially those in authority, is power.
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- If we had perfect knowledge about something, would it change our behaviour?
- What issues make it too difficult to act on the knowledge?
- Even if we have knowledge, can you mention some barriers to acting?
- What does it mean that knowledge is potential power?
- What is the fourth level of Knowledge Management?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:
- Bullshit: untrue, nonsensical
- Iota: tiny amount
- To act on, to act upon: to respond, to have effect
- Biased: prejudiced, partial
- Budget: monetary resources
- At large: as a whole, in general
- Deal: amount
- Agency: ability to act
- Nouse: common sense
- To bestow [sth] on [sb]: to give [sb]: an award, gift
- Hoarding: obsessive keeping
Topic 4: Introvert vs extrovert
«Differences between extroverts and introverts»
Is it important to see the difference between introverts and extroverts?
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
Why is it useful to understand the introvert versus extrovert question? According to the article, what is the main difference between extroverts and introverts? How do introverts tend to enjoy themselves? It can be helpful to understand if someone has a more introverted or extroverted personality? Is it better or worse for your relationships to know if your best friend is introverted or extraverted?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:
- Outgoing: extraverted
- To relate: to understand, appreciate
- Outspoken: without reservation, blunt
- To recharge: to revitalise, refuel, fill up
- To drain: empty of energy
- Fueling: adding energy to
- Tick: put a check mark next to [sth]
- To feel off: not to feel like you usually do
- Off-center: a little weird
- Rejection: repudiation
Topic 5: Ignorance
«Ignorance is bliss»
Is ignorance blissful or destructive?
Article
We live in a time of unprecedented access to information. And in this era of sheltering-in-place around the nation and the globe, the desire for news may be higher than ever — at least for some people. But do we really want all this information, all the time? Some may indeed prefer to think happier thoughts and maintain an (overly) optimistic outlook about the health threat we face. On the other hand, others may prefer not to know what the swings in the market are doing to their retirement savings.
Recent work has found that people at times prefer less information, even when this means they might not be able to make fully informed decisions. However, little is known about the prevalence of such avoidance. Who are the people who choose blissful ignorance over facing reality?
While previous work has looked at isolated decisions, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern and Harvard Universities set out to measure the desire for information across different areas of life. Are some people generally averse to learning information that could be painful, or do most people have some areas of their lives in which they would like to face the truth and others in which they would rather remain uninformed? To address questions such as these, and measure individual preferences for obtaining or avoiding information, they crafted 11 scenarios involving three domains — personal health, finances and other people’s perceptions of oneself — in which there was information that could help the respondent to make better decisions but might be painful to learn. For each scenario, over 2,000 respondents indicated whether they would want to receive information or to remain ignorant.
To see the scenarios for yourself and how you compare to others who have responded to the questionnaire, go to this link:
Test Your Own Information Preferences
«Economists have long thought ‘the more, the better’, when it comes to information,» said George Loewenstein, the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon. «This thinking doesn’t fully reflect people’s complex relationship with information. We wanted to create a way to measure an individual’s tendency to pursue or shy away from information.»
In one scenario, for example, participants had the option to learn as part of a routine medical exam the extent to which their body had suffered lasting damage from stress: a third of respondents preferred not to learn this information. And if they had gifted their favorite book to a close friend, 1 in 4 participants would rather not learn whether their friend had read and enjoyed the book.
«This work is a first step to understanding the pervasiveness and features of information avoidance in many real-life contexts,» said Emily Ho, the lead author of the paper and an incoming assistant research professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Social Sciences.
The study showed that the desire to avoid information is widespread, and that most people had at least some domains, be it their health, finances or perception by others, in which they preferred to remain uninformed. The study also showed that the desire for information was consistent over time; those who expressed a preference for avoiding information at one point in time expressed similar preferences when asked again weeks later. Furthermore, how people responded to the hypothetical scenarios predicted real consequential decisions they were presented with to receive or avoid obtaining information.
Although information may feel painful in the moment, such knowledge often leads to better decisions in the future. The researchers found that people who are more impatient are also more likely to avoid learning information, preferring to avoid the prospect of immediate pain rather than make better long-term decisions. Information is also uncertain in that it can be either good news or bad news, and survey respondents who were more willing to take risks with monetary stakes were also more likely to want to learn information, risking bad news for the possibility of good news.
Were certain demographics more information-avoidant than others? «It is tempting to think that people on the opposite end of the political spectrum from you are the ones engaging in information avoidance,» said David Hagmann, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Carnegie Mellon graduate. «But we find no differences in information avoidance by political ideology, income, gender or — perhaps surprisingly — education. Trading off the potential pain from receiving bad news against the uncertain and delayed benefits from making more informed decisions is something we all seem to do.»
Being able to measure people’s preferences for obtaining and avoiding information has wide-ranging implications in many areas of public life, from financial decision-making to health interventions. «If there are some individuals who just won’t respond to informational campaigns, and you can assess who they are, you might design a different intervention just for them,» said Ho. «This can be for reducing an unwanted behavior, such as smoking, or to encourage a positive behavior, such as obtaining a vaccine or exercising regularly. Just as personalized medicine has the promise to revolutionize treatment, so can informational interventions be tailored to take into account an individual’s desire for information.»
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- What happens when information isn’t sought out?
- What could be the brunt of ignoring science or believing in conspiracies?
- According to the study, do people prefer to avoid information or to know it?
- Who were more likely to avoid information: impatient people or those who were more willing to take monetary risks?
- Would it be a good idea to measure people’s preferences for obtaining and avoiding information?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:
- Blissful: happy
- Shaltering in place: to stay in a safe indoor place or building during an emergency
- Overly: excessively
- Outlook: mental attitude
- To craft: to create, to make
- Pervasiveness: being spread throughout, generalisation
- Prospect: future possibility
Topic 6: Free topic
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