“The older you get, the more you learn to see what you’ve been taught to see. When you’re a kid, you see what’s there.”

-Steven Wright

Is it not enjoyable to learn and practice what you learn?

-Confucius

Pronunciation: \ˌʃɒpəˈhɒlɪk\
Function: adjective
Etymology: abstracted from alcoholic, 1984

1 : a slang term for oniomania, a compulsive desire to shop : an addiction to shopping

(I chose this word because today is Black Friday in the United States.)

• Do you consider yourself, or anyone you know, a shopaholic?
• Have you heard anything about Black Friday before, or taken advantage of any Black Friday sales?
• How do North American shopping habits compare to those back home?
• Do you have any other thoughts about consumerism in general?

To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.

-Lao Tzu

Listen. .
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees
And fall.

By Adelaide Crapsey

courtesy of The Poetry Foundation

Here is a video highlighting the talents of Scottish street cyclist Danny MacAskill, filmed by David Sowerby in the area around Edinburgh. MacAskill has been practicing for more than twelve years, and recently gave up his job as a mechanic to focus on cycling full-time.

• Do you enjoy biking? Have you ever done any street cycling similar to Danny’s?
• What other sports do you know of that can be done on the streets and in the midst of communities?
• What are your favourite ways to exercise and/or spend your free time?

This article is about on par with what you would find on the Academic Reading portion of the IELTS exam. You probably will not be able to fully comprehend the passage easily, but you should be able to glean a general understanding.

• Do you consider youself a multitasker? How so? What things do you tend to do at the same time?
• We obviously choose to multitask for a reason. In what ways can multitasking be beneficial?
• Have you ever considered the dangers of multitasking? Has multitasking ever impeded on your efficiency?

 

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