English Conversation Questions

Death

Questions

1. What do you think of death?
2. How would you like to be remembered?
3. What are the biggest causes of death in your country and how can these be reversed?
4. Have you ever had an experience in which you nearly died?
5. Is there a personification of death in your culture?
6. Would you like to cheat death and live forever?
7. Would you prefer to be buried, cremated or another kind of ritual?
8. Why do you think there is such a fascination in our world with death?

Videos

In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: “Before I die I want to ___.” Her neighbors’ answers —

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surprising, poignant, funny — became an unexpected mirror for the community. (What’s your answer?)

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Category:  Psychology
Keywords: Death | People

When Hank watches nature documentaries he always comes away with one big question: how is that not killing you? In today’s episode of SciShow he looks at three unusual ways that animals manage not to get killed by nature.

Category:  Nature & Environment
Keywords: Animals | Death
Australia: An entire continent so infested with deadly creepy crawlies and creatures of all kinds, it seems like it’s actively trying to kill you. But is the natural world really any more dangerous down under than anywhere else?

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Hosted by: Stefan Chine

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Keywords: Adventure | Australia | Death
Vox

Where you were born makes all the difference.

Category:  Science
Keywords: Death | Life | Lifespan
In 1974, farmers digging a well near their small village stumbled upon one of the most important finds in archaeological history – vast underground chambers surrounding a Chinese emperor’s tomb that contained

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more than 8,000 life-size clay soldiers ready for battle. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen shares the fascinating history of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Lesson by Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen, animation by Zedem Media.

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Keywords: China | Death | History
The ancient Egyptians developed a sophisticated method to preserve a dead body for the afterlife: mummification. First, the internal organs were removed and all moisture from the body was eliminated. Next, the body was

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wrapped with long strips of linen, and then covered with a large linen cloth. Follow the steps of the mummification process in this short animation about the Getty Museum’s Romano-Egyptian mummy Herakleides.

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Category:  History & Culture
Keywords: Death | Egypt
Vox
Their life arc is our life arc— from city to suburb, from tragedy to bliss. Special thanks to all Vox staffers and family that sent over their dog videos.

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When Alvin lost his dog Rainbow, he felt as though a human has died.

Humans have a special — and somewhat an odd — relationship with dogs. 60% of Americans own a pet, and the most popular of them are dogs. Our relationship with them actually goes back pretty far. Some scholars believe that wolves and humans hunted and lived among each other — and the reason humans came out on top was because we partnered with wolves. Then, as we evolved so did our furry friends. Now, we treat these animals like family. We give them names, keep them safe, and share our lives with them. So when it’s time for them to go, it feels a lot like we’re losing a part of the family.

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Keywords: Death | Dogs | Family | Pets

Vocabulary:
cove
secluded
float
shore
anchor
lighthouse
greenhouse
handsaw
hammer
power tool
nail
board (noun)
ton
land sick
biomass
canoe
paddle
real estate
prosper
fulfilled

Expressions:
subsistence living
hon

Vocabulary:
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word

Expressions:
expression
expression
expression
expression

Vocabulary:
prestigious
involuntary
swindler
fraudulence
unwarranted
concern
unfounded
impostor
syndrome
faculty
pervasive
prevalent
disproportionately
underrepresented
downplay
abnormality
self-esteem
spiral
accolade
threshold
susceptible
voice (verb)
peer
dismiss
excel
ease
mentor
competence
banish
frank

Expressions:
nagging doubt
shake a feeling
put something to rest
surefire way

Vocabulary:
filmmaker
principle
handcuff
clown
distill
underdog
aspect
familiar
unfamiliar
chopsticks
keyboard
organic
grounded
clarity
stuntman
steady
gag
perfectionist
rhythm
distinct
continuity
elbow
bunch
flail around
unlike
invincible
impressive
humanize
asset
payoff
relentlessness
finale

Expressions:
kick ass
going above and beyond
get smacked in the face
sell a joke

Vocabulary:
explosion
smoke (noun)
engine
unique
pilot
route
unemotional
terror
instant
reach out (to someone)
postpone
urgency
purpose
regret
humanity
ego
reflect
eliminate
frame (verb)
artistic
talent
bawl
miracle

Expressions:
bucket list
brace for impact
mend fences
make sense
connecting dots