English Conversation Questions

Future

Questions

1. How often do you think about the future?
2. What do you hope for your own future?
3. What fears do you have for the future?
4. Where do you see yourself in ten, twenty and fifty years from now?
5. What will the world’s biggest problem be in the future?
6. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Why?
7. When you were younger, what did you think about your future?
8. What are some major changes the world will see in the future?

Videos

“My science fiction has different ancestors — African ones,” says writer Nnedi Okorafor. In between excerpts from her “Binti” series and her novel “Lagoon,” Okorafor discusses the inspiration and roots of her work — and how

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she opens strange doors through her Afrofuturist writing.

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Keywords: Africa | Future | Science fiction
Take a look at the theories behind why earthquakes occur, what makes them so hard to predict and the warning system technologies we rely on today.

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In 132 CE, Zhang Heng presented his latest invention: a large vase he claimed could tell them whenever an earthquake occurred for hundreds of miles. Today, we no longer rely on pots as warning systems, but earthquakes still offer challenges to those trying to track them. Why are earthquakes so hard to anticipate, and how could we get better at predicting them? Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl investigates.

Lesson by Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl, directed by Cabong Studios.

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Category:  Nature & Environment
Would a mile-high skyscraper ever be possible? Explore the physics behind some of the tallest buildings and megastructures in the world.

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In 1956, architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a mile-high skyscraper, a building five times as high as the Eiffel Tower. While this massive tower was never built, today bigger and bigger buildings are going up around the world. How did these impossible ideas turn into architectural opportunities? Stefan Al explains how these megastructures became fixtures of our city skylines.

Lesson by Stefan Al, directed by TED-Ed.

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Category:  Art
Keywords: Buildings | Future

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