This week the ‘Thinking in English’ Community is looking back at the biggest events of 2023!
2023 has been a year full of exciting news stories. Some stories have been exciting and positive, others have been terrible and upsetting. What a year it has been.
This week we look at some of the biggest stories throughout the year and base our questions on a wide array of topics.
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about the biggest news stories of 2023!
The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 9pm UK time!
You can find more details on how to participate on Patreon and Discord!
Conversation Questions: The Biggest News Stories of 2023!
1. In January, Croatia adopted the Euro.
Do you think every country should use the same currency?
2. In February, a number of alleged Chinese spy balloons were reported in the US.
Do you think the balloons were meant for ‘spying’? What else could they have been for?
3. In March, Open AI released GPT-4.
Are you worried about how quickly AI technology is advancing?
4. In April, Finland joined NATO.
Is your country part of an alliance of nations? How do people in your country feel about that?
5. In May, King Charles III was coronated.
Do you think monarchies are just historical relics or a meaningful part of the modern world?
6. In July, writers went on strike in Hollywood.
Are you a member of a union? Have you ever been on strike?
7. In October, the Rugby World Cup started.
How important are international sporting events?
8. In November, the Beatles released their final song: ‘Now and Then’.
Will the music of the Beatles still be relevant in 100 years?
9. In December, Google released their AI-Language Model, Gemini.
Is competition in the AI industry a good thing?
10. In your opinion, what was the biggest news story of the year?
Vocabulary List:
- Currency
- the money that is used in a particular country at a particular time
- Alleged
- said or thought by some people to be the stated bad or illegal thing, although you have no proof
- Spy
- to secretly collect and report information about the activities of another country or organisation
- Advance
- to go or move something forward, or to develop or improve something
- Alliance
- a group of countries, political parties, or people who have agreed to work together because of shared interests or aims
- Coronate
- to put a crown on someone’s head in an official ceremony that makes that person king, queen, etc. Some people think this use is not correct and prefer to use the verb “crown”
- Monarchy
- the system of having a king or queen
- Relic
- an object, tradition, or system from the past that continues to exist
- Strike
- something that has a positive impact, or makes the world a better place
- Union
- to refuse to continue working because of an argument with an employer about working conditions, pay levels, or job losses
- Relevant
- correct or suitable for a particular purpose
- Competition
- a situation in which someone is trying to win something or be more successful than someone else
Photo from Pixabay on pexels.com
Photo from Martin Lopez on Pexels.com
Model Answers:
B1 (Intermediate) Model Answers
B2 (Upper Intermediate) Model Answers
C1 (Advanced Level) Model Answers
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
