This week the Thinking in English Community is talking about spies and secret missions!
Spies are everywhere in movies and TV shows, and I made a recent episode about the real life spies known as the Cambridge Five. But what would it actually be like to be a spy? Would you have the skills, courage, and creativity needed for a secret mission?
In this conversation club, we’ll imagine creating fake identities, going on secret missions, and working as spies. We’ll also discuss why spies are so popular in entertainment and how modern technology has changed the world of espionage.
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about spies, secret missions, and whether you would make a good secret agent!
The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 24pm UK time!
You can find more details on how to participate here!
Conversation Questions:
- What is your favorite spy movie or TV show?
- What do you think of when you hear the word “spy”?
- Do you think being a spy would be exciting?
- What skills would a good spy need?
- What would be the hardest part of being a spy?
- You need to create a fake identity. What kind of person would you pretend to be?
- You can take three things with you on a secret mission. What would you take?
- Why are people so interested in spies and secret missions?
- Do you think technology has made spying easier or more difficult?
- Make your own questions!
Vocabulary
- Spy (Noun): A person who secretly collects information about another country or organisation.
- Fake identity (Noun Phrase): A false name, background, or personal information used to hide who you really are.
- Pretend (Verb): To behave as if something is true when it is not.
- Mission (Noun): An important task or assignment that someone is given.
- Secretive (Adjective): Trying to keep information hidden from other people.
- Surveillance (Noun): The careful watching of a person or place, usually to collect information.
- Disguise (Noun/Verb): Something that changes your appearance or the act of changing your appearance to hide your identity.
- Espionage (Noun): The activity of secretly collecting information, especially for a government.
- Suspicious (Adjective): Feeling that something is wrong or that someone may be hiding something.
- Undercover (Adjective/Adverb): Working secretly while pretending to be someone else.
- Gather information (Phrase): To collect facts or details about something.
- Secret agent (Noun): A person who works secretly to collect information or complete missions.
- High-risk (Adjective): Involving a high possibility of danger or failure.
Conversation Club Times
12pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 12:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 05:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 06:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 08:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 08:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 14:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Tue/Thur at 19:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Tue/Thur at 20:00 JST
18pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 18:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 11:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 12:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 14:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 14:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 20:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 01:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 02:00 JST
24:00pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Wed/Fri at 00:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 17:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 18:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 20:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 20:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Wed, Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Wed/Fri at 02:00 EEST
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 07:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 08:00 JST
Model Answers & Vocabulary
To help you prepare for the Thinking in English conversation club this week, I have created vocabulary lists and some model answers.
The model answers are split into intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced level responses. Hopefully this will give you an idea on the differences in quality between intermediate and advanced responses, and perhaps inspire your own answers to these questions!
B1 (Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
C1 (Advanced Level)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
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Further Questions?
