SOCIETY
1. Should governments use the welfare system to encourage people to live within two
parent families?
2. At what age should a son or daughter be permitted to leave home?
3. Should young people be allowed to buy contraceptives as soon as they reach puberty?
4. Should the age of consent be the same for both gays and heterosexuals?
5. Should gays and heterosexuals have the same right to join the armed forces?
6. Should abortion be available to women on demand?
7. Should euthanasia be available to people in great pain who want to die?
8. Is it possible to pass effective laws against racism?
9. Do you believe in a high tax economy (e.g. Sweden) which distributes money to
education and health or a low tax economy (e.g. the U.S.A.) where people make
private provision for good services?
10. Do you have a vision of a better society? What changes would you make?
11. Do you think genetic engineering should be used to create good citizens?
12. What do you think are the characteristics of a good member of society?
TRADITIONS
1. Do children in your country learn traditional songs which their grandparents also
know? What are these songs about? What instruments are used to play these songs?
2. Does your country have any traditional dances for special ceremonies at different times
of the year? Describe the dances and the traditional dance costumes.
3. In Britain, there is a long tradition of playing cricket and tennis in the summer and
football and rugby at other times of the year. What are the traditional sports in your
country? Is your country still good at these sports? Describe the traditional clothing.
4. Traditional food in Britain includes roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, fish & chips and
haggis while traditional drinks include beer (best bitter) and whisky. What traditional
food and drinks do you have in your country?
5. In Britain, when you are invited to a dinner party, it is traditional to bring a bottle of
wine and flowers or chocolates for the hostess. It is normal to arrive on time, but not
too early. What happens in your country?
6. London businessmen used to wear grey suits and bowler hats. They also carried
umbrellas and read The Times newspaper. What is the traditional image of
business people in your capital city?
7. In very traditional British schools, the pupils stand up when the teacher enters the
room. Teachers used to wear square black hats and long black gowns. It is also
traditional to have school assemblies before morning lessons and to sing a special
school song at the end of term. Do schools in your country have similar traditions?
8. In the British calendar, the traditional ceremonies include Hogmanay (the Scottish
New Year), pancake day in February, dancing on 1st May and bonfire night in
November when we burn an effigy of the man who tried to blow up Parliament.
When are the traditional ceremonies in your country and what happens?
9. Describe a traditional wedding ceremony in your country.
10. Describe the traditions relating to your country’s Royal Family, Centre of Government
or System of Justice.
SPORT
1. Which is more important in sport - winning or taking part? Are you a good loser?
2. Should we always try to keep politics out of sport?
3. What are the most important events in the sporting calendar in your country?
Which of these events do you enjoy most? Why?
4. In Britain, the big events include the Boat Race, the Grand National & the Derby
(horse races), the Five Nations (rugby) the FA Cup Final (football), the Test Match
(cricket) and Wimbledon (tennis). Which of these would you like to see? Why?
5. Is it easy to take part in sport in your country? Which sports do you do and how
often do you take part?
6. Who are your sporting heroes and heroines? Why do you admire them?
7. Should the Olympic Games be held only in Greece or should they change between
different countries? Where would you like to see them held next time?
8. Do you think that boxing is a true sport? Should it be included in the Olympic Games?
Should it be made illegal?
9. Which is your favourite sport to watch and what do you think are the qualities of
a good team or a true champion in that sport?
10. Do people in your country do enough sport or do they prefer to watch TV and play
computer games? How could you encourage lazy people to do more sport?
Where can you find us?
