Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. deal with
    • ex. I need some advice on how to deal with problems at work.
  2. spend time
    • ex. Mrs. Wilson loves spending time with her daughter.
  3. prevent
    • ex. The rain prevented the kids from playing outside yesterday.
  4. mental health
    • ex. Getting enough sleep is important for your mental health.
  5. word of mouth
    • ex. The new restaurant didn’t pay for advertising, but they got a lot of customers by word of mouth.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Newcastle University launched a program called “Borrow Bessie.” In the program, students can borrow and walk Bessie, a three-year-old Jack Russell. Two students can borrow Bessie at the same time and walk her in local parks for an hour.

The university created the program to help students deal with stress. Research shows that spending time with animals can comfort people and prevent them from feeling lonely. Spending time with animals and being active outdoors can also improve a person’s physical and mental health.

Bessie’s owner explained that compared to other mental health programs at the university, very few students leave the “Borrow Bessie” program. She believes that students don’t want the dog to feel sad. In addition to this, the program is growing by word of mouth. Students who spend time with Bessie often recommend the program to their friends.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

School Stress

  • Is school life very stressful for students in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What’s the best way for students to deal with school stress? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think that school stress can also be a good thing for students? Why or why not? Discuss.

Spending Time with Animals

  • Do you agree that spending time with animals can comfort people? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • For good results, how often should students spend time with animals in programs like “Borrow Bessie”? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think that programs like “Borrow Bessie” and animal cafés will become even more popular in the future? Why or why not? Discuss.