Interviews
“Favorite Websites”
Level
Intermediate
Pre-Listening Question
What are some of your favorite Websites, and what do you like about them most?
Agree or Disagree? Let’s Spark Some Conversation!
These statements are designed to get everyone thinking, moving, and talking! The goal is to explore ideas, share opinions, and get ready for the next part of the lesson.
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In a face-to-face classroom: Read each statement aloud. If you agree, move to one side of the room; if you disagree, move to the other. Talk with your group—why do you feel that way? Then, pair students with members of the other group and have students explain their reasons. Rotate partners for more practice.
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In an online classroom: Use polls, emojis, or the chat box in your online platform to show your opinion. Then, join the conversation as a group or in breakout rooms. What do others think? Do you agree or disagree with them?
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For independent learners: Read each statement and think about your opinion. Then say your answer out loud and explain your reason, as if you’re talking to a classmate. This helps you get ready to speak and join real conversations in English. Consider recording your ideas and self-assess your progress.
- Your favorite website says a lot about your personality.
- Educational websites are more useful than entertainment websites.
- Social media sites are a waste of time.
- News websites can’t always be trusted.
- People spend too much time on their favorite websites.
- A good website should be fun and easy to use.
- It’s better to visit many websites than stick to just a few favorites.
- Shopping websites make life more convenient.
- You can learn more from websites than from school.
- Everyone should have at least one website they visit to relax.
Vocabulary and Expressions
Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:
doomsday scroller (noun): a person who searches the Internet for bad news even though it is depressing
– Susana is a doomsday scroller. She always focuses on the ills of society without looking for something positive.
parody (expression): an exaggerated imitation of a person or thing
– The show is a parody of current political events in my country.
commentary (noun): an expression of opinion about a certain event, situation, or person
– I read some commentary on this Website about the upcoming election, and people are concerned about the outcome.
Listening Comprehension Questions
Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.
Transcript
Emily: Hi, everyone. In this video, my dad, Aubrey, and I are gonna be talking about our favorite websites to visit every day. Let’s start off. Aubrey What are your favorite websites to visit?
Aubrey: Yeah, that’s a good question. Um, I don’t know that, like, actual websites I go to as often anymore. I mean, there are definitely apps that I visit all the time, like TikTok. I’m always on TikTok. I’m on Amazon way too often.
Randall: Okay. All right. Do they know you by name?
Aubrey: Uh, probably not.
Randall: Okay, so Amazon. And why do you visit Amazon?
Aubrey: I, uh, pretend shop for things and then sometimes accidentally real shop.
Randall: Okay, so Amazon. And how about another?
Aubrey: Let me think.
Randall: (That) People use.
Aubrey: Audible.
Randall: Use that. And you mentioned Audible?
Aubrey: Mhm.
Randall: And what is that?
Aubrey: Audible a lot too. Uh, that, that is Amazon-owned, um, but it still counts. They’re separate companies. Um, it’s, uh, audiobooks. They sell audiobooks.
Randall: Okay, well, good. And Emily, what about you? A couple of websites that you visit regularly.
Emily: Uh, I tend to be a doomsday scroller, and I read the news.
Randall: Okay
Emily: Multiple times a day. Yep. That’s fun.
Aubrey: Oh, When we’re offline, I have some questions about current events.
Randall: Okay. Uh, do you feel comfortable sharing the names of the websites? I know people sometimes are pretty particular about the ones they visit. Sometimes we make judgments on the ones that people view.
Emily: Yeah, uh, I usually do . . .
Randall: Do you want to mention those or not necessarily?
Emily: No, that’s fine. I usually do. CNN or KSL.
Randall: Okay. Okay.
Aubrey: I like to read The Onion sometimes. It’s a parody news website, so the articles are ridiculous. Like there was an article recently where it was, um, criticizing a seven-year-old for not being able to maintain a narrative while playing with his action figures.
Emily: Ah, yes. Yep.
Randall: Uh, that would be unusual. Uh, what about Fox News or something like that?
Aubrey: We’re gonna bring up Fox News?
Emily: Well, I thought this was not going to be political.
Conversation Questions
How do you determine the reliability of information on social media and news Websites? What online services do you use to fact-check information?