LeisureFinding time for leisure has become more and more challenging
especially in this career-driven modern time. Nowadays, an increasing
number of people are forsaking their personal life in favor of their career.
A few workaholics probably don’t know what leisure time is all about.
Which begs the question; what is leisure?
In many dictionaries, leisure is defined as time spent away fromwork or doing something unrelated to work. Its definition is not only
based on lexical terms but also on activities you engage for leisure. Afterall, one’s ultimate aim of doing leisurely activities is to relieve oneself ofworldly woes. For others, leisure can mean recreations such as doing
sports, trekking mountains, or a simple stroll around the neighborhood.
Few people think of leisure as an escape from any strenuous activity,
both physical and mental; an exact opposite of the aforementioned.
Some others spend hours on end facing their computer or mobile
gadgets, playing games.
Regardless of what leisure is to you, it is undeniable thatknowing and experiencing its true essence can be both invigorating andrejuvenating. Perhaps it’s considered by some as the fountain of youth;
another dandy reason to allocate time for it.
Whenever you feel you’re losing your magic touch at work andwith people you hold dear, pulling the plug on whatever you’re busy
with and spending leisure time with said people might just be the job
you need to rectify the situation. Just remember, balance is the key. You
don’t want your boss to fire you, do you?

What’s the Meaning …
1. leisure
2. lexical
3. engage
4. woes

Pronunciation
Practice1

leisure2

lexical

3

woes

4

engage5strenuous

6

rectify

7

aforementioned

8

rejuvenating

5. strenuous
6. rectify

Lesson 21

Questions Related to the Topic
1. How is the word leisure defined by the writer?
2. What are the two types of leisure?
3. How do the two types of leisure differ from eachother?

Tongue Twister!
“A big black bug bit a big black bear and the big
black bear bled blood.”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

21

Internet Friendship

People are innately social. We all gravitate towards one another for omnifarious
reasons. If we don’t have an actual reason, we’re quite creative in making one. Take forexample parties, galas, and other events that encourage us to congregate.
One more proof that we never grow tired of being gregarious is thedevelopment of online social networking sites and messenger apps. I wouldn’t be
surprised if Mark Zuckerberg reveals that the reason behind the creation of Facebook
is the trusted and proven fact that business propagates at a rate which is directly
proportional to the number of people. So why not provide a site that’ll allow everybody
to demonstrate how crazy we are about everybody else? Such a clever guy.
Messenger apps and online social networking sites afford us the ability to makefriends with people from as far as halfway across the world. Isn’t it amazing? Intercultural
exchange and assimilation of different customs and traditions are now happening
ubiquitously. On top of that, incipient advancements in technology may enable us todetect other life forms in our solar system, and eventually, our galaxy. In the future, we’d
not only be taking pleasure in making conversations with fellow earthlings, but also with
Jedis, Na’vis, or Kryptonians. Before you know it, you’re already sharing your hobbies andinterests with a Jedi! Taking things up a notch, by the time all these speculations havebecome a reality, physical teleportation of things might already be one of the features
on your messenger app! Internet friends will have been able to send and receive gifts
from halfway across the galaxy. What interesting gifts it would be! The future of internet
friendship is indeed something to look forward to.
Internet affords us a future of boundless opportunities for interaction andcontact. It transcended our expectations with the emergence of many social networking
sites that now serves as venues for us to stay in touch with our friends and be updated on
their whereabouts and current preoccupation.

What’s the Meaning …
1. omnifarious
2. congregate
3. gregarious
4. propagates

Pronunciation
Practice1

intercultural2

congregate

3

propagates4

assimilation

5

speculation

5. ubiquitously
6. intercultural
7. assimilation
8. speculation

Lesson 22

Questions Related to the Topic
1. What is internet friendship?
2. What do some people think of internet 			friendship?
3. What do supporters of online relationship say 		
about internet friendship?

Tongue Twister!
“I slit the sheet and the sheet slit me. The slit in
the sheet was slit by me.”Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

22

What guarantees happiness?

All people feel a different range of emotions. Some of these emotions
are pleasant and are always wanted to be felt while other emotions we try to
avoid as much as possible due to the pain it may cause us. What is perhaps themost popular and desired of these emotions is “Happiness”. While all people arenaturally inclined to seek to be happy, one might consider what actually would
make him or her happy. Is happiness the same for everyone? What actually
defines happiness?
Happiness can be considered a fuzzy concept and could mean manydifferent things to many people. Some closely related concepts to happiness are
well-being, quality of life, flourishing, and contentment. According to a researchstudy, humans seem happiest when they have: pleasure (tasty food, warm
baths, etc.), engagements (or flow, the absorption of an enjoyed yet challenging
activity), relationships (social ties have turned out to be an extremely reliableindicator of happiness), meaning (a perceived quest or belonging to something
bigger), and accomplishments (having realized tangible goals).
Happiness has also been closely linked to religion. Such an association
may be attributed to the social connections of organized religion, and by theneuropsychological benefits of prayer and belief. To elaborate further, thebenefits that make people happier from religion include social contact andsupport that result from religious pursuits, the mental activity that comes with
optimism and volunteering, learned coping strategies that enhance one’s ability
to deal with stress, and psychological factors such as “reason for being.”

What’s the Meaning …
1. linked
2. attributed
3. optimism
4. contentment
5. fuzzy

Pronunciation
Practice
1

fuzzy

2

contentment

3flourishing4

neuropsychological5enhance6

association

6. flourishing
7. neuropsychologicalLesson 23

Questions Related to the Topic
1. What is the most popular and desired of all emotions?
2. How is happiness defined in the article?
3. In what occasions do humans seem happiest according
to a research study?
4. How has happiness been closely linked to religion? 		
Explain briefly.

Tongue Twister!
“I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines
she sits.”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

23

The Advocate of Peace: Malala Yousafzai
Can you imagine someone winning a Nobel Peace Prize at
the age of 18?
Known mainly for her human rights advocacy, Malala
Yousafzai is a young Pakistani girl who stood against the Taliban, an
Islamic militant group, and fought for education and women’s rightin her native land.
Malala received the Nobel Peace Prize exactly two years
and a day after a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her
way home. Despite the growing threat and danger, she continued
fighting for every young girl’s right to education and became an
inspiration to them. She believes that education is a basic humanright and a powerful weapon in promoting global peace andprogress.
She once told reporters that going to school, “is likewalking through a magic door to your dreams”. Malala became aninternational Icon for Peace and a role model to the youth. She is
the youngest ever recipient to scoop the Nobel Prize.

What’s the Meaning …
1. advocacy
2. stood against
3. militant
4. threat

5. powerful weapon
6. icon7. recipient
8. scoop

Lesson 24
Pronunciation
Practice1

nobel prize2

inspiration3

threat4

icon

5

recipient

6

scoop

Questions Related to the Topic
1. At what age did Malala Yousafzai win the Nobel Prize?
2. What is Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy?
3. What happened to Malala two years after she was shot in thehead?

Tongue Twister!
“She sees cheese.” (x4)

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

24

Superhero

What is a superhero?

The definition of superhero, quoted from Wikipedia is “a type of heroic
character possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or
superhuman powers and is dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public”.
Superheroes and super heroines are non-existent. They are made up charactersfor fictional stories. Their purpose is sheer entertainment for readers andsometimes stands as an inspiration to people to do better on what they can door drag them out from a feculent life.
The word “superhero” dates back to at least 1917 according to Wikipedia.
Based on the genealogy of superheroes such folkloric heroes like Robin Hood,
who adventured in idiosyncratic clothing are the first of the superheroes. Thencame Scarlet Pimpernel in the year 1936 which inspired masked avengers anda superhero trope of a secret identity. Zorro who is a masked and costumed
character came out in 1919. The first comic strip hero is named Phantom whichcame out in 1936. These early superheroes were the inspirations of the superhero
characters of today and to avid fans of fiction stories.
Being a superhero or super heroine is possible in real life and some even
live amongst us. ‘What does it take to be a super hero?, you ask. It is simply being
kind towards society. Protect your world by being friendly to the environment.
Defend your citizens by helping them with what you can and be generous topeople when the need arises. These are simple gestures for being recognized asa superhero in real life.

6. super heroine
7. sheer
8. inspiration
9. avid
10. fiction

What’s the Meaning …
1. quoted
2. heroic
3. phenomena
4. supernatural
5. superhero

Pronunciation
Practice1

quoting2

phenomena

3

supernatural

4

sheer

5

avid

6

fictionLesson 25

Questions Related to the Topic
1. What are superheroes and super heroines?
2. What’s the purpose of these fictional characters?
3. State the origin of ‘superhero’. How did it exist?
4. How can you be a superhero or a super heroine inreal life?

Tongue Twister!
“Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

25

Angkor Wat

Angkor (in Cambodia) is the ancient capital of Khmer Empire.
A temple built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as hisstate temple and capital city is called Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) which
is dedicated to Vishnu (Hindu). In Khmer language, “Angkor wat” means“temple city”. It is located about six kilometers north of Seam Reap, southof Angkor Thom. The estimated construction time of the temple is 30
years.
Angkor Wat is a miniature replica of the universe in stone andrepresents an earthly model of the cosmic world. The central tower rises
from the center of the monument symbolizing the mythical mountain,
Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology. The surrounding
moat represents the sea. The four sides face the cardinal compass points.
If you want to visit Cambodia and witness this world’s largest
religious monument, it’s best if you get some guidebooks to read. In theguidebook, it is stated that a traveler or a visitor may walk through thetemples in the morning to avoid afternoon heat but this would take aminimum of five days. Temple veterans were quick to dismiss this strategy
and advised to rent a bicycle in Siem Reap. Another option is a bus tour,
which is offered at most area hotels. The easiest way if you are with a two
to four other visitors is to hire a car and a driver.
Traveling increases our knowledge and widens our perspective.
It can help us change some of our habits or even create new ones. When
traveling with friends or family it creates memories for a lifetime.

What’s the Meaning …
1. replica
2. mythical
3. compass
4. cardinal
5. perspective

Pronunciation
Practice
1

ancient2

construction

3

mythology

4perspective

5

veterans

6

miniature7

strategy

Lesson 26

Questions Related to the Topic
1. Where is Angkor Wat located?
2. Why was Ankor Wat built?
3. What travel advice was mentioned in the 		
article if you want to visit Cambodia?

Tongue Twister!
“The best suit for one is a suit thatbest suits one.”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

26

Death Penalty

Sixteen years have passed since the convicted child rapist, accused ofraping his ten-year-old daughter, took his last breath by means of the death
penalty.
The death penalty, as a capital punishment, is a sanction given to acriminal who is proven guilty of committing a heinous crime. This punishment ispracticed in several countries like China and the USA hoping to alleviate crime.
Is the death penalty a deterrent to criminals?
The debate continues among those who are concerned. The pro-death
penalty believers say that a life must be paid with a life, citing the famous saying,“an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a bruise for bruise.” On the contrary, those
who are against the death penalty believe that it is absolutely inhumane anddeprives the criminal of the fundamental human right; the right to live.
They also argue that mistakes could lead to the death of someone
innocent.
Should the death penalty continue to exist or should it be abolished? Do
we have time to ponder?

What’s the Meaning …
1. death penalty
2. convicted
3. rapist
4. took his last breath
5. capital punishment
6. sanction
7. heinous
8. alleviate

Pronunciation
Practice
12345

convict
abolishedheinousinhumanedeterrent

9. deterrent
10. debate
11. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, abruise for a bruise
12. inhumane
13. deprive
14. abolished
15. ponder

Lesson 27

Questions Related to the Topic
1. What was the crime committed by the man who wassentenced to death penalty?
2. What is death penalty?
3. How do people view death penalty?

Tongue Twister!
“I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted
sheet I sit.”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

27

Euthanasia: Murder or Not?
Mike, aged four, is the only child of Amanda. He is a prematurechild who is unable to walk, unable to see and can barely breathe due toa respiratory disease. Despite Mike’s tragic condition, he means the wholeworld to Amanda.
Amanda spends most of her wealth for her son’s treatment andmedication hoping for the recovery of his bedridden son but has seen no
improvement at all.
Decades have passed, Euthanasia was passed to law in her country.
Euthanasia or mercy killing is a self -imposed death in a relatively
painless and merciful way.
Amanda was at sixes and sevens weighing the affirmations andnegations whether she will let go of her son’s life and start a new life orcontinue to fulfil her duty as a loving mother while seeing her son livingin misery. Morally confused, her mind was tickled by the question: “Will I
be a murderer if euthanasia is imposed to my son?”

What’s the Meaning …
1. premature
2. tragic
3. mean the whole world
4. bedridden
5. decades
6. self-imposed
7. at sixes and sevens
8. affirmations

Pronunciation
Practice
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

prematurebarelyrespiratory
tragic				he means the whole world

9. negations
10. misery
11. tickled
12. imposed

Lesson 28

Questions Related to the Topic
1. Describe Mike’s condition.
2. What is Amanda’s dilemma?
3. What is ‘Euthanasia’ as defined in the article?

medication
bedridden
decades
self-imposedat sixes and sevens
affirmations

Tongue Twister!
“The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled thethrone throughout Thursday.”negationsmiserytickledmurderer
imposeAdvanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

28

Endangered Species
In today’s world, a vast diversity of animal and plant species populatedifferent regions of the planet. Millions of species of various organisms
constitute a biodiversity that encompasses a number of ecosystems. Each ofthese species plays integral roles in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.
The absence of any of these species may bring about unpleasant consequencesand disrupt the ecological balance.
Despite the millions of species that exist, an alarming number of them
are under the threat of facing extinction. In fact, it can be said that a numberof them have already ceased to exist. Perhaps the best known examples would
be the dinosaurs and the dodo birds. Other species such as the American bald
eagle, the giant panda, and the Siberian tiger are already at risk. A number offactors come into play that resulted in the slow decline in population of certain
species. First of these would be over-hunting which involves mankind hunting
down animals for the reasons of food consumption or mere sport. Anotherfactor would be the introduction of invasive species in certain areas that could
result to a number of outcomes such as competition for food or prey or eventhe transmission of unavoidable diseases.
Due to these dangerous developments, various measures have likewise
been enacted to preserve these endangered species and spare them fromextinction. Governments have implemented laws that outlawed the hunting
down of such species. Despite these laws, illegal poachers have still sought tohunt down these endangered species. Captive breeding is another measure
being undertaken that involves the process of breeding endangered species inhuman controlled environments such as wildlife preserves and zoos. Only time
will tell if these measures will prove effective and successful in the preservationof these species.

What’s the Meaning …
1. endangered species
2. diversity
3. biodiversity
4. ecosystems

Pronunciation
Practice
1

environment2

endangered3

preserve

4

extinction

5

encompasses

5. implement
6. outlawed

Lesson 29

Questions Related to the Topic
1. How may the absence of the animal and plant species affectthe ecological balance?
2. Enumerate the factors that resulted in the slow decline of 		
population among certain species.
3. What are some various measures taken to preserve the 		endangered species and spare them from extinction?

Tongue Twister!
“ I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.”

Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

29

Child Labor
In traditional and modern cultures around the world, it has been therole of adults to undergo labor and employment in order to provide income for
their respective families. Children, on the other hand, are traditionally obliged
to pursue education. Unfortunately, in some instances, children would be forced
to undergo labor, thus being deprived of a proper childhood and education.
To make matters worse, such forms of labor may prove to be detrimental andharmful to the children’s mental, physical, social, and moral well-being. As such,the issue of child labor has been one of the most prevalent and controversial
ones being faced by various countries in the world today.
A number of causes have been attributed to the existence ofchild labor. What has been cited as its greatest single cause is poverty. For
impoverished households, a child’s work income is usually crucial for his or
her own survival or for that of the household. Income of working children,
even a small amount, may be between 25 to 40% of the household income.
The lack of meaningful alternatives such as the lack of affordable schools or
quality education is another primary factor and concern. Many communities,
particularly rural areas where child labor is prevalent, do not possess adequate
school facilities. Other circumstances would include the distance of someavailable schools and the difficulty of reaching them. Such conditions would
entail that children would have nothing better to do. On the other hand, certain
cultural beliefs have rationalized child labor and thereby encouraged it. Someview that work is good for character building and skill development of children.
In many cultures, particularly where the informal economy and small householdbusinesses thrive, the cultural tradition is that children follow in their parents’footsteps; child labor then is a means to learn and practice that trade from avery early age.

What’s the Meaning …
1. obliged
2. impoverished3. crucial
4. adequate
5. poverty
6. prevalent

Pronunciation
Practice
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

poverty
crucialobligedimpoverishedadequatehouseholdprevalent

Lesson 30

Questions Related to the Topic
1. How is child labor viewed in today’s world?
2. What has been cited as the greatest single causeof child labor?
3. Where is child labor prevalent?
4. What is your opinion on this: “Work is good 		for character building and skill development ofchildren”?

Tongue Twister!
“The baggage and the luggage, the cabbage in thestorage were thrown to the garbage by the hostage
in the voyage.”
Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

30

Billboards
Aloft the canopies of the concrete jungle hang the mostprolific of all marketing devices, the billboard. They have sprung up
along every major highways, as well as any highly traveled roads.
For the denizens of the urban landscape it is a fixture of daily life.
It is as imposing as it is ubiquitous. These colorful depictions ofcommercialized living is where one finds the constant promises ofthe enhancement of one’s life through the consumption of theiroffers.
Sleazy and slick salesmen exploit the fears and basic
instincts of the vulnerable populace, all in an effort to extract
more revenues, with billboards being one of their main tactics intheir campaign to be bought by the public. Among those whofight back against the oppressive tutelage of modern marketingis an anonymous street artist who goes by the name of Banksy.
He’s internationally known for provocative art that challenges thestatus quo of crass commercialism and champions causes drowned
out by the noise of advertising. He brings humanity back to a
dehumanized society. He is a hero of our time.
Billboards are attention grabbers. You can’t help but noticea sign that is as wide as your house. Because of their size, they arehighly successful at catching people’s attention but billboards canbe distracting. It attracts too much attention then it can potentially
increase the likelihood of drivers crashing into each other because
they were too mesmerized by what is on the billboard.

What’s the Meaning …
1. prolific
2. ubiquitous
3. provocative
4. sleazy
5. slick6. oppressive
7. tutelage
8. dehumanizedLesson 31

Pronunciation
Practice

Questions Related to the Topic

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

1. What sprung up along every major highways aswell as highly traveled roads?
2. What’s the name of the street artist mentioned
in the article? What is he known for?
3. How can billboards catch people’s attention andin what way can they be distracting?

mesmerized
prolificsleazyslick
vulnerable
commercialism
dehumanizedanonymous

Tongue Twister!
“Six sick small snakes sit on the thick stick.”
Advanced Topic C TOPIC CONVERSATION

31