“Conversation Starter Lesson Series: Intermediate” is designed for intermediate-level ESL learners who want to improve their fluency and confidence in speaking English.
Each lesson includes an engaging reading material with audio, vocabulary and expressions, comprehension questions, and discussion questions to be used for one to one class, group class, or self-study for both online and offline classes.
Unit 10: Science and Technology
Story 02: Space Exploration
Key Lesson Vocabulary & Expressions: Look over and review before proceeding.
- Fascinating
- Gaze
- Insights
- Practical applications
- Astrobiology
- Space medicine
- Ingenuity
- Complexity
- Cosmos
- Ambition
Read or Listen to the following passage:
Space exploration has always been fascinating to me. As a child, I would gaze at the night sky, dreaming of one day traveling among the stars. The more I learn about space, the more I realize how much there is left to discover.
Space exploration is important for many reasons. First, it expands our knowledge of the universe and helps us to better understand our place in it. With each mission, we gain new insights into the workings of the cosmos and discover new planets, stars, and galaxies.
Space exploration also drives technological innovation. Many of the technologies developed for space travel, such as satellite communication and GPS, have practical applications on Earth. Additionally, space exploration has inspired new fields of science and engineering, from astrobiology to space medicine.
Finally, space exploration is a symbol of human achievement and ambition. It challenges us to push the limits of what we can achieve and inspires us to dream big. As we continue to explore the cosmos, we gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the universe, and for the ingenuity and perseverance of the human spirit.
Comprehension Questions:
- What inspired the writer to dream of becoming an astronaut?
- What are some benefits of space exploration for our understanding of the universe?
- How has space exploration driven technological innovation on Earth?
- What are some new fields of science and engineering inspired by space exploration?
- What does space exploration symbolize for human achievement and ambition?
Conversations Starters:
- What do you think are some benefits of space exploration for humanity?
- Do you think it’s important to explore space or should we focus on solving problems on Earth first?
- If given the opportunity, would you want to travel to space? Why or why not?
- What do you think are some ethical considerations surrounding space exploration, such as mining asteroids or terraforming planets?
- What do you think is the likelihood of finding alien life in our universe?
- How do you think humanity should react if we were to discover alien life?
- Do you believe in UFO sightings and alien encounters? Why or why not?
- How do you think space exploration will evolve in the next 50 years?
- What do you think are some challenges of sending humans on long-duration space missions, such as to Mars or beyond?
- Do you think space exploration should be funded by governments or by private companies? Why or why not?
