Role models

• Which type of people are respected most in your society?
• Do you agree with this situation?
• What happens when young people lack good role models?
• What standards of behaviour should teachers set?
• Do you agree that you should never meet your heroes?

Travel and transport

• How easy is it to travel around your country?
• Which method of travel do you consider safest?
• Has travel become safer in recent years?
• What are the pros and cons of low-cost air travel?
• How do you think people will travel in the future?

Universities

• Is higher education too expensive in your country?
• Should all students pay for their university education?
• What advantages do universities bring to society?
• Which is more important, research or teaching?
• How should students spend their summer vacations?

Sports and competition

• Why are some sports fans so passionate?
• Is there any violence at sporting events in your country?
• Should athletes be better role models?
• What benefits do international sporting events bring?
• Is it important for a country to win lots of medals?

Leadership and politics

• Do you think people are born to be leaders?
• Can leadership skills be taught?
• Why are elected politicians often so unpopular?
• What should a leader do to remain popular?
• Do you think unelected heads of state are a good idea?

Life experience

• Do you agree that we learn best from our mistakes?
• What’s the best way to gain experience in life?
• Can we gain life experience from books and movies?
• Which is more important, experience or potential?
• What experience do you wish you’d gained?

Retirement and old age

• At what age should people retire from work?
• What problems can people face after retirement?
• How important are retirees to your country’s economy?
• When should you start saving for retirement?
• Why do some companies encourage early retirement?

Photography and the image

• Is it easy to take good photographs?
• What are the pros and cons of digital photography?
• Should people share their photographs online?
• When can an image be worth a thousand words?
• Is a photograph a reliable form of identification?

Inventions and copyright

• Which invention has transformed your country most?
• Would you like to be an inventor?
• How long should someone be able to profit from an idea?
• Do you think intellectual property laws are too strict?
• Should all medicines be free to manufacture?

The internet and social media

• Which websites are popular among your generation?
• Is using the internet a social or solitary activity?
• How has the internet changed social behaviour?
• Should companies check job applicants’ online profiles?
• What will be the next big development online?

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