Class Topics for Conversational English

by Wayne Hall

Sex and Violence in the Media

In Korea, movies and television programs have more sex and violence in them than ever before. Movie makers say that movies with sex and violence merely show the world as it really is. They also say that people who live in a democracy should be able to make any kind of movie or television program that they want. Some politicians in Korea and the United States, however, now believe that "enough is enough". They say that if TV and movie companies can not control the amount of sex and violence shown to the public, the government should pass laws to make sex and violence illegal in the media. Movie producers call this censorship, but people who make the laws say that it is just logical. What do you think?

WATER: the Essence of Life

When large numbers of people use water for bathing, for cleaning food, and for disposing of garbage, the water is no longer the same as it was in the beginning. It is contaminated. When a large number of people contaminate water over a long period of time, the rivers, streams, beaches and seas of the world become polluted. This makes it more difficult - and more expensive - to find clean water for the future, which everybody needs. Some scientists are now predicting that in the next century clean water will be very scarce - and in some countries it will be more expensive than oil!

Mars: Exploring the Red Planet

In the United States and other countries there is a debate over the merits of a manned mission to Mars. Such a mission would be very costly. By some estimates, it would cost as much as 7 trillion won ($100 billion US). Some scientists and entrepreneurs, however, believe it could be undertaken for much less cost. They believe that humankind should undertake a large-scale, long-term committment to explore the Red Planet.

Back to the Future

Some physicists are beginning to suspect that, under very limited circumstances, time travel may be possible. The technology required for time travel is far beyond present-day technology, but the possibilities of time travel raise some interesting (and very confusing) questions. But wouldn't it be wonderful to travel forward in time, to see the events of history in the far distant future? Would wouldn't like to know how their future will turn out, or the futures of their friends, family and children?