213.277.7545

Conversation Questions

Science and Technology

  • What is technology?
  • What is science?
  • What is the difference between science and technology?
  • What are some of the greatest technological achievements?
  • What are the advantages of technology?
  • What are the disadvantages of technology?
  • In your opinion,what is the greatest technological invention? Why?
  • What do you think are the three most important or interesting inventions since 1850?
    • How about since 1950?
  • Do you think pets should be cloned? Why or why not?
  • Do you think people should be allowed to clone people or organs of people? Why?
  • What do you think about GMO (genetically modified organisms) vegetables?
    • Is it better to use natural food although it might not produce as much or should we use GMO crops?
  • What do you think about GMO farm animals?
    • Would you eat pork from a GMO cow?
  • Are you willing to pay more for food that is really organic?
    • How much more?
  • What do you think robots should be used for?
  • Do you think robots will cause unemployment (loss of jobs) in the future or make more work? Why?
  • Do you think using cell phones too much is bad for our physical or mental health? Why?
  • If you could copy your brain for future generations, would you?
  • How do you think face to face communication differs from communication using computers?
  • What social changes have cell phones made?
  • What are good and bad points of using computers?
  • Do you think to stop global warming that the amount of car driving should be limited or changed?
  • What are some local ways you have seen to reduce waste and pollution or conserve energy?
  • In your life time what changes have you seen in your environment for better or worse?
  • Do you think modern technology reduces or increases stress? Why?
  • Do you think money should be spent to explore space or is it better spent helping people on earth? Why?
  • What is your opinion about children playing violent video games or computer programs?
  • What do you think should be done to people who spread viruses, start hoaxes or create spam on the Internet?
  • How often do you buy things on the Internet?
  • Do you worry about identity theft or credit card number theft when buying things on the Internet or do you avoid buying things online because of this concern?
  • Have you used a chat site?
    • Have you ever used voice chat?
    • What do you think about it?
  • Have you used the Internet to learn English or read or talk in English?
    • What are the pros and cons (good and bad points) about improving your English by Internet rather than with a teacher?
  • Have you heard of the Large Hadron Collider?
    • If so, what do you know about it?
  • Do you have a smart phone?
  • Can you access the internet on your telephone?
    • If so, how often do you use it?
    • How often do you check email?
  • Are you a Mac or a PC user? What are some of the differences?
  • What do you think open source software means?
  • What do you know about software? What can software be used for?
  • Are you a Facebook, Mixi or Myspace user?
    • If not, are there websites that are similar to these in your country?
  • Facebook often gets in trouble for not having very good privacy settings. Do you think that this really is a big problem?
  • How much private information are you prepared to share about yourself on the internet?
  • Do you feel comfortable with the idea of Artificial Intelligence (that robots can think)?
  • What science fiction movies have you seen?
    • Do you think that what you have seen in these movies is possible?
  • What was your favorite science subject?
    • Biology? Physics? Chemistry? Why?
  • Do you remember any interesting, fun or dangerous lab experiments that you did at school?
  • Do you think the stereotype of the ‘mad scientist’ is true?
  • Does the potential that science has to change the world scare you?
  • How will science change the world in the next 100 years?
  • What changes would you like to see science make to the world?
  • Do you think that one day science will find a way to make people live forever? If so, do you think that that would be a good or a bad thing?
  • How have technological advances affected our life?
  • Do you think technological advances are always good?
    • Or can they sometimes be bad and harmful?
  • How have technological advances affected communication/ how we receive news/ the medical field/ education?
  • How have technological advances affected our life?
  • Do you think technological advances are always good?
    • Or can they sometimes be bad and harmful?
  • How have technological advances affected communication/ how we receive news/ the medical field/ education?
  • Do you think couples should be allowed to choose the sex or other characteristics of their baby like eye color? Why or why not?