1st Session

(Small Talk)

1. Please introduce yourself to members.

2. How are your days at school?

3. What is your major?

4. Which subjects do you take on this semester?

A Sudden Dislike: The Most Common Dating 'Icks'

If you're doing online dating in the English-speaking world, you might see people talking about their "icks." This is a slang word ― icks are things that give you "a sudden feeling that you dislike someone" or are no longer attracted to them, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.

Icks are not always really big things. Being rude to an employee at a store, for example, might be an ick for someone, or eating with your mouth open.

People will often say they "got the ick" when they noticed something about a person that made them feel they were no longer attracted to them. If they get to that point, it may be hard for them to feel attracted again!

If you're looking through dating profiles on an app, the most common ick is people who are negative or bitter.

That's according to a survey for Forbes Health. One thousand Americans who had used a dating app in the last year were asked about their dating habits. And about 70% said people who are negative or bitter in their bios, perhaps about a previous relationship, give them the ick.

Other common icks include people with edited photos, people who are too interested in their possessions, and people with bad spelling or grammar. And when using the apps, daters often make their decisions quite quickly.

According to the survey, the average person takes about two-and-a-half minutes to make a decision about whether they like a person or not.

So what makes daters attractive to others? Having a profile that shows a good sense of humor is a good thing, according to 80% of people.

Discussion

-Do you have any experience regarding this article?

-What are your biggest icks when it comes to dating?

-Do you find it surprising that it takes people just two-and-a-half minutes to decide whether they like someone on an app?

2nd Session

(Small Talk)

1. Introduce yourself.

2. What’s your favourite sport? Why?

3. Do you have good or bad experiences with sports at school?

4. Who is your favourite all-time sport star?

Have You Ever Had to 'Bite the Bullet'?

People have been using guns for hundreds of years, possibly even 1,000. But not all expressions about guns are about fighting ― they can also be about making mistakes, trying things that are difficult, and making hard decisions.

When you "jump the gun," you have done something too quickly, and without carefully thinking about it. This expression comes from the guns used to start races. In a race, someone who starts running before the gun is fired is said to have "jumped the gun."

If you were planning to go on a vacation with your friend, but they saw a good deal and booked flights and rooms without asking you first, you might say: "Ah, you shouldn't have jumped the gun ― I don't know if I can take those days off work!"

If we describe something as "a long shot," then it is very unlikely to happen or work ― but it would be really great if it did. This phrase comes from how difficult it is to shoot something very far away.

So you might say, "I'll talk to my boss and see if I can take that week off, but it's a long shot."

We say "bite the bullet" when we do something that we really don't want to do, but need to do. This phrase may come from doctors more than 100 years ago telling soldiers to bite a bullet if they didn't have painkillers during surgery.

If your boss said you couldn't take the week off, you might tell your friend, "I'm really sorry, but I think we're going to have to bite the bullet and cancel the reservation. I hope you can get a refund."

Discussion

-Which of the expressions in the article did you find interesting?

-Have you ever had to bite the bullet?

-If you could take week-long vacation anywhere in the world, where would you choose?