Conversation Starters Use the questions below to have basic English conversations about art and artistic ability.

1. Do you have any artistic talent? 2. Can you draw or paint pictures well? 3. Do you know anyone who is a good artist? What kind of art can they produce? 4. Do you enjoy going to museums and looking at paintings or sculptures (shapes cut from stone)? 5. What kind of art do you like most? 6. Who are some famous artists that you have heard of? 7. Do you have a favorite painting? If so, describe it and explain why you like it. Discussion Questions Have more serious English conversations about art by using the open-ended questions below. 1. Do you think music and dancing are forms of art? Explain why or why not. 2. Do you think of cartoons and comics as art? Again, explain! 3. Do you think graffiti (writing on city walls) is art? Why or why not? 4. Do you think website design is a serious art? 5. What do you think our world would be like without art? 6. Do you think governments should spend money on art and museums, or should art only be promoted by private citizens?

What is art?
Is it or isn't it art? Decide whether the following are examples of art or not. Write down the reasons for your decision.

Examplesl A child builds a ship with 22,000 matches. A famous art professor places some lard in a corner of the gallery. Julio Iglesias sings a love song. A young art student learns the Sheffield telephone directory. A gorilla paints a picture which is unmistakably of a banana. A gymnast performs a triple somersault. A computer produces a threedimensional drawing. The chef of a 5 star hotel creates a most delicious new dish. An American designer creates the shape of the Coca Cola bottle. A jeweller designs a new ring. A Spanish bullfighter performs like a master. An unknown painter makes a perfect copy of a Goya. Picasso sketches a drawing on a tablecloth in 5 seconds.

Art?

Criteria

Do you think that old buildings are more beautiful than new ones? Why or why not?

Describe a well-known building in your hometown.

Tell about the last time you visited a famous building or monument. What was it? How did it look? When was the house/apartment you now live in built? How do you think it has changed

How important are monuments (like Big Ben since then? or the Statue of Liberty) in defining a nation? Describe a building you dislike. Why don't you like it?

Describe your dream house. Describe your house or apartment. How many rooms does it have? How many bathrooms? Who lives there? Would you prefer to own a single family house or an apartment? Why? How do you think ancient civilizations (for example, the Egyptians, Mayans, and Greeks) constructed large buildings?

What was the last improvement you made to your house or apartment? Tell about it. What city's architecture has impressed you the most? What do you know about American houses? How are they different from houses in your country?

What's your favorite room in the house? Why?

HEALTH Are you a member of a health spa or gym? Are you afraid of needles? Are you healthy? Are your parents healthy? Do think that you need to lose weight? Do you always eat healthy food? Do you bruise easily? Do you catch a cold more than once a year? Do you consider alcohol a drug? Do you drink a lot? Do you eat a lot of vegetables? Do you eat lots of fruit? Do you eat vegetables every day? Do you ever get headaches? Do you know anyone who suffers from migraine headaches? Do you ever read magazines or news articles about health? If yes, what subject(s) do you find the most interesting? Do you exercise? What kind of exercise do you do? How often do you exercise? Do you go for regular medical check-ups? Do you go to the dentist's twice a year? Do you have a lot of stress? Do you normally go one doctor in particular or any available doctor? Do you have any allergies? Do you have any scars? Where are they? Would you like to show them to the class? Do you know anyone who suffers from backaches? Do you know anyone with false teeth? Do you often eat fast food? Do you smoke? If so, do you smoke more than two cigarettes a day? Do you think smoking is not bad for your health? Do you take medicine when you are sick? Do you take vitamins or mineral supplements? Do you take vitamins? Do you think it is unhealthy to keep a cat in your home? Do you think nuclear power is safe? Do you think pets are good for a person's health Do you think that the tobacco companies should be held reasonably responsible for a person's addiction to nicotine? Do you think you are overweight? Do you think you will live until a ripe old age? Why or why not? Do you think you would be a good surgeon? Why or why not? Do you use an alarm clock to wake up? Do you usually get enough sleep? Do you watch your weight? What foods do you think are healthy? Have you ever been hospitalized?

(Have you ever been in the hospital?) Have you ever been to an acupuncturist? What do you think of acupuncture? Have you ever broken a bone? Have you ever burned yourself with hot water? Have you ever donated blood? Have you ever gotten a black eye? Have you ever had braces on your teeth? Have you ever had stitches? Have you ever sprained your ankle? Have you ever taken a sleeping pill to get to sleep? How can you reduce stress in your life? How have you been feeling lately? How many hours of sleep do you get a night? How many hours of sleep do you usually get? How often do you eat junk food? What kinds of junk food do you eat? How often do you exercise? How often do you get a cold? (How often do you catch a cold?) How often do you get sick in one year? How often do you go to the doctor's? How often is garbage collected in your neighborhood? How would you recommend treating a cold? If a company sells the public a product they know to be harmful or addictive, should they be held responsible for the use of that product even if the government approves it? If you smoke, how old were you when you started smoking? If you were President of Korea, what would you do to improve Koreans' health? Should smoking in restaurants be banned? What are some things people can do to keep healthy? What are some things that cause stress? What are some ways to deal with stress? What are some ways you know that you can personally keep yourself healthy? What disease frightens you the most? Why? What do you do to stay healthy? (What are some things you do to keep healthy?) What do you do, if you can't get to sleep? What do you think about abortion? Why do some people support it and others are against it? What do you think about getting old? What do you think is the most serious health problem in Korea? What do you think of cosmetic surgery? Do you know anyone who has had cosmetic surgery? Would you ever consider having cosmetic surgery? What drinks to you think are healthy? What drinks do you think are unhealthy? What foods to you think are healthy? What foods do you think are unhealthy?

What is the best way to find a doctor, if you're new in the area? What is the best way to stop smoking? What is the most horrible accident you have ever had? What is the average age of people in your country What kind of pollution is the most risky? What time did you go to bed when you were a child? What's the best way to stop smoking? What's the highest temperature you've ever had? What's your blood type? When did you last take a bath? When was the last time you went to a dentist? When was the last time you went to a doctor? When was the last time you went to a hospital? When was the last time you were sick? When you were in high school, how many days of school did you miss each year because of sickness? Who do you think is responsible for the care of your health--you yourself, your parents, or your doctor and medical people? Who is the healthiest person in your family? Who is the least healthy? Why do people smoke? Would you consider donating your organs after your death? What is the health service like in your country? What do you think of the health service in this country? How can the health service be improved? Have you been to hospital since you arrived here? What do you know about the SARS virus? What do you know about AIDS? What do you know about the common cold? What is alternative medicine? Have you ever practiced alternative medicine? What treatments or remedies do you follow when you have a cold? which kind of medicine do you prefer to take when you are sick? How often do you clean your bathroom? Do you clean as often as your parent cleaned when you were a child? Which parent did/does most of the cleaning in your household? How old were you when you had start helping with the dishes/laundry/vacuuming/dusting/? Were the chores divided equally between men and women? Do people in your country usually wear deodorant? How often do people in your country shower? Have you ever ended a relationship because your partner cleaned too much or too little? Have you ever ended a relationship because your partner had bad hygiene? Do you enjoy cleaning? Which kind of cleaning do you enjoy most? How often do you brush your teeth? Have you ever swept something under the rug? Do you use strong cleaners like bleach and ammonia? Have you ever bought a miracle cleaner from a TV infomercial? What's the best way to get stains out?

What alternative health therapies do you know about? Have you ever tried any alternative health therapies? Do you think traditional medicine is a good alternative to modern medicine? In what circumstances should traditional or alternative medicine be used? Do you think traditional therapies are compatible with modern medicine? Why or why not? What are the advantages or disadvantages of modern medicine? What are the advantages or disadvantages of traditional medicine? What do you complain of? What is wrong with you? Have you any appetite? How long have you been ill? Have you any pain the back of your head? How long has it been since you began to feel bad? Have you a bitter taste in your mouth? Do you feel nauseous? Do you sleep well? Is it hard to swallow? Do we need to eat as much junk food as we do? Have you ever realized during a dream that it is a dream; and have you then been able to change events in that dream? Do you think the government is doing all it can to prevent disease? What do you think of wellness institutions and their programs? How do you deal with stress?

What does it mean to be healthy? When have you felt happy to be in good health? Do you worry about anyone's health? What do you do to stay healthy? Do you take vitamin supplements? protein? minerals? What do you do when you catch a cold? have a headache? Do you take medicine soon when you don't feel well? Are there any medicines that you always carry around with you? Do you know how medicines work? Do you ever have trouble swallowing medicine? Are all medicines safe? When was your last physical exam? visit to a doctor? When was the last time you were sick? went to a hospital? What do you know about swine flu? bird flu? Have you ever had chilcken pox? influenza?

How do you take care of your health? Do you ever worry about your health? Which is more important, money or health? Which is more important to you, to be thin or to be healthy? Do you want to be healthy forever? How long do you think your life will be? What's the secret of living a long life? Do you think children today are strong? Do you watch any TV programs about health? "Omoikkiri TV"? Mino Monta's TV program? Physical Exams How is your physical condition now? Do you have a regular physical check-up? What's your blood type? your family's blood types? Do you have high blood pressure? low blood pressure? What causes high blood pressure? What's a normal temperature? Sickness Have you been sick recently? Have you seen a doctor recently? About what? Do you have any allergies? To what? What is the role of IgE? Who first isolated it? Have you ever had a chronic disease? Do you get a fever easily? Do you think baldness is a disease? Are you allergic to anything? What? Have you ever suffered from asthma? Hay fever? Do you ever suffer from nasal inflammation? When? How often do you catch a cold? Do you have delicate skin or other skin problems? Have you ever had anemia? Have you ever had mumps, measles, or chicken pox? If you are sick, what does your family do for you? Have you ever had a high fever? How often do you miss school because of illness? Doctors and Hospitalization Have you ever been hospitalized? Do you have a family doctor? Do any of your friends hope to be doctors? nurses? Have you ever had appendicitis? What do you think of heart transplants? Have you ever broken an arm or a leg? Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? How long did you have to stay in the hospital? Do you like the hospital smell? How did you like the food?

Have you ever been seriously ill or had an operation? Have you ever had stitches? How many? Have you ever watched ER (emergeny room)? Fatal Diseases and Death Does your family have a history of cancer? Is it possible to recover from cancer? Are you scared of death? If you had cancer, would you want to be told? What would you do if you found out you only had 3 months to live? Would you donate your organs, if you knew you were going to die? How long do you want to live? How long do you think you'll live? Community Health What country's residents have the longest life expectancy? the shortest? What diseases are there? What are they caused by? a virus? a bacteria? What mental diseases are there? Have you ever donated blood Dentists Do any of your friends hope to be dentists? How often do you see a dentist? How often do you brush your teeth? every day? three times a day? floss? Have you ever had a tooth pulled? your teeth drilled? cleaned? Have you ever had cavities? Have you ever worn braces on your teeth? Pharmacists Are you looking forward to being a pharmacist? Why or why not? How often do go to the drug store? What do you buy there? Medicine What medications do you know of? What new medicines would you like to see invented? Are you allergic to any medicines? What medicines do you take? For what? Does it make you sleepy? Have you ever taken shots? For what? Have you ever been put on an IV drip? Do you have any medicine with you now? Do you take medicine with you when you travel? Do you often take medicine? What? What times of the day? What is the worst medicine you've ever taken?

best? Do you read the directions before taking medicine? Have you ever taken medicine that is old and out of date? Do you take medicine for menstrual cramps? a stomache ache? indigestion? What? seirogan? hyakuso-gan? Do you take medicine when you have a headache? What? aspirin? bufferin? Advil? Exedrin Can you swallow medicine without water? When you swallow powdered medicine, do you use an "oblate"? Do you prefer tablets or pills to powdered medicine? Is it okay to take medicine with tea, instead of water? How about Coke? milk? Where do you get your medicine? Is there a drugstore near your house? Do you have a first aid kit at home? What's in it? Have you ever taken an overdose of medicine? How does medicine affect the liver? Have you ever suffered from the side-effects of a medicine? Can old people get their medicines for free? How? Do you know of a good cold medicine? What kind of eye drops do you use? Have you ever taken Chinese medicine? Have you ever taken drugs to reduce weight? How long do you sleep every night? Have you ever taken sleeping pills? Are birth control pills readily available in Japan? What symptoms can vitamins cure? Which vitamins do you know? Do you dislike getting shots? What kinds of legal and illegal drugs are there? Do you know anyone who has ever taken drugs? is addicted to any drugs or medicine? Nutrition What kinds of food are good for you? Bad for you? Do you take vitamins as a supplement? Do you drink milk every day? What vegetables do you eat? Do you often eat fast foods? Do you eat snacks? What? What do you think about food additives? What do you know about cholesterol? How much salt do you ingest a day? Do you know anyone who suffered anorexia or bulimia? from malnutrition? Have you ever had diarrhea? been constipated? Did you take medicine? Do you eat health food? What? Do you eat or drink Tea Mate? Do you like it? Do you worry about your weight? Do you often weigh yourself? Are you on a diet? What weight would you like to be? How many calories does our body use every day? Habits and Lifestyle What time do you go to bed? What time do you get up in the morning?

Do you gargle and wash your hands when you come home? Do you think deep breathing exercises are good for your health? Do you smoke? Do you drink? When did you first drink alcohol? Do you know a good remedy for hangovers? If you smoke, do you think you can stop? What do you think about pregnancy and smoking? What do you do to release stress? Do you often use the stairs? Do you exercise for your health? Is swimming in the winter healthy? Do you drink tap water? Do you go to a sauna? Have you ever suffered from food poisoning? Do you think taking too much medicine will turn your hair white? Do you have a donor card?

FILMS

What is your all-time favorite movie? What is your favorite movie? Are there any kinds of movies you dislike? If so, what kinds? Why do you dislike them? Do you like to watch horror movies? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books? How about movies? Do you usually watch movies at home or at a movie theater? Have you ever seen the same movie more than once? If yes, name it (or them). Have you ever seen ___? (Insert the name of a movie.) How often do you go to movies? How often do you rent videos? If a book has been made into a movie, which do you prefer to do first, see the movie or read the book? Why? What do you think of people who talk during movies at a movie theater? What is the best movie you have ever seen? Who was in it? Why did you like it? Who was the director? What is the scariest movies you have ever seen? What's the funniest? What's the most romantic? What is the worst movie you've ever seen? What was the last movie you saw? Was it good? Who did you see it with? What's the best movie you've ever seen? Which do you like better, action movies or comedy movies?

What movie star would you most like to meet? Who is your favorite actor or actress? What do you think of reality shows? Do you think that films can be educational? Is there a movie you could watch over and over again? Who's your favorite director? See any good movies lately? How much does it cost to see a movie in your country? Do you usually rent DVD's or videos when you rent movies? What's one of your favorite movies? What kind of movie is it? Who's in it? Who directed it? Why do you like it? When did it come out? Where was it filmed? How many times have you seen it? Would you recommend it? Why? Do you think movies have been developing technology or technology has been developing movies? What is the most horrible movie you have ever seen? What kind of movie do you like? How much do you spend to buy DVD movies? Are addicted to watching movies? Do you like to see a movie many times? Would you like to be an actor/actress? Why or why not? Do you think action movies are bad for children? Which do you prefer, to watch movies or to read books? How much money do you spend when you go to movies? What do you prefer, animated movies or real movies? What is your favorite movie soundtrack? Do you think historical movies are educational? Do you like documentaries? Who is your favorite movie hero? What do you think about comic books movies? Can you remember the name of the first movie you saw that made you cry? What is your favorite classical movie? Which do you prefer, comedy movies or horror movies? Have you ever watched a movie twice that you disliked? Do you ever download bootleg movies? In your country what common courtesies apply when watching a movie at the cinema? Have you ever seen a movie in another country? Describe the experience. What movie ratings are enforced in your country? What does it mean if a movie "bombs"? Are movie trailers common at the cinema in your country? Do you like foreign films that are dubbed in your mother tongue or do you like watching the film in its original form? What kind of movie would you like to star in? Why? Do you think there should be more movies made in your country?

What is something that you have never seen happen in a movie? What things happen too often in movies? What is the name of a boring movie you have seen. Is there a way to make it better? How would you make a really bad movie? Which movie star do you think should die today? Which movie star should live forever? Which two movie stars would you like to have for your parents? If a movie star wanted to marry you, would you divorce your spouse? If you could be a movie bad guy, which one would you be? Have you ever thought about what super powers you would like to have? Which famous person would you like to have for a best friend? How often would you go to the movie theater if you always had free tickets? Which movie has the best story ? Tell me about it. Which horror movie is the scariest? Why? If they made a movie about your life, what kind of movie would it be? Which actor or actress would be you in a movie about your life? Do you want your children to be actors or actresses? How would your life change if you could do TV commercials? How would you like to clean house for a celebrity? Would you let a movie crew film in your house? Would you like to be a movie extra? Do you think there is too much nudity in movies, or not enough? Do you think there is too much violence in movies? Does it affect children? Do you think a movie has to be expensive to make to become a blockbuster? Why? Why do some people become famous and others don't? Would you rather be in a movie, or be given $500.000? Would you like to be in a television drama? What kind of character would you like to play in a television drama? Would you be willing to be on a TV show in only your underwear What's the scariest movie you've ever seen? If someone were to make a movie about your life, what would you want included? Include AT LEAST three points ! When there's a new movie on and you are interested in it, do you usually go to the cinema to watch it or wait and see it on DVD? What do you think about eating during movies at a movie theater? What are the different types/genres of films you can watch? Which ones do you like? What kinds of books do you usually read? Do you usually eat something while you are watching a film at the cinema? Do you think that films should be more educational? Do you prefer classic films or westerns? Have you got a favorite? Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of a film? Why? Do you remember which one it was? Do you choose a film for the plot/story or the actors? Do you usually choose which films to watch? What is the longest film you've ever seen? How many hours was it? Do you like animated films?

Have you seen any of the "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" films? Did you enjoy them? Do you prefer watching films in their original version or in your mother language? If you decide to rent a movie, how do you choose one? Who chooses the programs the family watches together? Who holds the remote in your family? If two people want to watch different programs at the same time, how do you settle the problemShould you read the book before you see the movie? Should some kinds of movies not be made? Should children under the age of 10 be allowed to see horror movies? What common courtesies apply when watching a movie at the cinema? What kind of movie would you like to star in? Why? Do you think there should be more movies made in your country? What is something that you have never seen happen in a movie? What things happen too often in movies? Think of a boring movie you've seen. Is there a way to make it better? How would you make a really bad movie? Which movie star do you think should die today? Which movie star should live forever? Which two movie stars would you like to have for parents? If a movie star wanted to marry you, would you divorce your spouse? If you could be a movie bad guy, which one would you be? Have you ever thought about what super powers you'd like to have? Which famous person would you like to have for a best friend? How often would you go to the movie theater if you always had free tickets? Which movie has the best story? Tell me about it. Which horror movie is the scariest? Why? Would you be willing to leave your country forever if you could be famous? What are some problems that famous people have? Would it be a problem if your sweetheart became famous but you didn't? If they made a movie about your life, what kind of movie would it be? Which actor or actress would be you in a movie about your life? Do you want your children to be actors or actresses? How would your life change if you could do TV commercials? Would you like to clean house for a celebrity? Would you let a movie crew film in your house? What kind or style of music would it be weird for your parents to listen to? Why?