The dangers of idolising successful people

This is a list of key vocabulary and expressions from the video in order of how useful they are. The expressions in italics are additional and cannot be found in the video. The student must choose 6 items from the list to study in the lesson. 

To give up

To tend to do something

To take a risk

To break down

To drop out (of school/ university etc.) 

To turn up (meaning to appear or to arrive)

A factor

To make it 

When it comes to...

To turn out (meaning to develop in a particular way, or to have a particular result)

While (meaning although)

To highlight

A bias (noun)/ Biased (adjective)

Credit (meaning praise, approval or honour)

To look up to someone

To get hold of something/ someone

A fluke

A temper/ Short-tempered (adj)

A bullet

To worship

To be misled/ Misleading (adj)

To fuel something (something that fuels a feeling or type of behaviour increases it or makes it stronger)

To scrap something

To fizzle out

To shoot down (meaning to shoot an enemy aircraft out of the sky)

15 conversation-provoking questions related to the article.

1. Who is your idol?

2. What does the word 'successful' mean to you?

3. Have you ever tried to copy a successful person?

4. Are Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg successful because they are lucky?

5. Should we try to copy their behaviour in order to be successful?

6. Should we trust the advice of successful people?

7. What types of people are idolised in your country?

8. Why do some people idolise criminals?

9. Do you think it’s possible for a society to control who its idols are?

10. Who should be idolised in your country?

11. Who inspires you?

12. Is it a problem that some celebrities are idolised for their beauty?

13. Are men pressured to idolise a particular type of man? 

14. Are women pressured to idolise a particular type of woman?

15. Does religion provide good role models?