Author Archive: admin

Retiring seniors go on working

2017年5月4日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Are you still working? At what age do you want to retire? Is it good to work even if you are already 70 years and up? Why or why not? Retiring seniors can now work again. They will receive help from the education ministry. It is common for retired seniors to continue working in the same company, but with easier tasks. There are still so many things people can do as long as they are healthy. Vocabulary: retire – [verb] to leave your job or stop working because of old age or bad health senior – [noun] older and more experienced than the other members of a team…
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Beginner

Tokyo taxis lowered fare

2017年5月4日

Japan - Expert

Riders delightfully welcomed the new Tokyo taxi fare, which is fairly affordable for people who use cabs for short distances. Leaflets were handed out to the public to introduce the new fare system to interested passengers at taxi stands. Commuters, especially elders, were so pleased to know about the new and improved fare system. The new fare for the first 1.052 kilometers is ¥410. It used to be ¥730 for the first two kilometers. Taxis have stickers of the new fare system in both English and Japanese. This fare revision was set in motion to address the continuous plunge in the the number of taxi passengers. Taxi companies also hope…
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Expert

Tokyo taxis lowered fare

2017年5月4日

Japan - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: How often do you ride a taxi in a week? Have you ever had a bad taxi ride? How does one become a taxi driver in your country? People in Tokyo who love taking short taxi rides will enjoy the lowered fare. The initial fare for taxis in Tokyo used to be ¥730 for the first two kilometers. The new initial fare for taxis in Tokyo is ¥410 for the first 1.052 kilometers. The new fare system started in the cities of Musashino and Mitaka. An 85-year old Tachikawa resident appreciates this new fare system as this would allow her to move around Tokyo with more ease. She…
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Intermediate

Tokyo taxis lowered fare

2017年5月4日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Do you usually ride a taxi? Is riding a taxi convenient? Is it safe to ride a taxi in your city? Tokyo taxis have lowered their initial fare. The taxi fare used to be ¥730. It is now ¥410 for the first 1.052 kilometers. The taxi fare has been lowered to attract more passengers. The new system started in the cities of Musashino and Mitaka. This is going to be good for passengers. Vocabulary: lower – [verb] to move down initial – [adjective] at the beginning fare – [noun] the money paid for a public transport attract – [verb] to make someone interested in something passenger – [noun]…
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Beginner

Standford University offers program for older professionals

2017年5月2日

Education - E

  Stanford University opened a new course for retirees who are planning their careers for the next 20-30 years. A former Stanford Dean, Dr. Phil Pizzo, believes that the transition from middle age to retiring age is overwhelming so he opened up an opportunity for retirees to study and do more in life. The Stanford’s Center of Longevity agrees to this plan, saying that universities are not only for people starting their careers, but also for people who successfully ended their careers. Students, also known as fellows have flourished from their chosen careers. Fellows like David Gensler from Gensler, Mary Ittelson from Ittelson Consulting, and Pradeep Jotwani from HP Inc….
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Expert

Facebook denies responsible over fake news

2017年4月27日

technology

  Facebook is on a hot seat for fake news circulating on the site. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed his disappointment in the issue as the management too is a victim. It is also speculated that these kinds of news are passed off as fake just because some people disagree with them. Facebook is careful on handling the situation. Mark said that an important part of democracy is to share things that other people might disagree with. Facebook is not going to delete or ban posts just because other people felt offended.   Vocabulary: hot seat – bad situation circulating – to be distributed over against – opposed to;…
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Expert

Facebook denies responsible over fake news

2017年4月27日

technology

  Pre-reading questions: Do you use any social media platforms like Facebook? How often? Do read news in social media? Why?   Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said that Facebook is totally against fake news. He said that they are also victims and they do not want them on the site. It’s not easy to figure out which are fake and which are not. Some people are actually calling them fake news only because they totally disagree to them. Hackers and political groups that post and share fake news are the ones responsible for them. These kinds of news have existed on the site for many years now. However, Facebook handles…
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Intermediate

Facebook denies responsible over fake news

2017年4月27日

technology

Pre-reading questions: Do you have social media accounts? How often do you use them? Why? Facebook is still in hot seat because of the fake news issue. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, is not happy about it. They do not want fake news to be on the site. It is not easy to know which is fake and which is not. Mark said that they are also victims of the issue. Users who post and share these kinds of news are responsible for it. Vocabulary: hot seat – [idiom] in an uncomfortable situation fake – [adjective] not true issue – [noun] important topic or problem responsible – [adjective] having to do…
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Beginner