Author Archive: admin

New York SantaCon

2017年1月9日

Revelers in New York City recently took part in a Christmas fundraiser. All alcohol-loving people attended the fundraiser aptly called SantaCon. SantaCon, besides being a fundraiser, is also known as the annual Christmas pub crawl. SantaCon involves merrymakers dressing in festive costumes and heading for the bars. Some say this event has become so rowdy that concerned citizens have had failed attempts to shut it down. The organizers say SantaCon celebrates Christmas traditions of festive dress and good cheer. It also raises a considerable amount of money for charity. In 2016, the event took place on December 10. The annual bar crawl was held in 380 cities across the US…
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Expert

New York SantaCon

2017年1月6日

Pre-reading questions: How do you celebrate Christmas? What are the most popular Christmas food and drinks in your country? How is Christmas celebrated in your country? A Christmas fundraiser event invited all alcohol-loving people to SantaCon. SantaCon is an annual Christmas bar crawl. The organizers say SantaCon celebrates Christmas traditions of festive dress and good cheer. It also raises tens of thousands of dollars for charity. The said event took place last December 10. The annual bar crawl was held in 380 cities across the US and in 51 countries all over the world. In New York, the bar crawl started at 23rd street Broadway Pedestrian Plaza, The Flatiron Building….
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Intermediate

New York SantaCon

2017年1月6日

World News - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Did you believe in Santa Claus when you were a child? Do you attend any special gathering during Christmas season? Is Christmas more exciting than New Year’s? An annual Christmas event invited all alcohol-loving people to SantaCon. It is a parade of drunk Santas, reindeer and snowmen. Those who joined happily toured at some of the best bars in NYC. The said event took place last December 10. Most of the bars that participated are in the East Village and Midtown of New York City. This is one of the most-awaited NYC events every December. Vocabulary: annual – [adjective] once-a-year parade – [noun] a public walk especially when…
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Beginner

Even mild smoking can cause early death

2017年1月6日

A new study suggests that non-frequent smokers still have a higher chance of dying early than non-smokers. Smoking just once per day gives one a 64% chance of dying early. Those who smoke less than one cigarette per day are also nine times more likely to die of lung cancer. On the other hand, heavy smokers or those smoking one to 10 cigarettes per day have an 87% chance at an early death than non-smokers. They are also 12 times more likely to die of lung cancer. Although this research is too limited as most of its repondents were older and caucasian, this is an important research as it is…
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Expert

Even mild smoking can cause early death

2016年12月27日

Pre-reading questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word “smoking”? Do you think it is easy to quit smoking? Do you think banning smoking in public places could seriously hurt the economy?   People who smoke one cigarette a day or less still have greater chance of dying earlier than those who don’t smoke at all, according to a new study released in JAMA Internal Medicine journal. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute conducted the study that analyzed the effects of low-intensity smoking compared to mortality rates for people who don’t smoke. The study also examined that people are prone to develop lung cancer especially among those who…
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Intermediate

Even mild smoking can cause early death

2016年12月27日

Health - Beg

Pre-reading questions: Do you smoke? Do you have friends who smoke? Are people allowed to smoke in restaurants in your country?   A new study says smoking one cigarette a day can cause a person to die young. People who seldom smoke have a 64 percent chance of dying earlier than those who do not smoke. People who smoke up to 10 cigarettes a day have an 87 percent chance of dying early. Most respondents thought seldom smoking cannot harm them. But, the research shows that smoking, seldom or often, is not safe at all.   Vocabulary: seldom – [adverb] in few instances respondent – [noun] a person who gives…
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Beginner

University of Oxford ranked best in the world

2016年12月27日

Oxford University gained the top spot among the best ranking universities for the year 2016. Oxford surpassed California Institute of Technology this year because of a more substantial research budget and increased international reception. Oxford is really excited by this recent turn of events, being that the recent Brexit could have entirely jeopardized the university’s funding, collaborative projects and international reception. Joining Oxford are Cambridge and Imperial College London in the fourth and eight spots respectively. They join the ranks of top Amercian universities like Stanford, Harvard, Princeton & MIT. The recent positioning of the universities likewise demonstrates the rising impact of Asian universities, especially those in China, which are…
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Expert

Labor shortage

2016年12月23日

Japan’s apparent aging and decreasing population is causing the greatest shortages of manpower for labor-intensive sectors. Industries like hotels, restaurants, and elderly care facilities are less capable of offering competitive wages as they hit lowest on productivity per employee. Also, the elderly care system is undermined by government efforts that set the compensation down. In 2015, the average monthly wages in Japan fell for the fourth consecutive year. The central bank’s target for the average monthly wage increase is 2% for 2016, but the labor ministry data records an increase of only 1% in September. Adding to this labor predicament is the sabotage of employees’ bargaining power due to the…
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Expert

Labor shortage

2016年12月23日

Business - I

Pre-reading questions: What are the least popular jobs in your country? What is your dream job? What kind of jobs have you tried so far?   Japan’s population is diminishing and aging. It’s affecting the labor-intensive sectors. Hotels, restaurants and elderly care industries are coming up short in productive workers. The government cannot offer higher salary without productivity. Service businesses have a lot of part-time and contractual employees, which weakens the bargaining power of employees. The labor market is flawed and irregular in that there is a shortage of workers in jobs with the least productivity. With this kind of situation, it is not feasible to raise wages without studying,…
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Intermediate