Beginner

Research recommends eating rice to fight obesity

rice

Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like eating rice? What is your favorite food? Vocabulary: gain /geyn/ [verb] to increase in weight, speed, height, or amount She gained a lot of weight during her vacation. meal /meel/ [noun] an occasion when food is eaten I am on a diet, so I only eat one meal a day. gram /gram/ [noun] a unit of mass equal to 0.001 kilograms The article says that a person can eat 400 grams of rice per day. adult /uh-DUHLT/ [noun] a person or animal that has grown to full size and strength She is now considered an adult after she turned 18. fit /fit/ [adjective] healthy and…
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Tokyo’s Bunkitsu: A gallery-like bookstore

bunkitsu

Photo by © LIBRO PLUS via The Japan Times Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like reading books? Do you like going to bookstores? Vocabulary: clearly /KLEER-lee/ [adverb] certainly; obviously; without a doubt As you can see, that restaurant is clearly famous. magazine /mag-uh-ZEEN/ [noun] a type of thin book with a paper cover that is published regularly and usually contains articles and photographs My sister bought a fashion magazine yesterday. customer /KUHS-tuh-mer/ [noun] a person who buys goods or a service Mr. Sato is a regular customer at our restaurant. miss /mis/ [verb] to fail to do, see, or experience something You will miss your chance if you just sit here…
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Cherry blossoms attract more foreign tourists

cherry blossom

Pre-reading questions: Where do you usually hold “hanami”? What do you usually do during “hanami”? Vocabulary: moment /MOH-muhnt/ [noun] a very short period of time Miho will always remember the moments she spent studying abroad. foreign /FAWR-in/ [adjective] belonging to a country that is not your own Anna loves eating foreign food. tourist /TOOR-ist/ [noun] a person who travels and visits places for pleasure and interest A lot of tourists visit Disneyland every year. spot /spot/ [noun] a particular place Hachiko Statue is one of the most popular meeting spots in Tokyo. sign /sahyn/ [noun] a device that gives information to people who see it Drivers must be careful on…
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The misconception about dietary supplements

supppp

Pre-Reading Questions: Do you eat fruits and vegetables? Do you take vitamins? Vocabulary: supplement /SUHP-luh-ment/ [noun] a medicine that contains substances that you need to stay healthy My doctor asked me to stop taking food supplements. balanced diet /BAL-uhnst DAHY-it/ [noun] a balanced diet is a combination of the correct types and amounts of food She decided to have a balanced diet to lose weight. examine /ig-ZAM-in/ [verb] to look at or consider a person or thing carefully and in detail The doctors examined his rare disease. quantity /KWON-ti-tee/ [noun] the amount or number of something, especially that can be measured I found a large quantity of food inside her…
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Arata Isozaki wins 2019 Pritzker Prize

Arata Isozaki

Photo by © Getty Images via CNN Style Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite building in the world? Do you want to be an architect? Vocabulary: over /OH-ver/ [preposition] more than He has written over 200 poems. meaningful /MEE-ning-fuhl/ [adjective] intended to show meaning They want a chance to do meaningful work. approach /uh-PROHCH/ [noun] a way of doing something This approach seems very sensible to me. honor /ON-er/ [noun] an award in a contest or field of competition The school receives Ryugaku award, one of Japan’s highest academic honor. most /mohst/ [adverb] more than anything Knowledge is the most precious treasure of all things. Arata Isozaki is a Japanese…
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Japanese company produces high-tech wheelchairs

wheelchairs

Photo by © AFP via The Straits Times Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite sport? Do you watch sports on television? Vocabulary: company /KUHM-puh-nee/ [noun] an organization that produces or sells goods or services in order to make profit Harunari’s company is growing fast. wheelchair /HWEEL-chair/ [noun] a chair on wheels that people who are unable to walk use on moving around Takatsuki needs to use a wheelchair because he got into an accident. athlete /ATH-leet/ [noun] a person who is skilled or trained in a sport A lot of athletes are admirable. champion /CHAM-pee-uhn/ [noun] that has beaten all other competitors in a competition Manny Pacquiao is one of…
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Nagano attempts to keep their insect dishes

nagano

Photo by © Kyodo via The Japan Times Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite food? Do you know any unusual food? Vocabulary: young /yuhng/ [adjective] not old She is too young to be a model. insect /IN-sekt/ [noun] a type of very small animal with six legs and usually with two pairs of wings I saw an insect under my bed. reduce /ri-DOOS/ [verb] to make something become smaller in amount, degree or importance Her excitement for her toys reduced. activity /ak-TIV-i-tee/ [noun] an organized event to achieve an aim She went to a school activity yesterday. according to /uh-KAWR-ding tuh/ [preposition] as stated by According to a report, the…
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A box of delight: Shiba Inu marshmallows

shiba inu

Photo by © Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 via Japan Today Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like eating snacks? What snacks do you usually eat? Vocabulary: snack /snak/ [noun] a small amount of food eaten between meals Popcorn is my favorite snack. adorable /uh-dohr-uh-buhl/ [adjective] attractive and easily loved Nina is an adorable 2-year-old girl. mix /miks/ [verb] to combine different things Oil and water do not mix. often /of-uhn/ [adverb] a lot or many times Carla often goes to the cinema. cost /kost/ [verb] to pay an amount of money to buy something or do something How much does it cost to go to Kyoto? Enjoy your coffee breaks and tea time…
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Survey shows Japanese youth spend three hours online each day

online

Pre-reading questions: Do you use the internet? Is the internet important? Vocabulary: inquiry /in-kwahyuhr-ee/ [noun] the act of asking for information She made an inquiry about the case. give /giv/ [verb] to give your money, time, or best efforts Their teacher gave them an hour break before taking the examination. look /look/ [verb] to try to find something People are looking for different websites to study English. ministry /min-uh-stree/ [noun] a government department led by a minister All the ministries will have a meeting next week. result /ri-zuhlt/ [noun] the information you get from something The result of their English exam was good. In 2018, the Japanese government made an…
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China to launch new generation of driverless maglev trains in 2020

maglev

Pre-reading questions: How often do you take trains? Which one do you like, train or bus? Vocabulary: train /treyn/ [noun] a railway engine connected to a group of vehicles for carrying people or goods I go to work by train. speed /speed/ [noun] how fast something moves He was traveling at a speed of 80 kph. only /ohn-lee/ [adjective] used to show that there is a single one or very few of something She was the only person who finished the project. company /kuhm-puh-nee/ [noun] an organization that sells goods or services in order to make money My friend and I worked for the same company. also /awl-soh/ [adverb] in…
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